An evaluation resource for geographic information retrieval

In this paper we present an evaluation resource for geographic information retrieval developed within the Cross Language Evaluation Forum (CLEF). The GeoCLEF track is dedicated to the evaluation of geographic information retrieval systems. The resource encompasses more than 600,000 documents, 75 topics so far, and more than 100,000 relevance judgments for these topics. Geographic information retrieval requires an evaluation resource which represents realistic information needs and which is geographically challenging. Some experimental results and analysis are reported

GeoCLEF 2007: the CLEF 2007 cross-language geographic information retrieval track overview

GeoCLEF ran as a regular track for the second time within the Cross Language Evaluation Forum (CLEF) 2007. The purpose of GeoCLEF is to test and evaluate cross-language geographic information retrieval (GIR): retrieval for topics with a geographic specification. GeoCLEF 2007 consisted of two sub tasks. A search task ran for the third time and a query classification task was organized for the first. For the GeoCLEF 2007 search task, twenty-five search topics were defined by the organizing groups for searching English, German, Portuguese and Spanish document collections. All topics were translated into English, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Several topics in 2007 were geographically challenging. Thirteen groups submitted 108 runs. The groups used a variety of approaches. For the classification task, a query log from a search engine was provided and the groups needed to identify the queries with a geographic scope and the geographic components within the local queries

GeoCLEF 2006: the CLEF 2006 Ccross-language geographic information retrieval track overview

After being a pilot track in 2005, GeoCLEF advanced to be a regular track within CLEF 2006. The purpose of GeoCLEF is to test and evaluate cross-language geographic information retrieval (GIR): retrieval for topics with a geographic specification. For GeoCLEF 2006, twenty-five search topics were defined by the organizing groups for searching English, German, Portuguese and Spanish document collections. Topics were translated into English, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Japanese. Several topics in 2006 were significantly more geographically challenging than in 2005. Seventeen groups submitted 149 runs (up from eleven groups and 117 runs in GeoCLEF 2005). The groups used a variety of approaches, including geographic bounding boxes, named entity extraction and external knowledge bases (geographic thesauri and ontologies and gazetteers)

Fundamental parameters of Cepheids. V. Additional photometry and radial velocity for southern Cepheids

I present photometric and radial velocity data for Galactic Cepheids, most of them being in the southern hemisphere. There are 1250 Geneva 7-color photometric measurements for 62 Cepheids, the average uncertainty per measurement is better than 0.01 mag. A total of 832 velocity measurements have been obtained with the CORAVEL radial velocity spectrograph for 46 Cepheids. The average accuracy of the radial velocity data is 0.38 km/s. There are 33 stars with both photometry and radial velocity data. I discuss the possible binarity or period change that these new data reveal. I also present reddenings for all Cepheids with photometry. The data are available electronically.Comment: To appear in ApJS. Data available electronically at ftp://cfa-ftp.harvard.edu/pub/dbersier

Proposal to Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons at the SPS

A new fixed-target experiment at the CERN SPS accelerator is proposed that will use decays of charm mesons to search for Heavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs), which are right-handed partners of the Standard Model neutrinos. The existence of such particles is strongly motivated by theory, as they can simultaneously explain the baryon asymmetry of the Universe, account for the pattern of neutrino masses and oscillations and provide a Dark Matter candidate. Cosmological constraints on the properties of HNLs now indicate that the majority of the interesting parameter space for such particles was beyond the reach of the previous searches at the PS191, BEBC, CHARM, CCFR and NuTeV experiments. For HNLs with mass below 2 GeV, the proposed experiment will improve on the sensitivity of previous searches by four orders of magnitude and will cover a major fraction of the parameter space favoured by theoretical models. The experiment requires a 400 GeV proton beam from the SPS with a total of 2x10^20 protons on target, achievable within five years of data taking. The proposed detector will reconstruct exclusive HNL decays and measure the HNL mass. The apparatus is based on existing technologies and consists of a target, a hadron absorber, a muon shield, a decay volume and two magnetic spectrometers, each of which has a 0.5 Tm magnet, a calorimeter and a muon detector. The detector has a total length of about 100 m with a 5 m diameter. The complete experimental set-up could be accommodated in CERN's North Area. The discovery of a HNL would have a great impact on our understanding of nature and open a new area for future research

Spectral Classification; Old and Contemporary

Beginning with a historical account of the spectral classification, its refinement through additional criteria is presented. The line strengths and ratios used in two dimensional classifications of each spectral class are described. A parallel classification scheme for metal-poor stars and the standards used for classification are presented. The extension of spectral classification beyond M to L and T and spectroscopic classification criteria relevant to these classes are described. Contemporary methods of classifications based upon different automated approaches are introduced.Comment: To be published in "Principles and Perspectives in Cosmochemistry" Lecture Notes on Kodai School on Synthesis of Elements in Stars: Ed Aruna Goswami & Eswar Reddy, Springer Verlag, 2009, 17 pages, 10 figure

Ab initio simulations of the kinetic properties of the hydrogen monomer on graphene

The understanding of the kinetic properties of hydrogen (isotopes) adatoms on graphene is important in many fields. The kinetic properties of hydrogen-isotope (H, D and T) monomers were simulated using a composite method consisting of density functional theory, density functional perturbation theory and harmonic transition state theory. The kinetic changes of the magnetic property and the aromatic $\pi$ bond of the hydrogenated graphene during the desorption and diffusion of the hydrogen monomer was discussed. The vibrational zero-point energy corrections in the activation energies were found to be significant, ranging from 0.072 to 0.205 eV. The results obtained from quantum-mechanically modified harmonic transition state theory were compared with the ones obtained from classical-limit harmonic transition state theory over a wide temperature range. The phonon spectra of hydrogenated graphene were used to closely explain the (reversed) isotope effects in the prefactor, activation energy and jump frequency of the hydrogen monomer. The kinetic properties of the hydrogen-isotope monomers were simulated under conditions of annealing for 10 minutes and of heating at a constant rate (1.0 K/s). The isotope effect was observed; that is, a hydrogen monomer of lower mass is desorbed and diffuses more easily (with lower activation energies). The results presented herein are very similar to other reported experimental observations. This study of the kinetic properties of the hydrogen monomer and many other involved implicit mechanisms provides a better understanding of the interaction between hydrogen and graphene.Comment: Accepted by J. Phys. Chem.

Diversidade funcional da comunidade bacteriana do solo e populações de Fusarium spp., Trichoderma spp. e Rhizoctonia solani em sistema agroecológico de produção de feijão comum.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar os efeitos de sistemas de produção sobre a diversidade funcional da comunidade bacteriana do solo, populações de Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, Trichoderma spp. e Rhizoctonia solani e relações entre estas variáveis, em cultivo orgânico de feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Pérola

Fe speciation in Iron modified natural zeolites as sustainable environmental catalysts

Natural purified mordenite from Palmarito de Cauto (ZP) deposit, Cuba, was subjected to a hydrothermal ion exchange process in acid medium with Fe2+ or Fe3+ salts (Fe2+ZP and Fe3+ZP). The set of samples was characterized regarding their textural properties, morphology, and crystallinity, and tested in the NO reduction with CO/C3H6. Infrared spectroscopy coupled with NO as a probe molecule was used to give a qualitative description of the Fe species’ nature and distribution. The exchange process caused an increase in the iron loading of the samples and a redistribution, resulting in more dispersed Fe2+ and Fe3+ species. When contacted with the NO probe, Fe2+ZP showed the highest intensity of nitrosyl bands, assigned to NO adducts on isolated/highly dispersed Fe2+/Fe3+ extra-framework sites and FexOy clusters. This sample is also characterized by the highest NO sorption capacity and activity in NO reduction. Fe3+ZP showed a higher intensity of nitrosonium (NO+) species, without a correlation to NO storage and conversion, pointing to the reactivity of small FexOy aggregates in providing oxygen atoms for the NO to NO+ reaction. The same sites are proposed to be responsible for the higher production of CO2 observed on this sample, and thus to be detrimental to the activity in NO SCR

Componentes não-carcaça de cordeiros puros e cruzados criados no semiárido do Nordeste do Brasil.

Resumo:?Objetivou-se com esse estudo avaliar o peso e rendimento dos componentes não-carcaça de cordeiros de diferentes grupos genéticos, Morada Nova x Morada Nova, Rabo Largo x Morada Nova e Santa Inês x Morada Nova. Foram utilizados 15 cordeiros machos, não castrados, com peso vivo médio inicial de 6,7 kg, em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco repetições em cada tratamento. Os animais foram mantidos em pastagem nativa da Caatinga e ao final da tarde suplementados com volumoso e ração concentrada a base de milho, farelo de soja e calcário, com água e sal mineral à vontade. Os animais foram abatidos ao atingirem oito meses de idade, com aproximadamente 25 kg de peso vivo. Após o abate, registraram-se os pesos e rendimentos dos componentes não-carcaça. Os dados foram submetidos a análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Duncan pelo programa estatístico SAS®. Houve efeito do grupo genético para as variáveis dos componentes não carcaça. Os cordeiros Santa Inês x Morada Nova apresentaram maior conteúdo do trato gastrintestinal quando comparado com os demais grupos genéticos. Para as variáveis coração, rins e fígado ocorreu similaridade entre os grupos Rabo Largo x Morada Nova e Santa Inês x Morada Nova. A utilização de ovelhas Morada Nova em cruzamento industrial com o uso de reprodutores Santa Inês e Rabo largo promoveu maior peso nos componentes não-carcaça dos cordeiros criados na região do semiárido nordestino. [Non-carcass components of lambs pure and crossbreed created in Northeast of Brazil]. Abstract: The aim was to evaluate the weight and yield of carcass of lambs of different genetic groups: Morada Nova x Morada Nova, Rabo Largo x Morada Nova and Santa Ines x Morada Nova. Were used fifteen lambs, not castrated, with an average live weight of 6.7 kg, in a randomized design with five replicates in each treatment. The animals were kept on native pasture Caatinga and late afternoon supplemented with forage and ration concentrate based on corn, soybean meal and limestone, with access water and mineral salt ad libitum. The animals were slaughtered to reached eight months of age, with approximately 25 kg live weight. After slaughter, were recorded the weights and yield of non-carcass components. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means were compared by Duncan test by SAS® software. The lambs crossbreed Santa Ines x Morada Nova showed higher content of gastrointestinal tract when compared with the other genetic groups. For the variables, heart, kidneys and liver occurred similarity between groups Rabo Largo x Morada Nova and Santa Ines x Morada Nova. The use of Morada Nova sheep in crossbreeding with cross Santa Ines and Rabo Largo promoted higher weight in the non-carcass components of lambs created in the northeastern semi-arid region