Analysis of data systems requirements for global crop production forecasting in the 1985 time frame

Data systems concepts that would be needed to implement the objective of the global crop production forecasting in an orderly transition from experimental to operational status in the 1985 time frame were examined. Information needs of users were converted into data system requirements, and the influence of these requirements on the formulation of a conceptual data system was analyzed. Any potential problem areas in meeting these data system requirements were identified in an iterative process

Time lower bounds for nonadaptive turnstile streaming algorithms

We say a turnstile streaming algorithm is "non-adaptive" if, during updates, the memory cells written and read depend only on the index being updated and random coins tossed at the beginning of the stream (and not on the memory contents of the algorithm). Memory cells read during queries may be decided upon adaptively. All known turnstile streaming algorithms in the literature are non-adaptive. We prove the first non-trivial update time lower bounds for both randomized and deterministic turnstile streaming algorithms, which hold when the algorithms are non-adaptive. While there has been abundant success in proving space lower bounds, there have been no non-trivial update time lower bounds in the turnstile model. Our lower bounds hold against classically studied problems such as heavy hitters, point query, entropy estimation, and moment estimation. In some cases of deterministic algorithms, our lower bounds nearly match known upper bounds

Regression Analysis with Linked Data

Record linkage, or exact matching, can be used to join together two files that contain information on the same individuals, but lack unique personal identification codes. The possibility of errors in linkage causes problems for estimating the relationships between variables on the two files. The effect is analogous to the impact of measurement error. A model of a linear regression relationship between variables in linked files is proposed. Assuming the probabilities that pairs of records are links are known, an unbiased estimator of the regression coefficients is derived. Methods for estimating the linkage probabilities by using mixture models are discussed. A consistent estimator of the covariance matrix of the proposed estimator is proposed. A bootstrap estimator is used to reflect the impact of the uncertainty in record linkage model parameters on the estimators of the regression parameters. A simulation study compares the performance of the proposed estimator and alternatives

Structural Parameters and Dynamical Masses for Globular Clusters in M33

Using high-dispersion spectra from the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the Keck I telescope, we measure velocity dispersions for 4 globular clusters in M33. Combining the velocity dispersions with integrated photometry and structural parameters derived from King-Michie model fits to WFPC2 images, we obtain mass-to-light ratios for the clusters. The mean value is M/LV = 1.53 +/- 0.18, very similar to the M/LV of Milky Way and M31 globular clusters. The M33 clusters also fit very well onto the fundamental plane and binding energy - luminosity relations derived for Milky Way GCs. Dynamically and structurally, the four M33 clusters studied here appear virtually identical to Milky Way and M31 GCs.Comment: 25 pages, including 7 figures and 4 tables. Accepted for AJ, Nov 200

Bulge Globular Clusters in Spiral Galaxies

There is now strong evidence that the metal-rich globular clusters (GC) near the center of our Galaxy are associated with the Galactic bulge rather than the disk as previously thought. Here we extend the concept of bulge GCs to the GC systems of nearby spiral galaxies. In particular, the kinematic and metallicity properties of the GC systems favor a bulge rather than a disk origin. The number of metal-rich GCs normalized by the bulge luminosity is roughly constant (i.e. bulge S_N ~ 1) in nearby spirals, and this value is similar to that for field ellipticals when only the red (metal--rich) GCs are considered. We argue that the metallicity distributions of GCs in spiral and elliptical galaxies are remarkably similar, and that they obey the same correlation of mean GC metallicity with host galaxy mass. We further suggest that the metal-rich GCs in spirals are the direct analogs of the red GCs seen in ellipticals. The formation of a bulge/spheroidal stellar system is accompanied by the formation of metal-rich GCs. The similarities between GC systems in spiral and elliptical galaxies appear to be greater than the differences.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, 2 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Damp Mergers: Recent Gaseous Mergers without Significant Globular Cluster Formation?

Here we test the idea that new globular clusters (GCs) are formed in the same gaseous ("wet") mergers or interactions that give rise to the young stellar populations seen in the central regions of many early-type galaxies. We compare mean GC colors with the age of the central galaxy starburst. The red GC subpopulation reveals remarkably constant mean colors independent of galaxy age. A scenario in which the red GC subpopulation is a combination of old and new GCs (formed in the same event as the central galaxy starburst) can not be ruled out; although this would require an age-metallicity relation for the newly formed GCs that is steeper than the Galactic relation. However, the data are also well described by a scenario in which most red GCs are old, and few, if any, are formed in recent gaseous mergers. This is consistent with the old ages inferred from some spectroscopic studies of GCs in external systems. The event that induced the central galaxy starburst may have therefore involved insufficient gas mass for significant GC formation. We term such gas-poor events "damp" mergers.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, ApJ accepte

Structural Refinement for the Modal nu-Calculus

We introduce a new notion of structural refinement, a sound abstraction of logical implication, for the modal nu-calculus. Using new translations between the modal nu-calculus and disjunctive modal transition systems, we show that these two specification formalisms are structurally equivalent. Using our translations, we also transfer the structural operations of composition and quotient from disjunctive modal transition systems to the modal nu-calculus. This shows that the modal nu-calculus supports composition and decomposition of specifications.Comment: Accepted at ICTAC 201

A Semiconductor Nanowire-Based Superconducting Qubit

We introduce a hybrid qubit based on a semiconductor nanowire with an epitaxially grown superconductor layer. Josephson energy of the transmon-like device ("gatemon") is controlled by an electrostatic gate that depletes carriers in a semiconducting weak link region. Strong coupling to an on-chip microwave cavity and coherent qubit control via gate voltage pulses is demonstrated, yielding reasonably long relaxation times (0.8 {\mu}s) and dephasing times (1 {\mu}s), exceeding gate operation times by two orders of magnitude, in these first-generation devices. Because qubit control relies on voltages rather than fluxes, dissipation in resistive control lines is reduced, screening reduces crosstalk, and the absence of flux control allows operation in a magnetic field, relevant for topological quantum information

Quantum Coherent String States in AdS_3 and SL(2,R) WZWN Model

In this paper we make the connection between semi-classical string quantization and exact conformal field theory quantization of strings in 2+1 Anti de Sitter spacetime. More precisely, considering the WZWN model corresponding to SL(2,R) and its covering group, we construct quantum {\it coherent} string states, which generalize the ordinary coherent states of quantum mechanics, and show that in the classical limit they correspond to oscillating circular strings. After quantization, the spectrum is found to consist of two parts: A continuous spectrum of low mass states (partly tachyonic) fulfilling the standard spin-level condition necessary for unitarity |j|< k/2, and a discrete spectrum of high mass states with asymptotic behaviour m^2\alpha'\propto N^2 (N positive integer). The quantization condition for the high mass states arises from the condition of finite positive norm of the coherent string states, and the result agrees with our previous results obtained using semi-classical quantization. In the k\to\infty limit, all the usual properties of coherent or {\it quasi-classical} states are recovered. It should be stressed that we consider the circular strings only for simplicity and clarity, and that our construction can easily be used for other string configurations too. We also compare our results with those obtained in the recent preprint hep-th/0001053 by Maldacena and Ooguri.Comment: Misprints corrected. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.

HST observations of star clusters in NGC 1023: Evidence for three cluster populations?

Using HST images we have carried out a study of cluster populations in the nearby S0 galaxy NGC 1023. In two WFPC2 pointings we have identified 221 cluster candidates. The small distance (~9 Mpc) combined with deep F555W and F814W images allows us to reach about two magnitudes below the expected turn-over of the globular cluster luminosity function. NGC 1023 appears to contain at least three identifiable cluster populations: the brighter clusters show a clearly bimodal color distribution with peaks at V-I = 0.92 and at V-I = 1.15 and in addition there are a number of fainter, more extended objects with predominantly red colors. Among the brighter clusters, we find that the blue clusters have somewhat larger sizes than the red ones with mean effective radii of R(eff) ~ 2 and R(eff) ~ 1.7 pc, respectively. These clusters have luminosity functions (LFs) and sizes consistent with what is observed for globular clusters in other galaxies. Fitting Gaussians to the LFs of the blue and red compact clusters we find turn-over magnitudes of M(TO,blue)=-7.58 and M(TO,red)=-7.37 in V and dispersions of sigma(V,blue)=1.12 and sigma(V,red)=0.97. The fainter, more extended clusters have effective radii up to R(eff) ~ 10-15 pc and their LF appears to rise at least down to M(V) ~ -6, few of them being brighter than M(V) = -7. We suggest that these fainter objects may have a formation history distinct from that of the brighter GCs.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa