684 research outputs found
Molecular Hydrogen Kinematics in Cepheus A
We present the radial velocity structure of the molecular hydrogen outflows
associated to the star forming region Cepheus A. This structure is derived from
doppler shift of the H_2 v=1-0 S(1) emission line obtained by Fabry-Perot
spectroscopy. The East and West regions of emission, called Cep A(E) and Cep
A(W), show radial velocities in the range -20 to 0 km/s with respect to the
molecular cloud. Cep A(W) shows an increasing velocity with position offset
from the core indicating the existence of a possible accelarating machanism.
Cep A(E) has an almost constant mean radial velocity of -18 km/s along the
region although with a large dispersion in velocity, indicating the possibility
of a turbulent outflow. A detailed analysis of the Cep A(E) region shows
evidence for the presence of a Mach disk on that outflow. Also, we argue that
the presence of a velocity gradient in Cep A(W) is indicative of a C-shock in
this region. Following Riera et al. (2003), we analyzed the data using wavelet
analysis to study the line width and the central radial velocity distributions.
We found that both outflows have complex spatial and velocity structures
characteristic of a turbulent flow.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figure
On representations of the feasible set in convex optimization
We consider the convex optimization problem where is convex, the feasible set K is convex and Slater's
condition holds, but the functions are not necessarily convex. We show
that for any representation of K that satisfies a mild nondegeneracy
assumption, every minimizer is a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) point and conversely
every KKT point is a minimizer. That is, the KKT optimality conditions are
necessary and sufficient as in convex programming where one assumes that the
are convex. So in convex optimization, and as far as one is concerned
with KKT points, what really matters is the geometry of K and not so much its
representation.Comment: to appear in Optimization Letter
A new nascent spreading centre at the Wagner Basin in the northern Gulf of California: a possible geothermal resource?
The probable geothermal reserves of Mexico sum up to only 1400 MW; however, they have been estimated on the basis of the high temperature systems and do not include the unconventional geothermal sources. Submarine hydrothermal systems may become in the near future a feasible energy source, especially those that occur at shallow depths. Recently discovered hydrothermal activity in the Wagner Basin may be harnessed to produce electricity using an environmentally friendly system
Mirror-Descent Methods in Mixed-Integer Convex Optimization
In this paper, we address the problem of minimizing a convex function f over
a convex set, with the extra constraint that some variables must be integer.
This problem, even when f is a piecewise linear function, is NP-hard. We study
an algorithmic approach to this problem, postponing its hardness to the
realization of an oracle. If this oracle can be realized in polynomial time,
then the problem can be solved in polynomial time as well. For problems with
two integer variables, we show that the oracle can be implemented efficiently,
that is, in O(ln(B)) approximate minimizations of f over the continuous
variables, where B is a known bound on the absolute value of the integer
variables.Our algorithm can be adapted to find the second best point of a
purely integer convex optimization problem in two dimensions, and more
generally its k-th best point. This observation allows us to formulate a
finite-time algorithm for mixed-integer convex optimization
Statistically optimal analysis of state-discretized trajectory data from multiple thermodynamic states
We propose a discrete transition-based reweighting analysis method (dTRAM)
for analyzing configuration-space-discretized simulation trajectories produced
at different thermodynamic states (temperatures, Hamiltonians, etc.) dTRAM
provides maximum-likelihood estimates of stationary quantities (probabilities,
free energies, expectation values) at any thermodynamic state. In contrast to
the weighted histogram analysis method (WHAM), dTRAM does not require data to
be sampled from global equilibrium, and can thus produce superior estimates for
enhanced sampling data such as parallel/simulated tempering, replica exchange,
umbrella sampling, or metadynamics. In addition, dTRAM provides optimal
estimates of Markov state models (MSMs) from the discretized state-space
trajectories at all thermodynamic states. Under suitable conditions, these MSMs
can be used to calculate kinetic quantities (e.g. rates, timescales). In the
limit of a single thermodynamic state, dTRAM estimates a maximum likelihood
reversible MSM, while in the limit of uncorrelated sampling data, dTRAM is
identical to WHAM. dTRAM is thus a generalization to both estimators
A Fresh Variational-Analysis Look at the Positive Semidefinite Matrices World
International audienceEngineering sciences and applications of mathematics show unambiguously that positive semidefiniteness of matrices is the most important generalization of non-negative real num- bers. This notion of non-negativity for matrices has been well-studied in the literature; it has been the subject of review papers and entire chapters of books. This paper reviews some of the nice, useful properties of positive (semi)definite matrices, and insists in particular on (i) characterizations of positive (semi)definiteness and (ii) the geometrical properties of the set of positive semidefinite matrices. Some properties that turn out to be less well-known have here a special treatment. The use of these properties in optimization, as well as various references to applications, are spread all the way through. The "raison d'être" of this paper is essentially pedagogical; it adopts the viewpoint of variational analysis, shedding new light on the topic. Important, fruitful, and subtle, the positive semidefinite world is a good place to start with this domain of applied mathematics
The SuperMACHO Microlensing Survey
We present the first results from our next-generation microlensing survey,
the SuperMACHO project. We are using the CTIO 4m Blanco telescope and the
MOSAIC imager to carry out a search for microlensing toward the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We plan to ascertain the nature of the population
responsible for the excess microlensing rate seen by the MACHO project. Our
observing strategy is optimized to measure the differential microlensing rate
across the face of the LMC. We find this derivative to be relatively
insensitive to the details of the LMC's internal structure but a strong
discriminant between Galactic halo and LMC self lensing. In December 2003 we
completed our third year of survey operations. 2003 also marked the first year
of real-time microlensing alerts and photometric and spectroscopic followup. We
have extracted several dozen microlensing candidates, and we present some
preliminary light curves and related information. Similar to the MACHO project,
we find SNe behind the LMC to be a significant contaminant - this background
has not been completely removed from our current single-color candidate sample.
Our follow-up strategy is optimized to discriminate between SNe and true
microlensing.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 225: Impact of
Gravitational Lensing on Cosmology, 6 page
Microbiological Implications of Periurban Agriculture and Water Reuse in Mexico City
BACKGROUND: Recycled treated or untreated wastewater represents an important health challenge in developing countries due to potential water related microbiological exposure. Our aim was to assess water quality and health implications in a Mexico City periurban agricultural area. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A longitudinal study in the Xochimilco wetland area was conducted, and 42 sites were randomly selected from 211, including irrigation water canals and effluents of treatment plants. Sample collection took place during rainy and dry seasons (2000-2001). Microbiological parameters (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, streptococci/enterococci, and bacteria other than Vibrio grown on TCBS), Helicobacter pylori, and physicochemical parameters including trihalomethanes (THM) were determined. Fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci are appropriate indicators of human or animal fecal contamination. Fecal coliform counts surpass Mexican and World Health Organization irrigation water guidelines. Identified microorganisms associated with various pathologies in humans and domestic animals comprise Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp., Enterobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., and Pseudomonas spp; H. pylori was also present in the water. An environmental characteristic of the canal system showed high Total Organic Carbon content and relatively low dissolved oxygen concentration; residual chlorine as a disinfection control is not efficient, but THMs do not represent a problem. During the rainy season, temperature and conductivity were higher; in contrast, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, and residual chlorine were lower. This is related with the continuous load of feces from human and animal sources, and to the aquatic systems, which vary seasonally and exhibit evidence of lower water quality in effluents from treatment plants. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: There is a need for improvement of wastewater treatment systems, as well as more efficient monitoring, regulation, and enforcement procedures for wastewater disposal into bodies of water
A study of the photometric variability of the peculiar magnetic white dwarf WD1953-011
We present and interpret simultaneous new photometric and spectroscopic
observations of the peculiar magnetic white dwarf WD1953-011. The flux in the
V-band filter and intensity of the Balmer spectral lines demonstrate
variability with the rotation period of about 1.45 days. According to previous
studies, this variability can be explained by the presence of a dark spot
having a magnetic nature, analogous to a sunspot. Motivated by this idea, we
examine possible physical relationships between the suggested dark spot and the
strong-field magnetic structure (magnetic "spot", or "tube") recently
identified on the surface of this star. Comparing the rotationally-modulated
flux with the variable spectral observables related to the magnetic "spot" we
establish their correlation, and therefore their physical relationship.
Modeling the variable photometric flux assuming that it is associated with
temperature variations in the stellar photosphere, we argue that the
strong-field area and dark, low-temperature spot are comparable in size and
located at the same latitudes, essentially overlapping each other with a
possible slight longitudinal shift. In this paper we also present a new,
improved value of the star's rotational period and constrain the
characteristics of the thermal inhomogeneity over the degenerate's surface.Comment: accepted to the Ap
Social welfare and profit maximization from revealed preferences
Consider the seller's problem of finding optimal prices for her
(divisible) goods when faced with a set of consumers, given that she can
only observe their purchased bundles at posted prices, i.e., revealed
preferences. We study both social welfare and profit maximization with revealed
preferences. Although social welfare maximization is a seemingly non-convex
optimization problem in prices, we show that (i) it can be reduced to a dual
convex optimization problem in prices, and (ii) the revealed preferences can be
interpreted as supergradients of the concave conjugate of valuation, with which
subgradients of the dual function can be computed. We thereby obtain a simple
subgradient-based algorithm for strongly concave valuations and convex cost,
with query complexity , where is the additive
difference between the social welfare induced by our algorithm and the optimum
social welfare. We also study social welfare maximization under the online
setting, specifically the random permutation model, where consumers arrive
one-by-one in a random order. For the case where consumer valuations can be
arbitrary continuous functions, we propose a price posting mechanism that
achieves an expected social welfare up to an additive factor of
from the maximum social welfare. Finally, for profit maximization (which may be
non-convex in simple cases), we give nearly matching upper and lower bounds on
the query complexity for separable valuations and cost (i.e., each good can be
treated independently)
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