Signals

Sonar target strength measurements of several types of nets and associated gear were made using simulated dolphin echolocation signals. The different types of nets included (a) standard commercial monofilament gillnet used in the salmon mothership fishery, (b) prototype hollow core monofilament net, (c) Macah tribal cord setnet, and (d) multifilament nets. Target strength measurements were made at four angles of incidence, 0° (normal to net), 15°, 30°, and 45°. The standard gillnet had the smallest target strength which was relatively independent of the angle of incidence. The target strength based on the peak-to-peak values of the echoes varied from –59 to – 62 dB. Using echo energy within the integration time of Tursiops truncatus, the target strength was found to be between – 54 and –59 dB. Biosonar detection ranges for different sea state conditions were estimated using the noise-limited form of the sonar equation and target detection data obtained for Tursiops truncatus in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. The results suggest that an echolocating dolphin should be able to detect a gillnet at ranges long enough to avoid entanglement, even in sea state 6 conditions. Several possibilities for the seeming inability of dolphins to detect gillnets are discussed.

Computerized evaluation of Vibroseis similarity test data is the logical consequence of the increasing quality requirements for signal reproducibility and for synchronization of vibrators. The differences in start time and phase as well as an indication of local phasing problems between any two Vibroseis signals can be obtained from an analysis of the difference of their respective phase spectra. This method appears to be accurate and stable with respect to harmonics which usually plague the signals from transducers monitoring the motion of the vibrators'base plates.

Polymeric-insulated power cables are often subjected to multiple sources of degradation. Generally, the main cause for electrical breakdown in this type of cable insulation is usually due to the microscopic impurities and defects located in the bulk, or even at the interfaces of the material. When the dielectric is subjected to a high electrical stress, imperfections such as protrusions, contaminants and microvoids, will all act as points where the electric field is enhanced; increasing the likelihood that degradation processes will be initiated. The intensification of electric field within the insulating material can cause localized discharge to occur continuously, and thus tree-like channels can be developed in the long-run. This paper attempts to investigate whether the existence of water tree region can be detected within polymeric-insulated cables, and the proposed method for the detection mechanism is the time domain reflectometry (TDR). When water trees are present within an insulation system, the characteristic impedance of the material also changes so this can cause reflection of signal propagating along the cable. It was found that there is a difference in TDR signals between un-degraded cable and water tree degraded cable. It is hoped that the difference in these time domain signals can actually assist in determining the location where the presence of water trees can be considered as significant. © 2012 IEEE.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6416367

: The method of successive substitution is shown applicable to solve for the classical minimum distortion quantizer parameters. The method is self converging and parameters can be calculated to any desired accuracy. The minimum distortion quantizer parameters, as well as parameters based on other criterion such as quantizers for signal detection, minimum risk quantizers and quantizers for LMMS estimation can be solved by Max's trial and error technique. There are also many other approximation methods to calculate the quantizer parameters. This report applies the method of successive substitution and its modifications to solve for the Lloyd-Max quantizer parameters. It is more accurate and computationally more efficient than the previously reported methods. It is shown to easily generate 7 bit (128 level) optimum quantization. The Lloyd-Max minimum mean square distortion quantizer problem deals with transforming a random variable X of differentiable probability density function f...

In radar signal detection, the problem is to automatically detect a target in a nonstationary noise and clutter background while maintaining a constant probability of false alarm. Classical detection using a matched filter receiver and a fixed threshold is not applicable due to the nonstationary nature of the background noise. Therefore, adaptive threshold techniques are needed to maintain a constant false-alarm rate (CFAR). One approach to adaptive detection in nonstationary noise and clutter background is to compare the processed target signal to an adaptive threshold. In the cell-averaging CFAR processing, an estimate of the background noise from the leading and the lagging reference windows is used to set the adaptive threshold. A threshold multiplier (or scaling factor) is used to scale the threshold to achieve the desired probability of false alarm. In the first part of this report, we have proposed two modified cell-averaging detectors for multiple target situations. The firs...

Within the current higher education context, early career researchers (ECRs) face a 'risk-career' in which predictable, stable academic careers have become increasingly rare. Traditional milestones to signal progress toward a sustainable research career are disappearing or subject to reinterpretation, and ECRs need to attend to new or reimagined signals in their efforts to develop a researcher identity in this current context. In this article, we present a comprehensive framework for researcher identity in relation to the ways ECRs recognise and respond to divergent signals across spheres of activity. We illustrate this framework through eight identity stories drawn from our earlier research projects. Each identity story highlights the congruence (or lack of congruence) between signals across spheres of activity and emphasises the different ways ECRs respond to these signals. The proposed comprehensive framework allows for the analysis of researcher identity development thro...

Input shaping is a technique that seeks to reduce residual vibrations of lightly damped systems through modification of the command input to the system. Although several input shaping techniques have been derived primarily from linear system theory, theoretical results are hard to be traced for their application to nonlinear systems. In most of the reported cases, a fixed shaper is designed based on the linearized version around an operating point of the nonlinear system. In this paper, an adaptive form of the input shaper is proposed for a class of nonlinear lightly damped systems. The adaptive shaper adjusts the magnitude and relative time difference between its impulses according to the instant frequency and damping of the linearized systems. The efficacy of the proposed scheme and its comparison to a fixed shaper is investigated through its application to a pendulum system. The adaptive shaper’s parameters vary according to the pendulum’s angle. The illustrative examples indicat...

Wearable technologies are making a significant impact on people’s way of living thanks to the advancements in mobile communication, internet of things (IoT), big data and artificial intelligence. Conventional wearable technologies present many challenges for the continuous monitoring of human health conditions due to their lack of flexibility and bulkiness in size. Recent development in e-textiles and the smart integration of miniature electronic devices into textiles have led to the emergence of smart clothing systems for remote health monitoring. A novel comprehensive framework of smart clothing systems for health monitoring is proposed in this paper. This framework provides design specifications, suitable sensors and textile materials for smart clothing (e.g., leggings) development. In addition, the proposed framework identifies techniques for empowering the seamless integration of sensors into textiles and suggests a development strategy for health diagnosis and prognosis throug...

Most criticism about homeopathy concerns the lack of a scientific basis and theoretical models. In order to be accepted as a valid part of medical practice, a wellstructured research strategy for homeopathy is needed. This is often hampered by methodological problems as well as by gross underinvestment in the required academic resources. Fundamental research could make important contributions to our understanding of the homeopathic and high dilutions mechanisms of action. Since the pioneering works of Kolisko on wheat germination (Kolisko, 1923) and Junker on growth of microorganisms (paramecium, yeast, fungi) (Junker, 1928), a number of experiments have been performed either with healthy organisms (various physiological aspects of growth) or with artificially diseased organisms, which may react more markedly to homeopathic treatments than healthy ones. In the latter case, the preliminary stress may be either abiotic, e.g. heavy metals, or biotic, e.g. fungal and viral pathogens or nematode infection. Research has also been carried out into the applicability of homeopathic principles to crop growth and disease control (agrohomeopathy): because of the extreme dilutions used, the environmental impact is low and such treatments are well suited to the holistic approach of sustainable agriculture (Betti et al., 2006). Unfortunately, as Scofield reported in an extensive critical review (Scofield, 1984), there is little firm evidence to support the reliability of the reported results, due to poor experimental methodology and inadequate statistical analysis. Moreover, since there is no agricultural homeopathic pharmacopoeia, much work is required to find suitable remedies, potencies and dose levels.

: High frequency (HF) ionospheric propagation predictions have been available on mainframe computers since the late 1960s. Since the advent of low cost, computationally powerful personnel computers, several propagation codes have been ported from mainframes to PC's. This study compares results from two versions of the IONCAP and PROPHET HF propagation prediction codes to a database of measured electric field strengths. IONCAP-PC 2.5 predictions were compared to IONCAP-VAX 85.04 predictions and to those from PROPHET 3.2 (PC-version). A database of measured signal strengths from the CCIR containing over 16,000 points or cases was used as a benchmark for comparing code results. For both IONCAP-PC 2.5 and PROPHET 3.2, field strength predictions were low in more than 50% of the cases examined. This was particularly true for PROPHET, which is considered to be a conservative model. PROPHET features quick solution, graphical outputs, and a user-friendly environment, in comparison to ION...

Currently, space debris represents a threat for satellites and space-based operations, both in-orbit and during the launching process. The yearly increase in space debris represents a serious concern to major space agencies leading to the development of dedicated space programs to deal with this issue. Ground-based radars can detect Earth orbiting debris down to a few square centimeters and therefore constitute a major building block of a space debris monitoring system. New radar sensors are required in Europe to enhance capabilities and availability of its small radar network capable of tracking and surveying space objects and to respond to the debris increase expected from the New Space economy activities. This article presents ATLAS, a new tracking radar system for debris detection located in Portugal. It starts by an extensive technical description of all the system components followed by a study that estimates its future performance. A section dedicated to waveform design is al...