29,407 research outputs found
Merging -means with hierarchical clustering for identifying general-shaped groups
Clustering partitions a dataset such that observations placed together in a
group are similar but different from those in other groups. Hierarchical and
-means clustering are two approaches but have different strengths and
weaknesses. For instance, hierarchical clustering identifies groups in a
tree-like structure but suffers from computational complexity in large datasets
while -means clustering is efficient but designed to identify homogeneous
spherically-shaped clusters. We present a hybrid non-parametric clustering
approach that amalgamates the two methods to identify general-shaped clusters
and that can be applied to larger datasets. Specifically, we first partition
the dataset into spherical groups using -means. We next merge these groups
using hierarchical methods with a data-driven distance measure as a stopping
criterion. Our proposal has the potential to reveal groups with general shapes
and structure in a dataset. We demonstrate good performance on several
simulated and real datasets.Comment: 16 pages, 1 table, 9 figures; accepted for publication in Sta
Does monetary policy have differential state-level effects? an empirical evaluation
The paper examines whether monetary policy has similar effects across major states in the Indian polity. Impulse response functions from an estimated Structural Vector Auto Regression (SVAR) reveal two sets of states: a core of states that respond to monetary policy in a significant fashion vis-Ã -vis others whose response is less significant. The paper attempts to trace the reasons for the differential response of these two sets of states in terms of financial deepening and differential industry mix.monetary policy; regional effect; optimum currency area
Planar Two-particle Coulomb Interaction: Classical and Quantum Aspects
The classical and quantum aspects of planar Coulomb interactions have been
studied in detail. In the classical scenario, Action Angle Variables are
introduced to handle relativistic corrections, in the scheme of
time-independent perturbation theory. Complications arising due to the
logarithmic nature of the potential are pointed out. In the quantum case,
harmonic oscillator approximations are considered and effects of the
perturbations on the excited (oscillator) states have been analysed. In both
the above cases, the known 3+1-dimensional analysis is carried through side by
side, for a comparison with the 2+1-dimensional (planar) results.Comment: LaTex, Figures on request, e-mail:<[email protected]
Observation of the Faraday effect via beam deflection in a longitudinal magnetic field
We report the observation of the magnetic field induced circular differential
deflection of light at the interface of a Faraday medium. The difference in the
angles of refraction or reflection between the two circular polarization
components is a function of the magnetic field strength and the Verdet
constant. The reported phenomena permit the observation of the Faraday effect
not via polarization rotation in transmission, but via changes in the
propagation direction in refraction or in reflection. An unpolarized light beam
is predicted to split into its two circular polarization components. The light
deflection arises within a few wavelengths at the interface and is therefore
independent of pathlength
Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries, Millisecond Radio Pulsars, and the Cosmic Star Formation Rate
We report on the implications of the peak in the cosmic star-formation rate
(SFR) at redshift z ~ 1.5 for the resulting population of low-mass X-ray
binaries(LMXB) and for that of their descendants, the millisecond radio pulsars
(MRP). Since the evolutionary timescales of LMXBs, their progenitors, and their
descendants are thought be significant fractions of the time-interval between
the SFR peak and the present epoch, there is a lag in the turn-on of the LMXB
population, with the peak activity occurring at z ~ 0.5 - 1.0. The peak in the
MRP population is delayed further, occurring at z < 0.5. We show that the
discrepancy between the birthrate of LMXBs and MRPs, found under the assumption
of a stead-state SFR, can be resolved for the population as a whole when the
effects of a time-variable SFR are included. A discrepancy may persist for
LMXBs with short orbital periods, although a detailed population synthesis will
be required to confirm this. Further, since the integrated X-ray luminosity
distribution of normal galaxies is dominated by X-ray binaries, it should show
strong luminosity evolution with redshift. In addition to an enhancement near
the peak (z ~ 1.5) of the SFR due to the prompt turn-on of the relatively
short-lived massive X-ray binaries and young supernova remnants, we predict a
second enhancement by a factor ~10 at a redshift between ~ 0.5 and ~ 1 due to
the delayed turn-on of the LMXB population. Deep X-ray observations of galaxies
out to z ~ 1 by AXAF will be able to observe this enhancement, and, by
determining its shape as a function of redshift, will provide an important new
method for constraining evolutionary models of X-ray binaries.Comment: 13 pages, including 1 figure. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
On the orientational ordering of long rods on a lattice
We argue that a system of straight rigid rods of length k on square lattice
with only hard-core interactions shows two phase transitions as a function of
density, rho, for k >= 7. The system undergoes a phase transition from the
low-density disordered phase to a nematic phase as rho is increased from 0, at
rho = rho_c1, and then again undergoes a reentrant phase transition from the
nematic phase to a disordered phase at rho = rho_c2 < 1.Comment: epl.cl
Warm stellar matter with neutrino trapping
The properties of hybrid stars formed by hadronic and quark matter in
beta-equilibrium at fixed entropies are described by appropriate equations of
state (EOS) in the framework of relativistic mean-field theory. In this work we
include the possibility of neutrino trapped EOS and compare the star properties
with the ones obtained after deleptonization, when neutrinos have already
diffused out. We use the nonlinear Walecka model for the hadron matter with two
different sets for the hyperon couplings and the MIT Bag and the
Nambu-Jona-Lasinio models for the quark matter. The phase transition to a
deconfined quark phase is investigated. Depending on the model and the
parameter set used, the mixed phase may or may not exist in the EOS at high
densities.
The star properties are calculated for each equation of state. The maximum
mass stellar configurations obtained within the NJL have larger masses than the
ones obtained within the Bag model. The Bag model predicts a mixed phase in the
interior of the most massive stable stars while, depending on the hyperon
couplings, the NJL model predicts a mixed phase or pure quark matter. Comparing
with neutrino free stars, the maximum allowed baryonic masses for protoneutron
stars are larger for the Bag model and
larger for the NJL model when neutrino trapping is imposed.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
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