IMPLEMENTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BIRD DETECTION RADAR AND BIRD HAZARD ADVISORY INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Over the past five years, development of mobile bird detection radars for use as real-time aircraft bird strike avoidance systems has moved from research and development into active deployment as an operational technology. The MERLIN™ bird detection radar, with an update rate as frequent as once per second, is currently deployed as production-model technology with 15 systems operating in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England and The Netherlands. Deployment challenges over the past two years have included “how” and “in what forms” to deliver the real-time and near real-time information to controllers, wildlife control units, pilots and decision makers so that bird hazards can be more reliably detected, strike risk reduced, bird control efficiency increased, and to develop detailed historical resource databases to support long-term management actions. MERLIN systems are currently being used in civil, military and landfill environments using widearea wireless distribution of data displays and products in real-time direct to airfield operations, planners and bird control units. On-going operating experience is helping to define specific concepts-of-operations (CONOPS) for each type of environment as to how the technology can be used and how and in what form bird radar information is integrated into current operational risk management and flight safety programs

IMPLEMENTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BIRD DETECTION RADAR AND BIRD HAZARD ADVISORY INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Over the past five years, development of mobile bird detection radars for use as real-time aircraft bird strike avoidance systems has moved from research and development into active deployment as an operational technology. The MERLIN™ bird detection radar, with an update rate as frequent as once per second, is currently deployed as production-model technology with 15 systems operating in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England and The Netherlands. Deployment challenges over the past two years have included “how” and “in what forms” to deliver the real-time and near real-time information to controllers, wildlife control units, pilots and decision makers so that bird hazards can be more reliably detected, strike risk reduced, bird control efficiency increased, and to develop detailed historical resource databases to support long-term management actions. MERLIN systems are currently being used in civil, military and landfill environments using widearea wireless distribution of data displays and products in real-time direct to airfield operations, planners and bird control units. On-going operating experience is helping to define specific concepts-of-operations (CONOPS) for each type of environment as to how the technology can be used and how and in what form bird radar information is integrated into current operational risk management and flight safety programs

Acoustic oscillations in solar and stellar flaring loops

Evolution of a coronal loop in response to an impulsive energy release is numerically modelled. It is shown that the loop density evolution curves exhibit quasi-periodic perturbations with the periods given approximately by the ratio of the loop length to the average sound speed, associated with the second standing harmonics of an acoustic wave. The density perturbations have a maximum near the loop apex. The corresponding field-aligned flows have a node near the apex. We suggest that the quasi-periodic pulsations with periods in the range 10-300 s, frequently observed in flaring coronal loops in the radio, visible light and X-ray bands, may be produced by the second standing harmonic of the acoustic mode

Comparison Between Radiotracer and Surface Profile Methods for the Determination of Dentifrice

poster abstractIntroduction: ISO11609 states that a surface profile (Sp) method can be used to determine dentifrice abrasivity in relation to dentin (RDA) as an alternative to the traditional radiotracer method (Rt). A comparison between both methods was performed in this study. Methods: Specimens from human root dentin were prepared for each method and randomly assigned to 8 dentifrice/abrasive groups (n=8), which represented a wide abrasivity range. Aqueous dentifrice slurries or abrasive suspensions in a solution containing 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose and 10% glycerin were used to brush specimens in a custom-made V-8 cross-brushing machine. Two independent studies (Sp, Rt) were carried out. For Rt, the specimen preparation, study design, analysis and calculation of the abrasive level (RDA) followed the ISO11609/Annex A guidelines. Similarly for Sp, the ISO11609/Annex B recommendations were followed, except by the number of brushing strokes, which was pre-determined to be 2000 strokes (instead of 10000) in a preliminary test. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey tests, with significance level set at 5%. The correlation between methods was also investigated. Results: Overall, higher variation and RDA values were observed for the Sp method compared to Rt. While good correlation was found between methods (R2=0.841), group ranking was dissimilar and better statistical differentiation among groups was observed in Rt. Conclusions: The Rt method showed to be a more standardized and robust method compared to Sp for the determination of RDA values of dentifrices/abrasives. Sp needs to be further developed before being considered as an equivalent test method for RDA. The determination of the abrasive levels of toothpastes using standard testing methods is important to guide oral care professionals and patients on the prevention of toothbrushing abrasive wear

Robust Weak-lensing Mass Calibration of Planck Galaxy Clusters

In light of the tension in cosmological constraints reported by the Planck team between their SZ-selected cluster counts and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropies, we compare the Planck cluster mass estimates with robust, weak-lensing mass measurements from the Weighing the Giants (WtG) project. For the 22 clusters in common between the Planck cosmology sample and WtG, we find an overall mass ratio of \left = 0.688 \pm 0.072. Extending the sample to clusters not used in the Planck cosmology analysis yields a consistent value of $\left< M_{Planck}/M_{\rm WtG} \right> = 0.698 \pm 0.062$ from 38 clusters in common. Identifying the weak-lensing masses as proxies for the true cluster mass (on average), these ratios are $\sim 1.6\sigma$ lower than the default mass bias of 0.8 assumed in the Planck cluster analysis. Adopting the WtG weak-lensing-based mass calibration would substantially reduce the tension found between the Planck cluster count cosmology results and those from CMB temperature anisotropies, thereby dispensing of the need for "new physics" such as uncomfortably large neutrino masses (in the context of the measured Planck temperature anisotropies and other data). We also find modest evidence (at 95 per cent confidence) for a mass dependence of the calibration ratio and discuss its potential origin in light of systematic uncertainties in the temperature calibration of the X-ray measurements used to calibrate the Planck cluster masses. Our results exemplify the critical role that robust absolute mass calibration plays in cluster cosmology, and the invaluable role of accurate weak-lensing mass measurements in this regard.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

AN ACOUSTIC / RADAR SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED DETECTION, LOCALIZATION, AND CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS IN THE VICINITY OF AIRFIELDS

Bird-aircraft collisions present a significant threat to military and commercial aircraft, and as bird populations and air traffic continue to grow, and airport/airbase operations continue to expand, the problem will steadily get worse. To help mitigate bird strike hazards, we propose a multi-sensor system consisting of ground radar and acoustic sensors that can directly monitor bird activity and provide an alert when a threat condition occurs. Radar offers a large detection range and the ability to detect in all weather conditions, while acoustic sensors allow the ability to detect targets in the midst of clutter and add the capability to classify. A multi-sensor approach ensures that the system can provide bird strike monitoring capability in any situation with a low false alarm rate. As the Phase II effort of an Air Force STTR project, we have constructed and tested a microphone array adapted from state-of-the-art undersea warfare sensor technology that measures accurate angles to any acoustic source (broadband or narrowband) and a parabolic dish microphone which provides high-gain data on targets of interest. A test was conducted near Panama City / Bay County International Airport in conjunction with the Merlin Bird Detection Radar designed by DeTect, Inc. Results of this test will be presented and show that the acoustic array is capable of detecting, localizing in angle, and tracking multiple targets simultaneously, including birds, bats, aircraft, automobiles, people, and boats. The parabolic dish microphone was able to provide very high-gain acoustic data on several of these targets. The radar data was used as truth data for acoustic sensor performance evaluation and to determine situations in which the acoustic data can benefit the radar. Altogether, almost three days of continuous acoustic and radar data were collected, and analysis of these data show that the hybrid radar-acoustic system can provide bird strike avoidance capability

AN ACOUSTIC / RADAR SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED DETECTION, LOCALIZATION, AND CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS IN THE VICINITY OF AIRFIELDS

Bird-aircraft collisions present a significant threat to military and commercial aircraft, and as bird populations and air traffic continue to grow, and airport/airbase operations continue to expand, the problem will steadily get worse. To help mitigate bird strike hazards, we propose a multi-sensor system consisting of ground radar and acoustic sensors that can directly monitor bird activity and provide an alert when a threat condition occurs. Radar offers a large detection range and the ability to detect in all weather conditions, while acoustic sensors allow the ability to detect targets in the midst of clutter and add the capability to classify. A multi-sensor approach ensures that the system can provide bird strike monitoring capability in any situation with a low false alarm rate. As the Phase II effort of an Air Force STTR project, we have constructed and tested a microphone array adapted from state-of-the-art undersea warfare sensor technology that measures accurate angles to any acoustic source (broadband or narrowband) and a parabolic dish microphone which provides high-gain data on targets of interest. A test was conducted near Panama City / Bay County International Airport in conjunction with the Merlin Bird Detection Radar designed by DeTect, Inc. Results of this test will be presented and show that the acoustic array is capable of detecting, localizing in angle, and tracking multiple targets simultaneously, including birds, bats, aircraft, automobiles, people, and boats. The parabolic dish microphone was able to provide very high-gain acoustic data on several of these targets. The radar data was used as truth data for acoustic sensor performance evaluation and to determine situations in which the acoustic data can benefit the radar. Altogether, almost three days of continuous acoustic and radar data were collected, and analysis of these data show that the hybrid radar-acoustic system can provide bird strike avoidance capability

Case Report: Ischial Stress Fracture Non-Union in a College Football Player

Stress fractures are common injuries associated with repetitive high-impact activities, often in high-level athletes and military recruits. Although predominantly occurring in the lower extremities, stress fractures may occur wherever there is a sudden increase in frequency or intensity of activity, thereby overloading the yield point of the local bone environment. Ischial stress fractures are a rarely diagnosed cause of pain around the hip and pelvis. Often, patients present with buttock pain with activity, which can be misdiagnosed as proximal hamstring tendonitis or avulsion. Here, we report a case of a college football player who was diagnosed with an ischial stress fracture which went on to symptomatic non-union after extensive conservative management. We treated his ischial non-union with open reduction internal fixation utilizing a tension band plate and screws. This interesting case highlights an uncommon cause of the relatively common presentation of posterior hip pain and describes our technique for addressing a stress fracture non-union in the ischium

Physical Models for the Clustering of Obscured and Unobscured Quasars

Clustering measurements of obscured and unobscured quasars show that obscured quasars reside in more massive dark matter halos than their unobscured counterparts. These results are inconsistent with simple unified (torus) scenarios, but might be explained by models in which the distribution of obscuring material depends on Eddington ratio or galaxy stellar mass. We test these possibilities by constructing simple physical models to compare to observed AGN populations. We find that previously observed relationships between obscuration and Eddington ratio or stellar mass are not sufficient reproduce the observed quasar clustering results ($\langle \log M_{\text{halo}}/M_{\odot} \rangle = 12.94 ^{+ 0.10}_{- 0.11}$ and $\langle \log M_{\text{halo}}/M_{\odot} \rangle = 12.49 ^{+ 0.08}_{- 0.08}$ for obscured and unobscured populations, respectively) while maintaining the observed fraction of obscured quasars (30-65$\%$). This work suggests that evolutionary models, in which obscuration evolves on the typical timescale for black hole growth, are necessary to understand the observed clustering of mid-IR selected quasars.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Beyond a warming fingerprint: individualistic biogeographic responses to heterogeneous climate change in California.

Understanding recent biogeographic responses to climate change is fundamental for improving our predictions of likely future responses and guiding conservation planning at both local and global scales. Studies of observed biogeographic responses to 20th century climate change have principally examined effects related to ubiquitous increases in temperature - collectively termed a warming fingerprint. Although the importance of changes in other aspects of climate - particularly precipitation and water availability - is widely acknowledged from a theoretical standpoint and supported by paleontological evidence, we lack a practical understanding of how these changes interact with temperature to drive biogeographic responses. Further complicating matters, differences in life history and ecological attributes may lead species to respond differently to the same changes in climate. Here, we examine whether recent biogeographic patterns across California are consistent with a warming fingerprint. We describe how various components of climate have changed regionally in California during the 20th century and review empirical evidence of biogeographic responses to these changes, particularly elevational range shifts. Many responses to climate change do not appear to be consistent with a warming fingerprint, with downslope shifts in elevation being as common as upslope shifts across a number of taxa and many demographic and community responses being inconsistent with upslope shifts. We identify a number of potential direct and indirect mechanisms for these responses, including the influence of aspects of climate change other than temperature (e.g., the shifting seasonal balance of energy and water availability), differences in each taxon's sensitivity to climate change, trophic interactions, and land-use change. Finally, we highlight the need to move beyond a warming fingerprint in studies of biogeographic responses by considering a more multifaceted view of climate, emphasizing local-scale effects, and including a priori knowledge of relevant natural history for the taxa and regions under study