Radar sounding is a powerful geophysical approach for characterizing the subsurface conditions of terrestrial and planetary ice masses at local to global scales. As a result, a wide array of orbital, airborne, ground-based, and in situ instruments, platforms and data analysis approaches for radioglaciology have been developed, applied or proposed. Terrestrially, airborne radar sounding has been used in glaciology to observe ice thickness, basal topography and englacial layers for five decades. More recently, radar sounding data have also been exploited to estimate the extent and configuration of subglacial water, the geometry of subglacial bedforms and the subglacial and englacial thermal states of ice sheets. Planetary radar sounders have observed, or are planned to observe, the subsurfaces and near-surfaces of Mars, Earth's Moon, comets and the icy moons of Jupiter. In this review paper, and the thematic issue of the Annals of Glaciology on ‘Five decades of radioglaciology’ to which it belongs, we present recent advances in the fields of radar systems, missions, signal processing, data analysis, modeling and scientific interpretation. Our review presents progress in these fields since the last radio-glaciological Annals of Glaciology issue of 2014, the context of their history and future prospects.

A series of recent papers has called for multiple radiocarbon dates on planktic foraminifera to assess stratigraphic continuity in deep-sea sediment cores. This recommendation comes from observations of anomalous 14C dates in planktic foraminifera from the same stratigraphic level. Potential reasons include bioturbation, downslope transport, secondary calcification, carbonate dissolution, and differential preservation. In this study, paired 14C dates on dissolution-susceptible Globigerinoides ruber and dissolution-resistant Neogloboquadrina dutertrei are used to evaluate a Gulf of Mexico sediment core. Fourteen of 15 pairs (between 8815 and 12,995 uncorrected 14C yr BP) yield concordant uncorrected 14C ages (mean difference −2 ± 75 yr), attesting to continuous deposition at high accumulation rates (>35 cm/kyr). For 1 pair, N. dutertrei is nearly 1000 yr younger, which is difficult to explain by any combination of dissolution and bioturbation or downslope transport, given the excellent carbonate preservation and persistent laminations. The concordant ages underscore the utility of paired 14C dates in planktic foraminifera as a means of assessing stratigraphic continuity in deep-sea sediment sequences.

A retrospective analysis of levels of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen in 1419 health care workers was carried out to compare the efficacy of intramuscular and intradermal administration of plasma derived and recombinant hepatitis B vaccines. No significant difference was detected between the response to intradermal and intramuscular plasma derived vaccine. However of those who received intramuscular recombinant vaccine 81.6%, 13.8% and 4.7% were good (> 100 miu/ml). low (10–99 miu/ml) and non-responders (< 10 miu/ml) respectively. compared with 51.1%, 29.8% and 19.2% of the intradermal group (P > 0.0001). Low dose intradermal administration of recombinant vaccine did not produce satisfactory levels of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen.

A total of 4551 sera from 863 Strain 19 vaccinated and non-vaccinated adult cattle, independent of disease status, were tested by five serological methods to detect the presence of antibodies to B. abortus. Results from Standard Agglutination Tube (SAT), Buffered Brucella Antigen or card (CT), Complement Fixation (CF), Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Rivanol (Riv) methods were compared.

There was a 95% probability for agreement among CT negative sera, between serological methods, for all groups of vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle. The agreement between tests with Riv Positive sera, excluding the calfhood and adult vaccinated group tested by the CF method, was 91–100%. The probability of a serum which was serologically negative by other methods being Riv negative was 98%. The usefulness of serological results from Riv (≥ 1/50) tests for classifying the reactor status of cattle are of doubtful supplemental value to confirm card test positive results.

Vaccination history is an important consideration when evaluating serological data on cattle sera particularly from SAT and CF methods.

The Comores Archipelago comprises four principal islands, lying in a WNW–ESE line at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel. The Islands are almost entirely volcanic and show a simple age progression from Grande Comore, with its active shield volcano Kharthala (2650m), east-south-eastwards through Mohéli and Anjouan, which are quite deeply dissected, to Mayotte, which is in an advanced stage of erosion and subsidence, and is encircled by a barrier reef. There is also evidence of minor volcanic rejuvenation in relatively recent times in Mayotte, and perhaps Anjouan and Mohéli. The lavas of Kharthala, and the neighbouring extinct shield volcano (Massif de la Grille) on Grande Comore are all basaltic, ranging from oceanitic and ankaramitic to aphyric types. Numerous tuff cones occur, especially on the flanks of Massif de la Grille. Basaltic lavas, similar to those of Grande Comore, form the bulk of the dissected volcanic shields of Mohéli and Anjouan, but there is also evidence of differentiation towards alkalic under-saturated end products, both as lavas and as intrusive bodies. Lherzolitic and gabbroic nodules are locally abundant on each of the islands, while xenoliths of sandstone and quartzite have been found on the three westernmost islands. Petrochemical data are presented for a considerable variety of Comores rocks, and the volcanic activity is discussed in terms of the major structural features of the Madagascar-Mozambique region.

Seven sorghum lines, flowering from 50 to 87 days after sowing, were subjected to early drought stress, late stress, and both early and late stress in the field during the dry season in India. Panicle initiation was delayed by 2–25 days and flowering by 1–59 days by the drought stress treatments, the greatest effect being in the treatment subjected to both early and late stress. Stress increased the period between panicle initiation and flowering by retarding the rate of panicle development; when stress was severe panicle development stopped. Upon relief of stress following irrigation, panicle development resumed at rates comparable to those in a fully irrigated control. The rate of leaf appearance was affected in a similar manner to panicle development soon after water was withheld. Rate of leaf appearance and panicle development decreased as pre-dawn leaf water potential decreased and ceased at water potentials of −0.55 and −0.7 MPa, respectively.

Sorghum landraces from contrasting districts of northern Nigeria were grown during the 1990 rainy season to describe their physiological and morphological features. Changes in their dry matter production and yield could be predicted from thermal time to flowering (based on response to a fixed daylength) and partitioning indices. Many other morphological and physiological features, such as light-extinction coefficient, light-use efficiency, plant height, leaf area and leaf number, were either stable or varied systematically with time to flowering. Grain yields of early maturing lines were limited by low light interception from flowering to physiological maturity and those of later maturing lines by highly site-specific drought stress.

This article presents a new approach to the analysis of the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey data, using a Geographical Information System (GIS) for mapping and spatial analysis of site distribution. The first section of the article describes the way in which the GIS was compiled and linked to the computerised gazetteer database. The second section demonstrates the use of the system as a mapping tool, shedding new light on the settlement trends in the region through time. The final section of the article explores in greater depth some aspects of its potential in sophisticated spatial analysis.

The previous report started with optimistic remarks about the increasing importance of the study of interstellar matter in astronomy. This trend has largely been confirmed in the 1985-87 period and it is clear that the subject of our Commission is one of the most active fields of astronomical research. This is also shown by the rapidly growing number of members and by the constitution of new working groups. The major new event in the period has undoubtly been the availability of IRAS data.

Rapid thermal processing has been used to grow high quality, low defect density, low mobile charge, dielectric films of oxide and nitrided oxide. Suitable annealing can lower the fixed charge and interfacial trap density present in these filmsto acceptably low levels. Both RTA and RTN were shown to improve the dielectric properties of the grown oxides. These filmsshould be strong candidates for use in high density, shallow junction, integrated circuits where a minimal time/temperature constraint is imposed on further processing after diffusion.