X-ray spectroscopy of the IP PQ Gem

Using RXTE and ASCA data, we investigate the roles played by occultation and absorption in the X-ray spin pulse profile of the intermediate polar PQ Gem. From the X-ray light curves and phase-resolved spectroscopy, we find that the intensity variations are the result of a combination of varying degrees of absorption and the accretion regions rotating behind the visible face of the white dwarf. These occultation and absorption effects are consistent with those expected from the accretion structures calculated from optical polarization data. We can reproduce the changes in absorber covering fraction either from geometrical effects, or by considering that the material in the leading edge of the accretion curtain is more finely fragmented than in other parts of the curtain. We determine a white dwarf mass of ∼ 1.2 using the RXTE data

Generalized proximal policy optimization with sample reuse

In real-world decision making tasks, it is critical for data-driven reinforcement learning methods to be both stable and sample efficient. On-policy methods typically generate reliable policy improvement throughout training, while off-policy methods make more efficient use of data through sample reuse. In this work, we combine the theoretically supported stability benefits of on-policy algorithms with the sample efficiency of off-policy algorithms. We develop policy improvement guarantees that are suitable for the off-policy setting, and connect these bounds to the clipping mechanism used in Proximal Policy Optimization. This motivates an off-policy version of the popular algorithm that we call Generalized Proximal Policy Optimization with Sample Reuse. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that our algorithm delivers improved performance by effectively balancing the competing goals of stability and sample efficiency.Published versio

Jenis Laba-Laba (Araneae) Di Taman Wisata Alam Baumata Kecamatan Taebenu Kabupaten Kupang Nusa Tenggara Timur

Penelitian terkait laba-laba di Taman Wisata Alam Baumata (TWAB) berlangsung selama dua bulan yaitu bulan Agustus 2017. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui jenis laba-laba. Manfaat dari penelitian ini yaitu dapat berkontribusi bagi pihak pengelolah TWAB dalam melestarikan biodiversitas yang tersedia. Manfaat lain yaitu sebagai database keanekaragaman hayati laba-laba Nusantara khususnya di TWAB Kupang. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berupa metode belt transek (transek sabuk) yang dikombinasikan dengan transek kuadran. Hasil penelitian dianalisis berdasarkan pada buku kunci determinasi serangga oleh Subyanto (1991) dan jurnal. Analisis keanekaragaman jenis dan kelimpahan jenis laba-laba menggunakan rumus Shannon-Wiener. Adapun spesies laba-laba yang ditemukan yakni: Gasteracantha cancriformis, Argiope appensa, Menemerus bivittatus, Latrodectus hesperus, Polcus phalangioides,  Nephila  inaurata, Nephila clavipes, Parasteatoda tepidorium, Hogna lenta, Scytodes thoracica, dan Heteropoda jugulans. Ke-sebelas spesies tergolong dalam famili :Araneidae, Salticidae, Theridiidae, pholcidae, Nephilidae, Lycosidae, Scytodidae dan Sparassidae. Nilai keanekaragaman laba-laba yang diperoleh 2,338 sedangkan tingkat kelimpahan spesies laba-laba adalah 0.118/m2. Berdasarkan Indeks keanekaragaman dan kelimpahan maka distribusi laba-laba di TWAB tergolong sedang.The research related to Spider at Baumata Nature Tourism Park (BNTP) lasted for one months that was August 2017. The purpose of this research is to know the type of spider. The benefit of this research is: it can contribute to the management of BNTP in preserving the available biodiversity. Another benefit is as a database of biodiversity of spider Archipelago, especially in BNTP Kupang. The used method in this research was the belt transect method (belt transect) which was combined with quadrant transect. The results were analyzed based on the key book of insect determination by Subyanto (1991) and the journal. The analysis of species variety and the profusion of the spider species used the Shannon-Wiener formula. The found spider species were: Gasteracantha cancriformis, Argiope appensa, Menemerus bivittatus, Latrodectus hesperus, Polcus phalangioides, Nephila inaurata, Nephila clavipes, Paratezati tepidorium, Hogna lenta, Scytodes thoracica, and Heteropoda jugulans. The eleven species belong to families of  Araneidae, Salticidae, Theridiidae, pholcidae, Nephilidae, Lycosidae, Scytodidae and Sparassidae. The obtained spider variety value was 2,338 while the profusion extent of spider species was 0.118/m2. Based on the variety and profusion index, the spider distribution in BNTP is moderate

Generalized proximal policy optimization with sample reuse

In real-world decision making tasks, it is critical for data-driven reinforcement learning methods to be both stable and sample efficient. On-policy methods typically generate reliable policy improvement throughout training, while off-policy methods make more efficient use of data through sample reuse. In this work, we combine the theoretically supported stability benefits of on-policy algorithms with the sample efficiency of off-policy algorithms. We develop policy improvement guarantees that are suitable for the off-policy setting, and connect these bounds to the clipping mechanism used in Proximal Policy Optimization. This motivates an off-policy version of the popular algorithm that we call Generalized Proximal Policy Optimization with Sample Reuse. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that our algorithm delivers improved performance by effectively balancing the competing goals of stability and sample efficiency.Published versio

Oral History #035: When the People of San Miguel Were Going to Separate from Ixtahuacán

The narrator tells the story of when the people of the hamlet of San Miguel found the statue of Saint Michael the Archangel in the mountains. They said the statue was miraculous and so wanted to separate from Ixtahuacán to form their own municipality with a church to house the saint.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/laii_kichemaya/1123/thumbnail.jp

Oral History #062: A Lazy Man

This story is about a lazy young man who did not want to work. So God gave him a job chasing insects out of a garden, and watering the flowers but warned him never to look under the flowers. The youth did not obey the order and a bunch of snakes came out and ate him alive. Note: This story is similar to other stories #26, #54,#64 y #138) in this collection.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/laii_kichemaya/1077/thumbnail.jp

Oral History #026: The Lazy Man

Narrator tells a story about a lazy young man who kills his mother because she tried to force him to work. He runs away to join a gang of thieves. When he discovers that they planned to kill him, he puts on the costume of a Mora dancer and begins to dance. When the thieves awake, they think the boy is a monster and throw themselves into a deep canyon and die. The lazy youth finds all the treasures that the dead thieves had robbed, and takes possession of them. Note: This story is similar to other stories (#26, #54, #62, #64, and #138) in this collection.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/laii_kichemaya/1114/thumbnail.jp

Oral History #082: A Womanizer Suffers from Syphilis

There was a man who used to have sex with any woman he could find, young or old. Finally he contracted syphilis and began to suffer a great deal from the disease. He went to the doctor and paid a lot of money for a cure then decided that he had done wrong, and stopped having random sex with womenhttps://digitalrepository.unm.edu/laii_kichemaya/1067/thumbnail.jp