Javier Prieto

Adaptive Data Fusion for Wireless Localization in Harsh Environments

The dynamic and unpredictable characteristics of wireless channels in harsh environments have resulted in a poor performance of localization systems. Conventional implementations rely on unrealistic assumptions driven by tractability requirements, such as linear models or Gaussian errors. In this paper, we present a framework for data fusion in localization systems based on determining likelihood functions that represent the relationship between measurements and distances. In this framework, such likelihoods are dynamically adapted to the propagation conditions. The subsequent usage of a particle filter (PF) leads to an adaptive likelihood particle (ALPA) filter that addresses the nonlinear and non-Gaussian behavior of measurements over time. The ALPA filters performance is quantified by using received-signal-strength (RSS) and time-of-arrival (TOA) measurements collected with wireless local area network (WLAN) devices. We compare the accuracy obtained to the accuracy of conventional implementations and to the posterior Cramér-Rao lower bound (PCRLB). Both empirical and simulation results show that the proposed ALPA filter significantly improves the accuracy of conventional approaches, obtaining an error close to the PCRLB.

Protection against Woodchuck Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Infection by Gene Gun Coimmunization with WHV Core and Interleukin-12

ABSTRACT Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are closely similar with respect to genomic organization, host antiviral responses, and pathobiology of the infection. T-cell immunity against viral nucleocapsid (HBcAg or WHcAg) has been shown to play a critical role in viral clearance and protection against infection. Here we show that vaccination of healthy woodchucks by gene gun bombardment with a plasmid coding for WHcAg (pCw) stimulates proliferation of WHcAg-specific T cells but that these cells do not produce significant levels of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) upon antigen stimulation. In addition, animals vaccinated with pCw alone were not protected against WHV inoculation. In order to induce a Th1 cytokine response, another group of woodchucks was immunized with pCw together with another plasmid coding for woodchuck interleukin-12 (IL-12). These animals exhibited WHcAg-specific T-cell proliferation with high IFN-γ production and were protected against challenge with WHV, showing no viremia or low-level transient viremia after WHV inoculation. In conclusion, gene gun immunization with WHV core generates a non-Th1 type of response which does not protect against experimental infection. However, steering the immune response to a Th1 cytokine profile by IL-12 coadministration achieves protective immunity. These data demonstrate a crucial role of Th1 responses in the control of hepadnavirus replication and suggest new approaches to inducing protection against HBV infection.

IEEE 802.11 Distance Estimation Based on RTS/CTS Two-Frame Exchange Mechanism

The addition of positioning capabilities to wide- spread communications such as IEEE 802.11 compliant networks could open up interesting markets, in particular if a low-cost hardware has to be added to the existing one and standard RTS/CTS control frames exchange could be used for this purpose. In this paper various statistical estimators of the delay profile observed, derived from Round-Trip Time measurements, are analyzed and a linear regression of the statistical estimators is applied in order to improve the accuracy of distance estimation between a Mobile User and an Access Point. A precision in distance estimation with errors in the range of a meter is achieved.

Hybrid RSS-RTT localization scheme for indoor wireless networks

Nowadays, a variety of information related to the distance between two wireless devices can be easily obtained. This paper presents a hybrid localization scheme that combines received signal strength (RSS) and round-trip time (RTT) information with the aim of improving the previous localization schemes. The hybrid localization scheme is based on an RSS ranging technique that uses RTT ranging estimates as constraints among other heuristic constraints. Once distances have been well estimated, the position of the mobile station (MS) to be located is estimated using a new robust least-squared multilateration (RLSM) technique that combines the RSS and RTT ranging estimates mitigating the negative effect of outliers. The hybrid localization scheme coupled with simulations and measurements demonstrates that it outperforms the conventional RSS-based and RTT-based localization schemes, without using either a tracking technique or a previous calibration stage of the environment.

Topology Assessment Provided by Weighted Barycentric Parameters in Harsh Environment Wireless Location Systems

In wireless location systems deployed in open areas, the statistical distributions of the range estimates are very tractable. However, due to the nature of the wireless propagation in urban and indoor environments, the behavior of the range estimates in such environments is very different. Therefore, the performance assessment results obtained for the systems operating in open areas cannot be transferred to the ones deployed in realistic urban and indoor environments. In this paper, the systematic and random errors (accuracy and precision) and the dilution-of-precision (DOP) in harsh environments are derived for the two most common multilateration algorithms, as well as the performance theoretical benchmark. We show that these quantities are determined by geometric parameters that we call topology-assessment-weighted-barycentric-parameters (TAWBAP), which are the norm of weighted barycenters obtained from the positions of anchors and target. These parameters manage the performance of the multilateration process showing the influence of the geometric configuration in connection with the specific characteristics of each range estimate. The improvement in performance obtained by using the TAWBAP parameters as a network design rule is demonstrated by means of simulations as well as by measurements taken in a real indoor environment. This improvement outperforms at least 25% the one achieved by topology deployments that have been considered as optimal in the literature.

NLOS mitigation based on range estimation error characterization in an RTT-based IEEE 802.11, indoor location system

Ranging techniques have significant effects on localization accuracy, system complexity, and system cost, in most common wireless location systems. In such systems, loss of accuracy is most often caused by the lack of a direct line-of-sight (LOS) between a mobile user (MU) and a reference access point (AP). This drawback is increased when the location system is deployed in cluttered scenarios. Modeling the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) error formally represents one way to deal with this issue. However, a trade-off decision has to be made between the efficiency of the system and its complexity and computational cost. In this paper, NLOS error is confined to single-parameter distributions, specifically Exponential and Rayleigh. Both models are introduced in the prior NLOS measurements correction (PNMC) method, and compared in terms of range and position error, in a round-trip time (RTT)-based real location system. Furthermore, improvement of accuracy by dynamically estimating Exponential or Rayleigh parameters is likewise analyzed. The results show a high NLOS bias reduction after PNMC procedure, and even greater when using dynamic parameters.

Accurate and integrated localization system for indoor environments based on IEEE 802.11 round-trip time measurements

The presence of (Non line of Sight) NLOS propagation paths has been considered the main drawback for localization schemes to estimate the position of a (Mobile User) MU in an indoor environment. This paper presents a comprehensive wireless localization system based on (Round-Trip Time) RTT measurements in an unmodified IEEE 802.11 wireless network. It overcomes the NLOS impairment by implementing the (Prior NLOS Measurements Correction) PNMC technique. At first, the RTT measurements are performed with a novel electronic circuit avoiding the need for time synchronization between wireless nodes. At second, the distance between the MU and each reference device is estimated by using a simple linear regression function that best relates the RTT to the distance in (Line of Sight) LOS. Assuming that LOS in an indoor environment is a simplification of reality hence, the PNMC technique is applied to correct the NLOS effect. At third, assuming known the position of the reference devices, a multilateration technique is implemented to obtain the MU position. Finally, the localization system coupled with measurements demonstrates that the system outperforms the conventional time-based indoor localization schemes without using any tracking technique such as Kalman filters or Bayesian methods.

Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings through Context-Aware Social Computing

The challenge of promoting behavioral changes in users that leads to energy savings in public buildings has become a complex task requiring the involvement of multiple technologies. Wireless sensor networks have a great potential for the development of tools, such as serious games, that encourage acquiring good energy and healthy habits among users in the workplace. This paper presents the development of a serious game using CAFCLA, a framework that allows for integrating multiple technologies, which provide both context-awareness and social computing. Game development has shown that the data provided by sensor networks encourage users to reduce energy consumption in their workplace and that social interactions and competitiveness allow for accelerating the achievement of good results and behavioral changes that favor energy savings.

Leukaemia of natural killer cell large granular lymphocyte type with HLA-DR-CD16-CD56bright+ phenotype.

The case is reported of a 45 year old woman with the rare leukaemia of natural killer cell large granular lymphocyte (NK/ LGL) type. Cytometric analysis of leukaemic blasts showed that they were positive for CD2, CD38, and CD56 antigens but negative for a series of antigens including CD3, CD7, CD16, and HLA-DR. Rearrangements of the beta T cell receptor, and heavy and kappa immunoglobulin genes were not detected and neither were chromosomal abnormalities. Leukaemic blasts developed NK cytotoxicity. The patient failed to respond to aggressive chemotherapy and died three months after diagnosis. The lack of expression of HLA-DR is an extraordinary characteristic of this case, as all cases of acute NK cell leukaemias described to date expressed HLA-DR. The immunophenotype observed in the NK cell leukaemic blasts may represent the counterpart of a hypothetical normal cell precursor in an early stage of ontogenic NK cell development.

Pedestrian navigation in harsh environments using wireless and inertial measurements

The popularity of positioning satellite systems in open areas has led to a high demand for systems suitable for harsh environments, where the former fail. Wireless localization and inertial navigation have emerged as the most valuable alternatives to offer positioning in such environments. However, the characteristics of the wireless propagation channel in harsh environments are dynamic and unpredictable while the errors in inertial navigation rapidly increase with time. In this paper, we present a general framework and algorithms for data fusion in navigation systems. The presented techniques combine both wireless and inertial measurements. To assess the proposed methods, we collected measurements from commercial wireless devices and low-cost inertial sensors in a real indoor environment. The experimental results show the remarkable performance of the proposed method, capable of reaching a sub-meter accuracy.