1,072 research outputs found
ELAN as flexible annotation framework for sound and image processing detectors
Annotation of digital recordings in humanities research still is, to a largeextend, a process that is performed manually. This paper describes the firstpattern recognition based software components developed in the AVATecH projectand their integration in the annotation tool ELAN. AVATecH (AdvancingVideo/Audio Technology in Humanities Research) is a project that involves twoMax Planck Institutes (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen,Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle) and two FraunhoferInstitutes (Fraunhofer-Institut für Intelligente Analyse- undInformationssysteme IAIS, Sankt Augustin, Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute,Berlin) and that aims to develop and implement audio and video technology forsemi-automatic annotation of heterogeneous media collections as they occur inmultimedia based research. The highly diverse nature of the digital recordingsstored in the archives of both Max Planck Institutes, poses a huge challenge tomost of the existing pattern recognition solutions and is a motivation to makesuch technology available to researchers in the humanities
Contrasting abundance and residency patterns of two sympatric populations of transient killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northern Gulf of Alaska
Two sympatric populations of “transient” (mammal-eating)
killer whales were photo-identified over 27 years (1984–2010) in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords, coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Alaska (GOA). A total of 88 individuals were identified during 203 encounters with “AT1” transients (22 individuals) and 91 encounters with “GOA” transients (66 individuals). The median number of individuals identified annually was similar for both populations (AT1=7; GOA=8), but mark-recapture estimates showed the AT1 whales to have much higher fidelity to the study area, whereas the GOA whales had a higher exchange of
individuals. Apparent survival estimates were generally high for both populations, but there was a significant
reduction in the survival of AT1 transients after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, with an abrupt decline in estimated abundance from a high of 22 in 1989 to a low of seven whales at the end of 2010. There was no detectable decline in GOA population abundance or survival over the same period, but abundance ranged from just 6 to 18 whales annually. Resighting data from adjacent coastal waters
and movement tracks from satellite tags further indicated that the GOA whales are part of a larger population with a more extensive range, whereas AT1 whales are resident to
the study area
High-Dispersion Optical Spectra of Nearby Stars Younger Than The Sun
We present high-dispersion (R~16,000) optical (3900-8700 A) spectra of 390
stars obtained with the Palomar 60 inch telescope. The majority of stars
observed are part of the Spitzer Legacy Science Program "The Formation and
Evolution of Planetary Systems." Through detailed analysis we determine stellar
properties for this sample, including radial and rotational velocities, Li I
6708 and Ha equivalent widths, the chromospheric activity index R'_HK, and
temperature- and gravity-sensitive line ratios. Several spectroscopic binaries
are also identified. From our tabulations, we illustrate basic age- and
rotation-related correlations among measured indices. One novel result is that
Ca II chromospheric emission appears to saturate at vsini values above ~30
km/s, similar to the well established saturation of X-rays that originate in
the spatially separate coronal regions.Comment: 1 electronic table; published in the Astronomical Journa
Universal reduction of pressure between charged surfaces by long-wavelength surface charge modulation
We predict theoretically that long-wavelength surface charge modulations
universally reduce the pressure between the charged surfaces with counterions
compared with the case of uniformly charged surfaces with the same average
surface charge density. The physical origin of this effect is the fact that
surface charge modulations always lead to enhanced counterion localization near
the surfaces, and hence, fewer charges at the midplane. We confirm the last
prediction with Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 8 pages 1 figure, Europhys. Lett., in pres
Photonic crystals of coated metallic spheres
It is shown that simple face-centered-cubic (fcc) structures of both metallic
and coated metallic spheres are ideal candidates to achieve a tunable complete
photonic bandgap (CPBG) for optical wavelengths using currently available
experimental techniques. For coated microspheres with the coating width to
plasma wavelength ratio and the coating and host
refractive indices and , respectively, between 1 and 1.47, one can
always find a sphere radius such that the relative gap width (gap
width to the midgap frequency ratio) is larger than 5% and, in some cases,
can exceed 9%. Using different coatings and supporting liquids, the width
and midgap frequency of a CPBG can be tuned considerably.Comment: 14 pages, plain latex, 3 ps figures, to appear in Europhys. Lett. For
more info on this subject see
http://www.amolf.nl/research/photonic_materials_theory/moroz/moroz.htm
Self diffusion in a system of interacting Langevin particles
The behavior of the self diffusion constant of Langevin particles interacting
via a pairwise interaction is considered. The diffusion constant is calculated
approximately within a perturbation theory in the potential strength about the
bare diffusion constant. It is shown how this expansion leads to a systematic
double expansion in the inverse temperature and the particle density
. The one-loop diagrams in this expansion can be summed exactly and we
show that this result is exact in the limit of small and
constant. The one-loop result can also be re-summed using a
semi-phenomenological renormalization group method which has proved useful in
the study of diffusion in random media. In certain cases the renormalization
group calculation predicts the existence of a diverging relaxation time
signalled by the vanishing of the diffusion constant -- possible forms of
divergence coming from this approximation are discussed. Finally, at a more
quantitative level, the results are compared with numerical simulations, in
two-dimensions, of particles interacting via a soft potential recently used to
model the interaction between coiled polymers.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures .ep
Can the evolution of music be analyzed in a quantitative manner?
We propose a methodology to study music development by applying multivariate
statistics on composers characteristics. Seven representative composers were
considered in terms of eight main musical features. Grades were assigned to
each characteristic and their correlations were analyzed. A bootstrap method
was applied to simulate hundreds of artificial composers influenced by the
seven representatives chosen. Afterwards we quantify non-numeric relations like
dialectics, opposition and innovation. Composers differences on style and
technique were represented as geometrical distances in the feature space,
making it possible to quantify, for example, how much Bach and Stockhausen
differ from other composers or how much Beethoven influenced Brahms. In
addition, we compared the results with a prior investigation on philosophy.
Opposition, strong on philosophy, was not remarkable on music. Supporting an
observation already considered by music theorists, strong influences were
identified between composers by the quantification of dialectics, implying
inheritance and suggesting a stronger master-disciple evolution when compared
to the philosophy analysis.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, added references for sections 1 and 4.C, better
mathematical description on section 2. New values and interpretation, now
considering a bootstrap metho
An Assessment of Dynamical Mass Constraints on Pre-Main Sequence Evolutionary Tracks
[abridged] We have assembled a database of stars having both masses
determined from measured orbital dynamics and sufficient spectral and
photometric information for their placement on a theoretical HR diagram. Our
sample consists of 115 low mass (M < 2.0 Msun) stars, 27 pre-main sequence and
88 main sequence. We use a variety of available pre-main sequence evolutionary
calculations to test the consistency of predicted stellar masses with
dynamically determined masses. Despite substantial improvements in model
physics over the past decade, large systematic discrepancies still exist
between empirical and theoretically derived masses. For main-sequence stars,
all models considered predict masses consistent with dynamical values above 1.2
Msun, some models predict consistent masses at solar or slightly lower masses,
and no models predict consistent masses below 0.5 Msun but rather all models
systematically under-predict such low masses by 5-20%. The failure at low
masses stems from the poor match of most models to the empirical main-sequence
below temperatures of 3800 K where molecules become the dominant source of
opacity and convection is the dominant mode of energy transport. For the
pre-main sequence sample we find similar trends. There is generally good
agreement between predicted and dynamical masses above 1.2 Msun for all models.
Below 1.2 Msun and down to 0.3 Msun (the lowest mass testable) most
evolutionary models systematically under-predict the dynamically determined
masses by 10-30% on average with the Lyon group models (e.g. Baraffe et al.
1998) predicting marginally consistent masses *in the mean* though with large
scatter.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ (2004
Dynamics of a small neutrally buoyant sphere in a fluid and targeting in Hamiltonian systems
We show that, even in the most favorable case, the motion of a small
spherical tracer suspended in a fluid of the same density may differ from the
corresponding motion of an ideal passive particle. We demonstrate furthermore
how its dynamics may be applied to target trajectories in Hamiltonian systems.Comment: See home page http://lec.ugr.es/~julya
The AMMA mulid network for aerosol characterization in West Africa
Three ground based portable low power consumption microlidars (MULID) have
been built and deployed at three remote sites in Banizoumbou (Niger), Cinzana
(Mali) and M'Bour (Senegal) in the framework of the African Monsoon
Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) project for the characterization of aerosols
optical properties. A description of the instrument and a discussion of the
data inversion method, including a careful analysis of measurement
uncertainties (systematic and statistical errors) are presented. Some case
studies of typical lidar profiles observed over the Banizoumbou site during
2006 are shown and discussed with respect to the AERONET 7-day
back-trajectories and the biomass burning emissions from the Combustion
Emission database for the AMMA campaign
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