Pre-processing for time domain image formation in SS-BSAR system

A pre-processing procedure is designed for a space-surface bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SS-BSAR) system when a time domain image formation algorithm is employed. Three crucial technical issues relating to the procedure are fully discussed. Firstly, unlike image formation algorithms operating in the frequency domain, a time domain algorithm requires the accurate global navigation satellite system (GNSS) time and position. This paper proposes acquisition of this information using a time-and-spatial transfer with precise ephemeris and interpolation. Secondly, synchronization errors and compensation methods in SS-BSAR are analyzed. Finally, taking the non-ideal factors in the echo and the compatibility of image formation algorithms into account, a matched filter based on the minimum delay is constructed. Experimental result using real data suggest the pre-processing is functioning properly.     

A Burgessian Critique of Nominalistic Tendencies in Contemporary Mathematics and its Historiography

We analyze the developments in mathematical rigor from the viewpoint of a Burgessian critique of nominalistic reconstructions. We apply such a critique to the reconstruction of infinitesimal analysis accomplished through the efforts of Cantor, Dedekind, and Weierstrass; to the reconstruction of Cauchy’s foundational work associated with the work of Boyer and Grabiner; and to Bishop’s constructivist reconstruction of classical analysis. We examine the effects of a nominalist disposition on historiography, teaching, and research.     

Recent ice ages on Mars

A key pacemaker of ice ages on the Earth is climatic forcing due to variations in planetary orbital parameters. Recent Mars exploration has revealed dusty, water-ice-rich mantling deposits that are layered, metres thick and latitude dependent, occurring in both hemispheres from mid-latitudes to the poles. Here we show evidence that these deposits formed during a geologically recent ice age that occurred from about 2.1 to 0.4 Myr ago. The deposits were emplaced symmetrically down to latitudes of approximately 30 degrees--equivalent to Saudi Arabia and the southern United States on the Earth--in response to the changing stability of water ice and dust during variations in obliquity (the angle between Mars' pole of rotation and the ecliptic plane) reaching 30-35 degrees. Mars is at present in an 'interglacial' period, and the ice-rich deposits are undergoing reworking, degradation and retreat in response to the current instability of near-surface ice. Unlike the Earth, martian ice ages are characterized by warmer polar climates and enhanced equatorward transport of atmospheric water and dust to produce widespread smooth deposits down to mid-latitudes.     

Ten Misconceptions from the History of Analysis and Their Debunking

The widespread idea that infinitesimals were “eliminated” by the “great triumvirate” of Cantor, Dedekind, and Weierstrass is refuted by an uninterrupted chain of work on infinitesimal-enriched number systems. The elimination claim is an oversimplification created by triumvirate followers, who tend to view the history of analysis as a pre-ordained march toward the radiant future of Weierstrassian epsilontics. In the present text, we document distortions of the history of analysis stemming from the triumvirate ideology of ontological minimalism, which identified the continuum with a single number system. Such anachronistic distortions characterize the received interpretation of Stevin, Leibniz, d’Alembert, Cauchy, and others.     

Re-examination of Rattus norvegicus as an animal model for Aeromonas-associated enteritis in man

We have developed an oral feeding model for Aeromonas hydrophila enteritis using Rattus norvegicus with clindamycin pretreatment. All animals in the clindamycin group developed a self-limited, loose stool by day four of feeding. Intestinal examination revealed evidence of enteritis. Moreover, antibiotic usage may be a predisposing risk factor to infection.     

Self-cleaning property of AZ31 Mg alloy during plasma electrolytic oxidation process

The rolling of metal sheet often leads to strong contamination of the resulting surface. The present work reports the effects of the surface contamination remaining after rolling of AZ31 Mg alloy on plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) treatment of the resulting sheet material. Results indicate that most of the contaminants on the surface of as-rolled AZ31 Mg alloy are removed in the early stages of PEO process. The contaminations slightly influence the phase composition of PEO coating. Non-uniform distribution of contaminations results in aggregation of pores on the surface of PEO samples. On the bare substrate the contaminations are responsible for poor wear and corrosion resistance but final PEO coatings reveals similar performance on contaminated substrate compared to the abraded one. A self-cleaning property of the PEO and possibility of one step process,avoiding pre-cleaning stages, is suggested.     

Active tactile exploration using a brain-machine-brain interface

Brain-machine interfaces use neuronal activity recorded from the brain to establish direct communication with external actuators, such as prosthetic arms. It is hoped that brain-machine interfaces can be used to restore the normal sensorimotor functions of the limbs, but so far they have lacked tactile sensation. Here we report the operation of a brain-machine-brain interface (BMBI) that both controls the exploratory reaching movements of an actuator and allows signalling of artificial tactile feedback through intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the primary somatosensory cortex. Monkeys performed an active exploration task in which an actuator (a computer cursor or a virtual-reality arm) was moved using a BMBI that derived motor commands from neuronal ensemble activity recorded in the primary motor cortex. ICMS feedback occurred whenever the actuator touched virtual objects. Temporal patterns of ICMS encoded the artificial tactile properties of each object. Neuronal recordings and ICMS epochs were temporally multiplexed to avoid interference. Two monkeys operated this BMBI to search for and distinguish one of three visually identical objects, using the virtual-reality arm to identify the unique artificial texture associated with each. These results suggest that clinical motor neuroprostheses might benefit from the addition of ICMS feedback to generate artificial somatic perceptions associated with mechanical, robotic or even virtual prostheses.