Browser Fingerprinting

Background/Objectives: As a result of the proliferation of Access Point (AP) in various environments, it has demonstrated a significant increase in the interference levels betweenadjacent AP Due to sharing of the ISM bands, significantly affecting network performance.The aim of this paper is to propose an optimization model for allocating channels in the 2.4GHz band, supported in the use allocation models. Methods/Statistical Analysis: A scenario consisting of 6 storey building and 24 Access Point (AP) distributed inside was proposed. The optimization model for allocating frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band is represented as a linear programming problem based on an allocation model, which is a variant of transport models. The model seeks to minimize interference between AP and thereby increase SINR levels and spectral efficiency. To determine whether the proposed model (MF) makes a better allocation of channels than the current model (MA), which incorporates policies RRM, a hypothesis test is performed under mean difference for two independent samples, by t tests -student. Topic Relevance: Although there have been several related channel assignment work, no evidence of any optimization model that has considered using allocation models as a strategy for optimizing spectral efficiency was found. In addition, the model offers levels and reduced computational time complexity. Findings: based on the results it was evident that the model proposed optimization (MF) made a better allocation of resources in the frequency domain compared to the current model (MA), reaching an increase of about 15% in SINR average, with 95% confidence. Application / Improvements: The MF model can be considered as a tool in future research related to the design and analysis of wireless networks which use the 2.4GHz band, to assess aspects of performance, efficiency and QoS. Keywords: Channel Assignment, Efficiency, Optimization, Performance, SINR, WLAN

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has eventually become a common positioning technology. While GPS enabled many applications, satellite signals have yet to overcome many obstacles to enable indoor positioning. Meanwhile, due to the wide deployment of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) in recent years, WLAN positioning algorithms have become popular for mobile device positioning in indoor environments. The most accurate WLAN positioning algorithms exploit the so-called fingerprinting concept which consists of two stages. In the offline stage (training), the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) from a set of available Access Points (AP) is measured for a number of reference locations and stored in a database. Due to the availability of many APs and the complex structure of indoor environments, this information is distinctive for each reference location and thus is called a position fingerprint. In the online stage (testing), a mobile device receives RSSIs from the APs and their fingerprint is compared to the fingerprints that are stored in the database for a best possible match. WLAN fingerprinting can provide high accuracy in indoor environments when there are many APs which ensure fingerprint uniqueness. This paper provides a novel approach to use WLAN multipath signals as possible fingerprints for positioning algorithms for applications with lower number of access points. The paper provides an initial study.

The next generation of wireless networks including Five and Six Generations ( 5 G and 6 G ) can provide very high data rates as a demand for the Internet of Everything (IoE) system which connects millions of people and billions of machines. To reach such a high data rate, the wireless networks should work at high enough frequencies, such as millimeter and THz bands, which in turn suffer from a large attenuation and acute multipath fading. The idea of coating any objects in the environment with Software-Defined Metasurfaces (SDMs) was presented to control these effects by managing the electromagnetic properties of the environment. Since the programmable environment can be changed during the communication, for example, a sudden obstacle appears, this management should be adaptive. This paper presents the use of a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm for dynamically configuring such an environment. In other words, when a change happens in the environment, for example, an obstacle blocks some EM waves, the agent receives a large punishment, and therefore a new action is selected. In our model, the transmitted electromagnetic waves and the tiles are considered as the agents and states, respectively. Moreover, the actions of each tile include absorbing or reflecting the impinging waves in a specific direction. We utilize the Q-learning technique to establish proper wireless links between the users and the access point (AP) by controlling the state of the tiles in an environment covered by the SDMs. Evaluation of the proposed model for different scenarios, including emerging sudden obstacles, indicates its potential to provide a proper signal level for all the users and improve the average received power up to 12 % in comparison with the related works.

P474: Can the diagnostic evaluation change patient perspectives of their illness--irrespective of the outcome?

Background A multifaceted and interactive teaching approach is recommended for achieving proficiency in evidence-based practice, with critical thinking considered vital for connecting theory and practice. In this context, we advocate the strategic use of health claims in media to promote critical thinking and provide an accessible entry point to evidence-based practice for early-stage university healthcare students. Method We conducted a convergent mixed methods study, including a cross-sectional survey with structured and open-ended questions as well as focus group interviews, at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, during the 2020-2021 academic year. Participants were bachelor’s students in bioengineering, physiotherapy, social education, and occupational therapy. We employed a blended learning approach, combining digital learning resources, teaching in critical assessment of health claims and evidence-based practice, and a concurrent group exam assignment centered around health news. The outcome measures included students’ experiences integrating health claims into evidence-based practice teaching and their experiences with teaching approaches, including the group exam. Results Out of 446 participants, 136 (30.5%) responded to the structured questions in the survey. In response to the open-ended questions within the survey, 109 (80.1%) of the respondents shared positive experiences about the course, while 98 (72%) suggested improvements. Additionally, 25 students participated in focus group interviews. Synthesizing the results, we found that students viewed the inclusion of health claim assessment as a useful entry point for learning evidence-based practice. In addition, both the blended learning design and the group exam were identified as contributors to a positive perception of learning outcomes from the course. Conclusions Integrating critical reflection on media health claims into evidence-based practice education, alongside a blended learning approach and a group exam, may be beneficial for educating bachelor’s healthcare students. However, further rigorous study designs are needed to assess the effect of the course on learning outcomes. Registration DOI 10.5281/zenodo.6985449

Biological databases are an important resource for the life sciences community. Accessing the hundreds of databases supporting molecular biology and related fields is a daunting and time-consuming task. Integrating this information into one access point is a necessity for the life sciences community, which includes researchers focusing on human disease. Here we discuss the Ensembl genome browser, which acts as a single entry point with Graphical User Interface to data from multiple projects, including OMIM, dbSNP, and the NHGRI GWAS catalog. Ensembl provides a comprehensive source of annotation for the human genome, along with other species of biomedical interest. In this unit, we explore how to use the Ensembl genome browser in example queries related to human genetic diseases. Support protocols demonstrate quick sequence export using the BioMart tool.

HIV testing constitutes an entry point for HIV prevention and access to care. Although access to tests has increased in most low- and middle-income countries in recent years, regular HIV testing among high-risk populations remains a challenge. Understanding the determinants of regular HIV testing is the key to improving treatment-as-prevention programs and access to care. This study aimed to identify psychosocial factors associated with the intention to be HIV tested every 3 months among female sex workers (FSWs) in Benin. We developed an interview questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and other theoretical variables. We interviewed 450 FSWs in their work place. Using Amos software, we applied structural equation modeling to identify the determinants of intention. Previous testing was reported by 87% of FSWs, 40% of whom reported having been tested in the last 3 months. More than half of the FSWs (69%) showed a strong intention to be HIV tested during the next 3 months. The structural model indicates that 55% of the variance in intention is explained in descending order of importance (standardized coefficient weight, β) by perceived control, descriptive norms, control beliefs, habits, attitude, risk perception, and normative beliefs. This is the first theoretically based study identifying determinants of intention to undergo regular HIV testing among FSWs in sub-Saharan Africa. The results can inform development of interventions to maintain and increase regular HIV testing among FSWs, thus reinforcing primary prevention and supporting early access to care.

Climate science enterprise both produces and depends on extremely large datasets in order to meet the needs of diverse scientific and downstream user communities, especially as climate models are increasingly run at kilometre-scale resolutions, resulting in rapidly growing data volumes which increase demands on data handling infrastructures. Individual flagship simulations are no longer used by a single research group, but are routinely reused by dozens or even hundreds of researchers globally. Consequently, data findability, accessibility and reuse must be straightforward, data provenance must be transparent, and the full heritage of simulation data should be preserved in a machine-actionable manner to ensure scientific rigour, explainability and reproducibility.In this contribution, we present a conceptual infrastructure-level approach developed within the WarmWorld project based on leveraging the versatility of globally unique persistent identifiers (PIDs) to address these challenges. Specifically, we illustrate that by assigning handles to simulation datasets already at the point of production, simulation data stored locally at a HPC data center can become part of a globally interoperable data ecosystem. In our concept, handle profiles contain an URL at which the dataset can be opened. Further, machine-actionable metadata, such as the detailed provenance information describing the employed model configuration or a data reuse license and citation, would be available from the handle landing page. Thus, the motivation behind the approach we follow here is akin to that of the FDO specifications.Finalized simulation datasets would be exposed through globally accessible SpatioTemporal Asset Catalogs (STAC), where PIDs serve as the authoritative entry point for discovery and access. Data access would be handled by system libraries that resolve storage locations across heterogeneous storage tiers. Crucially, data access shall be designed to be globally open without the need for credentials, reflecting a strong demand from the climate research community, as clearly demonstrated during the WCRP kilometre-scale hackathon (May 2025).Systematic assignment and pragmatic leveraging of handles assigned to locally stored datasets can thus enable scalable and interoperable access to flagship climate datasets across infrastructures and communities, effectively integrating traditionally closed HPC data environments into the global data space and facilitating interoperability with other large-scale data holdings.

Background Endovenous radio frequency ablation for small saphenous vein incompetence by and large appears to be superior and safer than conventional open surgery. Small saphenous vein ablation from approximately mid-calf to the point proximally where the small saphenous vein dives into the popliteal fossa is considered to be safe, as the sural nerve is in most cases separated from this segment of the small saphenous vein by the deep fascia. The outcome of the distal incompetent small saphenous vein remains unclear. Efficacy of the endovenous radio frequency ablation can be enhanced by increasing the length of the ablatable small saphenous vein segment. Methodology To optimise endovenous radio frequency ablation outcome, the distal small saphenous vein may be made amenable to ablation if safety of the sural nerve can be assured. The sural nerve was successfully located using duplex ultrasound in 100% of our cohort in this study. The standard entry point for venous access was just above the lateral malleolus. After introduction of the introducer sheath, the radio frequency catheter was advanced proximally; the sural nerve was displaced from the small saphenous vein by approximately 1 cm with the administration of tumescent anaesthesia ( hydrodisplacement). A total of 118 patients underwent extended endovenous radio frequency ablation of 124 incompetent small saphenous vein trunks using the method described. Results Successful extended ablation of the small saphenous vein was achieved in 100% of cases and it was confirmed by duplex scanning at one and six weeks. Two neurological events were recorded during the study: 1. One patient with temporary foot drop lasting for less than 6 h with complete recovery. 2. A second patient with a sural nerve sensory deficit reported by the patient at day 2-3, which remains current at six weeks. Conclusions Extended endovenous radio frequency ablation of the small saphenous vein to optimise length of the ablatable vein segment is feasible with careful identification and hydrodisplacement of the sural nerve. This method is shown to be associated with fewer neurological complications than other methods reported in the literature.

In the last decades, important progress has been achieved in the understanding of the neurotrophic effects of intermittent fasting (IF), calorie restriction (CR) and exercise. Improved neuroprotection, synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis (NSPAN) are essential examples of these neurotrophic effects. The importance in this respect of the metabolic switch from glucose to ketone bodies as cellular fuel has been highlighted. More recently, calorie restriction mimetics (CRMs; resveratrol and other polyphenols in particular) have been investigated thoroughly in relation to NSPAN. In the narrative review sections of this manuscript, recent findings on these essential functions are synthesized and the most important molecules involved are presented. The most researched signaling pathways (PI3K, Akt, mTOR, AMPK, GSK3β, ULK, MAPK, PGC-1α, NF-κB, sirtuins, Notch, Sonic hedgehog and Wnt) and processes (e.g., anti-inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis) that support or thwart neuroprotection, synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis are then briefly presented. This provides an accessible entry point to the literature. In the annotated bibliography section of this contribution, brief summaries are provided of about 30 literature reviews relating to the neurotrophic effects of interest in relation to IF, CR, CRMs and exercise. Most of the selected reviews address these essential functions from the perspective of healthier aging (sometimes discussing epigenetic factors) and the reduction of the risk for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease) and depression or the improvement of cognitive function.

This chapter explores the possibility of meeting the dual aims by including social history in the classroom and thus reframing for the students what is considered 'official' history, providing an accessible and relatable entry point to historical issues and eras. Social history allows us to better contextualise and imagine major historical moments for our students. It goes some way towards explaining why particular narratives and themes have ended up dominating the historical landscape while others have been forgotten, opening up opportunities to broach more complex metahistorical ideas in the classroom. Social history can be a powerful bridge for our students to help them make the cognitive leap of understanding their own personal history as part of a much broader narrative. Teaching for historical thinking means inducting students into particular ways of thinking about the past, about the meaning and handling of evidence and the coming to conclusions based on that evidence.

Large Language Models (LLMs) and Multimodal LLMs (MLLMs) are explored as a cognitive layer to enhance decision-making in autonomous driving systems, addressing the limitations of traditional modular pipelines in long-tail or ambiguous scenarios. This paper conducts a structured and system-oriented review of recent researches on LLM-integrated autonomous driving. The survey categorizes existing methods based on the functional roles that LLMs play in driving pipeline, analyzes representative architecture for system integration and summarizes the major application tasks and evaluation settings. This paper aims to provide an accessible entry point for newcomers by focusing on how language models enhance the decision-making ability of autonomous systems while highlighting emerging design patterns and open challenges. It also discusses current limitations, such as reliance on simulation and safety concerns, and highlight directions for future research. It can be concluded that integrating LLMs into autonomous driving systems establishes a crucial cognitive layer that enhances scene understanding, hierarchical planning, and multi-agent coordination, effectively addressing the limitations of traditional data-driven pipelines in handling long-tail scenarios while improving system interpretability. The most promising LLM-based autonomous driving solutions adopt a hybrid architecture that combines the flexible reasoning capabilities of LLMs with the reliable safety guarantees of conventional planners, though challenges such as the sim-to-real gap, model hallucinations, and real-time performance constraints still require further research to overcome.

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment makes a vast use of alignment and calibration measurements in several data processing workflows: in the High Level Trigger, in the processing of the recorded collisions and in the production of simulated events for data analysis and studies of detector upgrades. A complete alignment and calibration scenario is factored in approximately three-hundred records, which are updated independently and can have a time-dependent content, to reflect the evolution of the detector and data taking conditions. Given the complexity of the CMS condition scenarios and the large number (50) of experts who actively measure and release calibration data, in 2015 a novel web-based service has been developed to structure and streamline their management. The cmsDbBrowser provides an intuitive and easily accessible entry point for the navigation of existing conditions by any CMS member, for the bookkeeping of record updates and for the actual composition of complete calibration scenarios. This paper describes the design, choice of technologies and the first year of usage in production of the cmsDbBrowser.

SEER, 94, 3, july 2016 568 Amar’s compelling narrative arc situates the story of L’viv at the seemingly perpetual crossroads of major political currents. The book traces the unmixing of the city as a process that was not actually planned by any state but rather systematically executed by each successive regime. Amar collected research for the book across Central Europe’s state archives with the intent of producing ‘a local and transnational study’ (p. 1). The text also incorporates the experiences of individuals who lived in this urban borderland, perhaps to the greatest extent in the chapter dealing with the Nazi occupation. As a whole, The Paradox of Ukrainian Lviv is clearly written and coherently structured. It presents readers with an accessible entry point to a bewilderingly complicated moment in history. What the title suggests, but the book does not address, is the particularity of L’viv as an urban centre within the Central European borderlands. Amar discusses the administrative changes each consecutive state implemented that, for instance, yielded campaigns of naming or mandated a ‘local’ identity in the post-war years, but he does not explore how they applied to the city differently than to its surroundings. Yet the erasure of urban multiculturalism in Thessaloniki, Wroclaw, Sarajevo and, indeed, L’viv, even when not explicitly identified as a state agenda, manifested as a deep incursion into everyday practices, for instance, of space, class and gender. An urban lens would have added another insightful dimension to this study. This critique notwithstanding, The Paradox of Ukrainian Lviv is an impressive undertaking with an even more impressive result. Amar skilfully weaves together a lineage of state policies that vied for power over the Central European borderlands during the twentieth century. The book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Nazi Germany, as well as those interested in authoritarian regimes, nation building and nationalism. Department of History Jovana Babović Louisiana Tech University Purs, Aldis. Baltic Facades: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since 1945. Contemporary Worlds. Reaktion Books, London, 2012. 203 pp. Maps. Notes. Further reading. Index. £15.95 (paperback). The aims of this book are modest. In the first instance it’s not written for academic audiences, but for general, educated readers in order to give them a sense of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. To be fair to the author, he achieves this aim well and, in fact, he has produced a text which more than likely will be useful for educational audiences too. REVIEWS 569 The book’s structure blends chronology and themes to good effect. The first substantial chapter provides an historical overview from ancient times to the interwar period. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but Purs accomplishes the task well. The text is made all the more enjoyable by the inclusion of occasional pithy comments designed to provoke some readers at least. So, for instance, when discussing the arrival of German merchants, knights and priests in the twelfth century the author dismisses those who would interpret this as the start of ‘700 years of German oppression’ (p. 25). Such writing he dismisses as typical of Latvian and Estonian ‘nationalist historiography’ (p. 25). The second chapter, nicely entitled ‘Potemkin Republics’, addresses periods of Soviet, Nazi and, once again, Soviet occupation. It contains some good material that will encourage readers to find out more, for example the all too brief characterization of post-1945 partisan warfare. But once again this chapter contains views that will force some readers to argue against what they find. So, for instance, Purs maintains that the Soviet Union appears not to have had a policy of genocide towards the Baltic peoples. Rather, in his words, ‘Soviet rule in the Baltic followed the pattern of Soviet rule throughout the Soviet Union’ (p. 66). The title of the third chapter, ‘Soviet Union to European Union’, highlights the tremendous changes experienced in the Baltic States following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the process, it provides an interesting view of the Communist empire as it fell apart, including the way one-time Party men made an easy transition to the nationalist camp. It shows how the Popular Fronts constructed in...

This new textbook provides an introduction to humanitarian protection, a field of study concerned with international responses to armed conflict, political violence, and humanitarian crisis. The book engages with a wide range of empirical and normative questions, providing an overview of the academic literature whilst simultaneously discussing the policies and practices associated with protective responses to conflict and humanitarian emergencies that put the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations, including civilians, refugees, and minority groups, at risk. Divided into three parts, covering the origins of the humanitarian protection regime, the range of actors involved, and the responsibilities of these actors, the book offers an accessible entry point into the major contemporary debates, providing readers with the conceptual tools for understanding core issues. Key points are reinforced and illustrated through the deployment of selected case studies, and a comprehensive glossary is provided for key terms. Each chapter ends with a summary of key points, questions for further reflection, and a list of recommended reading. This book will be of much interest to students of human protection, humanitarianism, the Responsibility to Protect, human security, peacekeeping, and International Relations in general.