Fixed echo rejection in sodar using non-coherent matched filter detection and Gaussian mixture model based post-processing

Doppler sodar (SOund Detection and Ranging) is a technology used for acoustic based remote sensing of the lower planetary boundary layer. Sodars are often used to measure wind profiles however, they suffer from problems due to noise (both acoustic and electrical) and echoes from fixed objects, which can bias radial velocity estimates. An experimental bi-static sodar was developed with 64 independent channels. The device enables flexible beam forming; beams can be tilted at the same angle irrelevant of frequency, a limitation in most commercial devices. This paper presents an alternative sodar signal processing algorithm for wind profiling using a multi-frequency stepped-chirp pulse. A non-coherent matched filter was used to analyse returned signals. The non-coherent matched filter combines radial velocity estimates from multiple frequencies into a single optimisation. To identify and separate sources of backscatter, noise and fixed echoes, a stochastic pattern recognition technique, Gaussian Mixture Modelling, was used to post-process the non-coherent matched filter data. This allowed the identification and separation of different stochastic processes. After identification, noise and fixed echo components were removed a clean wind profile produced. This technique was compared with traditional spectrum-based radial velocity estimation methods and demonstrated an improvement in the rejection of fixed echo components; this is one of the major limitations of sodar performance when located in complex terrain and urban environments

Special Orders No. 116

A special order for Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Bowen to be relieved of his command of the 1st Brigade 1st Division 7th Army Corps so that he could muster out with his troops.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_bowen/1016/thumbnail.jp

Depletion of atmospheric nitrate and chloride as a consequence of the Toba Volcanic Eruption

Continuous measurements of SO42− and electrical conductivity (ECM) along the GISP2 ice core record the Toba mega‐eruption at a depth 2590.95 to 2091.25 m (71,000±5000 years ago). Major chemical species were analyzed at a resolution of 1 cm per sample for this section. An ∼6‐year long period with extremely high volcanic SO42− coincident with a 94% depletion of nitrate and 63% depletion of chloride is observed at the depth of the Toba horizon. Such a reduction of chloride in a volcanic layer preserved in an ice core has not been observed in any previous studies. The nearly complete depletion of nitrate (to 5 ppb) encountered at the Toba level is the lowest value in the entire ∼250,000 years of the GISP2 ice core record. We propose possible mechanisms to explain the depletion of nitrate and chloride resulting from this mega‐eruption

Reinforced structural plastics

Reinforced polyimide structures are described. Reinforcing materials are impregnated with a suspension of polyimide prepolymer and bonded together by heat and pressure to form a cured, hard-reinforced, polyimide structure

Polemic and Literature Surrounding the French Wars of Religion

Polemic and Literature Surrounding the French Wars of Religion demonstrates that literature and polemic interacted constantly in sixteenth-century France, constructing ideological frameworks that defined the various groups to which individuals belonged and through which they defined their identities. Contributions explore both literary texts and more intentionally polemical texts that fall outside of the traditional literary genres. Engaging the continuous casting and recasting of opposing worldviews, this collection of essays examines literature\u27s use of polemic and polemic\u27s use of literature as seminal intellectual developments stemming from the religious and social turmoil that characterized this period in France.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/mip_smemc/1005/thumbnail.jp

Educational weight loss interventions in obese and overweight adults with type 2 diabetes : a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aim The worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing, with most individuals with the disease being overweight or obese. Weight loss can reduce disease‐related morbidity and mortality and weight losses of 10–15 kg have been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes. This review aimed to determine the effectiveness of community‐based educational interventions for weight loss in type 2 diabetes. Methods This is a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) in obese or overweight adults, aged 18–75 years, with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Primary outcomes were weight and/or BMI. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to June 2019. Trials were classified into specified a priori comparisons according to intervention type. A pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) (from baseline to follow‐up) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) between trial groups (difference‐in‐difference) were estimated through random‐effects meta‐analyses using the inverse variance method. Heterogeneity was quantified using I2 and publication bias was explored visually using funnel plots. Results Some 7383 records were screened; 228 full‐text articles were assessed and 49 RCTs (n = 12 461 participants) were included in this review, with 44 being suitable for inclusion into the meta‐analysis. Pooled estimates of education combined with low‐calorie, low‐carbohydrate meal replacements (SMD = –2.48, 95% CI –3.59, –1.49, I2 = 98%) or diets (SMD = –1.25, 95% CI –2.11, –0.39, I2 = 95%) or low‐fat meal replacements (SMD = –1.15, 95%CI –2.05, –1.09, I2 = 85%) appeared most effective. Conclusion Low‐calorie, low‐carbohydrate meal replacements or diets combined with education appear the most promising interventions to achieve the largest weight and BMI reductions in people with type 2 diabetes