Systems and methods for determining radio frequency interference

The presence, frequency and amplitude of radio frequency interference superimposed on communication links originating from a terrestrial region and including a relay in a geostationary spacecraft are determined by pointing a narrow beam antenna on the satellite at the terrestrial region. The level of noise radiated from the region to the antenna is measured at a terrestrial station that is usually remote from the region. Calibrating radio signals having a plurality of predetermined EIRP's (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) and frequencies in the spectrum are transmitted from the region through the spacecraft narrow beam antenna back to the station. At the station, the levels of the received calibrating signals are separately measured for each of the frequency bands and EIRP's

Proxy Means Tests for Targeting the Poorest Households -- Applications to Uganda

The motivation for this research stems from increasing interest showed for the issue of targeting. The paper explores the use of proxy means tests to identify the poorest households in Uganda. The set of indicators used in our model includes variables usually available in Living Standard Measurement Surveys (LSMS). Previous researches seeking to develop proxy means tests for poverty most often use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) as regression method. In addition to the OLS, the paper explores the use of Linear Probability Model, Probit, and Quantile regressions for correctly predicting the household poverty status. A further innovation of this research compared to the existing literature is the use of out-of sample validation tests to assess the predictive power and hence the robustness of the identified set of regressors. Moreover, the confidence intervals are approximated out-of sample using the bootstrap algorithm and the percentile method. The main conclusion that emerges from this research is that measures of absolute poverty estimated with Quantile regression can yield fairly accurate in-sample predictions of absolute poverty in a nationally representative sample. On the other hand, the OLS and Probit perform better out-of sample. Besides it complexity, the Quantile regression is less robust. The Probit may be the best alternative for optimizing both accuracy and robustness of a poverty assessment tool. The best regressor sets and their derived weights can be used in a range of applications, including the identification of the poorest households in the country, the assessment of poverty outreach of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and the measurement of poverty and welfare impacts of agricultural development projects. To confirm or reject the conclusions in this paper, future research using datasets from other countries is needed.Uganda, poverty assessment, targeting, proxy means test, out-of-sample test, bootstrap, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Security and Poverty,

How Best to Target the Poor? An operational targeting of the poor using indicator-based proxy means tests

This paper seeks to answer an operational development question: how best to target the poor? In their endeavor, policy makers, program managers, and development practitioners face the daily challenge of targeting policies, projects, and services at the poorer strata of the population. This is also the case for microfinance institutions that seek to estimate the poverty outreach among their clients. This paper addresses these challenges. Using household survey data from Uganda, we estimate four alternative models for improving the identification of the poor in the country. Furthermore, we analyze the model sensitivity to different poverty lines and test their validity using bootstrapped simulation methods. While there is bound to be some errors, no indicator being perfectly correlated with poverty, the models developed achieve fairly accurate out-of-sample predictions of absolute poverty. Furthermore, findings suggest that the estimation method is not relevant for developing a fairly accurate model for targeting the poor. The models developed are potentially useful tools for the development community in Uganda. This research can also be applied in other developing countries.Uganda, poverty assessment, targeting, proxy means tests, validations, bootstrap, Food Security and Poverty,

Developing Poverty Assessment Tools Based on Principal Component Analysis: Results from Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Uganda, and Peru

Developing accurate, yet operational poverty assessment tools to target the poorest households remains a challenge for applied policy research. This paper aims to develop poverty assessment tools for four countries: Bangladesh, Peru, Uganda, and Kazakhstan. The research applies the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to seek the best set of variables that predict the household poverty status using easily measurable socio-economic indicators. Out of sample validations tests are performed to assess the prediction power of a tool. Finally, the PCA results are compared with those obtained from regressions models. In-sample estimation results suggest that the Quantile regression technique is the first best method in all four countries, except Kazakhstan. The PCA method is the second best technique for two of the countries. In comparison with regression techniques, PCA models accurately predict a large percentage of households. With regard to out-of sample validations, there is no clear trend; neither the PCA method nor the Quantile regression consistently yields the most robust results. The results highlight the need to assess the out-of-sample performance and thereby the robustness of a poverty assessment tool in estimating the poverty status of a new sample. We conclude that measures of relative poverty estimated with PCA method can yield fairly accurate, but not so robust predictions of absolute poverty as compared to more complex regression models.poverty assessment, targeting, principal component analysis, Bangladesh, Peru, Kazakhstan, Uganda, Food Security and Poverty, H5, Q14, I3,

Optimal Tableaux Method for Constructive Satisfiability Testing and Model Synthesis in the Alternating-time Temporal Logic ATL+

We develop a sound, complete and practically implementable tableaux-based decision method for constructive satisfiability testing and model synthesis in the fragment ATL+ of the full Alternating time temporal logic ATL*. The method extends in an essential way a previously developed tableaux-based decision method for ATL and works in 2EXPTIME, which is the optimal worst case complexity of the satisfiability problem for ATL+ . We also discuss how suitable parametrizations and syntactic restrictions on the class of input ATL+ formulae can reduce the complexity of the satisfiability problem.Comment: 45 page

Non-Linear Effects in Non-Kerr spacetimes

There is a chance that the spacetime around massive compact objects which are expected to be black holes is not described by the Kerr metric, but by a metric which can be considered as a perturbation of the Kerr metric. These non-Kerr spacetimes are also known as bumpy black hole spacetimes. We expect that, if some kind of a bumpy black hole exists, the spacetime around it should possess some features which will make the divergence from a Kerr spacetime detectable. One of the differences is that these non-Kerr spacetimes do not posses all the symmetries needed to make them integrable. We discuss how we can take advantage of this fact by examining EMRIs into the Manko-Novikov spacetime.Comment: 8 pages, 3 Figures; to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Relativity and Gravitation: 100 Years after Einstein in Prague" (2012

Population Growth and Mortality Sources of the Black Bear Population in Northern Georgia

An understanding of black bear (Ursus americanus) population trends and cause-specific mortality is needed to direct management decisions in northern Georgia given an increasing human population. Therefore, we evaluated black bear population trends and mortality sources across 26 counties and 18 Wildlife Management Areas in northern Georgia from 1979–2014. We collected harvest data from 6,433 individuals during the study period. Using age-at-harvest data, population reconstruction illustrated an increasing trend in the bear population for both males (λ = 1.113) and females (λ = 1.108). Bait station indices reflected a similar increase in the bear population based on increased visitation over time (min: 12.3% visitation in 1983; max: 76.7% visitation in 2009). Bear-vehicle mortalities also increased from 1986–2014 and were greater for males relative to females, especially males ≤2 years old. Bear-vehicle mortalities were greater for males than for females during May–July; however, bear-vehicle mortalities increased for both sexes during August–November. Current population trajectory suggests black bear populations in northern Georgia will continue to increase. If bear population trends continue to increase, we suggest further evaluation of current bear harvest regulations in northern Georgia to reduce potential bear-human conflicts

A System Performance Based Comparison of Sparse Regular and Irregular Antenna Arrays for Millimeter-Wave Multi-User MIMO Base Stations

A system-level study was conducted that evaluated the system performance of various dense and sparse antenna array configurations for application in millimeter-wave multi-user multiple-input multiple-output base stations. The performance was evaluated by investigating the probability that a user experiences an outage when a zero-forcing pre-coder is used in a random line of sight scenario. This paper shows that the outage probability significantly decreased when irregular sparse arrays were used rather than regular sparse or regular dense arrays. A re-configurable linear array was designed and realized as a demonstrator. It used 3D-printed aluminum box horn antenna elements that had wide scanning range in the azimuthal plane and a small scanning range in the elevation plane. For the demonstrator, it was shown that the outage probability was reduced from 3.85% to 0.64% by moving from a sparse regularly spaced array to a sparse randomly spaced array. This amounted to an improvement of a factor of six. The sparse topology allowed for the usage of large antenna elements that had an increased gain and still achieved wide-angle scanning, while reducing mutual coupling to a minimu

In the name of the people: speeches and writings of Lincoln and Douglas in the Ohio campaign of 1859

(print) x, 307 p. ; 22 cmIntroduction -- The Setting 1 -- The Issues 34 -- The Dividing Line between Federal and Local Authority, by Stephen A. Douglas Harper's Magazine, September, 1859 58 -- Speech of Stephen A. Douglas at Columbus, Ohio, September 7, 1859 126 -- Speech of Stephen A. Douglas at Cincinnati, Ohio, September 9, 1859 151 -- Observations on Senator Douglas' Views of Popular Sovereignty, by Jeremiah Black September 10, 1859 173 -- Speech of Stephen A. Douglas at Wooster, Ohio, September 16, 1859 200 -- Speech of Abraham Lincoln at Columbus, Ohio, September 16, 1859 231 -- Speech of Abraham Lincoln at Cincinnati, Ohio, September 17, 1859 27