Investigating GNSS multipath effects induced by co-located Radar Corner Reflectors

Abstract Radar Corner Reflectors (CR) are increasingly used as reference targets for land surface deformation measurements with the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique. When co-located with ground-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) infrastructure, InSAR observations at CR can be used to integrate relative measurements of surface deformation into absolute reference frames defined by GNSS. However, CR are also a potential source of GNSS multipath effects and may therefore have a detrimental effect on the GNSS observations. In this study, we compare daily GNSS coordinate time series and 30-second signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) observations for periods before and after CR deployment at a GNSS site. We find that neither the site coordinates nor the SNR values are significantly affected by the CR deployment, with average changes being within 0.1 mm for site coordinates and within 1 % for SNR values. Furthermore, we generate empirical site models by spatially stacking GNSS observation residuals to visualise and compare the spatial pattern in the surroundings of GNSS sites. The resulting stacking maps indicate oscillating patterns at elevation angles above 60 degrees which can be attributed to the CR deployed at the analysed sites. The effect depends on the GNSS antenna used at a site with the magnitude of multipath patterns being around three times smaller for a high-quality choke ring antenna compared to a ground plane antenna without choke rings. In general, the CR-induced multipath is small compared to multipath effects at other GNSS sites located in a different environment (e. g. mounted on a building)

Counteracting Crime or Wasting Time? Examining a Blight Abatement CPTED Project in Philadelphia

This study examines the relationships between a blight abatement CPTED project and the total, violent, and property crime rate in Philadelphia from 2000-2019. After controlling for certain demographics (population, median household income, median age of population, poverty level, and unemployment rate) as well as the national crime rate, no statistically significant relationship was found between the CPTED project and the crime rates with the data and measurements available to the researcher

Community Influences and Adult Learning

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68034/2/10.1177_074171365800800209.pd

The Purpose of Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities

Remarks of workshop speake

Investigating the relationships between education and culture for female students in tertiary settings in the UAE

This research is about the higher education of Indigenous Emirati women and how they balance the intricate demands of higher education with the social customs of a traditional society and the expectations placed on women. The study sought to identify and comprehend the issues which have affected the educational changes that are taking place, including culture, gender, religion, the influence of Western education processes, and the desire of an Indigenous population to raise their educational practices to an internationally recognised benchmark. The research was aimed at providing insights into the distinctiveness of this group of women from their social and educational perspectives, and provides an alternative view of Emirati women, altogether different from the media stereotypes which have largely become accepted as representations of Arab women. It offers educators and researchers a deeper understanding of the relevant issues, and challenges preconceptions of educated women’s contribution to the workforce in a 21st century Gulf Arab nation. The experiences articulated about their educational encounters in a variety of pre-university environments, their reflections on contemporary university life, and the impact of Westernised influences on higher education in the UAE are put under the spotlight. This qualitative study was undertaken within a constructivist, interpretive paradigm. A total of 43 media students were surveyed and interviewed to understand more about their attitudes and opinions on education and culture. Areas under consideration related to educational environments, learning styles and students’ relationships with teachers, as well as matters relating to cultural identity, cultural sensitivity and gender capital. The analysis extends the sparse knowledge and prevailing attitudes about Arab women held by many Western nations, and unearthed important factors, such as alignment of choosing a university with the established ethos of a conservative religious society. High school experiences, critical thinking, and English language skills all affected success at university. Emirati dress code was seen as an issue of personal choice and encapsulated Emirati identity, while being covered was not regarded as subjugation but as an expression of distinctiveness and leadership. Approval, deference and respect for the family underpinned most decisions about educational preferences and career choices. Attitudes towards financial recompense, job selection, finding a satisfactory work/life balance to sustain a traditional lifestyle and participate in the economic development of the UAE, were all pertinent considerations for this group of undergraduate women. This research argues that higher education and Emirati culture are intrinsically linked, and the relationship between these two tenets influences the perspectives, and opinions of Indigenous undergraduate Arab women enrolled in a media course. In highlighting the experiences of women’s transition from higher education to achieving personal goals and becoming effective members of the workforce, the thesis challenges preconceived opinions of educators and external agencies. In the UAE, the result has been significant societal change due to economic development, higher education and the national desire to create a workforce of highly educated females. Nevertheless, these changes are inherently directed by the powerful yet subtle influences of this traditional society, and how far female graduates will go to alter their familiar way of life

The Response of the Black Community in Mississippi to the Dixiecrat Movement in 1948

The thesis of the research is that the States\u27 Right Movement of 1948 in Mississippi helped to create a new political awareness among blacks for the first time since Radical Reconstruction. As a result of the Dixiecrat revolt against Truman and civil rights, blacks in the state became more assertive about their rights and in 1948 organized themselves gradually to demand their civil rights. In response to the Dixiecrat Movement can be found the origins of the civil rights movement of the fifties and sixties

Who pays business rates?

Non-domestic rates are a tax that is formally levied on the occupiers of nondomestic property in the United Kingdom. This does not imply that it is only the occupiers of business and other non-domestic property who are made worse off by the imposition of ‘business rates’. Some or all of the effective burden of nondomestic rates may be shifted backwards from the occupiers of business property to the owners of business property. This occurs if the rents that property owners can charge their tenants are reduced by the imposition of business rates. In this case, the total cost of occupying a business property (i.e. rent plus rates) is increased by less than the full amount of the non-domestic rates paid by occupiers, and part of the burden of business rates is borne by property owners in the form of lower rental income than they would otherwise have received. The effective incidence of non-domestic rates is then said to fall partly on property owners, and only partly on occupiers.

Keeping birds away from food using sonic technology: a potential for protecting crops

Pest birds cause billions of dollars in damages in the agricultural (crop loss) and aviation (collision with aircraft) industries annually in the US. Current methods to control problem birds are often ineffective. A new solution: A broadband spatially-controlled noise (termed a “sonic net”) will prevent birds from hearing each other and hearing predators, rendering an area unsuitable and making birds go elsewhere. The goal of the current project is to evaluate whether a “sonic net” is an effective way to deter wild songbirds from food sources. We recorded the behavior and inter-species interactions of birds at feeders located at two sites. The “sonic net” was deployed at one feeder at each site, while the other feeder served as a control without additional noise. Overall, birds spent approximately 35% less time at the “sonic net” feeders compared to control feeders. Dominant species’ duration per visit did not vary significantly (1.4%), while subordinate species were largely affected by noise (51.3%). Additionally, we assessed the inter-species interactions underneath noise and food manipulation (less access to food on control feeder). Socially dominant species spent only 4.45% less time at the “sonic net” feeder as compared to subordinate species (33.5%). This suggests that the “sonic net” may affect species differently depending on interspecies competition, meaning that protection of food crops may depend on species composition in the area. Nonetheless, the “sonic net” is a potential solution to reduce crop loss caused by pest birds from farms over long periods of time

HIGH VOLTAGE RESONANT SELF-TRACKING CURRENT-FED CONVERTER

High voltage power supply design presents unique requirements, combining safety, controllability, high performance, and high efficiencies. A new Resonant Self-Tracking Current-Fed Converter (RST-CFC) is investigated as a proof-of-concept of a high voltage power supply particularly for an X-ray system. These systems require fast voltage rise times and low ripple to yield a clear image. The proposed converter implements high-frequency resonance among discrete components and transformer parasitics to achieve high voltage gain, and the self-tracking nature ensures operation at maximum gain while power switches achieve zero-voltage switching across the full load range. This converter exhibits an inherent indefinite short-circuit capability. Theoretical results were obtained through simulations and verified by experimental results through a complete test configuration. Converter topology viability was confirmed through hardware testing and characterization

Simple, once‐off mapping of various, recurrent immunostaining patterns of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in spermatogonia at the immature pole of the testis of adult wild‐caught blue shark, Prionace glauca: Correlations with changes in testicular status

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: McClusky L. Simple, once‐off mapping of various, recurrent immunostaining patterns of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in spermatogonia at the immature pole of the testis of adult wild‐caught blue shark, Prionace glauca: Correlations with changes in testicular status. Molecular Reproduction and Development. 2020;87(11):1111-1123, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23429. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.This study was a single time-point mapping of various immunostaining patterns revealed with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) PC10 antibody in spermatogonia at the immature pole of the testis of the Blue shark (Prionace glauca). Scattered in the stroma of the germinal ridge that demarcates the immature pole's outer boundary were nests of variously immunoreactive A-spermatogonia, each flanked by a fusiform cell. Spermatocysts were assembled from niche-derived stromal cells, displaced A-progenitors, and their progeny, which showed one of two main immunostaining patterns (i.e., an uneven light brown/globular and homogeneous dark [hod] brown appearance). The testes of wild-caught Prionace showed two conditions, namely, extensive multinucleate cell death (MNC) near the mitosis–meiosis transition or an early recovery phase from the latter showing vacuolated areas. Both the proportion of cysts with immature Bhod-spermatogonia and the frequency of mitotic figures in such cysts in the early recovery testis condition were significantly higher than the comparable parameters in MNC testis condition. Moreover, the post-MNC recovery phase revealed a decrease in the proportion of immature cysts with uneven light brown/globular-like spermatogonia. The protracted spread of a cell cycle signal in an anatomically discrete, syncytially connected spermatogonial clone manifests as different PCNA immunoreactivities