Fundamental Radar Properties: Hidden Variables in Spacetime

A derivation of the properties of pulsed radiative imaging systems is presented with examples drawn from conventional, synthetic aperture, and interferometric radar. A geometric construction of the space and time components of a radar observation yields a simple underlying structural equivalence between many of the properties of radar, including resolution, range ambiguity, azimuth aliasing, signal strength, speckle, layover, Doppler shifts, obliquity and slant range resolution, finite antenna size, atmospheric delays, and beam and pulse limited configurations. The same simple structure is shown to account for many interferometric properties of radar - height resolution, image decorrelation, surface velocity detection, and surface deformation measurement. What emerges is a simple, unified description of the complex phenomena of radar observations. The formulation comes from fundamental physical concepts in relativistic field theory, of which the essential elements are presented. In the terminology of physics, radar properties are projections of hidden variables - curved worldlines from a broken symmetry in Minkowski spacetime - onto a time-serial receiver.Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures Accepted JOSA-

The Spirit and the Doctrine of God: On Gendered Language, Violence, and the Trinity and Philosophy

Gabriel focuses on the issues of using gendered language for God, the relationship of the Spirit and violence, and the adequacy of engaging the doctrine of the Trinity in response to more philosophical approaches to the attributes of God. He concludes by noting areas for future research. This paper is a response to a panel discussion by Don Schweitzer, HyeRan Kim-Cragg, and Jeromey Martini of Andrew K. Gabriel’s book The Lord is the Spirit: The Holy Spirit and the Divine Attributes

Method for detecting surface motions and mapping small terrestrial or planetary surface deformations with synthetic aperture radar

A technique based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry is used to measure very small (1 cm or less) surface deformations with good resolution (10 m) over large areas (50 km). It can be used for accurate measurements of many geophysical phenomena, including swelling and buckling in fault zones, residual, vertical and lateral displacements from seismic events, and prevolcanic swelling. Two SAR images are made of a scene by two spaced antennas and a difference interferogram of the scene is made. After unwrapping phases of pixels of the difference interferogram, surface motion or deformation changes of the surface are observed. A second interferogram of the same scene is made from a different pair of images, at least one of which is made after some elapsed time. The second interferogram is then compared with the first interferogram to detect changes in line of sight position of pixels. By resolving line of sight observations into their vector components in other sets of interferograms along at least one other direction, lateral motions may be recovered in their entirety. Since in general, the SAR images are made from flight tracks that are separated, it is not possible to distinguish surface changes from the parallax caused by topography. However, a third image may be used to remove the topography and leave only the surface changes

Changing Conceptions of Speaking in Tongues and Spirit Baptism Among Canadian Pentecostal Clergy

In 2014, a strong majority of clergy within the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) agreed that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism, but less than half agreed that tongues speech is a necessary component of Spirit baptism. This represents a significant departure from a generation ago. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data, this article describes the specific nature of the transformation of Pentecostalism’s central theological and ritual component among PAOC clergy and presents two arguments. First, sociologically we argue that the changing views of PAOC clergy regarding the relationship of tongues speech to Spirit baptism are the result of their participation in the broader generic evangelical subculture, which promotes the adoption of a common evangelical religious identity and experience. Second, historically we argue that, rather than representing a simple capitulation to modern influences, this change, if even unintentionally, shows some similarity to both early American and Canadian Pentecostal views regarding Spirit baptism.

The efficacy of the new SCD Response Compression System in the prevention of venous stasis

AbstractObjective: The current commercially available sequential intermittent pneumatic compression device used for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis has a constant cycle of 11 seconds’ compression and 60 seconds’ deflation. This deflation period ensures that the veins are filled before the subsequent cycle begins. It has been suggested that in some positions (eg, semirecumbent or sitting) and with different patients (eg, those with venous reflux), refilling of the veins may occur much earlier than 60 seconds, and thus a more frequent cycle may be more effective in expelling blood proximally. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of a new sequential compression system (the SCD Response Compression System), which has the ability to detect the change in the venous volume and to respond by initiating the subsequent cycle when the veins are substantially full. Methods: In an open controlled trial at an academic vascular laboratory, the SCD Response Compression System was tested against the existing SCD Sequel Compression System in 12 healthy volunteers who were in supine, semirecumbent, and sitting positions. The refilling time sensed by the device was compared with that determined from recordings of femoral vein flow velocity by the use of duplex ultrasound scan. The total volume of blood expelled per hour during compression was compared with that produced by the existing SCD system in the same volunteers and positions. Results: The refilling time determined automatically by the SCD Response Compression System varied from 24 to 60 seconds in the subjects tested, demonstrating individual patient variation. The refilling time (mean ± SD) in the sitting position was 40.6 ± 10.0 seconds, which was significantly longer (P <.001) than that measured in the supine and semirecumbent positions, 33.8 ± 4.1 and 35.6 ± 4.9 seconds, respectively. There was a linear relationship between the duplex scan–derived refill time (mean of 6 readings per leg) and the SCD Response device–derived refill time (r = 0.85, P <.001). The total volume of blood (mean ± SD) expelled per hour by the existing SCD Sequel device in the supine, semirecumbent, and sitting positions was 2.23 ± 0.90 L/h, 2.47 ± 0.86 L/h, and 3.28 ± 1.24 L/h, respectively. The SCD Response device increased the volume expelled to 3.92 ± 1.60 L/h or a 76% increase (P =.001) in the supine position, to 3.93 ± 1.55 L/h or a 59% increase (P =.001) in the semirecumbent position, and to 3.97 ± 1.42 L/h or a 21% increase (P =.026) in the sitting position. Conclusions: By achieving more appropriately timed compression cycles over time, the new SCD Response System is effective in preventing venous stasis by means of a new method that improves on the clinically documented effectiveness of the existing SCD system. Further studies testing its potential for improved efficacy in preventing deep venous thrombosis are justified. (J Vasc Surg 2000;32:932-40.

The reference range of serum magnesium substance concentration among healthy young adults at Makerere University College of Health Sciences 2012

Background: Magnesium is the second most abundant intracellular cation, with only a small proportion of the body’s content being in the extracellular fluid. It is required for the active transport of other cations such as calcium, sodium and potassium across the membrane by active transport system. It is also needed for many intracellular metabolic pathways. This study was carried to establish the reference intervals for serum magnesium substance concentration among healthy medical students in Uganda.Methods: This was purposive study in which ante-cubital venous blood samples were drawn without stasis from 60 healthy, natively Ugandan pre-clinical medical students and analysed without delay using Cobasintegra 400/700/800 automated analyser which flagged each result using the in-built seemingly temperate reference range of 0.65-1.05 mmol/L.Results: The distribution of serum magnesium substance concentration was unimodal, leptokurtic, and positively skewed with empirical range of 0.86 – 1.32 mmol/L. There was no result flagged as low. Twenty-six out of sixty (43.3%) results were flagged as high values while none approached 2.0 mmol/L, considered the threshold of hypermagnesaemia symptoms. Using the central 95 percentile, the reference range was set as 0.81 – 1.29 mmol/L which is higher and slightly broader than the 0.65 – 1.05 mmol/L often quoted for populations in temperate regions and in-built in automated analysers exported even to the tropics.Conclusion: Reference ranges were higher in the studied healthy young adults in Uganda than those in the temperate regions. Effort should therefore be made to enable our laboratories establish their own reference values

Logarithmic scaling of higher-order temperature moments in the atmospheric surface layer

A generalized logarithmic law for high-order moments of passive scalars is proposed for turbulent boundary layers. This law is analogous to the generalized log law that has been proposed for high-order moments of the turbulent longitudinal velocity and is derived by combining the random sweeping decorrelation hypothesis with a spectral model informed by the attached eddy hypothesis. The proposed theory predicts that the high-order moments of passive scalar fluctuations within the inertial sublayer will vary logarithmically with wall-normal distance ($z$). The proposed theory is evaluated using high frequency time-series measurements of temperature and streamwise velocity fluctuations obtained in the first meter of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) under near-neutral thermal stratification. The logarithmic dependence with $z$ within the inertial sublayer is observed in both the air temperature and velocity moments, with good agreement to the predictions from the proposed theory. Surprisingly, the proposed theory appears to be as, if not more, valid for transported passive scalars than for the longitudinal velocity

Hurricane-induced rainfall is a stronger predictor of tropical forest damage in Puerto Rico than maximum wind speeds

Projected increases in cyclonic storm intensity under a warming climate will have profound effects on forests, potentially changing these ecosystems from carbon sinks to sources. Forecasting storm impacts on these ecosystems requires consideration of risk factors associated with storm meteorology, landscape structure, and forest attributes. Here we evaluate risk factors associated with damage severity caused by Hurricanes María and Irma across Puerto Rican forests. Using field and remote sensing data, total forest aboveground biomass (AGB) lost to the storms was estimated at 10.44 (±2.33) Tg, ca. 23% of island-wide pre-hurricane forest AGB. Storm-related rainfall was a stronger predictor of forest damage than maximum wind speeds. Soil water storage capacity was also an important risk factor, corroborating the influence of rainfall on forest damage. Expected increases of 20% in hurricane-associated rainfall in the North Atlantic highlight the need to consider how such shifts, together with high speed winds, will affect terrestrial ecosystems