Millimeter wave backscatter measurements in support of collision avoidance applications

Millimeter-wave short range radar systems have unique advantages in surface navigation applications, such as military vehicle mobility, aircraft landing assistance, and automotive collision avoidance. In collision avoidance applications, characterization of clutter due to terrain and roadside objects is necessary in order to maximize the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) and to minimize false alarms. The results of two types of radar cross section (RCS) measurements at 95 GHz are reported in this paper. The first set of measurements presents data on the normalized RCS (NRCS) as well as clutter distributions of various terrain types at low grazing angles of 5° and 7.5°. The second set of measurements presents RCS data and statistics on various types of roadside objects, such as metallic and wooden sign posts. These results are expected to be useful for designers of short-range millimeter-wave collision avoidance radar systems. Brett Snuttjer is presently an Air Force Lieutenant at Rome Laboratory, Rome, NY 13441     

Constrained radar waveform optimization for a cooperative radar-communication system

The coexistence of radar-sensing and communication systems research has received a surge of interest in recent times to tackle the issue of spectrum inadequacy. Designing an optimized radar waveform for a coexistence scenario has been a challenging task for accomplishing the convergence of radar-sensing and communication functionalities, without degrading the performance at either end. This paper proposes a novel global optimization-based Spatial Branch and Bound (SBnB) approach to optimize the phase coefficients of a Non-Linear Frequency Modulated (NLFM) waveform in a CRCS framework. In addition, the Modified-Power Ratio Constraint-Cramér–Rao Lower Bound (M-PRC-CRLB), a local optimization-based approach is proposed to optimize the phase coefficients of an NLFM waveform. The spectral energy distribution and auto-correlation characteristics of an NLFM waveform are comprehensively investigated for various values of polynomial order (N) and at different threshold Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) values. To compare the proposed waveform design approaches (M-PRC-CRLB, SBnB) with the existing waveform design approaches namely, Minimum Estimation Error Variance (MEEV) and PRC- CRLB, a Peak-to-Side-Lobe-Ratio (PSLR), and Integrated-Side-Lobe-Ratio (ISLR) are evaluated at various polynomial orders and threshold SNR values. Furthermore, the performance of a CRCS is assessed using the radar estimation rate and communication data rate. The simulation results reveal that the proposed optimized radar waveform design approaches provide improved performance compared to the existing radar waveform design approaches in terms of radar estimation rate. Further, the proposed global optimization-based SBnB approach achieves a comparable performance of the communication data rate. In addition, the proposed approaches accomplish enhanced spectral utilization, controlled side-lobe energy levels, reduced range-domain ambiguities, and a higher information rate in a CRCS.     

Recent developments in computer vision-based analytical chemistry: A tutorial review

Chemical analysis based on colour changes recorded with imaging devices is gaining increasing interest. This is due to its several significant advantages, such as simplicity of use, and the fact that it is easily combinable with portable and widely distributed imaging devices, resulting in friendly analytical procedures in many areas that demand out-of-lab applications for in situ and real-time monitoring. This tutorial review covers computer vision-based analytical (CVAC) procedures and systems from 2005 to 2015, a period of time when 87.5% of the papers on this topic were published. The background regarding colour spaces and recent analytical system architectures of interest in analytical chemistry is presented in the form of a tutorial. Moreover, issues regarding images, such as the influence of illuminants, and the most relevant techniques for processing and analysing digital images are addressed. Some of the most relevant applications are then detailed, highlighting their main characteristics. Finally, our opinion about future perspectives is discussed.     

Selective biocompatibility and responsive imaging property of cationic conjugated polyelectrolyte to cancer cells

Herein, we bring novel insights into a water-soluble conjugated polyelectlyte by deeply studying its properties in cells and observe fl uorescence enhancement of blue emission and turn-on of long-wavelength emission of PFP in HepG2 cells.     

一种高增益低雷达散射截面的新型圆极化微带天线设计

设计了一种基于人工电磁材料覆层的高增益低雷达散射截面(radar cross section, RCS)圆极化微带天线. 人工电磁材料覆层是由介质板及其两侧的人工周期表面构成, 上表面是加载集总电阻的方环贴片, 具有宽带吸波特性; 下表面是开条带缝和圆环缝的金属贴片, 具有部分反射特性. 将其加载到圆极化微带天线上方, 通过覆层上表面的电阻可吸收入射的雷达波, 结合下表面与接地板构成Fabry-Perot谐振腔的多次反射, 可实现圆极化微带天线辐射和散射性能的同时改善. 实测结果表明: 加载人工电磁材料覆层后, 天线的相对轴比带宽由5.9%扩展为7.1%; 天线增益在整个工作频带内都得到了提升, 最大提高了6.61 dB; 天线RCS在宽频带宽角域内实现了明显的减缩, 在天线工作频带内也实现了3 dB以上减缩. 实测结果与仿真结果符合较好.     

金属目标原子晶格结构对其量子雷达散射截面的影响

量子雷达散射截面是描述光量子态照射下目标可见性的重要参数. 本文对量子雷达散射截面的推导进行了扩展, 使其可以应用于非平面凸目标的QRCS计算. 针对面心立方、体心立方以及密排六方三种金属原子晶格所构成的目标的量子雷达散射截面进行了计算, 结果表明不同的原子排列方式下, 目标QRCS主瓣基本不变, 而量子旁瓣在原子排列稀疏的目标中更为明显.     

Speciation of metal(loid)s in environmental samples by X-ray absorption spectroscopy: A critical review

Element specificity is one of the key factors underlying the widespread use and acceptance of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a research tool in the environmental and geo-sciences. Independent of physical state (solid, liquid, gas), XAS analyses of metal(loid)s in complex environmental matrices over the past two decades have provided important information about speciation at environmentally relevant interfaces (e.g. solid–liquid) as well as in different media: plant tissues, rhizosphere, soils, sediments, ores, mineral process tailings, etc. Limited sample preparation requirements, the concomitant ability to preserve original physical and chemical states, and independence from crystallinity add to the advantages of using XAS in environmental investigations. Interpretations of XAS data are founded on sound physical and statistical models that can be applied to spectra of reference materials and mixed phases, respectively. For spectra collected directly from environmental matrices, abstract factor analysis and linear combination fitting provide the means to ascertain chemical, bonding, and crystalline states, and to extract quantitative information about their distribution within the data set. Through advances in optics, detectors, and data processing, X-ray fluorescence microprobes capable of focusing X-rays to micro- and nano-meter size have become competitive research venues for resolving the complexity of environmental samples at their inherent scale. The application of μ-XANES imaging, a new combinatorial approach of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and XANES spectroscopy at the micron scale, is one of the latest technological advances allowing for lateral resolution of chemical states over wide areas due to vastly improved data processing and detector technology.