This thesis presents a simulation of an LFM pulse-Doppler radar for surface-to-air applications and compares the performance of multiple CFAR detectors in processing the resulting range-Doppler maps. Each CFAR detector is reviewed and simulated. Their effectiveness in reducing target masking is analyzed. In addition, a new CFAR detector, the RDWT-CA-CFAR detector, is developed that uses the CDF 5/3 wavelet to decompose the range-data of the range-Doppler map along the range dimension and filter the target data from the reference cells, as a means to reduce or eliminate target masking. The QccPack library is used to perform RDWT functions. It is shown that the novel RDWT-CA-CFAR detector performs better in processing range-Doppler maps when compared to the other robust CFAR detectors covered in this project.

Historically, black bears occurred throughout Mississippi but by 1932, <12 bears remained. Repatriation in neighboring states and conservation efforts in Mississippi have led to the recolonization of at least 2 subspecies (U. a. luteolus and U. a. americanus) of black bears in the state. I compiled available data to provide a synthesis of the history, current status, and management of black bears in Mississippi. Additionally, I used global positioning data collected from radio collared bears to determine the influence of distance to source population, cover type, distance to roads, distance to water, wetland reserve program areas, and human population density on black bear resource selection at various spatial scales. I studied characteristics of space use and resource selection of recolonizing bears in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (Delta). I assessed the influence of environmental parameters at the female core annual home-range (using 50% kernel density estimator) and male and female seasonal and annual home-ranges (95% kernel density estimator). Distance to source population and distance to roads had significant influence at the core female home-range scale. I found a sex-based difference in annual and seasonal home-ranges. I also found that bears exhibited response to and selection for specific resources with an affinity toward hardwood stands, particularly young-aged hardwoods. My research illustrates the importance of analyzing resource selection at multiple scales to gain a full understanding of parameters that influence the recolonization of a bear population.

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No description available.

Recently, an increasing number of researchers have attempted to overcome the constraints of size and scope in individual medical studies by estimating the overall treatment effects based on a combination of studies. A commonly used method is meta-analysis which combines results from multiple studies. The population standard deviation in primary studies is an essential quantitative value which is absent sometimes, especially when the outcome has a skewed distribution. Instead, the sample size and the sample range of the whole dataset is reported. There are several methods to estimate the standard deviation of the data based on the sample range if we assume the data are normally distributed. For example: Tippett Method2, Ramirez and Cox Method3, Hozo et al Method4, Rychtar and Taylor Method5, Mantel Method6, Sokal and Rohlf Method7 as well as Chen and Tyler Method8. Only a few papers provide a solution for estimating the population standard deviation of non-normally distributed data. In this thesis, some other distributions, which are commonly used in clinical studies, will be simulated to estimate the population standard deviation by using the methods mentioned above. The performance and the robustness of those methods for different sample sizes and different distribution parameters will be presented. Also, these methods will be evaluated on real-world datasets. This article will provide guidelines describing which methods perform best with non-normally distributed data. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Effort and success of Virginia's bear houndsmen were determined through field and mail surveys, and hunter diaries. The number of houndsmen per chase ranged from 5 to 12, hounds ranged from 6 to 11, and each chase lasted 2 to 6 hours. Second chases of the day lasted 2 to 3 hours and 3 to 10 hounds were used. Fifty-three to 74% of all first attempts resulted in a chase and 24% to 44% of these bears treed. A 2nd chase occurred in 11% to 96% of attempts and 9% to 50% of bears treed. Five to 17% of the 1st bears and 13% to 21% of 2nd bears were harvested. Field surveys found virtually no differences in hunting effort or success between seasons, study areas, and years. The hunter diary appears to be the most reliable means of sampling hunter effort and success. The applicability of Schroeder's physical condition estimate (PCR) was tested on data from Maine's black bear population. Bears exposed to poor hard mast had lower PCR's than bears exposed to good hard mast (P = 0.009). PCR and body weights of adult female black bears in Virginia exposed to hunting did not differ from those not hunted (P = 0.09). Annual adult female, adult male, and cub survival and reproductive rates in the hunted population were numerically similar to those in the non hunted populations. Five radio collared females were experimentally chased by hounds. The chases,on average, lasted 0.9 hours and 43% of bears treed. The average total home range for 3 of the bears was 17.8 km². The area used by 2 of the 3 bears pursued by hounds did not differ from their total home range (P 3 0.05) based on the MRPP test. The area covered by 3 of the 5 pursued bears was 5.6%, 11.8%, and 79.7% of their home range. / Master of Science

No description available.

The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta has been highly altered by human activity since the mid-1800s from mining, agriculture, dredging, and urbanization. Did the resulting modifications to channel width, depth, and length alter tidal range in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta? In this study, archival tidal records were evaluated at many stations throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta, with a focus on San Francisco, Rio Vista, Sacramento, and Stockton daily, monthly, and annual tidal ranges. Monthly and seasonally averaged tidal ranges were analyzed to determine seasonal changes. In addition, tidal range was compared to daily Delta discharge to consider the effects of river flow. Results show that the spatial pattern of tidal amplitude through the San Francisco Bay and Delta system have changed since the mid-nineteenth century and the changes are consistent with human and climate change impacts on the Delta landscape. There is a general 7% increase in mean annual tidal range in San Francisco from 1860 to 2018. In Stockton, mean annual tidal range increased from 0.6 meters to 0.9 meters between 1908 and the 1930s but decreased approximately 9% from the 1930s to 2011. Mean annual tidal range in Sacramento increased from zero to 0.5 meters between 1890 and the late 1930s and then decreased by 50% through the early 2000s to approximately 0.25 meters. Lower tidal ranges in the early 1900s are consistent with the effects of hydraulic mining. Increased tidal ranges in the mid-20th century are consistent with dredging throughout the system. Recent decreases in tidal ranges are consistent with wetland restoration, increased water storage, and further modifications to the geometry and management of the Delta. A peak river flow shift from late spring/early summer to early spring has contributed to increased tidal range between February and June by 0.1 and 0.6 meters in San Francisco and Stockton, respectively. In Sacramento, the least decrease in tidal range between 1939 and the present occurred during spring months, due to the decrease in river discharge during this period. Tides have recorded the history of environmental change within the highly altered San Francisco Bay and Sacramento San Joaquin system. While not as notable as similarly altered systems, the changes described here were most significant in Sacramento where mean annual tidal range has ranged between zero and 0.5 meters since 1890 and, for any discharge below 1,000 cubic meters per second, mean daily tidal range is higher from 1938 to 1939 than from 1997 to 2018. Change in tidal range implies potential change in tidal velocities, salinity intrusion dynamics, and flood risk within the system, especially in Sacramento.

In this paper, the limitations of the six-string classical guitar in terms of chordal possibilities and range are discussed, and ways are presented to overcome those limitations. The study describes some of the problems and limitations that the author experiences when composing for the instrument he plays. Moreover, some solutions that partly overcome these issues are presented and discussed. The presented solutions are drawn from the literature as well as developed through personal insights. In addition, conclusions regarding the practical usage of the presented solutions are drawn from the personal experiences of the author when incorporating them in two short compositions composed for this specific study.