274,883 research outputs found
Probabilistic Clustering of Time-Evolving Distance Data
We present a novel probabilistic clustering model for objects that are
represented via pairwise distances and observed at different time points. The
proposed method utilizes the information given by adjacent time points to find
the underlying cluster structure and obtain a smooth cluster evolution. This
approach allows the number of objects and clusters to differ at every time
point, and no identification on the identities of the objects is needed.
Further, the model does not require the number of clusters being specified in
advance -- they are instead determined automatically using a Dirichlet process
prior. We validate our model on synthetic data showing that the proposed method
is more accurate than state-of-the-art clustering methods. Finally, we use our
dynamic clustering model to analyze and illustrate the evolution of brain
cancer patients over time
StarHorse: A Bayesian tool for determining stellar masses, ages, distances, and extinctions for field stars
Understanding the formation and evolution of our Galaxy requires accurate
distances, ages and chemistry for large populations of field stars. Here we
present several updates to our spectro-photometric distance code, that can now
also be used to estimate ages, masses, and extinctions for individual stars.
Given a set of measured spectro-photometric parameters, we calculate the
posterior probability distribution over a given grid of stellar evolutionary
models, using flexible Galactic stellar-population priors. The code (called
{\tt StarHorse}) can acommodate different observational datasets, prior
options, partially missing data, and the inclusion of parallax information into
the estimated probabilities. We validate the code using a variety of simulated
stars as well as real stars with parameters determined from asteroseismology,
eclipsing binaries, and isochrone fits to star clusters. Our main goal in this
validation process is to test the applicability of the code to field stars with
known {\it Gaia}-like parallaxes. The typical internal precision (obtained from
realistic simulations of an APOGEE+Gaia-like sample) are in
distance, in age, in mass, and mag in
. The median external precision (derived from comparisons with earlier
work for real stars) varies with the sample used, but lies in the range of
for distances, for ages,
for masses, and mag for . We provide StarHorse distances and
extinctions for the APOGEE DR14, RAVE DR5, GES DR3 and GALAH DR1 catalogues.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepte
The Stellar Metallicity Distribution Function of the Galactic Halo from SDSS Photometry
We explore the stellar metallicity distribution function of the Galactic halo
based on SDSS ugriz photometry. A set of stellar isochrones is calibrated using
observations of several star clusters and validated by comparisons with
medium-resolution spectroscopic values over a wide range of metal abundance. We
estimate distances and metallicities for individual main-sequence stars in the
multiply scanned SDSS Stripe 82, at heliocentric distances in the range 5 - 8
kpc and |b| > 35 deg, and find that the in situ photometric metallicity
distribution has a shape that matches that of the kinematically-selected local
halo stars from Ryan & Norris. We also examine independent kinematic
information from proper-motion measurements for high Galactic latitude stars in
our sample. We find that stars with retrograde rotation in the rest frame of
the Galaxy are generally more metal poor than those exhibiting prograde
rotation, which is consistent with earlier arguments by Carollo et al. that the
halo system comprises at least two spatially overlapping components with
differing metallicity, kinematics, and spatial distributions. The observed
photometric metallicity distribution and that of Ryan & Norris can be described
by a simple chemical evolution model by Hartwick (or by a single Gaussian
distribution); however, the suggestive metallicity-kinematic correlation
contradicts the basic assumption in this model that the Milky Way halo consists
primarily of a single stellar population. When the observed metallicity
distribution is deconvolved using two Gaussian components with peaks at [Fe/H]
~ -1.7 and -2.3, the metal-poor component accounts for ~20% - 35% of the entire
halo population in this distance range.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Curvature-based Pooling within Graph Neural Networks
Over-squashing and over-smoothing are two critical issues, that limit the
capabilities of graph neural networks (GNNs). While over-smoothing eliminates
the differences between nodes making them indistinguishable, over-squashing
refers to the inability of GNNs to propagate information over long distances,
as exponentially many node states are squashed into fixed-size representations.
Both phenomena share similar causes, as both are largely induced by the graph
topology. To mitigate these problems in graph classification tasks, we propose
CurvPool, a novel pooling method. CurvPool exploits the notion of curvature of
a graph to adaptively identify structures responsible for both over-smoothing
and over-squashing. By clustering nodes based on the Balanced Forman curvature,
CurvPool constructs a graph with a more suitable structure, allowing deeper
models and the combination of distant information. We compare it to other
state-of-the-art pooling approaches and establish its competitiveness in terms
of classification accuracy, computational complexity, and flexibility. CurvPool
outperforms several comparable methods across all considered tasks. The most
consistent results are achieved by pooling densely connected clusters using the
sum aggregation, as this allows additional information about the size of each
pool.Comment: ECMLPKDD 2023 - Workshop on Mining and Learning with Graph
An Exploration Of Geographic Scope: The Cluster Of Grenoble
This article examines the high-tech cluster of Grenoble in the light of regional studies. In particular, we explore the geographic scope of organizations, knowledge flows and risk perceptions. Using a large quantitative dataset, we observe that trial-driven synthetic knowledge-flow dynamics are generally based on the engineering sciences and develop over large distances, posing a challenge to well-established clusters. Our results emphasize significant differences across organization types (firms, research centers, universities, and public bodies) and organization sizes (small, medium, and large). We find that large firms develop knowledge-flows dynamics over greater distances than small firms and that research centers, universities and medium-sized firms perceive greater knowledge anchoring than do small and large firms. In addition, we find that theory-driven analytical and branding-driven symbolic knowledge are more anchored than synthetic knowledge, which is the type of knowledge of greatest value in information and communication technologies (ICT). Finally, we argue that the increase of geographical distance between knowledge senders and receivers increases the perception of the risk of unintended knowledge spillovers
Nonparametric Feature Extraction from Dendrograms
We propose feature extraction from dendrograms in a nonparametric way. The
Minimax distance measures correspond to building a dendrogram with single
linkage criterion, with defining specific forms of a level function and a
distance function over that. Therefore, we extend this method to arbitrary
dendrograms. We develop a generalized framework wherein different distance
measures can be inferred from different types of dendrograms, level functions
and distance functions. Via an appropriate embedding, we compute a vector-based
representation of the inferred distances, in order to enable many numerical
machine learning algorithms to employ such distances. Then, to address the
model selection problem, we study the aggregation of different dendrogram-based
distances respectively in solution space and in representation space in the
spirit of deep representations. In the first approach, for example for the
clustering problem, we build a graph with positive and negative edge weights
according to the consistency of the clustering labels of different objects
among different solutions, in the context of ensemble methods. Then, we use an
efficient variant of correlation clustering to produce the final clusters. In
the second approach, we investigate the sequential combination of different
distances and features sequentially in the spirit of multi-layered
architectures to obtain the final features. Finally, we demonstrate the
effectiveness of our approach via several numerical studies
An updated maximum likelihood approach to open cluster distance determination
An improved method for estimating distances to open clusters is presented and
applied to Hipparcos data for the Pleiades and the Hyades. The method is
applied in the context of the historic Pleiades distance problem, with a
discussion of previous criticisms of Hipparcos parallaxes. This is followed by
an outlook for Gaia, where the improved method could be especially useful.
Based on maximum likelihood estimation, the method combines parallax, position,
apparent magnitude, colour, proper motion, and radial velocity information to
estimate the parameters describing an open cluster precisely and without bias.
We find the distance to the Pleiades to be pc, in accordance
with previously published work using the same dataset. We find that error
correlations cannot be responsible for the still present discrepancy between
Hipparcos and photometric methods. Additionally, the three-dimensional space
velocity and physical structure of Pleiades is parametrised, where we find
strong evidence of mass segregation. The distance to the Hyades is found to be
pc, also in accordance with previous results. Through the use
of simulations, we confirm that the method is unbiased, so will be useful for
accurate open cluster parameter estimation with Gaia at distances up to several
thousand parsec.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables, 3 appendices. Accepted in A&
Cosmicflows-2: I-band Luminosity - HI Linewidth Calibration
In order to measure distances with minimal systematics using the correlation
between galaxy luminosities and rotation rates it is necessary to adhere to a
strict and tested recipe. We now derive a measure of rotation from a new
characterization of the width of a neutral Hydrogen line profile. Additionally,
new photometry and zero point calibration data are available. Particularly the
introduction of a new linewidth parameter necessitates the reconstruction and
absolute calibration of the luminosity-linewidth template. The slope of the new
template is set by 267 galaxies in 13 clusters. The zero point is set by 36
galaxies with Cepheid or Tip of the Red Giant Branch distances. Tentatively, we
determine H0 = 75 km s-1 Mpc-1. Distances determined using the
luminosity-linewidth calibration will contribute to the distance compendium
Cosmicflows-2.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 27 pages, 18
figure
Cosmicflows-2: SNIa Calibration and H0
The construction of the Cosmicflows-2 compendium of distances involves the
merging of distance measures contributed by the following methods: (Cepheid)
Period-Luminosity, Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB), Surface Brightness
Fluctuation (SBF), Luminosity-Linewidth (TF), Fundamental Plane (FP), and Type
Ia supernova (SNIa). The method involving SNIa is at the top of an
interconnected ladder, providing accurate distances to well beyond the expected
range of distortions to Hubble flow from peculiar motions. In this paper, the
SNIa scale is anchored by 36 TF spirals with Cepheid or TRGB distances, 56 SNIa
hosts with TF distances, and 61 groups or clusters hosting SNIa with Cepheid,
SBF, TF, or FP distances. With the SNIa scale zero point set, a value of the
Hubble Constant is evaluated over a range of redshifts 0.03 < z < 0.5, assuming
a cosmological model with Omega_m = 0.27 and Omega_Lambda = 0.73. The value
determined for the Hubble Constant is H0 = 75.9 \pm 3.8 km s-1 Mpc-1.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 11 pages,
8Figures, 5 Table
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