Automatic Target Recognition Classification System Evaluation Methodology

This dissertation research makes contributions towards the evaluation of developing Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) technologies through the application of decision analysis (DA) techniques. ATR technology development decisions should rely not only on the measures of performance (MOPs) associated with a given ATR classification system (CS), but also on the expected measures of effectiveness (MOEs). The purpose of this research is to improve the decision-makers in the ATR Technology development. A decision analysis framework that allows decision-makers in the ATR community to synthesize the performance measures, costs, and characteristics of each ATR system with the preferences and values of both the evaluators and the warfighters is developed. The inclusion of the warfighter\u27s perspective is important in that it has been proven that basing ATR CS comparisons solely upon performance characteristics does not ensure superior operational effectiveness. The methodology also captures the relationship between MOPs and MOEs via a combat model. An example scenario demonstrates how ATR CSs may be compared. Sensitivity analysis is performed to demonstrate the robustness of the MOP to value score and MOP to MOE translations. A multinomial section procedure is introduced to account for the random nature of the MOP estimates

War In Watercolor: Draftsman\u27s Diaries And Drawings Record Battles, Andersonville

Among the soldier-artists who created a contemporary pictorial account of the Civil War, Robert Knox Sneden was almost certainly unique. With the publication of Eye of the Storm, an edited version of his illustrated wartime diary, Sneden should now be placed in the front ranks of Civil War a...

Cultural Kingdom Architects: Defining Success in Building God’s Kingdom

Identifying success or failure in “Building God’s Kingdom” can be challenging, considering the various circumstances and contexts in which one may find himself. The American Church is somewhat divided on what success looks like in this pursuit, and therefore people in ministry can feel discouraged or unaffirmed when their measure of success does not hold up to others’ views of perceived ministry success. The purpose of this project is to shed light on the various measures of success in building God’s Kingdom and enable church leaders to feel justified and affirmed in their approach. The research for this project will be conducted through electronic surveys with leaders from churches throughout North America in varied circumstances. This project will help ministry leaders have a better understanding of how their part of the building of God’s Kingdom is making an impact by redefining what success looks like in their particular culture and setting

Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy Imaging of Microtubule Arrays in Intact Arabidopsis thaliana Seedling Roots

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has generated tremendous success in revealing detailed subcellular structures in animal cells. However, its application to plant cell biology remains extremely limited due to numerous technical challenges, including the generally high fluorescence background of plant cells and the presence of the cell wall. In the current study, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) imaging of intact Arabidopsis thaliana seedling roots with a spatial resolution of 20–40 nm was demonstrated. Using the super-resolution images, the spatial organization of cortical microtubules in different parts of a whole Arabidopsis root tip was analyzed quantitatively, and the results show the dramatic differences in the density and spatial organization of cortical microtubules in cells of different differentiation stages or types. The method developed can be applied to plant cell biological processes, including imaging of additional elements of the cytoskeleton, organelle substructure, and membrane domains

Dynamics of Autophagosome Formation

Autophagy, literally defined as “self-eating,” functions as a degradation process by recycling cytoplasmic contents under stress conditions or during development. Upon activation of autophagy, a membrane structure known as a phagophore forms and expands, finally closing to form a double-membrane vesicle called an autophagosome (Fig. 1; Lamb et al., 2013; Yin et al., 2016). The completed autophagosome, which contains the autophagic cargo, is delivered to the vacuole (plants and yeast) or lysosome (animals). The outer membrane fuses with the vacuolar/lysosomal membrane, and the inner membrane and contents are released into the vacuole/lysosome as an autophagic body and are degraded by hydrolases. The breakdown products are transported back into the cytoplasm for reuse by the cell (Yang and Bassham, 2015)