The global atmosphere: greenhouse gases and urban pollution

Atmospheric monitoring provides us with the most comprehensive overview that we have of iogeochemical changes in a rapidly warming world

Automatic landmarking for building biological shape models

We present a new method for automatic landmark extraction from the contours of biological specimens. Our ultimate goal is to enable automatic identification of biological specimens in photographs and drawings held in a database. We propose to use active appearance models for visual indexing of both photographs and drawings. Automatic landmark extraction will assist us in building the models. We describe the results of using our method on drawings and photographs of examples of diatoms, and present an active shape model built using automatically extracted data

Satellite Navigation for the Age of Autonomy

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) brought navigation to the masses. Coupled with smartphones, the blue dot in the palm of our hands has forever changed the way we interact with the world. Looking forward, cyber-physical systems such as self-driving cars and aerial mobility are pushing the limits of what localization technologies including GNSS can provide. This autonomous revolution requires a solution that supports safety-critical operation, centimeter positioning, and cyber-security for millions of users. To meet these demands, we propose a navigation service from Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites which deliver precision in-part through faster motion, higher power signals for added robustness to interference, constellation autonomous integrity monitoring for integrity, and encryption / authentication for resistance to spoofing attacks. This paradigm is enabled by the 'New Space' movement, where highly capable satellites and components are now built on assembly lines and launch costs have decreased by more than tenfold. Such a ubiquitous positioning service enables a consistent and secure standard where trustworthy information can be validated and shared, extending the electronic horizon from sensor line of sight to an entire city. This enables the situational awareness needed for true safe operation to support autonomy at scale.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 2020 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS

A variant in LIN28B is associated with 2D:4D finger-length ratio, a putative retrospective biomarker of prenatal testosterone exposure

The ratio of the lengths of an individual's second to fourth digit (2D:4D) is commonly used as a noninvasive retrospective biomarker for prenatal androgen exposure. In order to identify the genetic determinants of 2D:4D, we applied a genome-wide association approach to 1507 11-year-old children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in whom 2D:4D ratio had been measured, as well as a sample of 1382 12- to 16-year-olds from the Brisbane Adolescent Twin Study. A meta-analysis of the two scans identified a single variant in the LIN28B gene that was strongly associated with 2D:4D (rs314277: p = 4.1 108) and was subsequently independently replicated in an additional 3659 children from the ALSPAC cohort (p = 1.53 106). The minor allele of the rs314277 variant has previously been linked to increased height and delayed age at menarche, but in our study it was associated with increased 2D:4D in the direction opposite to that of previous reports on the correlation between 2D:4D and age at menarche. Our findings call into question the validity of 2D:4D as a simplistic retrospective biomarker for prenatal testosterone exposure

Large spread in the representation of compound long-duration dry and hot spells over Europe in CMIP5

Long-duration, sub-seasonal dry spells in combination with high temperature extremes during summer have led to extreme impacts on society and ecosystems in the past. Such events are expected to become more frequent due to increasing temperatures as a result of anthropogenic climate change. However, there is little information on how long-duration dry and hot spells are represented in global climate models (GCMs). In this study, we evaluate 33 CMIP5 (coupled model intercomparison project 5) GCMs in their representation of long-duration dry spells and temperatures during dry spells. We define a dry spell as a consecutive number of days with a daily precipitation of less than 1 mm. CMIP5 models tend to underestimate the persistence of dry spells in northern Europe, while a large variability exists between model estimates in central and southern Europe, where models have contrasting biases. Throughout Europe, we also find a large spread between models in their representation of temperature extremes during dry spells. In central and southern Europe this spread in temperature extremes between models is related to the representation of dry spells, where models that produce longer dry spells also produce higher temperatures, and vice versa. Our results indicate that this variability in model estimates is due to model differences and not internal variability. At latitudes between 50–60∘ N, the differences in the representation of persistent dry spells are strongly related to the representation of persistent anticyclonic systems, such as atmospheric blocking and subtropical ridges. Furthermore, models simulating a higher frequency of anticyclonic systems than ERA5 also simulate temperatures in dry spells that are between 1.4, and 2.8 K warmer than models with a lower frequency in these areas. Overall, there is a large spread between CMIP5 models in their representation of long-duration dry and hot events that is due to errors in the representation of large-scale anticyclonic systems in certain parts of Europe. This information is important to consider when interpreting the plausibility of future projections from climate models and highlights the potential value that improvements in the representation of anticyclonic systems may have for the simulation of impactful hazards.</p

Rowan County - Folklore

A series of interviews with Rowan County residents on local and regional folklore