Our Work

Public infrastructure delivery in Nigeria continues to be undermined by two closely related problems: the persistent inflation of construction material prices and the abandonment of publicly funded pr…

Public infrastructure delivery in Nigeria continues to be undermined by two closely related problems: the persistent inflation of construction material prices and the abandonment of publicly funded projects. The Public Procurement Act 2007 (PPA) was enacted to entrench transparency, competition and value for money in public spending, and its principles have since been domesticated by most states, including Anambra, through the Anambra State Public Procurement Law 2011 (as amended in 2020). This paper critically assesses the extent to which this procurement law regime has succeeded in curbing material cost inflation and project abandonment in Anambra State. Adopting a mixed-methods design combining doctrinal and documentary analysis with a descriptive survey of construction sector stakeholders, the paper examines statutory provisions, regulatory reports, survey responses from contractors, quantity surveying consultants, procurement officers and ministry engineers, and secondary evidence on abandoned projects and construction material prices. The paper finds that while the procurement law provides mechanisms capable of moderating cost escalation and abandonment in principle, notably procurement planning, budgetary certainty, price variation clauses, monitoring and debarment, its practical effectiveness is constrained by weak enforcement, discretionary disclosure practices, political discontinuity and its structural inability to address macroeconomic drivers of inflation such as exchange rate volatility and fuel costs. Survey evidence confirms that stakeholders perceive the regime as only moderately effective, with material cost inflation and project abandonment persisting at significant levels. The paper concludes that the procurement law is a necessary but insufficient instrument, and recommends complementary fiscal, contractual and institutional reforms to strengthen its effectiveness.

The development of social commerce has encouraged companies to employ various digital promotional strategies to increase consumer repurchases. One emerging strategy is the use of location-based digita…

The development of social commerce has encouraged companies to employ various digital promotional strategies to increase consumer repurchases. One emerging strategy is the use of location-based digital discount vouchers through the TikTok application, which integrates digital promotions with transactions at physical outlets. However, findings on the effectiveness of digital vouchers in increasing repurchase intention remain mixed, highlighting the need to examine the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study aims to analyze the effect of location-based digital discount vouchers through TikTok on repurchase intention, with perceived value as a mediating variable, among Kopi Kenangan consumers in Cirebon Regency. The study adopts a quantitative approach with a causal associative research design. Respondents are Kopi Kenangan consumers in Cirebon Regency who have used TikTok vouchers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that location-based digital discount vouchers have positive and significant effects on both repurchase intention and perceived value. Furthermore, perceived value positively affects repurchase intention and mediates the relationship between location-based digital discount vouchers and repurchase intention. These findings suggest that the success of digital promotions depends not only on the size of the discount but also on their ability to enhance consumers’ perceived value, thereby encouraging repurchases.

This repository contains the code and reproducibility materials accompanying the manuscript “Isolation Forest on PCA-Rotated CNN Patch Features for Industrial Visual Anomaly Detection”. Th…

This repository contains the code and reproducibility materials accompanying the manuscript “Isolation Forest on PCA-Rotated CNN Patch Features for Industrial Visual Anomaly Detection”. The package includes the experimental code, fitting/validation splits, per-image anomaly scores for seed 42, experiment settings, contamination experiment splits, and rotation-control results. The MVTec AD dataset is not redistributed and should be obtained from its original source.

GNSS-SDR v0.0.22 is a major step forward for the project. The receiver now processes four new signals: BeiDou B1C and B2a, QZSS L1 C/B, and SBAS L1 (EGNOS and WAAS, not yet used as ranging sources). T…

GNSS-SDR v0.0.22 is a major step forward for the project. The receiver now processes four new signals: BeiDou B1C and B2a, QZSS L1 C/B, and SBAS L1 (EGNOS and WAAS, not yet used as ranging sources). The PVT block gains real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning fed by RTCM 3 corrections from NTRIP casters, enabling centimeter-level relative positioning under suitable observing conditions, together with a new integer ambiguity resolution management layer. Observation and navigation files can now be written in RINEX 4.02 format, and a new CUDA acquisition engine can offload the PCPS search grid to NVIDIA GPUs, including Jetson platforms. Support for RF hardware grows with new signal sources for bladeRF (without going through gr-osmosdr), Pocket SDR, and SAPHYRION EVK1029 front-ends, and the Galileo OSNMA implementation now handles chain, public key, and Merkle tree renewals and revocations, as well as alert messages. This release also fixes several biases in the group-delay and ionospheric corrections applied by the single-point positioning solver. Many of these features are community contributions, credited in the list below. The most relevant changes with respect to the former release are: Improvements in Accuracy: - Added real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning using RTCM 3 corrections received from NTRIP casters, enabling centimeter-level relative positioning under suitable observing conditions.- Fixed the sign of the group-delay correction applied to GPS and QZSS L1+L2C dual-band observations in the SPP solver when a single-frequency ionospheric model is used: the L1 C/A pseudorange is now corrected as `P1 - c*TGD`, as specified in IS-GPS-200 20.3.3.3.3.2, instead of `P1 + c*TGD`, removing a per-satellite bias of twice the broadcast group delay (up to several meters).- Fixed the GPS L1+L5 dual-frequency ionosphere-free correction in the SPP solver: the gamma-weighted L1 term now applies `ISC_L1C/A` as specified in IS-GPS-705 20.3.3.3.1.2.2, instead of erroneously reusing `ISC_L5I5` on both terms of the combination.- The variance of the broadcast ionospheric delay estimate is now scaled consistently with the delay itself when converting from the GPS L1 frequency to the L1/B1 frequency of other constellations (delay scales with f^-2, its variance with f^-4).- Fixed a double-counting of the ionospheric delay in the Single Point Positioning (SPP) solver for dual-band satellites processed with a single-frequency ionospheric model (e.g., `PVT.iono_model=Broadcast`): the ionosphere-free pseudorange combinations formed for GPS/QZSS L1+L5 and Galileo/GLONASS/BeiDou dual-band observations no longer get the modeled ionospheric delay applied on top, which biased those residuals by the (elevation-dependent) modeled delay. The measurement variance of these combinations now also receives the same noise-amplification factor already used in the ionosphere-free positioning mode, instead of a Klobuchar-based variance term that did not correspond to the measurement.- The modeled ionospheric delay in the SPP solver is now scaled to the observed frequency band for single-band measurements outside the L1/E1/B1 band (GPS L2C-only or L5-only, Galileo E5a-only or E5b-only, GLONASS L2-only, BeiDou B3I-only): the L1 delay is multiplied by (f_L1/f_band)^2 (about 1.65 for L2 and 1.79 for L5/E5a), and its variance by the square of that factor. Previously the unscaled L1 delay was applied to those measurements, undercorrecting the ionosphere by the same factor.- Improved PVT processing of GPS L2C, GPS L5, and QZSS signals using CNAV navigation data: satellite positions now include the CNAV semi-major axis and mean-motion rate terms, and group-delay / inter-signal corrections follow IS-GPS-200 / IS-GPS-705 in both single-band and L1+L5 dual-band configurations. Contributed by @vladisslav2011.- Carrier-phase discontinuities are now detected and flagged: cycle slips after a signal reacquisition, and half-cycle jumps caused by a change in the telemetry-resolved phase polarity. RINEX observation files report them with standard loss-of-lock indicator values, and the optional carrier smoothing filter restarts instead of smoothing across the jump. Improvements in Availability: - Added `Acquisition_XX.full_grid_search` (default: `false`) for acquisition implementations using the CPU PCPS block. When enabled, each search stage accumulates all `max_dwells` non-coherent integrations before accepting or rejecting the strongest peak. This also applies to both stages of `make_two_steps` and to narrowed Doppler searches. The default preserves early acceptance; `max_dwells=1` is unchanged. `bit_transition_flag=true` takes precedence and still uses a single double-length dwell. Waiting for all dwells increases acquisition latency. Contributed by @joebre.- Improved TOW rollover handling in Telemetry Decoder blocks.- Galileo F/NAV and I/NAV ephemerides are now retained independently instead of overwriting each other when they have the same PRN. PVT automatically uses the ICD-consistent service for the enabled bands (E1/E5a uses F/NAV; E1/E5b uses I/NAV, with I/NAV taking priority when E5a and E5b are both enabled), while RINEX, RTCM MT1045, monitoring, and assistance-data persistence preserve the navigation-message source. XML persistence keeps the legacy `gal_ephemeris.xml` view and automatically adds `gal_inav_ephemeris.xml` and `gal_fnav_ephemeris.xml`; no configuration change is required.- Galileo E1 observations can now use the I/NAV ephemeris while F/NAV is still being decoded in E1/E5a configurations, with the E1/E5b BGD applied to match that clock model, and return to F/NAV once it is available. This removes the cold-start delay in which Galileo could not contribute to PVT until F/NAV was fully decoded on E5a. E1 can also use Reduced CED in the same situation. E5a, E5b and E6 observations always keep the clock reference of their configured service. The reverse fallback (E1 using F/NAV when I/NAV is stale) requires `use_unhealthy_sats=true`, since F/NAV carries no E1B health information.- The PVT iono model now decides the pseudorange model for every satellite of a system: only `PVT.iono_model=Iono-Free-LC` combines two bands, and any other model uses the first band alone with its TGD/BGD (second band alone only when the first is missing). Previously a satellite with two bands in the record was silently switched to the iono-free combination while single-band satellites of the same system kept the single-frequency model, mixing two clock references within one solve and folding the receiver's uncalibrated inter-band delay (e.g. differing input-filter group delays) into the solution, which could make the chi-square test reject every epoch. The ISC-aware GPS L1/L5 combination is now applied in `Iono-Free-LC` mode.- Fixed Galileo single-frequency broadcast group-delay corrections in SPP and PPP, selecting the E1/E5a or E1/E5b BGD from the active navigation service and applying the ICD frequency scaling to E5a and E5b observations.- Hardened Galileo I/NAV and F/NAV handling by rejecting alert pages from the nominal decoder, validating unavailable GGTO data, and preventing stale Word 5 data from completing Reduced CED or Reed-Solomon-recovered ephemerides.- Improved the availability of navigation data by making histogram-based bit synchronization more resistant to weak or ambiguous prompt transitions, which could select the wrong bit-boundary phase, prevent telemetry frame synchronization, and delay TTFF. Candidate edges are now scored with normalized coherent prompt averages, require a configurable margin over the second-best phase bin, and are validated with fresh matching transition events. Histogram stability and tentative-lock validation advance concurrently to avoid unnecessary synchronization delay. New configuration parameters are `Tracking_1C.bs_runner_up_margin` (default: 0.3), `Tracking_1C.bs_transition_window_epochs` (default: 4), `Tracking_1C.bs_transition_confidence` (default: 0.6), and `Tracking_1C.bs_tentative_events_required` (default: 2).- Added an optional frequency-refinement scan to help tracking lock onto signals whose initial Doppler estimate is displaced by a navigation-bit or secondary-code transition during acquisition, particularly Galileo E1. Enable it per signal with `Tracking_<Sig>.f_error_step_num` (default: 0, disabled). This selects the number of Doppler bins around the acquisition estimate; even nonzero values are rounded up to an odd count. `f_error_doppler_step` sets their spacing (default: 250 Hz), and `f_error_accumulation` sets the code periods accumulated per bin (default: 20; zero is replaced with one, with a warning). The scan adds a startup delay of one code period per accumulation per bin and supports `high_dyn=true`. The `pull_in_time_s` and `bit_synchronization_time_limit_s` budgets start after the scan, allowing the tracking loops their full settling time. Contributed by @joebre.- Added an optional CSV dump of the frequency-refinement scan, enabled with `Tracking_<Sig>.f_error_dump=true` (default: `false`). The tested Doppler frequencies, their correlation power, and the selected frequency are written to `Tracking_<Sig>.f_error_dump_filename` (default: `./f_error_dump.csv`). Channels sharing a filename write to the same file, with scan, satellite and channel identifiers; the first scan overwrites any previous file, and later scans in the same receiver run append their results. The Octave scripts `load_f_error_dump.m`, `find_f_error_scans.m` and `plot_f_error_scan.m` (in `utils/matlab/libs`) and `plot_all_f_error_scans.m` (in `utils/matlab`) load and plot the dumped scans, and `utils/matlab/libs/f_error_sim.m` provides a Monte Carlo simulation of the scan for sizing `f_error_step_num`, `f_error_accumulation` and `f_error_doppler_step` without a live capture. Improvements in Efficiency: - Optimized CPU DLL/PLL VEML tracking for pilot/data signal pairs by computing the pilot correlators and the data prompt in one multicorrelator pass. The data prompt now reuses the same carrier wipe-off as the pilot correlators instead of invoking a separate one-tap correlator, while non-pilot tracking keeps the previous correlation path.- When dual-frequency assistance provides the Doppler of a satellite already tracked in the primary band (`GNSS-SDR.assist_dual_frequency_acq=true`), the PCPS acquisition in the secondary band now searches a single Doppler bin instead of the full grid, and recalibrates the `pfa`-based threshold to the number of bins searched. New parameter `Acquisition_XX.reference_bin_min_sidelobes` (default: `4`) sets the Doppler separation, in correlation sidelobes, that decides whether a full-grid CFAR search needs dedicated noise-reference bins. Acquisition `.mat` dumps include `doppler_center`, `doppler_narrowed`, and `doppler_num_candidates`: the first `doppler_num_candidates` columns of `acq_grid` are Doppler bins at `doppler_center - doppler_max + doppler_step * col`, and any remaining columns are noise-reference bins. Contributed by @joebre.- Added an optional visibility-aware acquisition search, enabled with `GNSS-SDR.enable_visibility_aware_search=true` (default `false`, which leaves the existing search order untouched). Once a receiver position is available, either from a fix or from `GNSS-SDR.AGNSS_ref_location`, satellites are continuously classified as visible, excluded (elevation at or below `GNSS-SDR.search_elevation_mask`, default 0 degrees, or flagged unhealthy), or not yet known, using the freshest ephemeris or almanac decoded for GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, GLONASS, and QZSS. Idle channels then favor visible satellites over unknown ones, at the ratio given by `GNSS-SDR.visible_vs_mayvisible_search_ratio` (default 3), and skip known excluded ones, so less CPU is spent acquiring satellites that are below the horizon. The classification is refreshed whenever new navigation data arrives, when the receiver moves more than `GNSS-SDR.visibility_recompute_position_threshold_m` (default 1000 m), every `GNSS-SDR.visibility_recompute_interval_s` (default 120 s), and when almanac data becomes older than `GNSS-SDR.visibility_almanac_max_age_s` (default 3 days). A satellite that is already being tracked is never released because of this classification, and `PVT.elevation_mask` still decides which observations enter the navigation solution. Contributed by @joebre.- Added opt-in almanac/ephemeris Doppler prediction for secondary signals with `Acquisition_<signal>.alm_ephe_assisted_doppler_narrowing=true` (default `false`, also supported per channel). To acquire secondary signals without waiting for a tracked primary band, set `GNSS-SDR.assist_dual_frequency_acq=false`. Pre-fix prediction additionally requires `GNSS-SDR.doppler_prediction_before_fix=true`, an `AGNSS_ref_location` (and `AGNSS_ref_utc_time` for replay), and explicit, finite, nonnegative values for both `GNSS-SDR.clock_frequency_max_error_ppm` and `GNSS-SDR.receiver_max_velocity_m_s`. Missing or invalid bounds preserve the full Doppler search; explicit zero bounds assert no uncertainty in that component. The predicted center uses `GNSS-SDR.clock_frequency_offset_ppm` (default 0) and zero receiver velocity before a fix. Search widening honors `--doppler_max` and `--doppler_step` overrides, and falls back to the regular full search centered at 0 Hz when the uncertainty window is not narrower than the configured Doppler grid. Live-fix prediction refreshes its timestamp before both idle and channel-event acquisition attempts.- New CUDA acquisition engine: with `-DENABLE_CUDA=ON`, any PCPS acquisition block can evaluate its Doppler x code-phase search grid on the GPU with batched cuFFTs by setting `Acquisition_XX.use_cuda=true` (or `GNSS-SDR.use_cuda_acquisition=true`). Peak search and detection statistics are unchanged, so results match the CPU implementation; the block falls back to the CPU if the device cannot be initialized. Added `benchmark_pcps_grid` (CPU baseline vs. GPU) and unit tests checking the GPU grid against the CPU reference and running the full GPS L1 C/A adapter on a real capture. Contributed by @phillipvu. Improvements in Interoperability: - Added the BeiDou B1C receiver chain, with signal identifier `1D`: acquisition (`BEIDOU_B1C_PCPS_Ambiguous_Acquisition`, with optional QMBOC local replica), tracking (`BEIDOU_B1C_DLL_PLL_VEML_Tracking`, tracking the pilot component by default), and B-CNAV1 telemetry decoding (`BEIDOU_B1C_Telemetry_Decoder`, including LDPC decoding of subframes 2 and 3 and BCH decoding of subframe 1). The PVT engine uses the B-CNAV1 ephemeris, clock, and group-delay corrections (TGD_B1Cp / ISC_B1Cd), implements the BDGIM ionospheric model broadcast in B-CNAV1, and supports both B1C-only and mixed B1I+B1C configurations, keeping DNAV and B-CNAV1 ephemerides isolated and preferring B1C over B1I when both signals are available from the same satellite. B-CNAV1 ephemerides are also written to RINEX navigation files (native CNV1 records in RINEX 4.02, D1-style stand-in records in RINEX 3.02) and to the XML assistance-data storage. A sample configuration file is provided at `conf/File_input/Beidou/gnss-sdr_BDS_B1C_geb_if20k_fs18m_ibyte.conf`. Contributed by @OuWenhao16.- Added the BeiDou B2a RNSS receiver chain (B2a_I data / B-CNAV2), with signal identifier `5D`: PCPS acquisition (`BEIDOU_B2A_PCPS_Acquisition`), DLL+PLL tracking (`BEIDOU_B2A_DLL_PLL_Tracking`; BPSK(10), 1 ms primary code, data component only), and B-CNAV2 telemetry decoding (`BEIDOU_B2A_Telemetry_Decoder`), including soft-decision 64-ary LDPC(96,48) decoding of the 576 coded bits into 288 information bits before CRC-24Q and PRN validation. The decoder reuses the B1C GF(64) arithmetic and fixed-path decoder, with a full-alphabet sum-product fallback for B2a. Carrier polarity and tracking gain are normalized before decoding. The PVT engine uses B-CNAV2 ephemeris, clock, and group-delay corrections (TGD_B2ap / ISC_B2ad), and RINEX 4.02 navigation files contain native CNV2 records. GEO and BDS-2 satellites (PRN 1-18 and 59-63) are not assigned B2a channels and are not used in PVT. Sample configuration files are provided at `conf/File_input/Beidou/gnss-sdr_BDS_B2a_file.conf` and `conf/File_input/Beidou/gnss-sdr_BDS_B2a_cu_l5_if20k_fs18m.conf`. Contributed by @huangchuhan.- Added support for the QZSS L1 C/B signal (PRNs 203-206), broadcast by satellites configured to transmit it in place of L1 C/A. Observables and ephemerides from L1 C/B PRNs are attributed to the PRN of the satellite's nominal PNT signals in PVT and output products, following the RINEX 4.00 convention. Contributed by @vladisslav2011.- Added reception of SBAS L1 signals (EGNOS and WAAS, PRN 120-138), with signal identifier `S1`: PCPS acquisition (`SBAS_L1_PCPS_Acquisition`), DLL+PLL tracking (`SBAS_L1_DLL_PLL_Tracking`), and telemetry decoding (`SBAS_L1_Telemetry_Decoder`) with Viterbi FEC decoding, CRC-24Q verification, and message-type reporting. Decoded frames carry traceback-corrected reception timestamps and can be dumped to per-PRN text files in an EMS-like layout with `TelemetryDecoder_S1.dump=true`. SBAS satellites are not used as ranging sources yet. A sample configuration file is provided at `conf/File_input/SBAS/gnss-sdr_SBAS_EGNOS_rx.conf`. Contributed by @kalmancito.- Added support for RINEX 4.02 output, activated by setting `PVT.rinex_version=4` in the configuration file (or with the `-RINEX_version=4.02` command-line flag). Observation files are generated in the 4.02 version format, and navigation files make use of the data record structure introduced in RINEX 4.00. The default behavior when `PVT.rinex_version` is not set remains unchanged (RINEX 3.02).- Added an opt-in RTK path fed by NTRIP corrections. The PVT block can now connect to an NTRIP caster, decode the RTCM 3 base position and base observations, and feed time-aligned reference data to its RTKLIB relative-positioning solver. Supported receiver configurations, per constellation and freely combined: GPS L1 C/A alone or together with L2C or L5, Galileo E1 alone or together with E5a, and BeiDou B1C (single-frequency). Single-band sets run single-frequency RTK, viable on the short effective baselines of VRS services. GPS L5 and Galileo E5a share the same center frequency, and BeiDou B1C shares the GPS L1 / Galileo E1 center, so the combined GPS L1+L5 / Galileo E1+E5a / BeiDou B1C dual-frequency receiver needs only two RF channels, and a single-frequency GPS+Galileo+BeiDou receiver needs one. The RTCM 3 MSM decoder gained the BeiDou B1C signal identifiers and prefers B1C over B1I when a base station broadcasts both in the shared first frequency slot. The client prefers NTRIP v2 and, after a fully-sent v2 exchange closes or times out before receiving response bytes, or returns HTTP 400, 501, or 505, retries on a fresh NTRIP v1 connection (`PVT.ntrip_version=1` forces the legacy protocol). It supports TLS 1.2 or newer with system-CA certificate and hostname verification (`PVT.ntrip_tls_enabled=true`). It reconnects without blocking the GNU Radio work function, filters station changes and stale corrections, redacts credentials from RTKLIB traces, and retains an explicitly labeled single-point fallback when configured. VRS and nearest-station mountpoints are supported: the client periodically reports the rover position upstream as an NMEA GGA sentence (`PVT.ntrip_send_gga`, enabled by default, with the cadence set by `PVT.ntrip_gga_period_ms`, 10 s by default), starting as soon as the receiver produces its first position solution.- The ionospheric Klobuchar coefficients and the UTC(NICT) offset parameters broadcast by QZSS satellites, both in the L1 C/A LNAV message and in the L5 CNAV message, are now stored separately from the GPS ones instead of overwriting them. This enables the QZUT / QZSS ION RINEX 4 data records (with the compulsory `WIDE` subtype for the CNVX Klobuchar set, broadcast in CNAV Message Type 30), prevents QZSS-sourced parameters from being mislabeled as GPS corrections in mixed GPS + QZSS configurations, feeds the QZSS slots of the RTKLIB navigation structure, and adds `qzss_utc_model.xml`, `qzss_iono.xml`, `qzss_cnav_utc_model.xml`, and `qzss_cnav_iono.xml` to the XML storage output.- QZSS ambiguities are now resolved in their own group instead of jointly with GPS, avoiding integer fixes across the GPS-QZSS inter-system bias, and the RTCM 3 decoder accepts the final RTCM 3.3 BeiDou ephemeris message type 1042 (in addition to the draft type 63), with the a2 clock drift rate term now scaled per the BeiDou ICD (2^-66 instead of 2^-55).- Cycle-slip detection by phase-doppler difference is now available: the detector removes the common receiver clock error as the median range-rate residual over all satellites before thresholding. It is enabled by setting `PVT.slip_threshold_doppler` (in m/s; 0, the default, disables it). The innovation rejection threshold in relative positioning and PPP is now split between carrier-phase and code observables: `PVT.threshold_reject_innovation_phase` complements the existing `PVT.threshold_reject_innovation` (which now applies to code) and defaults to the same value, so existing configurations behave identically; a value of 5.0 m for the phase threshold is recommended in RTK modes.- The double-difference ambiguity transformation now uses the index-based formulation, and integer ambiguity resolution is driven by a new management layer that can skip AR while the float position variance is still high (`PVT.ar_max_position_variance`, default 0.25 m^2; 0 disables the gate), reject newly-risen satellites and retry when the AR ratio degrades (`PVT.ar_filter`, default true), cycle a single satellite out of AR when no fix is achieved with many satellites in view (`PVT.min_drop_sats`, default 10; 0 disables), scale the AR ratio threshold with the number of ambiguity pairs (`PVT.ar_ratio_min`/`PVT.ar_ratio_max`; equal values keep the fixed `PVT.min_ratio_to_fix_ambiguity`), and gate fixing and holding on minimum satellite counts (`PVT.min_fix_sats`, default 4; `PVT.min_hold_sats`, default 5) with a configurable fix-and-hold pseudo-measurement variance (`PVT.var_holdamb`, default 0.1 cycle^2). The reference satellite for double differencing is now selected by lowest measurement variance instead of highest elevation, excluding slipped satellites, which behaves better in urban conditions where SNR is a better quality proxy than elevation. Also fixed an out-of-bounds risk in the double-difference bias bookkeeping when five constellation groups are active.- Added SNR-dependent and receiver-reported-stdev terms to the observation weighting model of the single-point and RTK solvers: `PVT.error_factor_snr` (m; a recomended value is 0.005) adds a term driven by the C/N0 of rover and base observations relative to `PVT.error_snr_max` (default 52 dB-Hz), and `PVT.error_factor_rcv_std` weights observations by receiver-reported pseudorange/carrier-phase standard deviations (new `Pstd`/`Lstd` fields in the observation structure, ready to be populated from the tracking-loop variance estimates). Both terms default to 0.0 (disabled), preserving the elevation-only error model.- The single-point solver can now estimate a separate QZS-GPS inter-system bias instead of assuming QZSS shares the GPS receiver clock. The estimated offset is reported in `sol.dtr[4]`. It is opt-in via `PVT.estimate_qzss_isb=true` (default `false`) because the extra unknown requires one more satellite in mixed GPS+QZSS epochs, which degrades availability under limited sky visibility; enable it only in open-sky scenarios with six or more satellites in view.- Added a `Bladerf_Signal_Source` for interoperability with Nuand's bladeRF front-ends (bladeRF x40, x115, and bladeRF 2.0 Micro xA4/xA9), streaming RX samples directly through `libbladeRF` (requires the `-DENABLE_BLADERF=ON` building flag) instead of going through `gr-osmosdr`. Supports single-channel (SISO) reception, an optional RX bias tee for powering an active antenna on the 2.0 Micro, and exposes a single overall RX gain (unlike the `if_gain` / `rf_gain` split used by `Osmosdr_Signal_Source`). A sample configuration file is provided at `conf/RealTime_input/gnss-sdr_GPS_L1_bladeRF_native.conf`. Contributed by @MrCry0.- Added a new Signal Source implementation `Pocket_SDR_Signal_Source`, which supports [[Pocket SDR FE](https://www.datagnss.com/products/pocketsdr-gnss-receiver)](https://www.datagnss.com/products/pocketsdr-gnss-receiver) 2CH/4CH/8CH GNSS RF front-ends through the [`[gr-pocketsdr](https://github.com/minhaj6/gr-pocketsdr)`](https://github.com/minhaj6/gr-pocketsdr) GNU Radio out-of-tree module. It requires the `-DENABLE_POCKETSDR=ON` building flag. Check the [[Signal Source documentation](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-pocket_sdr_signal_source)](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-pocket_sdr_signal_source). Contributed by @minhaj6.- Improved support for Keysight (formerly Spirent) GSS6450/GSS6425 format sample files. The Signal Source implementation is now named [`[GSS6450_File_Signal_Source](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-gss6450_file_signal_source)`](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-gss6450_file_signal_source), while retaining `Spir_GSS6450_File_Signal_Source` as a backward-compatible alias. It can auto-detect `.gns` file layout information, unpack 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-bit samples, and expose multi-channel recordings as independent RF output streams.- Reworked [`[ION_GSMS_Signal_Source](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-ion_gsms_signal_source)`](https://gnss-sdr.org/docs/sp-blocks/signal-source/#implementation-ion_gsms_signal_source) support for ION GNSS SDR metadata files. The source now validates and deduplicates requested streams, honors file offsets, block headers/footers, and omitted cycle counts, and stops finite captures cleanly with a guarded valve tail. Chunk unpacking now handles word endianness, padding, shifts, repeated lump patterns, repeated stream IDs, standard integer encodings, and FP32 streams as `float` or `gr_complex` outputs.- Improved `Labsat_Signal_Source` support for LabSat 2, LabSat 3, and LabSat 3 Wideband recordings, including more robust header parsing, corrected 2-bit sample decoding, multi-channel output handling, and unit-test coverage for the supported layouts.- Added an opt-in `EVK1029_Signal_Source` for the SAPHYRION EVK1029, a dual-band (E1/E5a) or triple-band (E1/E5a/E6) GNSS evaluation kit built around the SY1009 RF front-end and SY1019 ADC/DSP space-grade ASICs. Reads the EVK1029 host application's raw capture files directly (a continuous, header-less stream of OBA-encoded 4-bit samples, two per byte, 16 samples per little-endian 64-bit word), without going through the generic XML-metadata-driven `ION_GSMS_Signal_Source` path. Disabled by default; build with `-DENABLE_EVK1029=ON` to enable it.- Improved Galileo HAS robustness and ICD compliance, including stricter MT1 validation, correct cache/Do-Not-Use handling, TOW fallback for E6 HAS pages, preserved mask/IOD correction context, and corrected HAS application in RTKLIB/PVT.- Fixed bugs in the generation of RTCM MSM messages.- Fixed identification of GLONASS satellites.- Fixed bug in the generation of the spreading code for QZSS L5 PRN 196.- Improved validation of GPS/QZSS CNAV Clock, Ephemeris, Integrity (CEI) dataset.- Implemented QZSS LNAV almanac/auxiliary pages decoding.- Hardened BeiDou DNAV and Glonass GNAV decoding.- Completed BeiDou D1/D2 DNAV decoding, including almanac, time, integrity, differential-correction, and ionospheric-grid data, with BeiDou almanacs wired into RTKLIB-assisted satellite visibility.- Corrected RINEX 3/4 navigation and observation output for GPS, QZSS, Galileo, and BeiDou, including DNAV metadata and refreshable RINEX 4 ION/STO/EOP records. CNAV-only GPS/QZSS configurations now automatically use RINEX 4.02 for both files, avoiding lossy RINEX 3 navigation records.- Improved performance of Galileo's Viterbi decoder.- Fixed edge cases in the retrieving of GPS L1 C/A navigation data.- Fixed Glonass carrier phase and time annotations in RINEX files.- Implemented handling of the GLONASS notification of a forthcoming leap second event (KP word in the GNAV message), improving timekeeping across leap second transitions.- The NMEA printer now generates QZGSA and QZGSV sentences, reporting the QZSS satellites used in the PVT solution and in view (with elevation, azimuth, and C/N0), using the QZSS system and signal identifiers defined in NMEA 0183. Contributed by @vladisslav2011- Fixed NMEA GSV C/N0 reporting for non-L1 configurations, including GPS L2 and L5: RTKLIB now preserves per-frequency signal strength and observation-code metadata in satellite status, and the NMEA printer emits the strongest available C/N0 with the corresponding NMEA signal identifier. Contributed by @vladisslav2011.- The custom output stream defined by `monitor_pvt.proto` now includes a `tracked_satellites` list. Each entry reports one tracked signal (`system`, `prn`, `signal`), its `azimuth_deg` and `elevation_deg`, whether it was `combined` with another signal of the same satellite (e.g., the Galileo E1+E5a ionosphere-free combination), and a `used` flag telling whether it contributed to the reported fix. Satellites that were tracked but left out of the solution (below `PVT.elevation_mask`, or excluded by RAIM) are listed with `used = false`. Unhealthy satellites are listed with `healthy = false`. Contributed by @joebre. Improvements in Maintainability: - Refactored main Acquisition, Tracking, and Telemetry Decoder adapters, simplifying interfaces and improving consistency across processing chains. This reduces code duplication, enhances maintainability, and eases the integration of new GNSS signals. Contributed by @MathieuFavreau.- Merged the GLONASS L1 and L2 C/A telemetry decoder blocks, as well as the BeiDou B1I and B3I ones, which were almost identical since each pair of signals broadcasts the same navigation message (GNAV and DNAV, respectively), into single blocks parameterized by the frequency band, following the approach already used for the Galileo telemetry decoder. No changes are required in configuration files. Improvements in Portability: - Refactored Python interpreter detection and improved CMake portability and robustness across dependency discovery, distro detection, and cross-compilation handling.- The CUDA build (`-DENABLE_CUDA=ON`) works again with current toolkits and on NVIDIA Jetson: removed the hardcoded `sm_30` (Kepler) architecture, which CUDA >= 11 rejects; `CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES` is now honored and detected automatically on Jetson (Orin -> 87, Xavier -> 72, TX2 -> 62, Nano -> 53) or set to `native` with CMake >= 3.24; the CUDA language standard follows the host C++ standard (C++17); imported `CUDA::cudart`/`CUDA::cufft` targets are linked explicitly; `-Wno-psabi` is no longer passed to `nvcc`. Contributed by @phillipvu.- Added `docs/JETSON.md`, a build/verify/benchmark guide for NVIDIA Jetson. Contributed by @phillipvu. Improvements in Reliability: - Hardened the Galileo OSNMA protocol implementation, adding support for Chain Renewal, Chain Revocation, Public Key Renewal, Public Key Revocation, Merkle Tree Renewal, and OSNMA Alert Message events. Improved the management of OSNMA cryptographic material and added unit tests to ensure compliance with the OSNMA Receiver Guidelines v1.3, including edge-case handling. Added the new configuration value `GNSS-SDR.osnma_mode=replay`, which disables the receiver wall-clock GST alignment check for OSNMA tag processing, enabling replay of previously captured Galileo signals while keeping all other OSNMA verification steps active.- Fixed the decimation logic of the `Monitor`, `AcquisitionMonitor` and `TrackingMonitor` blocks: `decimation_factor` now selects every N-th epoch and always consumes all the input items, instead of grouping `Gnss_Synchro` objects into bursts and skipping others, and empty datagrams are no longer sent. Fixed a use-after-free memory corruption caused by `google::protobuf::ShutdownProtobufLibrary()` being called from the destructor of `Serdes_Gnss_Synchro`, before the protobuf library was actually used; the library is now shut down only once, at program exit. Added a unit test for the monitor decimation. Contributed by @vladisslav2011.- `GPS_L1_CA_DLL_PLL_Tracking_GPU`: fixed a cross-block data race in the CUDA multi-correlator kernel (the carrier wipe-off and the correlation were in the same launch, synchronized only with `__syncthreads()`), fixed the `cudaHostAlloc` flags (`cudaHostAllocMapped || cudaHostAllocWriteCombined` evaluated to `cudaHostAllocPortable`), stopped calling `cudaDeviceReset()` from a per-channel destructor (it tore down the context under the other channels), and stopped `cudaFree()`-ing device aliases of host-mapped buffers. Improvements in Usability: - The PVT Monitor now reports per-signal details for satellites used in the position solution, including PRN, constellation, signal, azimuth, elevation, and whether multiple signals were combined. Contributed by @joebre.- The Monitor (`Monitor.enable_monitor=true`) now also reports channels that are tracking a signal but do not have a valid time reference yet, filling their entries with the latest raw tracking data (C/N0, Doppler, carrier phase) while keeping their observable validity flags unset. This makes the Monitor usable in Galileo E6-only configurations, where the time of week cannot be obtained from HAS pages, as well as during the initial seconds of operation, before the telemetry decoders attain synchronization.- Added Galileo System Time (GST) annotations to HAS outputs when GST is decoded from an I/NAV channel, enabling the HAS Time of Hour (TOH) to be associated with an absolute UTC timestamp.- Galileo E6 observables are now generated by default, making them available in RINEX files and other receiver outputs when E6 channels are configured. Since Galileo E6 HAS pages do not broadcast the time of week, the receiver configuration must also include other Galileo channels providing the time reference for the E6 observables, either E1 or E5b (I/NAV), or E5a (F/NAV). Their generation can be disabled by setting `Observables.enable_E6=false`. This setting is now independent of `PVT.use_e6_for_pvt`, which keeps controlling whether E6 observables are used in the PVT solution.- The console now reports the RTKLIB solution status. The `First position fix` and periodic `Position at` lines are tagged with `[RTK FIXED]`, `[RTK FLOAT]`, `[DGNSS]`, `[SBAS]` or `[PPP]` (color-coded), and status transitions are announced once when they happen, including the LAMBDA ambiguity-resolution ratio and its threshold when an RTK fix is acquired or lost. The `[PPP]` label is only shown when precise ephemeris and clock products are actually loaded; PPP-mode processing on broadcast products is not labeled as PPP. Plain single-point operation keeps the classic, unmodified console output. The underlying outputs (PVT dump, Monitor, NMEA) keep reporting the raw RTKLIB solution status.- A new global parameter `GNSS-SDR.observation_date` allows specifying the approximate date of the signal capture, in `YYYY-MM-DD` or `YYYY` format (e.g., `GNSS-SDR.observation_date=2014-12-20`), when post-processing recorded signal files. It is used to resolve the GPS mod-1024 week-number rollover: each broadcast week number is expanded to the 1024-week era closest to the given date. This works for recordings from any era, including files captured after the April 2019 rollover replayed far in the future, and also fixes the applied leap-second offset, which is derived from the resolved date. If the parameter is not set, the era is derived from the system clock, as before, which is the right choice for live operation. The `GNSS-SDR.pre_2009_file` flag, which could only select the August 1999 - April 2019 era, is now deprecated: it keeps working exactly as before, but the receiver prints a notice suggesting `GNSS-SDR.observation_date` instead, and it is ignored if the new parameter is also set.- Reworked the Python plotting utilities under `utils/python` (acquisition, tracking, telemetry, observables, and PVT diagnostics). Each script now exposes a command-line interface (run with `--help`) and can be executed from any directory with configurable input and output locations, instead of requiring edits to the source to change file paths. The `--file-prefix` option takes the value of the corresponding block's `dump_filename` configuration parameter directly, reconstructing the dump file names the same way the receiver does. A new `utils/python/README.md` documents all the utilities and their options. Includes fixes to the acquisition grid and tracking dump readers and plotters contributed by @minhaj6.- Fixed the time tags of position solutions reported in the terminal and in NMEA, KML, GPX, and GeoJSON outputs for configurations without GPS channels (e.g., Galileo-only receivers): the reported epoch was shifted by the residual receiver clock offset, which in the absence of GPS satellites is absorbed by an inter-system bias state instead of the receiver clock state. Reported epochs now fall on the same integer-millisecond grid as the observables, as they already did in configurations including GPS. RINEX files were not affected.- Abseil logging now creates a unique timestamp/PID logfile for each run, preserving previous logs across the receiver, calibration tool, and test runners. On POSIX systems, an atomically updated relative symlink points to the latest logfile.

This article examines venture capital, angel investment, and crowdfunding as financing mechanisms for startups, focusing on their potential to support innovation and business growth. It compares these…

This article examines venture capital, angel investment, and crowdfunding as financing mechanisms for startups, focusing on their potential to support innovation and business growth. It compares these funding sources in terms of accessibility, investor expectations, ownership implications, risk allocation, and non-financial support. Particular attention is given to the role of venture capital in scaling high-growth businesses, angel investors in supporting early-stage ventures through capital and mentorship, and crowdfunding platforms in mobilizing funds and testing market demand. The article also discusses challenges associated with investment readiness, information asymmetry, equity dilution, and investor–founder alignment. It highlights the importance of selecting financing mechanisms that match a startup’s development stage, business model, capital requirements, and strategic objectives. The discussion provides a basis for understanding how complementary financing sources can strengthen startup development and expand entrepreneurial opportunities.

Anatomical variations of the hepatobiliary arterial supply represent a significant challenge during gallbladder surgery, as they may increase the risk of hemorrhage and bile duct injury when not recog…

Anatomical variations of the hepatobiliary arterial supply represent a significant challenge during gallbladder surgery, as they may increase the risk of hemorrhage and bile duct injury when not recognized promptly. Among these, hepatic arterial variations described by the Michels classification are particularly relevant because of their impact on the planning and performance of hepatobiliary procedures. We present the case of a 48-year-old male patient diagnosed with acute calculous cholecystitis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During dissection of the hepatocystic triangle, a vascular variant corresponding to Michels type V was identified, characterized by the presence of an accessory left hepatic artery arising from the left gastric artery. Intraoperative recognition of this variant allowed modification of the surgical strategy, preservation of the accessory vessel, and successful completion of the procedure without vascular or biliary complications. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged the following day with outpatient follow-up demonstrating no evidence of complications. This case highlights the importance of thorough knowledge of hepatobiliary vascular anatomy, the Michels classification, and the systematic application of the Critical View of Safety to reduce the risk of iatrogenic injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of recognizing anatomical variations as a fundamental element for optimizing surgical safety and improving clinical outcomes.

Electrochemical energy storage requires high-energy, high-power, mechanically flexible devices that remain competitive when realistic metrics are applied. Transition-metal-based electrodes, including …

Electrochemical energy storage requires high-energy, high-power, mechanically flexible devices that remain competitive when realistic metrics are applied. Transition-metal-based electrodes, including metal sulfides, offer rich redox chemistry but typically underperform in devices because of insulating interfaces, particle coarsening, and the resulting sluggish charge transport. Here we employ graphene acid (GA) for the directed sulfidation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) crystals toward a seamless ZnS/graphene architecture to unlock the redox activity of ZnS through Zn–carboxylate coordination. The interfacial bonding suppresses aggregation and insulating sulfur-rich surface species. It prevents GA restacking, and affords a mesoporous, higher-surface-area architecture that improves proton access, and enhances fast charge transport pathways, as confirmed by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). These properties enable effective operation of ZnS/GA without the need for heavy metallic foam-based current collectors. Thus, it yields superior full-electrode-mass metrics (i.e., including the current collector mass) relative to prior systems. A ZnS/GA‖GA asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor with a polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA)–H 2 operates at 2.0 V. It achieves 27.6 Wh kg 1 SO 4 gel as electrolyte and an ultrathin graphite-foil current collector at a power density of 2.1 kW kg 1 with 92% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles and stable performance under extreme bending. This approach demonstrates a versatile route to overcome the inherent limitations of metal sulfides and unlock their latent redox properties, enabling their use in high-performance, flexible energy storage

Based on the fundamental principles of chemical engineering thermodynamics and electrochemical engineering, the formulation was developed for the analysis of the all-solid state electrochemical cell: …

Based on the fundamental principles of chemical engineering thermodynamics and electrochemical engineering, the formulation was developed for the analysis of the all-solid state electrochemical cell: . The formulation presented in this paper was then used to obtain the analytical data for the determination of the electrochemical performance of this cell. Some of the analytical results are highlighted as follows: The cell open-circuit voltage varies from 3.988 to 3.678 volt over the temperature-variation range from 25 to 250. The cell’s maximum elective energy delivery efficiency varies from about 91 to 87% over the above given temperature range. The percent ratio of the reversible thermal energy to the total thermal energy involved in the cell’s electrochemical reaction varies from about 9.0 to 13.0% over the same temperature range. For the cell electrolyteof  thickness, the ohmic voltage loss varies from 5.0 to 0.1 mV for the cell temperature variation from 25 to 250 at the geometric current density of  whereas it is from 10.0 to 0.2 mV at the geometric current density of  over the above given temperature range. For the cell electrolyte thickness of  the ohmic voltage loss variation is from 10.0 to 0.2 mV for the cell temperature variation from 25 to 250 at the geometric current density of  whereas at the geometric current density of  the ohmic voltage loss is from 20.0 to 0.4 mV for same electrolyte thickness of  and over the same cell operational temperature from 25 to 250. At 25the cell cathode activation polarization voltage loss varies approximately from 5 to 100 mV at the geometric current density variation from 0.1 to  For the same geometric current variation, the cathode activation polarization voltage loss variation is from 0.43 to 8.67 mV at 150 18 to 3.52 at 200 and 0.09 to 1.72 mV at 250 The cell anode activation polarization voltage loss at 25varies approximately from 3.4 to 68.2 mV for the cell geometric current density variation from 0.1 to  For this same range of the geometric current density variation, the cell anode activation polarization voltage loss variation is from 0.1 to 1.2 mV at 150 0 to 0.4 mV at 200 and 0.0 to 0.2 mV at 250 At 25the specific diffusion-induced voltage loss varies from 3.4 to 68.2 mV in the cell anode for the geometric current density variation from 0.1 to  whereas it is (50 – 150 mV) in the cell cathode at the geometric current density of depending on the lithiated state of cobalt oxide in the cell’s cathode. At 25 and the cell’s geometric current density of  the cell operational voltage is 3.7820 volt. At these conditions, the cell actual electric power delivery is found to be equal to .

silx.gui.plot.PlotWidget: Fixed keep aspect ratio with matplotlib tight layout (PR #4734) silx.gui.utils.glutils.isOpenGLAvailable: Fixed support of pyopengl>=4.0.0a4 and wayland (PR #4727) Depen…

silx.gui.plot.PlotWidget: Fixed keep aspect ratio with matplotlib tight layout (PR #4734) silx.gui.utils.glutils.isOpenGLAvailable: Fixed support of pyopengl>=4.0.0a4 and wayland (PR #4727) Dependencies: Added cython>=3.3.0 support (PR #4731) Added Python3.15 support (PR #4732) Fixed support of numpy v1 (PR #4725, PR #4728) Full Changelog: https://github.com/silx-kit/silx/compare/v3.1.2...v3.1.3