Evaluation of HRI payloads for rapid precision target localization to provide information to the tactical warfighter

High Resolution Imagery (HRI) with precise location and targeting data for the warfighter has become an integral part in today's asymmetric warfare environment. This thesis conducted practical testing of systems and employed qualitative research methods to evaluate HRI payloads for SUAS to provide rapid precision target localization to the warfighter. The research attempted to evaluate new HRI systems integration with the current SUAS's to produce accurate or reduced error images for intelligence and targeting data. The targeting solutions were to be evaluated against those calculated solutions achieved on a manned aircraft. This part of the evaluation was not completed due to the discovery of radio frequency noise interference induced by systems modifications required to fit the small confines of the SUAS platform. Targeting solution research was conducted using archival images from a manned flight mission. Once the system and technology is modified to eliminate the radio frequency noise there is a high probability of successfully proving the desired capability.http://archive.org/details/evaluationofhrip109455512Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The Missouri phosphorus index (2007)

Phosphorus (P) is the nutrient limiting algal production in many Missouri streams and lakes. Water quality deteriorates when too much phosphorus enters a stream or lake, a process called eutrophication. Excess phosphorus also can reduce water clarity, cause fish kills, increase drinking water treatment costs and reduce the quality of drinking waterNew 11/007/W

Hope for resurrecting a functionally extinct parrot or squandered social capital? Landholder attitudes towards the Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) in Victoria, Australia

In early 2010, after 27 years of recovery effort, the orange-bellied parrot (OBP; Neophema chrysogaster) was expected to be extinct in the wild within a few years. Shortly before the imminent wild extinction became evident, we surveyed landholders (114 responses of 783 surveys delivered) in part of the main non-breeding area, according to three classes of modelled habitat suitability (\u27high\u27, \u27medium\u27, and \u27low\u27). Predictions of the habitat models appear to correlate with landholder perceptions of the presence of OBP habitat on private land, thus the models appear a tractable way to identify key stakeholders worthy of priority consultation in relation to habitat works. Landholders were sympathetic to wetlands and birds, including OBPs (89.4% were aware of OBPs). Most indicated that they would be upset if the OBP went extinct and agreed that critical habitat should be protected; 80.7% were prepared to consider changes to the way they managed their land to benefit the species, and sought more information on how they could do so (64.0%). This study suggests that the habitat model usefully identified key stakeholders and the OBP enjoyed high awareness, concern, and engagement among many stakeholders, shortly before the species was considered functionally extinct. The maintenance of landholder support is likely to be critical if future attempts are made to reintroduce the species to the wild

A Comparison of Fish Populations in Shallow Coastal Lagoons with Contrasting Shoalgrass (Halodule wrightii) Cover in the Northcentral Gulf of Mexico

A number of studies have examined the effects of reduced seagrass cover on local fish populations (e.g., Heck et al. 1989, Ferrell and Bell 1991, Hughes et al. 2002 and more), but few of those studies have focused on shoalgrass (e.g., Tolan et al. 1997, Rydene and Matheson 2003). We present a preliminary comparison of fish populations in three shallow coastal lagoons in the northcentral GOM that have varying levels of shoalgrass cover. Namely, we compare (1) abundances of individual species and the entire fish population, (2) fish population diversity, and (3) length-frequency distributions of the most abundant species

Dust Obscuration in Lyman Break Galaxies at z~4

Measuring star formation rates (SFRs) in high-z galaxies with their rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) continuum can be uncertain because of dust obscuration. Prior studies had used the submillimeter emission at 850 um to determine the intrinsic SFRs of rest-frame UV selected galaxies, but the results suffered from the low sensitivity and poor resolution (~15''). Here, we use ultradeep Very Large Array 1.4 GHz images with ~1''-2'' resolutions to measure the intrinsic SFRs. We perform stacking analyses in the radio images centered on ~3500 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z~4 in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-North and South fields selected with Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys data. The stacked radio flux is very low, 0.08+/-0.15 uJy, implying a mean SFR of 6+/-11 M/yr. This is comparable to the uncorrected mean UV SFRs of 5 M/yr, implying that the z~4 LBGs have little dust extinction. The low SFR and dust extinction support the previous results that z~4 LBGs are in general not submillimeter galaxies. We further show that there is no statistically significant excess of dust-hidden star-forming components within ~22 kpc from the LBGs.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, and 2 tables. Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ