A bayesian approach to wireless location problems

Several approaches for indoor location estimation in wireless networks are proposed. We explore non-hierarchical and hierarchical Bayesian graphical models that use prior knowledge about physics of signal propagation, as well as different modifications of Bayesian bivariate spline models. The hierarchical Bayesian model that incorporates information about locations of access points achieves accuracy that is similar to other published models and algorithms, but by using prior knowledge, this model drastically reduces the requirement for training data when compared to existing approaches. Proposed Bayesian bivariate spline models for location surpass predictive accuracy of existing methods. It has been shown that different versions of this model, in combination with sampling/importance resampling and particle filter algorithms, are suitable for the real-time estimation and tracking of moving objects. It has been demonstrated that plug-in versions of the bivariate Bayesian spline model perform as good as the full Bayesian version. A combination of two Bayesian models to reduce the maximum predictive error is proposed. Models presented in this work utilize MCMC simulations in directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to solve ill-posed problem of location estimation in wireless networks using only received signal strengths. Similar approaches may be applied to other ill-posed problems

rEHR: An R package for manipulating and analysing Electronic Health Record data

Research with structured Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is expanding as data becomes more accessible; analytic methods advance; and the scientific validity of such studies is increasingly accepted. However, data science methodology to enable the rapid searching/extraction, cleaning and analysis of these large, often complex, datasets is less well developed. In addition, commonly used software is inadequate, resulting in bottlenecks in research workflows and in obstacles to increased transparency and reproducibility of the research. Preparing a research-ready dataset from EHRs is a complex and time consuming task requiring substantial data science skills, even for simple designs. In addition, certain aspects of the workflow are computationally intensive, for example extraction of longitudinal data and matching controls to a large cohort, which may take days or even weeks to run using standard software. The rEHR package simplifies and accelerates the process of extracting ready-for-analysis datasets from EHR databases. It has a simple import function to a database backend that greatly accelerates data access times. A set of generic query functions allow users to extract data efficiently without needing detailed knowledge of SQL queries. Longitudinal data extractions can also be made in a single command, making use of parallel processing. The package also contains functions for cutting data by time-varying covariates, matching controls to cases, unit conversion and construction of clinical code lists. There are also functions to synthesise dummy EHR. The package has been tested with one for the largest primary care EHRs, the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), but allows for a common interface to other EHRs. This simplified and accelerated work flow for EHR data extraction results in simpler, cleaner scripts that are more easily debugged, shared and reproduced

Location Estimation in Wireless Networks: A Bayesian Approach

We present a Bayesian hierarchical model for indoor location estimation in wireless networks. We demonstrate that out model achieves accuracy that is similar to other published models and algorithms. By harnessing prior knowledge, our model drastically reduces the requirement for training data as compared with existing approaches

Bestrophinopathy: An RPE-Photoreceptor Interface Disease

Bestrophinopathies, one of the most common forms of inherited macular degenerations, are caused by mutations in the BEST1 gene expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Both human and canine BEST1-linked maculopathies are characterized by abnormal accumulation of autofluorescent material within RPE cells and bilateral macular or multifocal lesions; however, the specific mechanism leading to the formation of these lesions remains unclear. We now provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the molecular pathology of bestrophinopathies, and explore factors promoting formation of RPE-neuroretinal separations, using the first spontaneous animal model of BEST1-associated retinopathies, canine Best (cBest). Here, we characterize the nature of the autofluorescent RPE cell inclusions and report matching spectral signatures of RPE-associated fluorophores between human and canine retinae, indicating an analogous composition of endogenous RPE deposits in Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy (BVMD) patients and its canine disease model. This study also exposes a range of biochemical and structural abnormalities at the RPE-photoreceptor interface related to the impaired cone-associated microvillar ensheathment and compromised insoluble interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM), the major pathological culprits responsible for weakening of the RPE-neuroretina interactions, and consequently, formation of vitelliform lesions. These salient alterations detected at the RPE apical domain in cBest as well as in BVMD- and ARB-hiPSC-RPE model systems provide novel insights into the pathological mechanism of BEST1-linked disorders that will allow for development of critical outcome measures guiding therapeutic strategies for bestrophinopathies. © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Conceptualization of the idea of unity in independent Ukraine: genesis of meaning

In the article, the author analyzes the development of the idea of the unity of Ukraine, contradictions and heterogeneity in interpretive and normative approaches, which were explicitly or latently aimed at forming the value orientations of the Ukrainian nation, starting from 1991 until 2014, when the Revolution of Dignity took place. It was revealed thatthe specified period was characterized by the relentless search and production of new meanings, which had a contradictory nature, on the one hand, they were aimed at the rehabilitation of national history, and on the other hand, they served as a manipulative tool for the formation of public opinion and had a disintegrating effect on Ukrainian society. Special attention was paid to the issue of highlighting the idea of unity in normative and legal acts, in particular those that regulated the rehabilitation of national history and the restoration in the public field of the country of the discourse on the Day of Unity of Ukraine as an event that directly symbolized the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for the establishment of a sovereign and independent state. The article also reveals modifications of the concept of unity in the context of the ideological foundations of the work of a number of public organizations at the national and local levels.It was revealed that the period 1991−2014 was fundamental for the production of new meanings and orientations in nation-building, which ideologically prepared the ground for the events of 2014, the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, as well as the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of part of Donbas, which marked a new stage a test of the stability of the Ukrainian nation, in particular its unity not only in the symbolic dimension, but also in the practical plane of a direct military conflict, when the context of previous worldview contradictions was removed for the sake of preserving the political unity of the Ukrainian nation, which was subjected to a direct external attack from Russian Federation.It was stressed that speculative discussions, discriminatory rhetoric surrounding the concept of the unity of the Ukrainian political nation over time transformed into a political technology of undermining the unity of Ukraine, in particular at the level of popularizing the idea of „incompatibility” and „mutual exclusivity” of the West and East of Ukraine, their economic, cultural, and foreign policy orientations. Political manipulations, multiplied by significant financial and organizational resources, led to the emergence and strengthening of regional political regimes, the actualization of disintegrating separatist political projects

Ukrainska proza Marka Vovchka

Abstract not available