Noise Parameters of CW Radar Sensors Used in Active Defense Systems

Active defense represents an innovative way of protecting military vehicles. It is based on the employment of a set of radar sensors which detect an approaching threat missile and activate a suitable counter-measure. Since the radar sensors are supposed to detect flying missiles very fast and, at the same time, distinguish them from stationary or slow-moving objects, CW Doppler radar sensors can be employed with a benefit. The submitted article deals with a complex noise analysis of this type of sensors. The analysis considers the noise of linear and quasi-linear RF components, phase-noise of the local oscillator as well as the noise of low-frequency circuits. Since the incidence of the phase-noise depends strongly upon the time delay between the reference and the cross-talked signals, a new method of measuring noise parameters utilizing a reflecting wall has been developed and verified. The achieved results confirm potentially high influence of the phase-noise on the noise parameters of the mentioned type of radar sensors. Obtained results can be used for the analysis of noise parameters of the similar but even more complex sensors

Wearable device to assist independent living.

Older people increasingly want to remain living independently in their own homes. The aim of the ENABLE project is to develop a wearable device that can be used both within and outside of the home to support older people in their daily lives and which can monitor their health status, detect potential problems, provide activity reminders and offer communication and alarm services. In order to determine the specifications and functionality required for development of the device user surveys and focus groups were undertaken and use case analysis and scenario modeling carried out. The project has resulted in the development of a wrist worn device and mobile phone combination that can support and assist older and vulnerable wearers with a range of activities and services both inside and outside of their homes. The device is currently undergoing pilot trials in five European countries. The aim of this paper is to describe the ENABLE device, its features and services, and the infrastructure within which it operates

Making video communication mobile by using a small humanoid social assistive robot

There is a high need among older persons to maintain their social contacts and to stay involved in social life. In this area of social communication ICT and assistive technology can bring a significant support provided that the actual needs and preferences of the user groups are actually met. The paper describes an innovative solution consisting of a mobile video communication facility using a LED projector which is integrated in a social assistive robot system developed in the framework of the KSERA project

Extended Noise Analysis Model of CW-type Radar Sensors with IQ Down-Conversion

CW-type structures belong to the most frequently employed radars, especially in a form of small sensors used, for example, in security applications or automotive industry. Range and reliability of operation of these sensors strongly depend upon their noise parameters. This paper extends previously published works by considering all potential inner noise sources and creating complex noise model of the concerned radar family including often used IQ signal processing. The noise sources cover local oscillator amplitude-noise and phase-noise, noise of a RF signal path and noise of a low-frequency signal path. The resulting noise model was verified by practical measurements which included different local oscillator types, different low-frequency bandwidths and different time-delays of the cross-talked signals. In all cases, the agreement between theory and measurement was within estimated limits. The developed model is applicable for noise analysis and design of all common CW-type radars

EMon : embodied monitorization

Serie : Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 5859The amount of seniors in need of constant care is rapidly rising: an evident consequence of population ageing. There are already some monitorization environments which aim to monitor these persons while they remain at home. This, however, although better than delocalizing the elder to some kind of institution, may not still be the ideal solution, as it forces them to stay inside the home more than they wished, as going out means lack of accompaniment and a consequent sensation of fear. In this paper we propose EMon: a monitorization device small enough to be worn by its users, although powerful enough to provide the higher level monitorization systems with vital information about the user and the environment around him. We hope to allow the representation of an intelligent environment to move with its users, instead of being static, mandatorily associated to a single physical location. The first prototype of EMon, as presented in this paper, provides environmental data as well as GPS coordinates and pictures that are useful to describe the context of its user

Strike point splitting induced by the application of magnetic perturbations on MAST

Divertor strike point splitting induced by resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) has been observed on MAST for a variety of RMP configurations in a plasma scenario with Ip=750kA where those configurations all have similar resonant components. Complementary measurements have been obtained with divertor Langmuir probes and an infrared camera. Clear splitting consistently appears in this scenario only in the even configuration of the perturbation coils, similarly to the density pump-out. These results present a challenge for models of plasma response to RMPs.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the proceedings of the 20th Conference on Plasma Surface Interactions, to be published in the Journal of Nuclear Material

Effects of 60 MeV protons and 250 kV X-rays on cell viability

Particle radiotherapy such as the one using proton beams, provides a successful treatment approach in many cancer types. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which proton irradiation induces cell death, particularly in a human peripheral blood lymphocyte model has not been examined in detail. Comparative studies of the biological effects, such as cell death, of particle therapy versus conventional X-rays treatment are of utmost importance. Here, we compared the viability of human peripheral blood lymphocyte following in vitro irradiation with protons (therapeutic 60 MeV proton beam) and photon beam (250 kV, X-rays), by applying separate doses within the range of 0.3-4.0 Gy. Cell viability was assessed 1 and 4 h after irradiation with protons and X-rays by the FITC-Annexin V labelling procedure (Apoptotic & Necrotic & Healthy Cells Quantification Kit, Biotium). Results showed that irradiation with both radiation types reduced the number of viable cells in a dose-dependent manner, as assessed as a function of the duration of post-irradiation time. Protons proved more fatal to the cells treated than X-ray photons. This demonstrates a difference in cell viability after irradiation with protons and photons in a human peripheral blood lymphocyte model