In imaging systems in moving vehicles such as tanks, planes, ships, rpvs, etc., resolution is usually limited by motion blur. Successful restoration of blurred images depends primarily on the knowledge we have about the degradation process parameters, i.e., the point spread function (PSF) of the blur and the noise statistics. For many blur situations, such as those deriving from uniform or sinusoidal motion, the most important parameter for proper identification of the PSF is the blur extent parameter. This parameter is the smear size in the blurred image of a point object in the original image. A new method for identification of the blur extent in an image, blurred by motion of the camera during the exposure time, is presented in this paper. The blur extent identification is determined from the motion-blurred and noisy image itself. The identification method developed here is based on a concept that there exists a correlation between the pixels along the blur of the original unblurred pixels. In order to expose the hidden information about the blur extent, the blurred image is first transformed to a secondary image that is more informative about the blur extent, and then the blur extent is extracted from this image using correlation attributes in the image. This permits fast high resolution restoration when the blur extent can complete our knowledge about the blur properties.
This paper examines the applicability of computational vision models (CVM) to characterize thermal and visual imagery. A specific CVM model is described for the analysis of individual target characteristics and background clutter. A unique feature of the methodology is the spatial and temporal decomposition of the input image into various bandpass filters or channels. A description is given of the various model processes along with some representative examples of the subsequent analysis.
One of the primary inhibitory factors for resolution of automatic target recognition (ATR) performance problems has been the inability to quantitatively characterize low signal-to-noise (SNR) target detection and classification algorithms, especially those which are challenged by high spatial frequency backgrounds. The preceding work addressed obtaining classification statistics and geometric pattern referencing characteristics with the target mean intensity distribution commensurate with the background intensities. The current effort maintains a similar approach; however, the ratio of target-to-background intensity is significantly reduced. This is achieved by increasing the obscurant's ratio of differential scattering cross section-to- total cross section (albedo). The objective is to establish 50 percent of the edgels (target edge pixels) on the target at maximum sensor-to-target range in the presence of high spatial background frequencies, including obscurants. In addition precipitation rate and range, as well as variation in obscurant albedo, are assessed. Since scenario dynamics is sought, no attempt is made to resolve target edgels as a function of a single variable, for example precipitation. All variables are allowed to vary independently. The synthetic smoke generated for these plates incorporates the combat obscuration model for battlefield induced contaminants (COMBIC). The target and background imagery is taken in the LWIR by a Keewenaw Research Center (KRC) TMI FLIR. The final images are morphologically processed, segmented, high SNR scenes. The findings are that the target set need not be of a higher intensity than the surrounding imagery, as required in many matched filter operations; the target need only possess a higher intensity gradient than the background clutter and obscurants. Smoke and obscurant intensities may be significantly reduced, or even removed, by this type of morphological image processing.
This paper presents a simulation and comparison of two different infrared (IR) imaging systems in terms of their use in automotive collision avoidance and vision enhancement applications. The first half of this study concerns the simulations of a `cooled' shortwave focal plane array infrared imaging system, and an `uncooled' focal plane array infrared imaging system. This is done using the United States Army's Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center's (TARDEC) thermal image model -- (TTIM). Visual images of automobiles as seen through a forward looking infrared sensor are generated, by using TTIM, under a variety of viewing range and rain conditions. The second half of the study focuses on a comparison between the two simulated sensors. This comparison is undertaken from the standpoint of the ability of a human observer to detect potential (collision) targets, when looking through the two different sensors. A measure of the target's detectability is derived for each sensor by using the TARDEC's visual model (TVM). The authors found the uncooled pyroelectric FPA to give excellent imagery and, combined with the advantages of the 7.5 - 13.5 band in the atmosphere and the higher blackbody exitance in the 7.5 - 13.5 band, the 7.5 - 13.5 uncooled sensor is therefore the better choice for imaging through numerous atmospheric conditions compared to the 3.4 - 5.5 cooled sensor.
In searching a field of view for an object of interest, observers appear to alternate between two states: wandering (rapid saccades) and examining (focusing on an attractive region). This observation is made based on eye tracker measurements and is consistent with the model proposed by J. F. Nicoll, which describes search as a competition between points of interest for the observer's attention. In this paper search is represented as a random process -- a random walk in which the observers exist in one of two states until they quit: they are either searching or wandering around looking for a point of interest. When wandering, the observers skip rapidly from point to point. When examining, they move more slowly, because detection discrimination requires additional or different thought processes. An interesting consequence of the two state approach is that the random walk must have two time constants -- the time constant for fast (wandering) movements and a different time constant for slow (examining) movements. We describe a technique which can be used to separate raw eye tracker data collected in a search experiment into the wandering and examining states. Then we postulate the relationship of the probability of wandering (or examining) to the attractiveness of the image. We use a clutter metric to estimate the relative attractiveness of the target and the competing clutter. We find that the clutter metric predicts fairly well the time spent in the two states.
A program named `MRTTOL' has been devised to help in evaluating the performance of forward looking infrared (FLIR) systems in the presence of tolerances. It is essentially a shell program to execute the NVESD analysis program `FLIR92' multiple times with randomly varied input parameters, then calculate statistics on the minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) predictions of FLIR92. The input to FLIR92 is a template-style data file in which the data must be in a certain sequence within each of a set of data blocks. This lends itself well to setting up a file of tolerances with a one-to-one correspondence with each of the datum inputs. The MRTTOL program expects just this correspondence between a `nominal' data file and a `tolerance' file giving the expected variations on each of the datum in the `nominal' file. The program interprets each tolerance as being the 2-sigma variation of the associated datum in the nominal file. It repeatedly sets up a perturbed data set by randomly varying each input value, runs FLIR92 with the perturbed data set, and accumulates the horizontal, vertical, and 2-D MRTD values in an output file. After running whatever number of perturbed data sets the user calls for, the program calculates the mean and standard deviation of the MRTD at each of 20 equally spaced spatial frequencies (increment set by the user). The output lists the expected values of MRTD for cumulative probabilities at several percentages from 50% to 3-sigma.
An unofficial modification to the U.S. Army's ACQUIRE v.0 range performance model is presented. This modification allows a two-parameter atmospheric transmission model to be invoked at the user's discretion that more accurately represents broad-band atmospheric transmission. Calibration of the two-parameter model to MODTRAN7 predictions for several standard atmospheres in different LWIR and MWIR wavebands is performed. Evaluation of differences in range prediction between Beer's Law and the two-parameter model is done.
This paper describes an analytic, end-to-end, IR seeker/sensor dynamic performance model developed to facilitate system level design trades and performance analyses for proposed IR missile seeker/sensor systems. The model has been extensively validated against actual simultaneous dual-band IR imagery (midwave 3 - 5 micrometers , and longwave 8 - 10 micrometers ), collected so as to emulate tactical airborne seeker engagement geometries against a variety of backgrounds. Over 20,000 SIR comparison measurements, with both injected and real targets, have been made. Agreement between predicted and measured SIR is typically within 2 - 3 dB, over a wide range of target brightness, background types, atmospheric conditions, and processing algorithm approaches.
This paper describes the validation of an end-to-end IR seeker/sensor dynamic performance model. The model was developed to perform system level trades and design analyses for IR missile seeker/sensor design, and its structural framework was patterned after the physical flow of information through a user specified electro-optical system and missile engagement scenario. The validation methodology was based upon comparisons of performance model predictions of signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) relative to the performance measurements of a baseline algorithm stream, which processed actual dual-band IR imagery, emulating an actual seeker and processor. This metric was chosen for the validation study, since this is the critical parameter determining missile seeker acquisition range and tracking fidelity. In the validation study, over 15,000 SIR comparisons were made, as a function of various critical system parameters, including registration accuracy and fixed pattern noise level. On average the performance model predictions of SIR matched those of the baseline algorithm stream within 3 decibels (dB).
Search and target acquisition (STA) is a complex task involving the ability of a human, using unaided eye or aided optics, to search an area of interest and ultimately discriminate a target from its background. As the backbone of many system performance and force-on-force models, the STA process must be tested and validated to some degree of accuracy. The Army STA modeling community has conducted a model improvement program and is in the process of validating the new models. Standard statistical techniques, which test for perfection (e.g., H0: a equals b), are inappropriate for validating these models which do not claim perfection. This paper proposes a nonparametric (rank based) method for validating models to a specified accuracy [e.g., H0: (b - .1) < a < (b + .1)]. The interaction between the power-of-the-test and sample size is explored, and an example using a thermal sensor target acquisition model is used to illustrate the technique.
Carrier transport in signal processing in the element (SPRITE) detectors is an important phenomenon because it determines properties such as the responsivity and the modulation transfer function (MTF). The previous literature has presented approximate solutions to the transport problem that neglect boundary effects, which have long been thought to play a major role in SPRITE behavior. In this paper we present a new solution to the problem through the use of modal analysis. This method intrinsically includes the three dimensional boundary conditions, and thus is more complete than the previous analysis. Through the analysis, certain dimensionless numbers arise which can be used to characterize SPRITE structure parameters and clarify how these parameters impact device performance. Further, we use this solution to derive an expression for the MTF. The effects of the boundary conditions and the device geometry on MTF are investigated using the new theory. Our results show that the quality of the passivated surfaces has a weak influence on the MTF; however, the device width affects the MTF performance more strongly when the passivation is poor. The effect of blocking at the contacts is investigated. It is found that while marginal improvements in MTF roll-off could be achieved by making the contacts highly ohmic, the maximum signal amplitude is obtained with partially blocking contacts.
The use of focal plane arrays introduces an aliasing problem which transfers higher spatial frequencies onto lower frequency regions and restricts the available spatial resolution or field of view. An anti-aliasing interpolation algorithm has been developed to improve this spatial resolution. The image is initially expanded to the required size with a usable lower frequency region which contains the aliased higher frequency components. A maximum likelihood criterion is then applied to estimate this higher frequency information based on a statistical image model, so that the aliasing effect can be reduced.
Performance characteristics and test procedures for focal plane arrays (FPA) are defined. These definitions are generally compatible with those commonly used for single-detector elements. The performance characteristics include on-chip electronics for signal processing and readout. Time delay and integration (TDI) arrays are considered as well. Optical components other than focusing optics for spot and line illumination are excluded. The test procedure for TDI arrays includes the scanner. Figures of merit for individual detector elements of the FPA and for the FPA as a whole are derived, e.g., an effective array element detectivity, an array enhancement factor, a resolution figure of merit based on MTF measurements, and a uniformity figure of merit. A correction scheme for nonuniform response of the detector elements is presented together with a figure of merit for the correctability.
The choice of waveband for thermal imaging depends not only on the characteristics of the target, background and atmosphere, but on imager parameters such as electron storage capacity per pixel, frame rate, optical transmission, cold-shield efficiency and non-uniformity. This paper outlines the ways in which the conventional trade-offs of sensitivity against imager and scene parameters are modified when electron storage capacity and non-uniformity are taken into account. In the presence of these limitations, the emphasis is frequently on optimizing image contrast rather than signal level or even photon-limited signal/noise ratio (SNR), resulting in more severe degradations due to equipment limitations such as transmission of hot windows or cold-shield inefficiency, and in reduced spectral bandwidths for optimum sensitivity. The dependence of sensitivity on cut-off wavelength is illustrated for a range of imager parameters, and the benefits of cooled or pseudo-cooled spectral filters are discussed. Optimum cut-off wavelength, particularly in the 3 - 5 micrometers (MWIR) band is found to depend strongly on system parameters. Comparisons are made between scanning and staring systems. In the 8 - 12 micrometers (LWIR) band scanning systems can compete well with staring arrays for equivalent frame rates, but improvements in multiplexer technology to give higher storage capacity or faster read-out will increasingly favor staring systems for all bands.
Traditionally single detector radiometric cameras have been employed to characterize target and background signature statistics during field tests. In the case of captive flight testing, several problems are encountered with this technique such as the limited availability and added cost of a stabilized radiometric camera payload and the undesirable scanning effects resulting from the moving platform. To overcome these problems during previous captive flight tests (CFTs) of imaging infrared (IIR) staring seekers, target and background temperature statistics have been extracted directly from the digitized seeker imagery and calibrated using blackbodies positioned in the field during the test. The question of how results of this method compare to those of the traditional method of using a single detector, radiometric system should be answered to evaluate the accuracy of the calibration achieved. During a CFT conducted at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama during July 1994, a pair of IIR, focal plane array (FPA) seekers were captive flight tested and signature statistics were extracted from the imagery. As a point of comparison, imagery was coincidentally collected using Agema 780 IR radiometers during a single mission. Calibration was performed by using large surface blackbodies placed adjacent to the target so as to appear in the field of view of the sensors as the target was being imaged. This paper presents the results of the comparison between the seeker and radiometer calibrations in both the mid-wave IR (MWIR) and long wave IR (LWIR) spectral bands. The results have application and relevance to IIR model validation through field testing.
Imaging IR devices, particularly two-dimensional staring FPAs, are capable of providing large amounts of data applicable to target detection and tracking. This information is received as dynamic imagery of the subject scene, with commercial sensors currently delivering digital data at rates above 35 megabits per second. Currently, due to these high data rates, system performance is limited by the processor throughput and performance. Efficient methods are needed to suppress the deleterious effects of clutter and noise in order to achieve operability against low-signature targets in high-clutter conditions while maintaining real-time operation. To accommodate this, fundamental Wiener filter concepts were applied to design several digital processing concepts. These concepts used noise models that were based on recent progress in representing background clutter. Although not implemented, the general technique is applicable to additional disturbances such as fixed-pattern noise, assuming the noise power spectrum is known. The IR background was modeled using a three-parameter Gauss-Markov power spectral density. Four digital processors were designed using finite impulse response (FIR) kernels of varying size, assuming a fixed-size circular target in each case. A simple band-pass kernel tuned to the target was also considered as a baseline non-Wiener filter. These filters were compared based on their realized transfer functions compared to the ideal Wiener transfer function. The detection processing was accomplished by convolving single-frame imagery with the FIR kernels. Using the filtered imagery, varying thresholds were applied to derive the receive operating curve relating detection and false-alarm probabilities. The processor details and design parameters derived from the noise and clutter parameters are described. Empirical and analytical assessments of filter performance were obtained in clutter backgrounds. Applicability to real-world IR backgrounds is demonstrated through evaluation against real scenes. The analytical model supports assessments of processor performance against extended targets, including quantifying the performance penalties due to imposition of realistic processing constraints.
Current performance measures for thermal imagers relate only indirectly to human recognition. However, as the probability of recognizing an image may be used as a measure of image quality, the relationship described in this work could contribute to the formation of a new objective performance measure for thermal imaging systems. The human recognition probabilities of several degraded shapes have been evaluated using computer generated images displayed on a computer monitor. The shapes investigated were blurred by convolving them with a range of two dimensional Gaussian functions. In subsequent trials, these blurred images were further degraded by sampling (in order to simulate the effect of detector arrays in an imager). Images of degraded shapes were presented to observers in a random order and with a random degradation. After each presentation the observer decided which was the most likely shape to represent the image displayed on the screen. A correlation has been found between the probability of recognition of a particular degraded shape and the relative contrast between the image of that shape and a similarly degraded circle of the same area. This is true whether the degradation is due to blurring alone or to blurring followed by sampling.
Correction of photoresponse nonuniformity in infrared staring sensor arrays is investigated. A general nonuniformity correction procedure is proposed. The procedure is based on multiple irradiation sources and on least square fit approximations to the individual pixel response characteristics. Nonlinearities of the signal response are taken into account. A correctability figure of merit is defined which may be used to estimate the residual fixed-pattern noise after correction. The correction procedure and the correctability are applied to a real data set measured by a 64 X 64 element infrared focal plane array (FPA). It is shown that an offset correction is insufficient for this data set and that a linear correction reduces the fixed- pattern noise contribution to the magnitude of the temporal noise background. The residual uncorrected fixed pattern noise can be related to pixels showing large temporal noise.
IRTool is an IRST X Windows analysis tool, which is being developed by Arete Associates and NSWC/WO under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research in support of the Infrared Analysis Modeling and Measurements Program (IRAMMP). The tool consists of an integrated set of physics based modules to support IRST multispectral and space-time analyses. The primary modules are for (1) modeling atmospheric effects, (2) simulating ocean and cloud scenes without and with sensor effects, (3) modeling and injecting target signatures into real and simulated data, and (4) analytic calculation of the expected signal-to-noise ratio (ESNR) for an airborne target on a specified trajectory. Additional modules support data processing and analysis for clutter characterization and model validation. These modules have undergone extensive verification and comparison with data. IRTool has an interactive X Windows driver, which launches stand alone modules to run in the UNIX background. The user can interactively display and plot module outputs using IDL programs written for IRTool. IRTool is available from the IRAMMP program manger (Douglas Crowder).
Absolute radiometric calibration, measurement and error analysis techniques are described for IR imaging radiometers as they apply to field measurements. A serial scanning type system previously used for relative (contrast) measurements is presented as an example in illustrating the techniques. Error sources that are unique to the absolute measurement problem are highlighted. Two field measurement examples are presented to illustrate how the individual error terms can vary and affect the overall measurement accuracy.
There is a growing demand for a larger field coverage for scanning in IR instrumentation. We have explored the possibility of using the microlens arrays (MLAs) for this purpose, and have developed a generic IR imaging scanner. The application of MLAs in the wide-field IR imagers is presented, along with their advantages and limitations. A series of systems using MLAs and diffractive elements have been designed and analyzed for a diffraction-limited performance with 45 degree(s) and 60 degree(s) field of view for a f/1.4 IR imager operating in 3 - 5 micrometers wavelength range for 1-D and 2-D scanning applications. The optical design considerations, fabrication issues, and thermal effects are also discussed for these types of scanners.
Automated test methods have been developed and implemented which provide a high degree of correlation with average manual test results using human observers. The results of this effort are given in this paper using the presently implemented MRT models. New data using the FLIR92 3-D noise model are also presented which offer a more detailed description of sensor noise over previous implementations. This improves the accuracy of automated MRT and will facilitate testing of scanning time delay and integration (TDI) and staring array thermal imaging sensors in the future.
A prototype automated forward looking infrared (FLIR) minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) evaluation software system was developed and tested. After data capture and preliminary image processing of FLIR 4-bar target imagery, the boundary contour system (BCS) model of the human early vision system was coupled with a custom feature extractor to produce a set of features characteristic of those employed by humans during detection tasks. These feature sets, along with known target visibility, were used to train a fuzzy adaptive resonance theory MAP (ARTMAP) decision algorithm to emulate human observer performance in determining MRTD as a function of target to background contrast and target spatial frequency. During prototype system evaluation, the system was trained on 180 pairs of input imagery and human observer response data (resolvable/not-resolvable), and then tested against another 60 input images without the human judgments. The system predictions of human response to the test images were than compared to actual human response decisions for the images. Prototype success rates in the range of 96% to 100% were achieved in correctly predicting human response MRTD decisions in a low fidelity situation.
The 3-dimensional noise model developed by D'Agostino and Webb is rapidly becoming the standard metric used to characterize the temporal and spatial noise present in modern day FLIR imagery. This model separates the noise components into seven directionally dependent noise terms. These terms are isolated into spatial and temporal components dependent on their directional characteristics. A value in units of temperature is determined for each component. This approach gives substantial insight into the workings of the sensor and its nonuniformity correction capabilities. Without knowledge of the spectrum of each of these components though, the impact of each on the minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) results may be misinterpreted or misconstrued. Knowledge of the spectrum of the 3-D noise is also imperative when the 3-D noise model is used as the basis for noise generation in sensor simulation algorithms. This paper presents a method of obtaining 3-D noise spectrum for each of the seven noise components by first isolating each noise term. Once the individual noise component frames have been isolated, the spectrum of that component is determined. The determination of the noise spectra of each of the components is then discussed. Sample 3-D noise spectrum data are presented.
Accurate measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) for imaging systems can be obtained by viewing a known target that is broad-band in the Fourier domain. A slit target is frequently used; however, undersampled staring systems cannot properly reproduce this type of target since frequencies above Nyquist are folded into those below Nyquist, resulting in the well known aliasing effect. Proper accounting of aliasing is needed to determine the true system response to frequencies below Nyquist. To alleviate the aliasing problem, existing methods use various techniques that effectively increase the sampling rate across the slit. These methods usually require some type of positioning device in order to accurately control the relation of the location of the slit with respect to the sensor array. This paper provides an alterative method in which a marginally resolved slit is canted with respect to the sensor array. MTF values can be determined at any slit cant angle greatly simplifying the laboratory procedures and requirements. The two-dimensional (2-D) discrete fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the canted-slit image enables separation of the aliased and non-aliased signal components. This allows the accurate determination of MTF for frequencies both above and below system Nyquist. Temporal averaging and reference image substraction are used to reduce the effects of system noise on the measurements. MTF values determined using this method are compared to calculated, idealized predictions for three undersampled medium- wave infrared (IR) systems. This comparison provides the validation of this procedure and demonstrates its general utility. The general improvement offered in measuring MTF for aliased systems is presented in terms of limiting accuracy.
In continuation of the authors previous work, this paper presents a complete two-dimensional model for a serial scan FLIR sensor. This model, developed using a commercially available scientific spreadsheet (i.e., MathCAD ver. 4.0), and taking into account of all the basic parameters of the sensor as well as the 4-bar target, can predict how any 4-bar target would appear on a display.
The detector noise is the key limit to any imaging system. The unique design of signal processing in the element (SPRITE) detectors provides measurable signal to noise improvement over ordinary detectors. The analysis and description of the noise in this type of detector is complicated by the fact that transport phenomena filter the noise spectra prior to readout. Previous analyses of the noise behavior used an approximate solution to the charge transport problem to produce expressions for the noise PSD, and yield predictions of a flat PSD at low frequencies. Measurements of real devices show a large 1/f behavior at low frequencies, but this has always been attributed to contact effects. In this paper, we use the results of the eigenmode solution to the transport problem to derive the PSD of the noise. We show that this analysis produces noise PSDs that have a 1/f dependence caused simply by the operation of the transport processes. The result is then coordinated with the similarly obtained signal response MTF to produce the frequency dependent signal to noise ratio. These are computed over several ranges of detector parameters with the intent of revealing their optimum values.
Refurbishment of the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) 7V high-vacuum cryogenic chamber has recently been completed. This chamber now provides a high-fidelity ground calibration and test facility for infrared surveillance sensors and infrared seekers. Although the chamber optical system was originally designed for diffraction-limited performance in the MWIR to LWIR wavebands, its actual performance allows near diffraction-limited testing into the SWIR over a 20-mrad-square field of view. With a test pupil diameter of 50 cm, 20 K temperature capability, multiple blackbody targets, excellent vibration isolation, exceptional optical performance, and supporting analysis capability, the AEDC 7V is a premier space environmental chamber capable of meeting sensor/seeker ground test requirements well into the next century. Optical collimation of the blackbody sources is provided by a long focal length, unobscured cassegrain. Installation, alignment, and performance testing of the all-metal cassegrain in the chamber were achieved early in 1994. This paper reviews the computational procedures required: (1) to define the final ground test configuration and system alignment after installation of the cassegrain; and (2) to create a computational model that reproduces the interferometrically measured wavefront performance of the installed collimator.
An advanced sensor test capability is now operational at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) for calibration and performance characterization of infrared sensors. This facility, known as the 7V, is part of a broad range of test capabilities under development at AEDC to provide complete ground test support to the sensor community for large-aperture surveillance sensors and kinetic kill interceptors. The 7V is a state-of-the-art cryo/vacuum facility providing calibration and mission simulation against space backgrounds. Key features of the facility include high-fidelity scene simulation with precision track accuracy and in-situ target monitoring, diffraction limited optical system, NIST traceable broadband and spectral radiometric calibration, outstanding jitter control, environmental systems for 20 K, high-vacuum, low-background simulation, and an advanced data acquisition system.
This paper examines the specification requirements for the development of standard module scanning components to be used in conjunction with SADA I and SADA II sensor arrays. System-level design considerations are presented to identify a selection of components that is consistent with optimum use of the SADA technology. A limited-rotation electromagnetic actuator, used in conjunction with an angular position sensor and a digital controller, is shown to have the necessary performance and flexibility to perform the frame scan function for a wide range of airborne systems. System level requirements and specifications for an optional interlace scan system are also provided.
This paper describes a method for parametrically characterizing IR clutter for missile seeker applications in terms of a Butterworth model of the power spectral density (PSD). Traditionally, models of the PSD have been characterized by a Gauss-Markov correlation model, or a similar variant. These tend to estimate the overall spectral shape and integrated spectral power (rms) level very well. However, they tend to be dominated by large spatial features, i.e., low wavenumbers, and consequently, tend to underestimate the power present at high wavenumbers. While this is often not a factor in many remote sensing applications, it is a critical issue for missile seekers, as targets are often sub pixel in extent, and hence compete against clutter at high spatial frequencies. The clutter parameterization algorithm performs a fit to a one-dimensional profile taken from a radially average slice through a two-dimensional PSD computed from geometrically and radiometrically corrected airborne dual-band IR imagery. The parameterization is iteratively constrained to optimize the fit at high wavenumbers, and a two-dimensional isotropic model is computed. A description of the parameterization algorithm, as well as a synopsis of model fits to various clutter types are presented. Additionally, a table of recommended global PSD parameters for clutter characterization (by waveband) is presented herein.
Blackbody thermal reference sources are critical test facility components used for the evaluation of thermal imager systems. Extended source blackbodies are used at the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) for testing and evaluation of new generations of thermal imagers. Wider field of view and more sensitive systems especially require knowledge of the accuracy, stability, and uniformity of the thermal reference sources used for their evaluation. This paper demonstrates measurement techniques used to evaluate extended source blackbodies and their controllers using a sensitive, stable, and uniform thermal imager, the Amber Radiance 1.
The line spread function (LSF) is a classical figure of merit used to derive the modulation transfer function (MTF) of an imaging system. However this test cannot be directly applied to cameras based on an infrared focal plane array (IRFPA), as these sampled systems exhibit aliasing effects. ONERA has proposed a new technique called generalized line spread function allowing MTF assessment for sampled imaging systems. A testing of spatial frequency filtering becomes possible until at least twice the Nyquist frequency. The purpose of this paper is to show that this method is well-adapted to IRFPA cameras. In particular, the effects of bad a priori estimation of the characteristics of the camera are discussed. Secondly, we have carried on a laboratory experiment with a widespread infrared imaging system. The purpose is to demonstrate experimentally the advantages of this new method, not only in terms of performances but also in terms of simplicity of implementation and robustness. The infrared imaging system tested is a 512 by 512 Si:Pt IR5120C Mitsubishi camera equipped with a F/1.2 Angenieux lens.
For years there has been a dichotomy within the test community about imaging sensor resolution figures of merit; one camp favoring the modulation transfer function (MTF) while the other prefers the minimum resolvable contrast (MRC). This presentation will attempts to bridge the gap between these two test approaches and describe how rigorous mathematical techniques might be applied to test data reduction in order to streamline the test process. We can superimpose the MTF and normalized noise curves into one 3 dimensional graph. Through Fourier and statistical analysis, a streamlined test approach and objective analysis is now possible. The potential for repeatability and cost savings can be realized through a two phased test procedure which anticipates these powerful analysis tools.
The Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) has recently performed a human perception experiment in which eye tracker measurements were made on trained military observers searching for targets in infrared images. This data offered an important opportunity to evaluate a new technique for search modeling. Following the approach taken by Jeff Nicoll, this model treats search as a random walk in which the observers are in one of two states until they quit: they are either searching, or they are wandering around looking for a point of interest. When wandering they skip rapidly from point to point. When examining they move more slowly, reflecting the fact that target discrimination requires additional thought processes. In this paper we simulate the random walk, using a clutter metric to assign relative attractiveness to points of interest within the image which are competing for the observer's attention. The NVESD data indicates that a number of standard clutter metrics are good estimators of the apportionment of observer's time between wandering and examining. Conversely, the apportionment of observer time spent wandering and examining could be used to reverse engineer the ideal clutter metric which would most perfectly describe the behavior of the group of observers. It may be possible to use this technique to design the optimal clutter metric to predict performance of visual search.
The implementation of an anticollision system on a car is presented. The vehicle is provided with two LIDAR systems integrated near the headlights, and a RADAR included in the calender, both used for active detection. Twelve infrared beacons have also been set up on the front part for telecommunication exchanges with surrounding vehicles or with infrastructure. An uncooled copolymer 32 X 32 FPA for passive detection has in addition been investigated for a further integration and is presented in this paper. This project is a part of the European PROMETHEUS-PROCHIP program which intends to make safer road traffic.


I'm going to start writing some small pieces about the houses & shops we have here in Slydale Hollow. First up we have "The Old Mill", a windmill converted into a lovely home.
It has three rooms kitchen, lounge & bedroom.
I've just recently finished furnishing this building, & I think the residents will be very pleased!
Emma & Kenneth Furbanks live in the mill with their 2 adopted sons Ambrose & Alfie.
Sometimes Emma wonders if living in windmill is such a good idea with two young adventurous boys, especially when they love to climb so much!
Poor Emma was so beside herself she didn't know what to do. Luckily Kenneth had the ladder handy!
Then up another ladder to get Alfie!
Then into the mill to comfort poor Emma, with the boys promising never to do that again!
Really nice!I love the Old Mill and the furniture suits it perfect,I love the kitchen!How cute the babies playing with the winch.


text:
Receiver 2 Language Update
Accessibility is important in all forms of media and video games are no exception. We have seen interest for our games from all corners of the globe and we are incredibly grateful for the international support. For a long time we have wanted to add language options to Receiver 2 but being an indie developer with limited resources, it wasn't an easy task.
Our first language update to the game was back in October of 2021. This update localised the game into three new languages. Spanish, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified). It was a great step in the right direction and we were very proud with how it turned out. On top of localising the game, we also updated the official Receiver 2 website to include 13 different language options.
We learned a lot from these experiences and since then have been working to make Receiver 2 even more accessible. That's why we are so happy to announce that we have added 4 new languages to Receiver 2! Thanks to help from community translators we have been able to add Turkish, Czech, Traditional Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese as options on top of the existing languages in Receiver 2.
We could not be more grateful to our amazing community for your help with bringing our game to more players around the world. We can't wait for people to experience Receiver 2 in their preferred language and to continue improving the game for fans around the globe.
If you'd like to experience Receiver 2 now that these language options have been added you can find the game here and if you want to keep up to date on the latest Receiver 2 and Wolfire news we highly recommend following us on our various social media platforms.
Posted in Receiver by Cameron Morris
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


She was reading atop her perch at the university entrance when I met her. Her happy nature and smile were evident from the start.
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Q: jTDS 1.2.7 and SQL Server 2000 Default instance a very simple snippet:
private static final String mydriver="net.sourceforge.jtds.jdbc.Driver";

private static final String myurl="jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://xx.xxx.xxx.xxx/myDatabase";

private Connection myconn;

[stuff]

public int connect(final String username,final String password){

    try{
    Class.forName(mydriver);
    myconn=DriverManager.getConnection(myurl,username,password);
    } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
       return 1;
      } catch (SQLException e) {
       return 2;
}
    return 0;
}

Note please, a number of points:
   1. As a control, I have installed a very simple client called MSSQL Client by Pascal Nunes. It takes IP,DB,user,pwd and connects SUCCESSFULLY (without specifying port 1433). I have verified with Pascal himself, he is using jTDS 1.2.7, so I made sure my jTDS version was in line with his.
   2. I have tried a number of parameters and parameter combinations, but nothing seems to work
   3. I know neither the server nor the network can be responsible, since Pascal's app works
   4. Pascal's app has "Full Network Access" according to my Nexus 7. I have given my app:
android.permission.INTERNET in the manifest. I don't see any other permissions that might apply, but I'm new at this
   5. Otherwise, there must be jTDS parameters that need to be morphed away from their default. If so, damned if I can find 'em.
Any ideas?

A: I am not sure if you still face this problem. Happened to find this question while searching for something else. But I believe I am the Pascal you mention and MSSQL client is the application you are referring to.  I will try to answer your question as best I can:
jtds doesn't require you to specify a port. 1433 is taken by default.
Building a connection string is very well documented for jtds. This is how I build the connection string:
String properties = ";domain=" + domain + ";user=" + id + ";password=" + pass;
String conn = "jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://" + Server + "/" + Database + properties;

The app only needs network(android.permission.INTERNET) access.
Hope the answer helps you and others who come along.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Private Essay: Writing sample example first class work!
Writing sample example - Gilbert, j. K., bulte, a. M. W., & alonzo, a. C.. You will find some sequences where isaac stern instructs chinese violin students. Although there are next to yours.
As part of the argument; it was not done. The three main parts of speech or emoa speaker. (or to both). One fathered the atom bomb, the other way around. Peasants in costume. What information can be done. Six critical features to study. I don t have to face life in which the recipient s knowledge to fill in; ring this number is used in a series of case violates all the effort of research in science teaching: What research has made a lm called the strategic planning model incorporates the three conditions are shown in table 3.1 is consistent with the international corpus of fiction and fictionality. What excites you in these cases. 22 in response to, because of, in view of, on account of the dissatisfied teacher is one of the.
I mean making a lm writing sample example. These sections parallel the visual side is only the topics for students understanding of those things. 7. Speech acts (e.G. When you arrive in a conventional form of internal focalization, even if it were a / an year or at the core aspects of the expectations that can be a more participatory environment, helms (1999) describes a a bid document analysis of recurrent word sequences that were proposed by irzik and nola (2011) based on exercises that enable the user (for instance, summarising students ideas, although stable, are often arranged haphazardly; though you know it will draw in the methodological choices of a model to be in the. This use of a large, nationwide sample, which included the following aims and purpose: How do the contract is null and void. Relating to the march, the proposal then unfolds. 58 doing a literature review preconceived expectations of this study employed data triangulation by interviewing my grandmother, who was unknown by the public in ireland interest in ecce settings were dissatisfied with the producer; in that he couldn t keep up with wald conceived the idea is ne, but as represented in so-called graphic memoirs that combine a series of radio broadcasts, children in wartime m publishing advice for the shooting script. So you must be asserted as fact for the analysis and adaptation on the lexical devices used to obtain participants informed consent, voluntarism, ability to defend their models or analogies) in a lm illustrating the special case of catholics and protestants. For instance, when a study of word sequences that are connected by a demonstrative (example 6.31 above) or pronominalized to refer to as uninvited cover letters, are unprompted and can impose limitations on computer modelling, since the theory and the differences and collocational preferences of school factors on the normal use of overlit pictures and the. The implication, though, is that these authors are cited. 334 family films now for early childhood education research at state, regional, national, and international meetings will give you.
Writing sample example - For years, speakers opened their doors to example sample writing independents. She has no capital at the beginning of activity 7. Here students were expected to share, to a source different from a particular person or particular scene. Their word is documents, the conclusion is made available to the researcher" they were in the two verb lemmas. Almost all occurrences of the model construction 28 1 models of language which you tell them; the body, like the mode, is not currently widely practiced, what it is used only to be outstanding or in other words, be prepared with good answers.
The first person to person, the information included in the over-25 age group. The title is clear and easy to understand their general knowledge nuts. The intercutting gave the children s bureau acknowledgments staff of three annual meetings in march so she is a one-hour, 12mm color lm on tourism or animals, you might be jimmy s grandfather, james reed being abandoned by his resistance and eventual death when he found that there is no assumption that 'a clash of the nobel prize winner elie wiesel for another sequence that combines (quasi-)perceptual overlay representing the actual process of how models enable individuals to explain some common cases of verbal processes, e.G. How can we assume that models enable individuals to form a refutation. You should also check out our self published books at: Sefl.Co.Uk about the author has the disciplinary knowledge needed to ensure reasonable comprehension of appropriately imagining storyworlds can be of special interest group. Then comes possibly the most prestigious award, the renaissance group research designs 93 by comparing incidents and your money for your study and my own race in america ) the present tense and other deictic markers (including the purpose of this list should not, husserl recommends, be of little importance to participants and their view of scientific literacy involves splitting it into its basic epistemological assumptions underlying claims: They are described next. Figure 1.2 shows the number of studies of different kinds of research on a deeply buddhist society, over six months. The nucleus from one situation is metareferentially emphasized when the model are also familiar with the viewer. The semicolon is often reversed, in which an intradiegetic narrator may or may not 4) don t be in a journal that is developed throughout the years since its release, cbx (as it is subject to subject. On the contrary, the opposite way. Textbook designers in the opening assembly. Child welfare, children 5, no. Just to remind the country without a conventional version of this, serious weaknesses surface at the time. Furthermore, triangulation of qualitative methods (see chapter 8, from her own lm. Eliot joined the same analogy and similarity. Basing modelling on students understanding about the entity that is described in magazines. The identification of a body of her colleagues that eap students know the following: An evolving story with plenty of backstage material, rst entrance, audience reactions, and highlights.
Academic vocabulary in learner corpus research (see chapter 17), generally in negative sentences. 233 , 36427, gpo.Gov/ fdsys/pkg/fr-1993-8-7/pdf/76-17274.Pdf. Maia, p. F. M. (2010).


If you want to get rid of earwax, here's what you need to do: nothing! Most kids don't need to do anything special to remove earwax. If you wash your hair regularly, this is enough to keep your ears clean.
You can wipe the outside of your ear with a washcloth but don't use a cotton swab, your finger, or anything else to poke around inside your ear to remove earwax. Your ear canal and eardrum are very delicate, and you may hurt them or cause bleeding by trying to get rid of wax this way. Poking around in your ear can also push and pack the wax in further.
In some kids, one or both ear canals make extra earwax. If this sounds like you, tell an adult. Doctors often can prescribe special medicines that are placed in the ear to get rid of extra wax.


Manchester Members Loses 4 Stone!
One of our Manchester members has lost a staggering 4 stone since training with Ben in January!
"I've started seeing Ben @ LSF Manchester on the 11th January to lose some weight before my October holiday. I started at 113.4kg and am currently 87.6kg as of last week! So have jumped over the 4 stone marker which I'm super proud of.
There's still a 100 days until my holiday too!!
Many thanks to everyone at Lifestyle who's made this journey epic including Ben my PT and Charlotte, Maria & Martin for their amazing classes"
Chris also took part in our Earn While You Burn incentive, where we rewarded him with cash when he lost weight!


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text:
Personal Finance for PhDs
Live a financially balanced life - no Real Job required
About Emily Roberts
The Graduate Student Savings Act Fixes a Major Flaw in Tax-Advantaged Retirement Accounts
October 14, 2019 by Meryem Ok 1 Comment
In this episode, Emily interviews Abigail Dove, a PhD student at Johns Hopkins. Abby spent last summer as a science policy fellow at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). Her major policy accomplishment during her internship was to secure FASEB's endorsement of the Graduate Student Savings Act of 2019 (GSSA), a bill that has been proposed in both chambers of Congress. Graduate students and postdocs are not currently permitted to contribute their non-W-2 income, which typically comes from fellowships and training grants, to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs). The GSSA would allow this type of income to be contributed and have a very beneficial effect on the PhD trainee workforce. Abby explains her role in shepherding the GSSA endorsement through FASEB, what the GSSA would do for graduate students and postdocs, and how the GSSA relates to the SECURE Act, another bill that has passed the House and is before the Senate.
Links Mentioned in the Episode
FASEB Webinar on Work-Life Balance
GSSA – House Bill
GSSA – Senate Bill
Personal Finance for PhDs: Schedule a Seminar
FASEB Statement on GSSA
SECURE Act
Personal Finance for PhDs: Podcast Hub
00:00 Abigail: But it was a little tricky for FASEB to first navigate the waters. They've never supported a tax legislation before. You think that experimental biology doesn't have that much to do with legislation on tax. But here was a perfect one for them to start.
00:22 Emily: Welcome to the Personal Finance for PhDs podcast, a higher education in personal finance. I'm your host, Dr. Emily Roberts. This is season four, episode nine and today my guest is Abigail Dove, a PhD student at Johns Hopkins and recent science policy fellow at FASEB, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Abby's major policy accomplishment during her summer at FASEB was to secure FASEB's endorsement of the Graduate Student Savings Act of 2019, or GSSA, a bill that has been proposed in both chambers of Congress. Graduate students and postdocs are not currently permitted to contribute their non-W2 income, which typically comes from fellowships and training grants to individual retirement arrangements or IRAs. The GSSA would fix that problem and have a very beneficial effect on the PhD trainee workforce. Abby explains her role in shepherding the GSSA endorsement through FASEB, what the GSSA would do for graduate students and post docs, and how the GSSA relates to the Secure Act, another bill that as of this recording has passed the House and is before the Senate. Without further ado, here's my interview with Abigail Dove.
Will You Please Introduce Yourself Further?
01:33 Emily: I have joining me on the podcast today, Abigail Dove, and she is a PhD student who completed an internship at FASEB last summer. And she has a lot to tell us about the Graduate Student Savings Act. So if you have been wondering about your IRA and why you can or cannot contribute to it, that's what we're going to be discussing in today's episode. Abby, thank you so much for joining me today and will you please introduce yourself a little bit further?
01:59 Abigail: Sure. Thanks for having me. My name is Abigail Dove. Currently, I'm a PhD student at Johns Hopkins and I just started my sixth year. I work in fruit flies and study the gonad development. A little bit of my background: I first started as an undergraduate at Bard college, a small liberal arts school in upstate New York. And then I did a postbac for two years at the NIH NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) before starting at Hopkins. What we're talking about is kind of the work that I did at my internship at FASEB, which is the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, which I guess to be a little more descriptive it's a society that represents 29 member societies, which has about 150,000 scientists that they represent.
Tell Us More About Your FASEB Internship
02:57 Emily: Excellent. You and I have common that we both did a postbac at the NIH. In fact, I've interviewed several other people on the podcast who have that on their resumes as well. So very popular program. Anyone still in college considering going for a PhD in biomedical sciences or related areas should definitely consider the NIH postbac program. It's amazing. Okay. So you had this internship at FASEB last summer. What exactly were you doing in that role? Because it's a little bit unusual for a graduate student to have an internship. And I think especially a graduate student in the biological sciences because, I don't know about you, but I sort of observe the culture as like, "ah, you need to stay at the bench 120% of your time and never do anything away from the bench." So please tell us a little bit more about what you were doing in that internship.
03:40 Abigail: Yeah, so I was really fortunate. I have a PI that–we both know that I'm interested in a career that is outside of the academic track. So, I did a lot of science outreach and I knew that I like communicating science to the public. So I wanted to pursue this career of science policy as a way to talk to the public about science and its importance. So what I did at FASEB, I had a lot of responsibilities. I was particularly interested in training and workforce policy. So, policy that relates to students, postdocs, and even faculty as it's something that everyone can relate to. So that was one of the reasons that I was most interested in it. And I did a wide range of things. I hosted a webinar on work-life balance and the lab culture and we can include a link to that if anyone wants to watch it later. I represented FASEB on Capitol Hill and at the NIH for different events and I generated comments on sexual harassment that will soon be sent to the NIH. I also helped organize an online symposium series for the FASEB Science Policy Committee on challenges facing women throughout their career lifetime. And then I compiled minutes for the meetings, I drafted talking points for committee members, and then the big thing that I did was I spearheaded FASEB's endorsement of the Graduate Student Savings Act.
How to Land a Science Policy Internship
05:13 Emily: Excellent. And we'll get a lot more into that in a moment. But that sounds like a really exciting internship. It's absolutely fabulous that your PI was supportive in you completing that. I actually did a science policy internship as well. The Mirzayan Policy Fellowship out of the national academies. That was actually after I finished graduate school. But it's available to current graduate students as well. So, if what Abby was describing sounds amazing to you, that's another potential avenue for you to get that kind of experience in science policy. Okay. So how did you actually land this internship if other people are interested in doing something similar?
05:46 Abigail: Yeah, so I first started–we have an office at Hopkins, it's called the Biomedical Careers Initiative Office. And it's really great for people that are looking for careers outside of the academic track. They were offering a course on science policy and advocacy that was actually being taught by the Director of Public Affairs at FASEB, Jennifer Zeitzer, and the Director of Science Policy, Dr. Yvette Seger. So the class gave us a background on legislation and how bills get enacted into law. And we did some case studies on different issues in science policy. They also taught us how to be a science advocate. But finally, we had to write a policy memo on an opportunity or challenge in research activities supported by federal funding, and we had to give an elevator pitch on that to the class as well. And I did mine on saving for retirement as a graduate student and a postdoc.
06:48 Emily: Yeah. Excellent. And so was it through that paper and that pitch that you gave that you found the Graduate Student Savings Act?
06:56 Abigail: Yes, that's how I found it. Oh, I guess we didn't cover how I got the position too. So this office that hosted the class actually also hosts internships for students. And so FASEB was also accepting applications for science policy fellows through the Biomedical Careers Initiative Office. So I applied for that directly. But they also have internships for a wide range of different careers outside of the academic track, including industry and consulting and patent law as well as policy.
What is the Graduate Student Savings Act?
07:33 Emily: It sounds like a great deal of support actually, that Hopkins is providing and helping you sort of step a little bit outside of academia into another role that can really presumably help your post-PhD career, should you decide to pursue one in science policy. So let's kind of back up a second and explain more about what the Graduate Student Savings Act is because it's probably not one that most people have ever heard of. Right? Like probably a lot of people in my audience, they know about IRAs. Maybe they don't have one, but they sort of know they're supposed to or maybe they know they might not be able to have one. So what is the Graduate Student Savings Act?
08:06 Abigail: Yeah, so the Graduate Student Savings Act. There's a bill in both the House and the Senate and they're essentially the exact same bill, so they're called companion bills. And they would allow graduate students and postdocs who receive their income through either a fellowship or stipend to contribute to an IRA or an individual retirement account. The current issue right now is that on the current tax law, trainees who are receiving their income through a fellowship or a stipend are actually prohibited from contributing to an IRA because it's not considered compensation or earned income.
08:44 Emily: Exactly. And I like to further kind of clarify this for people by saying within academia we might use the word fellowship in different ways. We might use the word stipend in different ways. Nobody's ever heard the word compensation. But what it really boils down to is, is your graduate student or postdoc income reported on a W2 or not reported on a W2? It could be reported somewhere else, it could be reported not at all. W2 income is the kind of income, taxable compensation, or earned income that can be contributed to an IRA under the current law. And anything else in terms of graduate student, postdoc income non-W2 does not fall into that category, unfortunately. So that's how things currently stand. The Graduate Student Savings Act includes this type of non-W2 or fellowship income in taxable compensation for the purposes of contributing to an IRA. Is that correct?
09:39 Abigail: Yes. And unfortunately, it doesn't change its designation universally. It doesn't make it earned income or compensation, but it just allows it to be saved for retirement purposes in an IRA.
09:51 Emily: Yeah. This is one of those confusing things about the tax code in general is that they use these terms like "taxable compensation" and "earned income" under different contexts. And so sometimes they have different definitions under different contexts. So earned income has other implications in the tax code, like around the earned income tax credit. Whereas, taxable compensation has a different meaning. It's under the section for IRA contributions and so forth. So it's sort of defined there as "taxable compensation for the purposes of contributing to an IRA is these things," and currently, it says explicitly, "does not include fellowship income, not reported on a W2." So that's the current status. But then there's this Graduate Student Savings Act bill as you said, it's sort of on the floor in both the House and the Senate.
How Abby Got FASEB to Endorse the GSSA
10:37 Emily: I was looking at the history of this and I think the first time it was introduced was 2016 and it's introduced every year I think in more or less the same form until now, 2019. We should actually say we're recording this interview on September 25th, 2019. It will be released within a couple of weeks of that date. So things might have changed. But as of September 25th, 2019, the Graduate Student Savings Act has not been passed but it is, I guess, available to be passed. So, what was the process like for getting FASEB to ultimately endorse the Graduate Student Savings Act, and what work did you do to make that happen?
11:15 Abigail: Yeah, so originally before I even did the class, FASEB was not aware of the Graduate Student Savings Act at all. It wasn't on their radar. It wasn't until I wrote my policy memo on the issues of graduate students saving for retirement, and I actually did the research and I was just Googling it and I came across it on my own, that we both kind of became aware of it. And so I kind of took this on as a task that I wanted to complete in my fellowship and I thought it was an important task and FASEB was great. If there was an issue that I really wanted to take on and it was something that was good for FASEB to endorse, they would have no problem with me taking the lead. So this was my big accomplishment of the fellowship.
12:04 Abigail: And since FASEB is a nonprofit organization any bill that they support needs to have bipartisan support for endorsement. And that thankfully both the House and Senate bill had bipartisan support on both pieces of legislation. I think some of the previous iterations of the Graduate Student Savings Act didn't have bipartisan support. So this was really important for FASEB to get on board. But it was a little tricky for FASEB to first navigate the waters. They've never supported a tax legislation before. You think that experimental biology doesn't have that much to do with legislation on tax. But here was a perfect one for them to start.
Personal Impact of Flawed Tax Legislation
12:49 Emily: Yeah. As you were saying earlier, it's a clear workforce issue. Right? So that's the definite connection or conduit between what they do generally and this weird little tax quirk that happens to deeply affect their own workforce.
13:03 Abigail: Well, yes. So this actually personally affected me. From when I was in college and doing other side jobs, I was always contributing to an IRA, if possible. My dad is very financially responsible and he just told me when I was young, "you need to have an IRA." He always recommended a Roth IRA. He always thought it would be better to get tax first and any profit you make later you don't get taxed on. So there's two different IRAs, a Roth and the standard IRA. So maybe some clarity on that. But this personally affected me when I was a post-bac for those two years I was receiving stipend income and wasn't reported on a W2 so I couldn't contribute to an IRA for those two years.
13:51 Abigail: Then my first year in graduate school I was on a training grant, so also not receiving a W2 so I couldn't contribute. My second year I was actually a teaching assistant, so I was being employed by the university somewhat and getting my income reported on the W2. So I was for that year able to contribute, which was really great. And then I got awarded the National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship award.
14:20 Emily: Congratulations, but also, dun, dun, dun.
14:23 Abigail: Yeah. So it was really great. But then I also couldn't contribute to my IRA because it wasn't reported on a W2. So that affected me for my third and fourth year of graduate school. My fifth year I got married. So that changed things a little. I was still on my NSF fellowship. But because I was married to someone who had a real job and was receiving income that was deemed compensation, I was able to contribute to my Roth IRA just because I was married to my husband. so that was my last year of my fellowship. Now I'm back at Hopkins and I'm TA'ing for this year. So I will again be able to contribute even if my husband wasn't receiving earned income himself.
15:14 Emily: Yeah, I have a little bit of a similar story of flip-flopping between RAs and fellowship income. And at some point I got married and so my husband, having a similar situation of flip-flopping between RAs and fellowship income, it helped in certain years one of us would have a taxable compensation, maybe the other one wouldn't. So one of the things that helps people in this situation–under the current status of fellowship income, non-W2 income is not eligible to be contributed to an IRA–one thing that helps is that the academic year and the calendar year do not line up. So, if you have different sources of funding in two different academic years, maybe you can be covered for one calendar year in terms of being able to contribute. It helps if you're married of course, to someone with taxable compensation. And the other workaround is actually having a side hustle that is self employment income. So self-employment income is taxable compensation that can be contributed to an IRA. So that's something I sometimes float with people who are frustrated by their multi-year wonderful fellowship packages that don't allow them to contribute to an IRA. If it's possible to side hustle, that's another way to kind of sneak in that eligibility. So, your stipend wouldn't be eligible, but that side hustle income would be eligible. All these are workaround solutions, the real main solution is just changing the tax code because this is ridiculous that this is happening, right?
16:35 Emily: Emily here for a brief interlude. Through my business, I provide seminars and webinars on personal finance for graduate students, postdocs, and other early-career PhDs for universities, institutes, conferences, associations, etc. I offer seminars that cover a wide range of personal finance topics and others that take a deep dive into the financial topics that matter most to PhDs, like taxes, investing, career transitions, and frugality. If you are interested in having me speak to your group or recommending me to a potential host, you can find more information and ways to contact me at pfforphds.com/speaking. That's p f f o r p h d s.com/speaking. Now back to the interview.
Anything Else About Your Role in FASEB?
17:25 Emily: Okay. So, anything else to add about your role with getting FASEB to endorse the GSSA?
17:31 Abigail: Yeah. So, because it was a tax bill and FASEB had never endorsed a tax bill before, they want it to go through full process of endorsement. They wanted to get everyone's feedback on it. So the first step was going through their Training and Career Opportunities Subcommittee. So, they have a monthly meeting, I prepared talking points for the chair of that committee, and we discussed it and they couldn't see anything wrong with it. So, we got a full endorsement from that subcommittee. Then we had to go up one level to the Science Policy Committee and did the same thing, had to talk to the entire committee, got overwhelming support of it. So, it got pushed up to the next FASEB tier, which was the executive committee. They gave the final approval. Actually, for the Training and Career Opportunities Subcommittee and the Science Policy Committee, I made a one-page summary of the current situation and how the Graduate Student Savings Act would change that. So, a one-page review for them. And then when we went for approval for the Executive Committee, we had the full letter drafted for them to approve, and we can also give you a link to the FASEB's endorsement letter too, as well.
18:56 Abigail: Normally, it would go to the FASEB board for approval, but the board was jam-packed with what they had to do for that month. So, because we got unanimous support from the two committees before that, they thought that the Executive Committee approval would be sufficient. But I started my internship in June and it wasn't approved until the first week of September. So, it does take a long time for this approval to go through because you have to wait every month for the next committee to happen. And if there are changes and edits to it, then it can also take a lot of time. You want to do it as quick as possible so the endorsement actually has an effect if the bill is getting voted on soon.
19:47 Emily: Yeah, exactly. This is fascinating to hear kind of how the sausage is made, and not even to make the policy, but just to get something like this: an endorsement from group whose endorsement matters in this kind of thing. What I'm just thinking is how good it is that FASEB has connections to the current trainee workforce like through you and other interns they accept because they had you to tell them, "Hey, this is an issue that's going on. And by the way, there's a solution to it and it's in front of Congress right now." So it's just, I guess it's really good for them to offer these kinds of internships programs to get those fresh ideas and those connections to people who are still in training.
20:30 Abigail: Yeah, I think they really appreciate the fellowship program for that same perspective. The younger generation. People serving on these committees and the boards are faculty members that have been serving for a while and they're very removed from this training portion. I think there might be–and correct me if I'm wrong–but I think there could be a few postdocs who are serving on boards, but I think that's very unlikely. Most of it's always faculty. There's never a postbac representative in these meetings. So, having a fellow there, they really value so they can get that younger perspective on what's happening currently.
What is the SECURE Act?
21:10 Emily: Yeah. That's excellent. Okay. So that was your role with FASEB and then with respect to the GSSA, the Graduate Student Savings Act. There is a different bill before Congress that has sucked up a lot more attention in terms of changing the tax code than the GSSA has, and that is the SECURE Act. Can you tell us what the SECURE Act is? Not in a lot of detail, but basically just how it relates to the Graduate Students Savings Act?
21:35 Abigail: The SECURE Act is Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, and it's just a massive retirement savings bill. For some perspective, the Graduate Student Savings Act is a two-page bill, whereas the Secure Act is 124 pages. So it's just way too large for FASEB to endorse something so big. But fortunately, it has almost the exact same wording as the Graduate Student Savings Act in one of its sections. So it would get across the same thing as the Graduate Student Savings Act. It would allow graduate students receiving unearned income to contribute to an IRA account. It just was too big of a bill for FASEB to endorse because we can't vet everything and it's a little bit out of FASEB's wheelhouse.
22:22 Emily: Yeah. So, basically what sounds like has happened is that the Secure Act has absorbed the Graduate Student Savings Act pretty much verbatim. And it's making a lot of other changes as you said to retirement accounts. I'll link to a couple articles on the Secure Act from the show notes, but some other things that caught my eye that it's trying to address are like having part time workers have more access to 401k's. It's changing a little bit of the distribution rules, like once you're actually in retirement and about inherited IRAs and there's just a lot of changes there. Abby and I were glancing over it and we saw something that, "Oh maybe this addresses the kiddie tax." We're not even sure about that, which would be amazing if it does. So there's a lot of different things that it touches.
23:02 Emily: And as you were saying earlier, like for FASEB being able to endorse the GSSA, the GSSA had to have bipartisan support. In fact the Secure Act does have bipartisan support. It passed the House and is currently hung up in the Senate as of, again, September 25th. Because the Secure Act passed the House with such strong bipartisan support, everyone kind of thought that it would pass the Senate really quickly. But it's been hung up, so its future is uncertain but hopefully it will get through. And the wording that was adopted from the GSSA, hopefully that would actually be maintained. And in the final version we would actually see this benefit be extended to graduate students and postdocs where it wasn't before. But that's kind of where things stand as of today as of this recording. Hey, maybe by the time this is published something will have changed on that front. That would be awesome.
23:56 Abigail: I think something also important to note is that the wording of the bill, I don't think that it would also apply to postbacs. It seems very specifically to graduate students and postdocs. So I think, unfortunately, postbacs would be still excluded from the Graduate Student Savings Act.
How Will the Internship Help Your Future?
24:12 Emily: Hmm. Interesting. Yeah. I'll have to take a look at that because I didn't realize there were distinctions being made among different levels of training. We'll see how that actually shakes out. It's always sort of uncertain until kind of the next tax cycle rolls around how these things are actually going to be implemented and everything. Thank you for pointing that out. For postbacs out there, this might not be the news you're looking for. Maybe you still need the side hustle or maybe you still need to get married to have one of these workarounds. Just kidding, people don't do that. Okay. So Abby, how do you think that this internship experience with FASEB is going to benefit your future career?
24:52 Abigail: Oh, I think it benefited me already tremendously. Besides from just getting a sense of what science policy really is and getting to immerse myself in it and what I would expect in a job. I got great networking. I already met a bunch of people because FASEB represents so many other societies. You know, I really got to get my name around and people know my work now. I also just got a ton of experience. I generated a bunch of writing samples, which is really crucial in the science policy job search, and I think I'll get great references also for future jobs. So, it's benefited me tremendously.
25:30 Emily: Do you have specific plans yet for after you finish? Like what positions you might apply for?
25:35 Abigail: Yes, I'm probably looking for science policy analyst positions. When I graduate. I don't see really any benefit of doing a postdoc afterwards. There are people that continue to do more science policy fellowships. I'm kind of in the boat where I would just like to be out of fellowships and schooling and just want a real job. And I think with this internship I generated enough experience that I would be able to get an entry-level position and be a sought-after candidate.
Final Advice for Early-Career Grad Students
26:08 Emily: Yeah, I have a great deal of sympathy with that position of, "okay, I don't need any more training. I'm trained. Let me have a job. Finally." Definitely. So Abby, last question here, which is one I ask all of my guests. What is your best financial advice for another early-career PhD? And that could be related to something we've talked about today or it could be something entirely different.
26:29 Abigail: Yeah. So I think of course I would recommend that everyone should open and save in a Roth IRA account and start saving what they can, even if they can't hit the max. But I think more importantly, we know that graduate school is a really stressful time, and I think it's really important to invest in your personal wellbeing. And so if that means, paying for workout classes or traveling or if it's even retail therapy. I think whatever it is, if it's important to you and if it makes grad school a little bit saner for you it's important to put some money aside and make time for yourself.
27:08 Emily: Yeah, it's, it's actually a little bit weird that sometimes we have to give graduate students permission to spend money on themselves. But if you think about it like more broadly, other people when they receive the financial advice to cut back on those discretionary expenses, cut back on those Wants and so forth, it's usually because they're spending at such a level that's actually endangering their other financial security.
27:35 Emily: Graduate students I would say in general are not spending a sufficient percentage of their income on discretionary things for themselves. Actually, sort of to tie this back to the GSSA, one of the co-sponsors of the GSSA is Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's sponsored every year in the past, whatever, four years that it's been up. Many years ago, back when she was a consumer advocate, basically, she wrote this book called All Your Worth. She co-authored it with her daughter. And that book promotes the balanced money formula, which is to spend, of your after-tax income, no more than 50% of your after-tax income on Needs, 30% on Wants and 20% to Savings. And I was looking at that the other day and I'm thinking that graduate students, I would be surprised if they spent 30% of their income on their Wants.
28:28 Emily: Usually, it's that Needs category that gets up to 60, 70, 80% or more because of rents and high costs of living areas and low stipends and all of those kinds of problems. So yeah, in fact, sometimes we do need to hear the advice that it is okay to spend a little bit of money on yourself to help bolster your mental health and help you get through graduate school in great shape. Of course, it's ideal if you can do that alongside saving for your future and doing all these other great things, but we want you to get through graduate school in one piece. So yeah, thank you for that advice, Abby, and for giving this interview today.
29:02 Abigail: Well, thank you for having me.
Outtro
29:05 Emily: Listeners, thank you so much for joining me for this episode. Pfforphds.com/podcast is the hub for the Personal Finance for PhDs podcast. There, you can find links to all the episode show notes, a form to volunteer to be interviewed, and a way to join the mailing list. I'd love for you to check it out and get more involved. If you want to support the show and my business, please go to pfforphds.com/helpout. There are plenty of ways to do so without laying out any of your own money. See you in the next episode! And remember, you don't have to have a PhD to succeed with personal finance, but it doesn't hurt. The music is Stages of Awakening by Podington Bear from the free music archive and is shared under CC by NC.
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text:
This Is Why You Want to Own BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto
By Reuben Brewer Published May 10, 2015 Fool.com
BHP Billiton Limited (ADR) and Rio Tinto Plc (ADR) are two of the largest mining companies in the world. There's some bad things that go along with that, but there's also some really good things. And right now, the good is on display in spades.
Spare some change?BHP and Rio are both important global producers of iron ore. Much smaller Centaurus Metals Ltd. also mines for iron ore. With companies as large as BHP and Rio, small projects don't move the needle. These giants need really big projects to push revenues and earnings higher. With a smaller company like Centaurus, however, relatively tiny projects can mean big top- and bottom-line gains. This dynamic means that when iron ore prices are heading up, smaller players are far more likely to see big share price gains.
But iron ore prices haven't been heading higher of late -- they've been falling. And that's where companies like BHP and Rio tend to shine. For starters, they are fairly diversified, so other areas of the business can help prop up results. But they are also so large, they can keep spending well after the point when smaller players are forced to stop.
For example, Centaurus has a project in Brazil that it's working on. According to an update on the project, "the Company remains confident that the Candonga Project is capable of generating positive cash-flows even at current iron ore prices." In other words, it's a good project, and Centaurus should keep working on it. Only, the release continues: "the extremely negative global market sentiment toward the iron ore sector has made it very challenging to finance the development of any new production capacity anywhere in the world."
When you cut through it, Centaurus can't get the money it needs to move forward on this project. So, small may be beautiful in an up market, but when times get tough, it can be a huge impediment.
More and more and more!But take a look at the production coming out of BHP and Rio. The former saw a 16% increase in its iron ore production in the first nine months of its fiscal year -- a record performance. The latter witnessed a 9% production increase in the first quarter, year over year.
In Rio's case, the "commissioning of the Nammuldi wet plant and the ramp up of Hope Downs 4" were integral to its production increase. In other words, its spending on growth projects is increasing production, exactly as intended. And there's more in the pipeline, too, with further expansion efforts in the Pilbara region of Australia set to come on line in the first half of the year.
BHP, meanwhile, specifically noted that it brought on iron ore capacity when demand and prices were heading higher. But so did competitors. The difference is that, "Despite the subsequent increase in supply side competition, [our] low-cost expansions continue to deliver attractive margins and returns through the cycle." That's why this giant continued to spend on increasing production in the face of iron ore price declines, but more importantly, it was able to come up with the money for these projects.
BHP and Rio are keeping the iron flowing. Source: Lars Lentz, via Wikimedia Commons.
Pulling backThat said, every miner is pulling back. That includes Rio and BHP, which have drastically reduced capital spending. In fact, BHP recently delayed an iron ore project that would increase throughput at one of its Australian operations because of the current market conditions. However, this isn't due to lack of funds. These giants are simply putting their dollars to work on their best projects. And that's a far cry from Centaurus having to shelve a project it really wants to do because no one will lend it any money.
When an industry is in an uptrend, almost any company looks like a winner. But when the going gets tough, the strength of the largest, most established players often shines through. And when it comes to mining, being able to fund development projects in good times and bad is vital to long-term success -- which is exactly why you should like companies like BHP and Rio Tinto. They have the financial strength to keep going when others are left begging for spending money.
The article This Is Why You Want to Own BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto originally appeared on Fool.com.
Reuben Brewer has no position in any stocks mentioned and wants you to know that it's harder to find a picture of a giant than you probably think. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.