Star formation in the large Magellanic cloud

What role the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf irregular galaxy, plays in understanding infrared luminous galaxies is discussed. There are two main reasons the LMC may prove helpful. One, the LMC is only 55 kpc away, very nearby compared to much rarer high luminosity systems. Second, the environment in the LMC is distinctly different than in the Milky Way, at least those parts of the Milky Way interior to the sun, where most of the studies of massive star formation were concentrated. The LMC is an interacting system with a large amount of neutral hydrogen that is pushed around by the galaxy's encounter with the Milky Way. Perhaps a good understanding of star formation process in the LMC will provide guidance in the study of the infrared luminous galaxies. Two questions which will be addressed are: how is star formation in the LMC similar to the Milky Way Galaxy, and how is it different

Dynamic Change Evaluation for Ontology Evolution in the Semantic Web

Changes in an ontology may have a disruptive impact on any system using it. This impact may depend on structural changes such as introduction or removal of concept definitions, or it may be related to a change in the expected performance of the reasoning tasks. As the number of systems using ontologies is expected to increase, and given the open nature of the Semantic Web, introduction of new ontologies and modifications to existing ones are to be expected. Dynamically handling such changes, without requiring human intervention, becomes crucial. This paper presents a framework that isolates groups of related axioms in an OWL ontology, so that a change in one or more axioms can be automatically localised to a part of the ontology

Wind-tunnel investigation of a flush airdata system at Mach numbers from 0.7 to 1.4

Flush pressure orifices installed on the nose section of a 1/7-scale model of the F-14 airplane were evaluated for use as a flush airdata system (FADS). Wing-tunnel tests were conducted in the 11- by 11-ft Unitary Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. A full-scale FADS of the same configuration was previously tested using an F-14 aircraft at the Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA Ames Research Center (Ames-Dryden). These tests, which were published, are part of a NASA program to assess accuracies of FADS for use on aircraft. The test program also provides data to validate algorithms for the shuttle entry airdata system developed at the NASA Langley Research Center. The wind-tunnel test Mach numbers were 0.73, 0.90, 1.05, 1.20, and 1.39. Angles of attack were varied in 2 deg increments from -4 deg to 20 deg. Sideslip angles were varied in 4 deg increments from -8 deg to 8 deg. Airdata parameters were evaluated for determination of free-stream values of stagnation pressure, static pressure, angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and Mach number. These parameters are, in most cases, the same as the parameters investigated in the flight test program. The basic FADS wind-tunnel data are presented in tabular form. A discussion of the more accurate parameters is included

Enhanced image annotations based on spatial information extraction and ontologies

Current research on image annotation often represents images in terms of labelled regions or objects, but pays little attention to the spatial positions or relationships between those regions or objects. To be effective, general purpose image retrieval systems require images with comprehensive annotations describing fully the content of the image. Much research is being done on automatic image annotation schemes but few authors address the issue of spatial annotations directly. This paper begins with a brief analysis of real picture queries to librarians showing how spatial terms are used to formulate queries. The paper is then concerned with the development of an enhanced automatic image annotation system, which extracts spatial information about objects in the image. The approach uses region boundaries and region labels to generate annotations describing absolute object positions and also relative positions between pairs of objects. A domain ontology and spatial information ontology are also used to extract more complex information about the relative closeness of objects to the viewer

Detecting early signs of depressive and manic episodes in patients with bipolar disorder using the signature-based model

Recurrent major mood episodes and subsyndromal mood instability cause substantial disability in patients with bipolar disorder. Early identification of mood episodes enabling timely mood stabilisation is an important clinical goal. Recent technological advances allow the prospective reporting of mood in real time enabling more accurate, efficient data capture. The complex nature of these data streams in combination with challenge of deriving meaning from missing data mean pose a significant analytic challenge. The signature method is derived from stochastic analysis and has the ability to capture important properties of complex ordered time series data. To explore whether the onset of episodes of mania and depression can be identified using self-reported mood data.Comment: 12 pages, 3 tables, 10 figure

The native bee fauna of the Palouse Prairie (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

While synoptic collections provide data on the range and general composition of the North American bee fauna, bee communities associated with specific habitats are largely uncharacterized.  This report describes the community of native bees currently found in remnant fragments of the Palouse Prairie of northern Idaho and southeastern Washington State.  Native bees were collected using standardized collection techniques including blue vane traps, colored pan traps and aerial netting.  More than 13,000 individuals were collected, representing at least 174 species and 36 morphospecies in 29 genera.  These data provide the most thorough characterization of the bee fauna of this vulnerable ecosystem, as well as community level information on bee species of unknown conservation status.  These results are relevant to regional conservation efforts and, more broadly, are representative of conditions in fragmented grasslands surrounded by intense agriculture, a common global land use pattern of conservation concern

Cotton production with SDI, LEPA, and spray irrigation in a thermally-limited climate

Producers in the Northern Texas Panhandle and Southwestern Kansas are considering cotton as an alternative crop to corn because cotton has a similar profit potential for about one half the irrigation requirement. However, limited growing degree days pose some risk for cotton production. We hypothesized that cotton under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) would undergo less evaporative cooling following an irrigation event compared with low energy precision applicators (LEPA) or spray irrigation and, therefore, would increase growing degree day accumulation and lead to earlier maturation. Cotton maturity was more related to irrigation rate than irrigation method, with dryland and minimal irrigation rates reaching maturity earliest. However, fiber quality, as indicated by total discount, was usually better with SDI. Lint yield and water use efficiency were greatest with SDI at low irrigation rates in 2003, and lint yield and gross returns were greatest with SDI regardless of irrigation rate in 2004

Using Analytics To Challenge Conventional Baseball Wisdom

Baseball, like most other sports, has a set of tenets that began early and have survived virtually unquestioned.  Modern analytics gives us an opportunity to examine some of these long-held tenets to see if they were founded on solid evidence.  This research examines some common baseball wisdom through an initial study utilizing simulation.  In particular, the profiles of several baseball teams are constructed and various factors are examined by simulating ten baseball seasons under various configurations with the different teams. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a batting order where high-average hitters bat third in a lineup and the team’s best power hitter bats cleanup (fourth), for example, does not necessarily generate the most runs per game over the long run.  Moreover, high-average hitters with less power can generate more runs per game than power hitters with lesser averages.  Finally, it appears that hitters who perform well with runners in scoring position are more influential in helping their team score more runs than even more powerful or higher average hitters who do not produce as frequently in such cases.  Players with lower star profiles, but who rise to the occasion with runners in scoring position, can often be purchased by baseball clubs that have a more constrained payroll; teams that are less well-off financially may thus purchase or trade for these hitters and still field a team with a competitive level of high run production

Comparison of spray, LEPA, and SDI for cotton and grain sorghum in the Texas Panhandle

Presented at the Central Plains irrigation conference on February 16-17, 2005 in Sterling, Colorado.Includes bibliographical references.Crop responses to MESA (mid-elevation spray application), LESA (low-elevation spray applicator), LEPA, (low energy precision application), and SDI (subsurface drip irrigation) were compared for full and deficit irrigation rates in the Texas Panhandle. Crops included three seasons of grain sorghum and one season of cotton; crop responses consisted of economic yield, seasonal water use, and water use efficiency (WUE). Irrigation rates were I0, I25, I50, I75, and I100 (where the subscript denotes the percentage of full irrigation, and I0 is dryland). Yield and WUE was greatest for SDI and least for spray at the I25 and I50 rates, and greatest for spray at the I100 rate. Yield and WUE trends were not consistent at the I75 rate. Seasonal water use was not significantly different in most cases between irrigation methods within a given irrigation rate. For cotton, the irrigation method did not influence boll maturity rates, but SDI resulted in higher fiber quality at the I25, I50, and I100 rates

Drip and evaporation

Presented at the Central Plains irrigation conference on February 16-17, 2005 in Sterling, Colorado.Includes bibliographical references.Loss of water from the soil profile through evaporation from the soil surface is an important contributor to inefficiency in irrigated crop production. Residue management systems may reduce this evaporative loss, but cannot be used in all cropping systems. Choice of the irrigation system and its management also can reduce evaporative loss. In particular, subsurface drip irrigation limits soil surface wetting and can lead to an overall reduction in evapotranspiration (crop water use) of as much as 10%. The example presented shows that most of the water savings occur early in the season when crop cover is not yet complete. Because evaporation from the soil surface has a cooling effect on the soil in the root zone, irrigation methods that limit evaporation will result in smaller fluctuations in soil temperature and warmer soil temperatures overall. For some crops such as cotton, this has beneficial effects that include earlier root growth, better plant development and larger yields