Transitive probabilistic CLIR models.

Transitive translation could be a useful technique to enlarge the number of supported language pairs for a cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) system in a cost-effective manner. The paper describes several setups for transitive translation based on probabilistic translation models. The transitive CLIR models were evaluated on the CLEF test collection and yielded a retrieval effectiveness\ud up to 83% of monolingual performance, which is significantly better than a baseline using the synonym operator

Evaluation of salmon and steelhead spawning habitat quality in the South Fork Trinity River Basin, 1997

Sediment sampling was used to evaluate chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) spawning habitat quality in the South Fork Trinity River (SFTR) basin. Sediment samples were collected using a McNeil-type sampler and wet sieved through a series of Tyler screens (25.00 mm, 12.50 mm, 6.30 mm, 3.35 mm, 1.00 mm, and 0.85 mm). Fines (particles < 0.85 mm) were determined after a l0-minute settling period in Imhoff cones. Thirteen stations were sampled in the SFTR basin: five stations were located in mainstem SFTR between rk 2.1 and 118.5, 2 stations each were located in EF of the SFTR, Grouse Creek, and Madden Creek, and one station each was located in Eltapom and Hayfork Creeks. Sample means for fines(particles < 0.85 mm) fer SFTR stations ranged between 14.4 and 19.4%; tributary station sample mean fines ranged between 3.4 and 19.4%. Decreased egg survival would be expected at 4 of 5 mainstem SFTR stations and at one station in EF of SFTR and Grouse Creek where fines content exceed 15%. Small gravel/sand content measured at all stations were high, and exceed levels associated with reduced sac fry emergence rates. Reduction of egg survival or sac fry emergence due to sedimentation in spawning gravels could lead to reduced juvenile production from the South Fork Trinity River. (PDF contains 18 pages.

National and international freight transport models: overview and ideas for further development

This paper contains a review of the literature on freight transport models, focussing on the types of models that have been developed since the nineties for forecasting, policy simulation and project evaluation at the national and international level. Models for production, attraction, distribution, modal split and assignment are discussed in the paper. Furthermore, the paper also includes a number of ideas for future development, especially for the regional and urban components within national freight transport models

Classical Optimizers for Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum Devices

We present a collection of optimizers tuned for usage on Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. Optimizers have a range of applications in quantum computing, including the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) and Quantum Approximate Optimization (QAOA) algorithms. They are also used for calibration tasks, hyperparameter tuning, in machine learning, etc. We analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of different optimizers in a VQE case study. VQE is a hybrid algorithm, with a classical minimizer step driving the next evaluation on the quantum processor. While most results to date concentrated on tuning the quantum VQE circuit, we show that, in the presence of quantum noise, the classical minimizer step needs to be carefully chosen to obtain correct results. We explore state-of-the-art gradient-free optimizers capable of handling noisy, black-box, cost functions and stress-test them using a quantum circuit simulation environment with noise injection capabilities on individual gates. Our results indicate that specifically tuned optimizers are crucial to obtaining valid science results on NISQ hardware, and will likely remain necessary even for future fault tolerant circuits

Sub-Poissonian Shot Noise In A Diffusive Conductor

A review is given of the shot-noise properties of metallic, diffusive conductors. The shot noise is one third of the Poisson noise, due to the bimodal distribution of transmission eigenvalues. The same result can be obtained from a semiclassical calculation. Starting from Oseledec's theorem it is shown that the bimodal distribution is required by Ohm's law.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, including 2 figure

VLT/VIMOS Observations of an Occulting Galaxy Pair: Redshifts and Effective Extinction Curve

We present VLT/VIMOS IFU observations of an occulting galaxy pair previously discovered in HST observations. The foreground galaxy is a low-inclination spiral disk, which causes clear attenuation features seen against the bright bulge and disk of the background galaxy. We find redshifts of $z=0.064 \pm0.003$ and z=0.065 for the foreground and background galaxy respectively. This relatively small difference does not rule out gravitational interaction between the two galaxies. Emission line ratios point to a star-forming, not AGN-dominated foreground galaxy. We fit the Cardelli, Clayton & Mathis (CCM) extinction law to the spectra of individual fibres to derive slope ($R_V$) and normalization ($A_V$). The normalization agrees with the HST attenuation map and the slope is lower than the Milky Way relation ($R_V<3.1$), which is likely linked to the spatial sampling of the disk. We speculate that the values of $R_V$ point to either coherent ISM structures in the disk larger than usual ($\sim9$ kpc) or higher starting values of $R_V$, indicative of recent processing of the dust. The foreground galaxy is a low stellar mass spiral ($M_* \sim 3 \times 10^9 M_\odot$) with a high dust content ($M_{\rm dust} \sim 0.5 \times 10^6 M_\odot$). The dust disk geometry visible in the HST image would explain the observed SED properties of smaller galaxies: a lower mean dust temperature, a high dust-to-stellar mass ratio but relatively little optical attenuation. Ongoing efforts to find occulting pairs with a small foreground galaxies will show how common this geometry is.Comment: 16 pages, 3 tables, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Doubled Shot Noise In Disordered Normal-Metal-Superconductor Junctions

The low-frequency shot-noise power of a normal-metal-superconductor junction is studied for arbitrary normal region. Through a scattering approach, a formula is derived which expresses the shot-noise power in terms of the transmission eigenvalues of the normal region. The noise power divided by the current is enhanced by a factor two with respect to its normal-state value, due to Cooper-pair transport in the superconductor. For a disordered normal region, it is still smaller than the Poisson noise, as a consequence of noiseless open scattering channels.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX v3.0, including 1 figure, Submitted to Physical Review

Synthesis and properties of cadmium manganese ferrites

The formation sequence of (Cd,Mn,Fe) (Mn,Fe)₂O₄ from the individual oxides,x CdO + (1-x) MnCO₃ + α-Fe₂O₃,was found by X-Ray diffraction. Cd(Mn,Fe)₂O₄ was formed completely from CdO·Fe₂O₃ and CdO·Fe₂O₄ at 900°C and reacted with MnFe₂O₄ for 0 \u3c x \u3c 0.5 and with α-Fe₂O₃ for 0.5 \u3c x \u3c 1.0 to form a single phase of (Cd,Mn,Fe) (Mn,Fe)₂O₄ at 1150°C. This is the first time that the details involved in the formation sequence of CdMn-ferrite have been shown. A mixture of 0.5 CdO + 0.5 MnCO₃ + α-Fe₂O₃ was calcined at 900°C for 2 hrs forming Cd(Mn,Fe)₂O₄ with no Cd present in the other phases. Sintering was accomplished at 1150°C for 30 minutes forming a single phase of Cd₀.₅Mn₀.₅Fe₂O₄ with a bulk sintered density of 98-99% of the X-Ray density. The rate of changing density followed the relationship, p = K ln t + c, at temperatures between 1050°C and 1300°C. Magnetic properties of CdₓMn₁₋ₓFe₂O₄ were affected by composition x. A relationship, B = gx + h, was found between maximum magnetic flux density B and composition x at room temperature for 0 \u3c̲ x \u3c̲ 0.3. This was rationalized by a modification of Néel\u27s theory. The maximum magnetic flux density decreased with increasing cadmium concentration for 0.3 \u3c x \u3c̲ 0.5. This decrease was attributed to the changing direction of the magnetic moment in the octahedral site sub-lattice according to the superexchange theory. No magnetic properties were observed due to the formation of a compensated antiferromagnetic phase for 0.5 \u3c x \u3c̲ 1.0. Maximum magnetic flux density increased with bulk density, while the coercive force decreased with the grain growth and the initial permeability increased with the bulk density and grain size. A stator core used for a-c electric motor application was formed by pre-sintering at 900⁰C for 2 hrs. Slots were then sawed with a tungsten carbide blade and final sintering was accomplished at 1150⁰C for 1 hr --Abstract, pages iii-iv

Anodic dissolution of silver in aqueous solutions

The purpose of this investigation was to study the anodic dissolution of silver in various electrolytes to determine if there existed any deviations from Faraday’s law in nitric acid-silver nitrate solutions. The effect of small additions (10-4 and 10-5 N) of Cl-, SO4=, and CrO4= on the apparent valence and dissolution potential was also studied. Current densities were varied from 0.00 to 0.07 amp·cm-2. Based on the observed apparent valences and a grey film containing metallic particles on the anode surface, it was concluded that deviations from Faraday’s law existed under the experimental conditions. In nitric acid solutions, the deviation was due to corrosion or self-dissolution. In other solutions it seemed to be primarily due to disintegration. It was also concluded that the dissolution in these solutions was diffusion controlled --Abstract, page ii