22,452 research outputs found
A Method for Field Calibration of a Multibeam Echo Sounder
The use of multibeam echo sounders (MBES) has grown more frequent in applications like seafloor imaging, fisheries, and habitat mapping. Calibration of these instruments is important for understanding and validating the performance of MBES. For echo sounders in general, different calibration methodologies have been developed in controlled environments such as a fresh water tank and in the actual field of operation. While calibration in an indoor tank facility can bring excellent results in terms of accuracy, the amount of time required for a complete calibration can become prohibitively large. A field calibration can reveal the actual radiation beam pattern for shipmounted sonar systems, accounting for acoustic interferences which may be caused by objects around the installed transducers. The standard target method is a common practice for field calibration of split-beam echo sounders. However, when applied to a Mills Cross MBES, this method does not provide means to determine the alongship angle of the target, since the receiver transducer is a line array. A method to determine the combined transmit/receive radiation beam pattern for a ship-mounted multibeam system was developed and tested for a Reson Seabat 7125 MBES inside the fresh water calibration tank of the University of New Hampshire. This calibration methodology employs a tungsten carbide sphere of 38.1 mm diameter as target and a Simrad EK60 split-beam sonar system to provide athwartship and alongship angular information of the target sphere position. The multibeam sonar system was configured for 256 beams equi-angle mode at an operating frequency of 200 kHz; the split-beam system was set to work passively at the same frequency. A combined transmit/receive beam pattern was computed for an athwartship angular range between â6o and +6o and an alongship angular range between â1o and +3o . The limited angular range of the measurements is due to the â3 dB beamwidth of 7.1o in the athwartship and alongship directions of the split-beam sonar system coupled with the alongship offset of 1.6o between the maximum response axes (MRA) of the two sonar systems. Possible acoustic interferences caused by the monofilament line used to suspend the target sphere in the water column were found in the measurements for alongship angle values less than â1o . Beam pattern measurements for the combined transmit/receive beam pattern at a distance of 8 m show a â3 dB beamwidth of 1.1o in the athwartship direction and a â3 dB beamwidth of 2.0o in the alongship direction for the most inner beams. The dynamic range for the measurements was approximately of â40 dB
High Resolution Calibration of a Multibeam Echo Sounder
Calibration can greatly increase the utility of collecting seafloor backscattering strength with multibeam echo sounders (MBES). A calibration procedure to determine high resolution, three dimensional transmit and receive beam patterns of a Reson SeaBat 7125 MBES was performed using the fresh water calibration tank at the University of New Hampshire. The measurements employed an omni-directional Reson TC4034 projector/hydrophone as a reference transducer at an acoustic distance of 13 m. The multibeam sonar system was configured for 256 beams equi-angle mode and operating frequency of 396 kHz. The transmit beam pattern was computed for across-track angular range between +/â90o in 0.1o increments and along-track angular range between +/â2.55o in 0.09o increments. Receive directional characteristics were measured for the across-track range of +/â120o in 0.1o increments with along-track angular range of +/â1.23o in 0.18o increments. With these measurements, a three-dimensional plot of the transmit beam pattern was computed for the entire range of angles, although for the receive beam pattern it was only determined for the 0o along-track angle. The reduced angular coverage of the receive beam pattern was due to discrepancies in the off-axis results that are thought to be related to receiver saturation. Measurements for the transmit beam pattern show a â3 dB beamwidth of 0.99o for across-track angle of 0o with side lobes below â17 dB. The results show an unexplained curvature in the transmit beam pattern that would have gone un-noticed during a two dimensional beam pattern measurement. An interference effect causing ripples and attenuation of the transmit beam pattern was also observed. This effect is thought to be caused by a second 200 kHz projector mounted parallel to the 396 kHz projector. This interference occurs at an across-track angular region between +30o and +75o with gradual decrease in amplitude of about 3 dB. The receive beam pattern measurements show a â3 dB beamwidth of approximately 0.62o for the most inner beams (beams 128 and 129) and of approximately 1.40o for the most outer beams (beams 1 and 256) at along-track angular position of 0o with side-lobes below â26 dB for the most inner beams and below â17 dB for the most outer beams
Calibration of multibeam echo sounders: a comparison between two methodologies
Multibeam echo sounders (MBES) are widely used in applications like seafloor imaging, fisheries, and habitat mapping. Calibration of acoustic backscatter is an important aspect of understanding and validating the performance of a MBES. Combined transmit/receive beampattern calibrations were performed on a 200 kHz Reson Seabat 7125 MBES in the acoustic tank of the University of New Hampshire utilizing two different methodologies. The first methodology employs fixed standard target spheres and a high accuracy/high resolution rotation mechanism. This method, similar to that proposed by Foote et al [ Protocols forcalibrating multibeam sonar , J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117(4), 2005], is designed for a calibrationtank and provides accurate results but requires a large amount of operation time and cannot be performed in situ. The second methodology has been designed for field calibration of MBES. It employs a standard target sphere and a 200 kHz Simrad EK60 split-beam sonar system to provide athwartship and alongship angular information of the target sphere position. This method offers the possibility of field calibration for vessel mounted systems and a significantly reduced operation time, but has a potential reduction in accuracy. In this paper, results from these two methods applied to the same MBES are compared
The Theory of Fuzzy Logic and its Application to Real Estate Valuation
Fuzzy logic is based on the central idea that in fuzzy sets each element in the set can assume a value from 0 to 1, not just 0 or 1, as in classic set theory. Thus, qualitative characteristics and numerically scaled measures can exhibit gradations in the extent to which they belong to the relevant sets for evaluation. This degree of membership of each element is a measure of the elementâs "belonging" to the set, and thus of the precision with which it explains the phenomenon being evaluated. Fuzzy sets can be combined to produce meaningful conclusions, and inferences can be made, given a specified fuzzy input function. The article demonstrates the application of fuzzy logic to an income-producing property, with a resulting fuzzy set output.
Analysis of flow cytometric aneuploid DNA histograms: validation of an automatic procedure against ad hoc experimental data
In this paper we present an improved version of a method for the automatic analysis of flow cytometric DNA histograms from samples containing a mixture of two cell populations. The procedure is tested against two sets of ad hoc experimental data, obtained by mixing cultures of cell lines in different known proportions. The potentialities of the method are enlightened and discussed with regard to its capability of recovering the population percentages, the DNA index and the G0/G1, S, G2+M phase fractions of each population. On the basis of the obtained results, the procedure appears to be a promising tool in the flow cytometric data analysis and, in particular, in problems of diagnosis and prognosis of tumor diseases
First Double-Chooz Results and the Reactor Antineutrino Anomaly
We investigate the possible effects of short-baseline antinu_e disappearance
implied by the reactor antineutrino anomaly on the Double-Chooz determination
of theta_{13} through the normalization of the initial antineutrino flux with
the Bugey-4 measurement. We show that the effects are negligible and the value
of theta_{13} obtained by the Double-Chooz collaboration is accurate only if
Delta m^2_{41} is larger than about 3 eV^2. For smaller values of Delta
m^2_{41} the short-baseline oscillations are not fully averaged at Bugey-4 and
the uncertainties due to the reactor antineutrino anomaly can be of the same
order of magnitude of the intrinsic Double-Chooz uncertainties.Comment: 4 page
Information Geometry, Inference Methods and Chaotic Energy Levels Statistics
In this Letter, we propose a novel information-geometric characterization of
chaotic (integrable) energy level statistics of a quantum antiferromagnetic
Ising spin chain in a tilted (transverse) external magnetic field. Finally, we
conjecture our results might find some potential physical applications in
quantum energy level statistics.Comment: 9 pages, added correct journal referenc
An inexpensive and continuous radon progeny detector for indoor air-quality monitoring
A silicon photodiode-based inexpensive detector working as a counter and spectrometer for alpha particles has been conceived, designed, constructed and analyzed in depth. Monte Carlo simulations by means of MCNPX ver. 2.7.0 code have been carried out to select the most suitable sensitive element for the intended applications. The detecting unit has been coupled to an Arduino board and tested for low-rate alpha-particle counting and spectroscopy. Results demonstrate a maximum count rate of 4000 s-1, an energy resolution corresponding to a full width at half maximum of 160 keV over the entire energy range of measured alpha (namely 4 Ă· 6.5 MeV), and the sensitive elementâs intrinsic efficiency of about 100%. Being the detector capable of distinguishing alpha energy associated to decays of radon daughters, its applications include 222Rn progeny monitoring. The air sampling system has been realized by a volumetric micro-pump forcing the air-flow through a millipore filter. By knowing the air-flow rate processed and the corresponding alpha energy spectrum measured, the concentrations of 218Po, 214Po and 210Po are determined. The potential alpha energy concentration-in-air is inferred, and effective dose evaluated. Calibration and testing measurements have been carried out by comparing the obtained results to the outputs of professional and expensive radon progeny monitor. The detector capability of âfollowingâ radon progeny concentration-in-air vs. time has been demonstrated. The device studied here can be configured as a prototype for an inexpensive radon progeny sensor to be potentially suitable for indoor air-monitoring in residential buildings, evaluating peopleâs exposures to radon and initiating corrective actions (e.g., mechanical ventilation) if necessary
Thermodynamic properties of compounds of biochemical interest in aqueous solution. A survey of thermodynamic properties of the compounds of the elements CHNOPS Progress report
Thermodynamic properties of compounds of biochemical interest in aqueous solutio
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