15,565 research outputs found
The Millennium Run Observatory: First Light
Simulations of galaxy evolution aim to capture our current understanding as
well as to make predictions for testing by future experiments. Simulations and
observations are often compared in an indirect fashion: physical quantities are
estimated from the data and compared to models. However, many applications can
benefit from a more direct approach, where the observing process is also
simulated and the models are seen fully from the observer's perspective. To
facilitate this, we have developed the Millennium Run Observatory (MRObs), a
theoretical virtual observatory which uses virtual telescopes to `observe'
semi-analytic galaxy formation models based on the suite of Millennium Run dark
matter simulations. The MRObs produces data that can be processed and analyzed
using the standard software packages developed for real observations. At
present, we produce images in forty filters from the rest-frame UV to IR for
two stellar population synthesis models, three different models of IGM
absorption, and two cosmologies (WMAP1/7). Galaxy distributions for a large
number of mock lightcones can be `observed' using models of major ground- and
space-based telescopes. The data include lightcone catalogues linked to
structural properties of galaxies, pre-observation model images, mock telescope
images, and Source Extractor products that can all be traced back to the higher
level dark matter, semi-analytic galaxy, and lightcone catalogues available in
the Millennium database. Here, we describe our methods and announce a first
public release of simulated surveys (e.g., SDSS, CFHT-LS, GOODS, GOODS/ERS,
CANDELS, and HUDF). The MRObs browser, an online tool, further facilitates
exploration of the simulated data. We demonstrate the benefits of a direct
approach through a number of example applications (galaxy number counts in
CANDELS, clusters, morphologies, and dropout selections).Comment: MNRAS, in press. Millennium Run Observatory data products, online
tools, and more available through http://galformod.mpa-garching.mpg.de/mrobs
A Building Stone Assessment of sandstone in Iona Nunnery and at Carsaig quarry on Mull
This report presents the outcomes of a project commissioned by Historic Scotland to determine, using a combination of archival records and geological evidence, whether blocks of sandstone in Iona Nunnery (a Scheduled Monument on the island of Iona) came from Carsaig quarry (a long-disused quarry on the south coast of Mull). The report also considers the feasibility of sourcing new stone to use in future repairs to the nunnery from Carsaig quarry and from the remains of nearby Carsaig pier. Details of the most suitable commercially available stones from elsewhere in the UK are also provided, should it prove not possible or not practical to obtain new stone from Carsaig quarry or Carsaig pier
Evolution and Fragility of Mobile Automated Test Suites
L'abstract Ăš presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen
Carbon stars in the X-shooter Spectral Library
We provide a new collection of spectra of 35 carbon stars obtained with the
ESO/VLT X-shooter instrument as part of the X-shooter Spectral Library project.
The spectra extend from 0.3m to 2.4m with a resolving power above
8000. The sample contains stars with a broad range of (J-K) color and
pulsation properties located in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. We
show that the distribution of spectral properties of carbon stars at a given
(J-K) color becomes bimodal (in our sample) when (J-K) is larger than about
1.5. We describe the two families of spectra that emerge, characterized by the
presence or absence of the absorption feature at 1.53m, generally
associated with HCN and CH. This feature appears essentially only in
large-amplitude variables, though not in all observations. Associated spectral
signatures that we interpret as the result of veiling by circumstellar matter,
indicate that the 1.53m feature might point to episodes of dust production
in carbon-rich Miras.Comment: 29 pages, 21 figures, 9 tables, Accepted for publication in A&
String theory: an update
An overview of some of the developments in string theory over the past two
years is given, focusing on four topics: realistic (standard model like) models
from string theory, geometric engineering and theories with fluxes, the gauge
theory-gravity correspondence, and time dependent backgrounds and string
theory. Plenary talk at ICHEP'02, Amsterdam, July 24-31, 2002.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, uses espcrc2.sty, v2: several references added,
apologies for the delay in submitting this updated versio
Simple identification tools in FishBase
Simple identification tools for fish species were included in the FishBase information system from its inception. Early tools made use of the relational model and characters like fin ray meristics. Soon pictures and drawings were added as a further help, similar to a field guide. Later came the computerization of existing dichotomous keys, again in combination with pictures and other information, and the ability to restrict possible species by country, area, or taxonomic group. Today, www.FishBase.org offers four different ways to identify species. This paper describes these tools with their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests various options for further
development. It explores the possibility of a holistic and integrated computeraided strategy
Bag-Level Aggregation for Multiple Instance Active Learning in Instance Classification Problems
A growing number of applications, e.g. video surveillance and medical image
analysis, require training recognition systems from large amounts of weakly
annotated data while some targeted interactions with a domain expert are
allowed to improve the training process. In such cases, active learning (AL)
can reduce labeling costs for training a classifier by querying the expert to
provide the labels of most informative instances. This paper focuses on AL
methods for instance classification problems in multiple instance learning
(MIL), where data is arranged into sets, called bags, that are weakly labeled.
Most AL methods focus on single instance learning problems. These methods are
not suitable for MIL problems because they cannot account for the bag structure
of data. In this paper, new methods for bag-level aggregation of instance
informativeness are proposed for multiple instance active learning (MIAL). The
\textit{aggregated informativeness} method identifies the most informative
instances based on classifier uncertainty, and queries bags incorporating the
most information. The other proposed method, called \textit{cluster-based
aggregative sampling}, clusters data hierarchically in the instance space. The
informativeness of instances is assessed by considering bag labels, inferred
instance labels, and the proportion of labels that remain to be discovered in
clusters. Both proposed methods significantly outperform reference methods in
extensive experiments using benchmark data from several application domains.
Results indicate that using an appropriate strategy to address MIAL problems
yields a significant reduction in the number of queries needed to achieve the
same level of performance as single instance AL methods
- âŠ