Evolving temporal association rules with genetic algorithms

A novel framework for mining temporal association rules by discovering itemsets with a genetic algorithm is introduced. Metaheuristics have been applied to association rule mining, we show the efficacy of extending this to another variant - temporal association rule mining. Our framework is an enhancement to existing temporal association rule mining methods as it employs a genetic algorithm to simultaneously search the rule space and temporal space. A methodology for validating the ability of the proposed framework isolates target temporal itemsets in synthetic datasets. The Iterative Rule Learning method successfully discovers these targets in datasets with varying levels of difficulty

Optical Spectroscopy of the Surface Population of the rho Ophiuchi Molecular Cloud: The First Wave of Star Formation

We present the results of optical spectroscopy of 139 stars obtained with the Hydra multi-object spectrograph. The objects extend over a 1.3 square degree area surrounding the main cloud of the rho Oph complex. The objects were selected from narrowband images to have H alpha in emission. Using the presence of strong H alpha emission, lithium absorption, location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, or previously reported x-ray emission, we were able to identify 88 objects as young stars associated with the cloud. Strong H alpha emission was confirmed in 39 objects with line widths consistent with their origin in magnetospheric accretion columns. Two of the strongest emission-line objects are young, x-ray emitting brown dwarf candidates with M8 spectral types. Comparisons of the bolometric luminosities and effective temperatures with theoretical models suggest a medianage for this population of 2.1 Myr which is signifcantly older than the ages derived for objects in the cloud core. It appears that these stars formed contemporaneously with low mass stars in the Upper Scorpius subgroup, likely triggered by massive stars in the Upper-Centaurus subgroup.Comment: 35 pages of postscript which includes seven figures (some of which are multi-panel) and four postscript tables. Astronomical Journal (in press

2MASS Observations of the Perseus, Orion A, Orion B, and Monoceros R2 Molecular Clouds

We use the 2MASS Second Incremental Release Point Source Catalog to investigate the spatial distribution of young stars in the Perseus, Orion A, Orion B, and MonR2 molecular clouds. After subtracting a semi-empirical model of the field star contamination from the observed star counts, stellar surface density maps are used to identify compact clusters and any stellar population found more uniformly distributed over the molecular cloud. Each cloud contains between 2 to 7 clusters, with at least half of the cluster population found in a single, rich cluster. In addition, a distributed stellar population is inferred in the Orion A and MonR2 molecular clouds within the uncertainties of the field star subtraction with a surface density between 0.013 - 0.083 arcmin**-2. The fraction of the total stellar population contained in clusters for the nominal extinction model ranges from ~50-100% if the distributed population is relatively young (< 10 Myr), to ~25%-70% if it is relatively old (~100 Myr). The relatively high fraction of stars contained in clusters regardless of the age of the distributed population, in conjunction with the young ages generally inferred for embedded clusters in nearby molecular clouds, indicates that a substantial fraction of the total stellar population in these regions has formed within the past few million years in dense clusters. This suggests that either the star formation rate in each these clouds has recently peaked if one assumes clouds have ages > 10 Myr, or molecular clouds are younger than typically thought if one assumes that the star formation rate has been approximately constant in time.Comment: to appear in AJ, December 2000; see also http://astro.caltech.edu/~jmc/papers/2mass_cloud

A Search for Very Low-mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in the Young sigma Orionis Cluster

We present a CCD-based photometric survey covering 870 sq. arcmin in a young stellar cluster around the young multiple star sigma Orionis. Our survey limiting R, I, and Z magnitudes are 23.2, 21.8, and 21.0, respectively. From our colour-magnitude diagrams, we have selected 49 faint objects, which smoothly extrapolate the photometric sequence defined by more massive known members. Adopting the currently accepted age interval of 2-10 Myr for the Orion 1b association and considering recent evolutionary models, our objects may span a mass range from 0.1 down to 0.02 Msun, well within the substellar regime. Follow-up low-resolution optical spectroscopy (635-920 nm) for eight of our candidates (I=16-19.5) shows that they have spectral types M6-M8.5 which are consistent with the expectations for true members. Compared with their Pleiades counterparts of similar types, Halpha emission is generally stronger, while NaI and KI absorption lines appear weaker, as expected for lower surface gravities and younger ages. Additionally, TiO bands and in particular VO bands appear clearly enhanced in our candidate with the latest spectral type, SOri 45 (M8.5, I=19.5), compared to objects of similar types in older clusters and the field. We have estimated the mass of this candidate at only 0.020-0.040 Msun, hence it is one of the least massive brown dwarfs yet discovered. We also discuss in this paper the potential role of deuterium as a tracer of both substellar nature and age in very young clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Main Journal. 32 pages of text and tables + 9 pages of figures. Figures 3a and 3b (gif format) provided separatel

C2D Spitzer-IRS spectra of disks around T Tauri stars: I. Silicate emission and grain growth

Infrared ~5--35 um spectra for 40 solar-mass T Tauri stars and 7 intermediate-mass Herbig Ae stars with circumstellar disks were obtained using the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the c2d IRS survey. This work complements prior spectroscopic studies of silicate infrared emission from disks, which were focused on intermediate-mass stars, with observations of solar-mass stars limited primarily to the 10 um region. The observed 10 and 20 um silicate feature strengths/shapes are consistent with source-to-source variations in grain size. A large fraction of the features are weak and flat, consistent with um-sized grains indicating fast grain growth (from 0.1--1.0 um in radius). In addition, approximately half of the T Tauri star spectra show crystalline silicate features near 28 and 33 um indicating significant processing when compared to interstellar grains. A few sources show large 10-to-20 um ratios and require even larger grains emitting at 20 um than at 10 um. This size difference may arise from the difference in the depth into the disk probed by the two silicate emission bands in disks where dust settling has occurred. The 10 um feature strength vs. shape trend is not correlated with age or Halpha equivalent width, suggesting that some amount of turbulent mixing and regeneration of small grains is occurring. The strength vs. shape trend is related to spectral type, however, with M stars showing significantly flatter 10 um features (larger grain sizes) than A/B stars. The connection between spectral type and grain size is interpreted in terms of the variation in the silicate emission radius as a function of stellar luminosity, but could also be indicative of other spectral-type dependent factors (e.g, X-rays, UV radiation, stellar/disk winds, etc.).Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication by ApJ, formatted with emulateapj using revtex4 v4.

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Weak-line T Tauri Stars II: New Constraints on the Timescale for Planet Building

One of the central goals of the Spitzer Legacy Project ``From Molecular Cores to Planet-forming Disks'' (c2d) is to determine the frequency of remnant circumstellar disks around weak-line T Tauri stars (wTTs) and to study the properties and evolutionary status of these disks. Here we present a census of disks for a sample of over 230 spectroscopically identified wTTs located in the c2d IRAC (3.6, 4.5, 4.8, and 8.0 um) and MIPS (24 um) maps of the Ophiuchus, Lupus, and Perseus Molecular Clouds. We find that ~20% of the wTTs in a magnitude limited subsample have noticeable IR-excesses at IRAC wavelengths indicating the presence of a circumstellar disk. The disk frequencies we find in these 3 regions are ~3-6 times larger than that recently found for a sample of 83 relatively isolated wTTs located, for the most part, outside the highest extinction regions covered by the c2d IRAC and MIPS maps. The disk fractions we find are more consistent with those obtained in recent Spitzer studies of wTTs in young clusters such as IC 348 and Tr 37. From their location in the H-R diagram, we find that, in our sample, the wTTs with excesses are among the younger part of the age distribution. Still, up to ~50% of the apparently youngest stars in the sample show no evidence of IR excess, suggesting that the circumstellar disks of a sizable fraction of pre-main-sequence stars dissipate in a timescale of ~1 Myr. We also find that none of the stars in our sample apparently older than ~10 Myrs have detectable circumstellar disks at wavelengths < 24 um. Also, we find that the wTTs disks in our sample exhibit a wide range of properties (SED morphology, inner radius, L_DISK/L*, etc) which bridge the gaps observed between the cTTs and the debris disk regimes.Comment: 54 pages, 13 figures, Accepted by Ap

Spectroscopic binaries in a sample of ROSAT X-ray sources south of the Taurus molecular clouds

We report the results of our radial-velocity monitoring of spectroscopic binary systems in a sample of X-ray sources from the ROSAT All Sky Survey south of the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region. The original sample of approximately 120 sources by Neuhaeuser et al. was selected on the basis of their X-ray properties and the visual magnitude of the nearest optical counterpart, in such a way as to promote the inclusion of young objects. Roughly 20% of those sources have previously been confirmed to be very young. We focus here on the subset of the original sample that shows variable radial velocities (43 objects), a few of which have also been flagged previously as being young. New spectroscopic orbits are presented for 42 of those systems. Two of the binaries, RXJ0528.9+1046 and RXJ0529.3+1210, are indeed weak-lined T Tauri stars likely to be associated with the Lambda Orionis region. Most of the other binaries are active objects of the RS CVn-type, including several W UMa and Algol systems. We detect a strong excess of short-period binaries compared to the field, and an unusually large fraction of double-lined systems, as well as an overall high frequency of binaries out of the original sample. These results can be understood as selection effects. A short description of the physical properties of each binary is provided, and a comparison with evolutionary tracks is made using the stellar density as a distance-independent measure of evolution (abridged).Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables, to appear in The Astronomical Journal, March 200

The Eta Chamaeleontis Cluster: Origin in the Sco-Cen OB Association

A young, nearby compact aggregate of X-ray emitting pre-main sequence stars was recently discovered in the vicinity of eta Cha (B8V). In this paper, we further investigate this cluster: its membership, its environs and origins. ROSAT HRI X-ray data for the cluster's T Tauri stars show high levels of magnetic activity and variability. The cluster has an anomalous X-ray luminosity function compared to other young clusters, deficient in stars with low, but detectable X-ray luminosities. This suggests that many low-mass members have escaped the surveyed core region. Photographic photometry from the USNO-A2.0 catalog indicates that additional, X-ray-quiet members exist in the cluster core region. The components of the eclipsing binary RS Cha, previously modeled in the literature as post-MS with discordant ages, are shown to be consistent with being coeval pre-MS stars. We compute the Galactic motion of the cluster from Hipparcos data, and compare it to other young stars and associations in the fourth Galactic quadrant. The kinematic study shows that the eta Cha cluster, the TW Hya association, and a new group near epsilon Cha, probably originated near the giant molecular cloud complex that formed the two oldest subgroups of the Sco-Cen OB association roughly 10-15 Myr ago. Their dispersal is consistent with the velocity dispersions seen in giant molecular clouds. A large H I filament and dust lane located near eta Cha has been identified as part of a superbubble formed by Sco-Cen OB winds and supernova remnants. The passage of the superbubble may have terminated star-formation in the eta Cha cluster and dispersed its natal molecular gas.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, LaTex2.09, ApJ, in press, http://etacha.as.arizona.edu/~eem/etacha/MLF00/index.htm

Renal primitive neuroectodermal tumor: does age at diagnosis impact outcomes?

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the kidney is a rare and highly malignant neoplasm. The median age for renal PNET is 27 years but it can be seen also in a wide age range between 3 and 78 years. We performed a Medline search for the term renal PNET and identified 79 cases up till December of 2010. We report here a new case of renal PNET and a literature review for published data for evaluation of clinicopathological prognostic factors, with an emphasis on prognosis in two groups of adults and children-adolescents: 18 years of age or under and over 18 years

Assessment of the current and emerging criteria for the histopathological classification of lung neuroendocrine tumours in the lungNENomics project

Background: Six thoracic pathologists reviewed 259 lung neuroendocrine tumours (LNETs) from the lungNENomics project, with 171 of them having associated survival data. This cohort presents a unique opportunity to assess the strengths and limitations of current World Health Organization (WHO) classification criteria and to evaluate the utility of emerging markers. Patients and methods: Patients were diagnosed based on the 2021 WHO criteria, with atypical carcinoids (ACs) defined by the presence of focal necrosis and/or 2-10 mitoses per 2 mm2. We investigated two markers of tumour proliferation: the Ki-67 index and phospho-histone H3 (PHH3) protein expression, quantified by pathologists and automatically via deep learning. Additionally, an unsupervised deep learning algorithm was trained to uncover previously unnoticed morphological features with diagnostic value. Results: The accuracy in distinguishing typical from ACs is hampered by interobserver variability in mitotic counting and the limitations of morphological criteria in identifying aggressive cases. Our study reveals that different Ki-67 cut-offs can categorise LNETs similarly to current WHO criteria. Counting mitoses in PHH3+ areas does not improve diagnosis, while providing a similar prognostic value to the current criteria. With the advantage of being time efficient, automated assessment of these markers leads to similar conclusions. Lastly, state-of-the-art deep learning modelling does not uncover undisclosed morphological features with diagnostic value. Conclusions: This study suggests that the mitotic criteria can be complemented by manual or automated assessment of Ki-67 or PHH3 protein expression, but these markers do not significantly improve the prognostic value of the current classification, as the AC group remains highly unspecific for aggressive cases. Therefore, we may have exhausted the potential of morphological features in classifying and prognosticating LNETs. Our study suggests that it might be time to shift the research focus towards investigating molecular markers that could contribute to a more clinically relevant morpho-molecular classification.</p