Improving Bandwidth Utilization in a 1 Tbps Airborne MIMO Communications Downlink

FEC techniques are compared for different MIMO configurations of a high altitude, extremely wide bandwidth radio frequency downlink. Monte Carlo simulations are completed in MATLAB® with the aim of isolating the impacts of turbo codes and LDPC codes on system throughput and error performance. The system is modeled as a transmit-only static array at an altitude of 60,000 feet, with no interferers in the channel. Transmissions are received by a static receiver array. Simulations attempt to determine what modulation types should be considered for practical implementation, and what FEC codes enable these modulation schemes. The antenna configurations used in this study are [44:352], [62:248], and [80:160] transmitters to receivers. Effects from waveform generation, mixing, down-conversion, and amplification are not considered. Criteria of interest were BER and throughput, with the maximum allowable value of the former set at 1 x 10-5, and the latter set at a 1 terabits per second (Tbps) transfer rate for a successful configuration. Results show that the best performing system configuration was unable to meet both criteria, but was capable of improving over Brueggen\u27s 2012 research, which used Reed-Solomon codes and a MIMO configuration of [80:160], by 18.6%. The best-case configuration produced a throughput rate of 0.83 Tbps at a BER of less than 1 x 10-8, by implementing a rate 2/3 LDPC code with QAM constellation of 16 symbols

Interpellations : Three Essays on Kent Monkman = Trois essais sur Kent Monkman

"In Interpellations. Three Essays on Kent Monkman the art historians Jonathan D. Katz, Richard W. Hill and Todd Porterfield offer perspectives and analyses on Monkman's work that address history and genre painting, the queered Romantic landscape, the shifting and unfixed subject, race, sexuality conquest and soverignty, and modern versus discontinuous temporality." -- p. [4] of cover

Measurements of the Diffuse Ultraviolet Background and the Terrestrial Airglow with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

Far-UV observations in and near the Hubble Deep Fields demonstrate that the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) can potentially obtain unique and precise measurements of the diffuse far-ultraviolet background. Although STIS is not the ideal instrument for such measurements, high-resolution images allow Galactic and extragalactic objects to be masked to very faint magnitudes, thus ensuring a measurement of the truly diffuse UV signal. The programs we have analyzed were not designed for this scientific purpose, but would be sufficient to obtain a very sensitive measurement if it were not for a weak but larger-than-expected signal from airglow in the STIS 1450-1900 A bandpass. Our analysis shows that STIS far-UV crystal quartz observations taken near the limb during orbital day can detect a faint airglow signal, most likely from NI\1493, that is comparable to the dark rate and inseparable from the far-UV background. Discarding all but the night data from these datasets gives a diffuse far-ultraviolet background measurement of 501 +/- 103 ph/cm2/sec/ster/A, along a line of sight with very low Galactic neutral hydrogen column (N_HI = 1.5E20 cm-2) and extinction (E(B-V)=0.01 mag). This result is in good agreement with earlier measurements of the far-UV background, and should not include any significant contribution from airglow. We present our findings as a warning to other groups who may use the STIS far-UV camera to observe faint extended targets, and to demonstrate how this measurement may be properly obtained with STIS.Comment: 7 pages, Latex. 4 figures. Uses corrected version of emulateapj.sty and apjfonts.sty (included). Accepted for publication in A

Efficient unstructured mesh generation for marine renewable energy applications

Renewable energy is the cornerstone of preventing dangerous climate change whilst maintaining a robust energy supply. Tidal energy will arguably play a critical role in the renewable energy portfolio as it is both predictable and reliable, and can be put in place across the globe. However, installation may impact the local and regional ecology via changes in tidal dynamics, sediment transport pathways or bathymetric changes. In order to mitigate these effects, tidal energy devices need to be modelled in order to predict hydrodynamic changes. Robust mesh generation is a fundamental component required for developing simulations with high accuracy. However, mesh generation for coastal domains can be an elaborate procedure. Here, we describe an approach combining mesh generators with Geographical Information Systems. We demonstrate robustness and efficiency by constructing a mesh with which to examine the potential environmental impact of a tidal turbine farm installation in the Orkney Islands. The mesh is then used with two well-validated ocean models, to compare their flow predictions with and without a turbine array. The results demonstrate that it is possible to create an easy-to-use tool to generate high-quality meshes for combined coastal engineering, here tidal turbines, and coastal ocean simulations

Plasticity of Acquired Secondary Metabolites in Clathria prolifera (Demospongia: Poecilosclerida): Putative Photoprotective Role of Carotenoids in a Temperate Intertidal Sponge

Several marine sponges sequester high concentrations of carotenoids in their tissues. The diversity of carotenoid compounds has been described in detail for a handful of species, but to date, little attention has been paid to natural variability in the concentration and constituency of carotenoid pools. Also lacking are experimental tests of some of the proposed adaptive benefits of carotenoids to the sponge. To address some of these deficits in our understanding of sponge ecology, we used a combination of analytic chemistry, field surveys, and manipulative experiments to determine what function these compounds might play. Attention was focused on the common, carotenoid-rich intertidal sponge Clathria (Microciona) prolifera from Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA. Surveys of pier pilings indicated that C. prolifera was most common towards the surface of the water, with an average depth of 1 m, and also occurred most frequently on pilings exposed to sunlight. Total carotenoid concentrations (as estimated from spectroscopy) were maximal when solar radiation was nearing its northern maximum. However, HPLC analysis of crude acetone extracts highlighted several instances where concentrations of individual putative carotenoids were maximal during thermal (not solar) maxima in Chesapeake Bay. Naturally occurring sponges growing in environments protected from direct sunlight were found to have significantly lower total carotenoid concentration. In a manipulative field experiment, sponges transplanted from exposed habitats to shaded habitats showed significant decreases in carotenoid concentrations. HPLC analysis demonstrated that concentrations for several of the pigmented compounds decreased under reduced light levels. Given that sponges do not produce carotenoids de novo, the ecological role that these compounds play in sponge physiology deserves greater attention. Our findings indicate that solar radiation is an important factor in shaping carotenoid profiles of C. prolifera. While the physiological role and ultimate source of these compounds remains unclear, our data point to an adaptive function and indicate that C. prolifera is a useful species to address these questions

Why does early childhood deprivation increase the risk for depression and anxiety in adulthood? A developmental cascade model

Abstract Background: Using data from the English & Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study we recently reported that early time-lmited exposure to severe institutional deprivation is associated with early onset and persistent neurodevelopmental problems and later onset emotional problems. Here we examine possible reasons for the late emergence of emotional problems in this cohort. Our main focus is on testing a developmental cascade mediated via the functional impact of early-appearing neurodevelopmental problems on late adolescent functioning. We also explore a second putative pathway via sensitization to stress. Methods: The ERA study includes 165 Romanian individuals who spent their early lives in grossly depriving institutions and were subsequently adopted into UK families, along with 52 UK adoptees with no history of deprivation. Age six years symptoms of neurodevelopmental problems and age 15 anxiety/depression symptoms were assessed via parental reports. Young adult symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed by both parent and self-reports; young adults also completed measures of stress reactivity , exposure to adverse life events and functioning in work and interpersonal relationships. Results: The path between early institutional deprivation and adult emotional problems was mediated via the impact of early neurodevelopmental problems on unemployment and poor friendship functioning during the transition to adulthood. The findings with regard to early deprivation, later life stress reactivity and emotional problems were inconclusive. Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that the risk for adult depression and anxiety following extreme institutional deprivation is explained through the effects of early neurodevelopmental problems on later social and vocational functioning. Future research should more fully examine the role of stress susceptibility in this model

Evaluation of the Performance Characteristics of the CGLSS and NLDN Systems Based on Two Years of Ground-Truth Data from Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

From May 2011 through July 2013, the lightning instrumentation at Launch Complex 39B (LC39B) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, has obtained high-speed video records and field change waveforms (dE/dt and three-axis dH/dt) for 54 negative polarity return strokes whose strike termination locations and times are known with accuracy of the order of 10 m or less and 1 s, respectively. A total of 18 strokes terminated directly to the LC39B lighting protection system (LPS), which contains three 181 m towers in a triangular configuration, an overhead catenary wire system on insulating masts, and nine down conductors. An additional 9 strokes terminated on the 106 m lightning protection mast of Launch Complex 39A (LC39A), which is located about 2.7 km southeast of LC39B. The remaining 27 return strokes struck either on the ground or attached to low-elevation grounded objects within about 500 m of the LC39B LPS. Leader/return stroke sequences were imaged at 3200 frames/sec by a network of six Phantom V310 high-speed video cameras. Each of the three towers on LC39B had two high-speed cameras installed at the 147 m level with overlapping fields of view of the center of the pad. The locations of the strike points of 54 return strokes have been compared to time-correlated reports of the Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Surveillance System (CGLSS) and the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and the results of this comparison will be presented and discussed