Imagerie d'objets mobiles à l'aide d'un radar bande étroite multistatique

Cet article traite de l'imagerie de cibles mobiles à l'aide d'un radar multistatique (dans notre cas plusieurs émetteurs et un seul récepteur). Tout d'abord, nous développons un algorithme original multistatique basé sur les méthodes spatio-temporelles de Radar à Synthèse d'Ouverture (RSO). Comme le signal émis est bande étroite et que sa fréquence centrale est faible, les résolutions finales de l'image dépendent principalement de deux paramètres : le nombre d'émetteurs et la longueur de l'antenne synthétique. La fonction d'ambiguïté du système est calculé numériquement pour étudier l'influence de ces deux paramètres. Ensuite, l'algorithme développé est testé sur des cibles réalistes. Les images sont intéressantes et permettent des premiers résultats de classification. A l'aide des modèles numériques des cibles, nous montrons aussi l'importance du placement des émetteurs ainsi que la nécessité d'un second récepteur

Numerical performances of low rank stap based on different heterogeneous clutter subspace estimators

International audienceSpace time Adaptive Processing (STAP) for airborne RADAR fits the context of a disturbance composed of a Low Rank (LR) clutter, here modeled by a Compound Gaussian (CG) process, plus a white Gaussian noise (WGN). In such context, the corresponding LR adaptive filters used to detect a target require less training vectors than classical methods to reach equivalent performance. Unlike the classical filter which is based on the Covariance Matrix (CM) of the noise, the LR filter is based on the clutter subspace projector, which is usually derived from a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of a noise CM estimate. Regarding to the considered model of LR-CG plus WGN, recent results are providing both direct estimators of the clutter subspace [1][2] and an exact MLE of the noise CM [3]. To promote the use of these new estimation methods, this paper proposes to apply them to realistic STAP simulations

Une procédure générale d'estimation efficace de paramètres multiples avec application en localisation

- Nous présentons dans ce papier un cadre théorique pour affiner une estimation efficace de plusieurs paramètres en tenant compte des liens entre eux. La méthode proposée s'appuie sur un théorème généralisant l' "EXtended Invariance Principle" (EXIP). Nous montrons que l'approche développée permet de résoudre analytiquement certains problèmes non linéaires. Nous appliquons enfin ce cadre théorique à un problème de localisation par un radar multistatique

Robust Adaptive Detection of Buried Pipes using GPR

International audienceDetection of buried objects such as pipes using a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is intricate for three main reasons. First, noise is important in the resulting image because of the presence of several rocks and/or layers in the ground, highly influencing the Probability of False Alarm (PFA) level. Also, wave speed and object responses are unknown in the ground and depend on the relative permit-tivity, which is not directly measurable. Finally, the depth of the pipes leads to strong attenuation of the echoed signal, leading to poor SNR scenarios. In this paper, we propose a detection method: (1) enhancing the signal of interest while reducing the noise and layer contributions, and (2) giving a local estimate of the relative permittivity. We derive an adaptive detector where the signal of interest is parametrised by the wave speed in the ground. For this detector, noise is assumed to follow a Spherically Invariant Random Vector (SIRV) distribution in order to obtain a robust detection. We use robust maximum likelihood-type covariance matrix estimators called M-estimators. To handle the significant amount of data, we consider regularised versions of said estimators. Simulation will allow to estimate the relation PFA-Threshold. Comparison is performed with standard GPR processing methods, showing the aptitude of the method in detecting pipes having low response levels with a reasonable PFA

Application de l'algorithme Principal Component Inverse 3D pour la détection de mines enfouies

- Cet article s'intéresse à la réduction de fausses alarmes dans le cadre de la détection de mines sous marines enfouies. Nous proposons d'utiliser un algorithme algèbrique. le Principal Component Inverse 3D, pour réduire l'influence de la réverbération et séparer les échos de mines entre eux. Cette méthode est testée sur des données réelles fournies par le GESMA et les résultats sont comparés à ceux donnés par des algorithmes algébriques 2D

Early Pleistocene enamel proteome from Dmanisi resolves Stephanorhinus phylogeny

The sequencing of ancient DNA has enabled the reconstruction of speciation, migration and admixture events for extinct taxa. However, the irreversible post-mortem degradation2 of ancient DNA has so far limited its recovery—outside permafrost areas—to specimens that are not older than approximately 0.5 million years (Myr). By contrast, tandem mass spectrometry has enabled the sequencing of approximately 1.5-Myr-old collagen type I, and suggested the presence of protein residues in fossils of the Cretaceous period—although with limited phylogenetic use. In the absence of molecular evidence, the speciation of several extinct species of the Early and Middle Pleistocene epoch remains contentious. Here we address the phylogenetic relationships of the Eurasian Rhinocerotidae of the Pleistocene epoch, using the proteome of dental enamel from a Stephanorhinus tooth that is approximately 1.77-Myr old, recovered from the archaeological site of Dmanisi (South Caucasus, Georgia). Molecular phylogenetic analyses place this Stephanorhinus as a sister group to the clade formed by the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and Merck’s rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis). We show that Coelodonta evolved from an early Stephanorhinus lineage, and that this latter genus includes at least two distinct evolutionary lines. The genus Stephanorhinus is therefore currently paraphyletic, and its systematic revision is needed. We demonstrate that sequencing the proteome of Early Pleistocene dental enamel overcomes the limitations of phylogenetic inference based on ancient collagen or DNA. Our approach also provides additional information about the sex and taxonomic assignment of other specimens from Dmanisi. Our findings reveal that proteomic investigation of ancient dental enamel—which is the hardest tissue in vertebrates, and is highly abundant in the fossil record—can push the reconstruction of molecular evolution further back into the Early Pleistocene epoch, beyond the currently known limits of ancient DNA preservation

Ancient DNA analysis suggests negligible impact of the Wari Empire expansion in Peru's Central Coast during the Middle Horizon

The analysis of ancient human DNA from South America allows the exploration of pre-Columbian population history through time and to directly test hypotheses about cultural and demographic evolution. The Middle Horizon (650-1100 AD) represents a major transitional period in the Central Andes, which is associated with the development and expansion of ancient Andean empires such as Wari and Tiwanaku. These empires facilitated a series of interregional interactions and socio-political changes, which likely played an important role in shaping the region's demographic and cultural profiles. We analyzed individuals from three successive pre-Columbian cultures present at the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in Lima, Peru: Lima (Early Intermediate Period, 500-700 AD), Wari (Middle Horizon, 800-1000 AD) and Ychsma (Late Intermediate Period, 1000-1450 AD). We sequenced 34 complete mitochondrial genomes to investigate the potential genetic impact of the Wari Empire in the Central Coast of Peru. The results indicate that genetic diversity shifted only slightly through time, ruling out a complete population discontinuity or replacement driven by the Wari imperialist hegemony, at least in the region around present-day Lima. However, we caution that the very subtle genetic contribution of Wari imperialism at the particular Huaca Pucllana archaeological site might not be representative for the entire Wari territory in the Peruvian Central Coast.Guido Valverde, María Inés Barreto Romero, Isabel Flores Espinoza, Alan Cooper, Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Bastien Llamas, Wolfgang Haa

The Natural Product Domain Seeker NaPDoS: A Phylogeny Based Bioinformatic Tool to Classify Secondary Metabolite Gene Diversity

New bioinformatic tools are needed to analyze the growing volume of DNA sequence data. This is especially true in the case of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, where the highly repetitive nature of the associated genes creates major challenges for accurate sequence assembly and analysis. Here we introduce the web tool Natural Product Domain Seeker (NaPDoS), which provides an automated method to assess the secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene diversity and novelty of strains or environments. NaPDoS analyses are based on the phylogenetic relationships of sequence tags derived from polyketide synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes, respectively. The sequence tags correspond to PKS-derived ketosynthase domains and NRPS-derived condensation domains and are compared to an internal database of experimentally characterized biosynthetic genes. NaPDoS provides a rapid mechanism to extract and classify ketosynthase and condensation domains from PCR products, genomes, and metagenomic datasets. Close database matches provide a mechanism to infer the generalized structures of secondary metabolites while new phylogenetic lineages provide targets for the discovery of new enzyme architectures or mechanisms of secondary metabolite assembly. Here we outline the main features of NaPDoS and test it on four draft genome sequences and two metagenomic datasets. The results provide a rapid method to assess secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene diversity and richness in organisms or environments and a mechanism to identify genes that may be associated with uncharacterized biochemistry

Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus

Recent genomic data have revealed multiple interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans, but there is currently little genetic evidence regarding Neanderthal behaviour, diet, or disease. Here we describe the shotgun-sequencing of ancient DNA from five specimens of Neanderthal calcified dental plaque (calculus) and the characterization of regional differences in Neanderthal ecology. At Spy cave, Belgium, Neanderthal diet was heavily meat based and included woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep (mouflon), characteristic of a steppe environment. In contrast, no meat was detected in the diet of Neanderthals from El Sidrón cave, Spain, and dietary components of mushrooms, pine nuts, and moss reflected forest gathering. Differences in diet were also linked to an overall shift in the oral bacterial community (microbiota) and suggested that meat consumption contributed to substantial variation within Neanderthal microbiota. Evidence for self-medication was detected in an El Sidrón Neanderthal with a dental abscess and a chronic gastrointestinal pathogen (Enterocytozoon bieneusi). Metagenomic data from this individual also contained a nearly complete genome of the archaeal commensal Methanobrevibacter oralis (10.2× depth of coverage)-the oldest draft microbial genome generated to date, at around 48,000 years old. DNA preserved within dental calculus represents a notable source of information about the behaviour and health of ancient hominin specimens, as well as a unique system that is useful for the study of long-term microbial evolution