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 $l_c/\lambda_p \leq 10$ and the coating and host refractive indices $n_c$ and $n_h$, respectively, between 1 and 1.47, one can always find a sphere radius $r_s$ such that the relative gap width $g_w$ (gap width to the midgap frequency ratio) is larger than 5% and, in some cases, $g_w$ 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 $\beta$ and the particle density $\rho$. The one-loop diagrams in this expansion can be summed exactly and we show that this result is exact in the limit of small $\beta$ and $\rho\beta$ 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