2,047 research outputs found
Distinguishing fractional and white noise in one and two dimensions
We discuss the link between uncorrelated noise and Hurst exponent for one and
two-dimensional interfaces. We show that long range correlations cannot be
observed using one-dimensional cuts through two-dimensional self-affine
surfaces whose height distributions are characterized by a Hurst exponent lower
than -1/2. In this domain, fractional and white noise are not distinguishable.
A method analysing the correlations in two dimensions is necessary. For Hurst
exponents larger than -1/2, a crossover regime leads to a systematic over
estimate of the Hurst exponent.Comment: 3 pages RevTeX, 4 Postscript figure
The Case for an Accelerating Universe from Supernovae
The unexpected faintness of high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), as
measured by two teams, has been interpreted as evidence that the expansion of
the Universe is accelerating. We review the current challenges to this
interpretation and seek to answer whether the cosmological implications are
compelling. We discuss future observations of SNe Ia which could offer
extraordinary evidence to test acceleration.Comment: To appear as an Invited Review for PASP 20 pages, 13 figure
Concepts for manned lunar habitats
The design philosophy that will guide the design of early lunar habitats will be based on a compromise between the desired capabilities of the base and the economics of its development and implantation. Preferred design will be simple, make use of existing technologies, require the least amount of lunar surface preparation, and minimize crew activity. Three concepts for an initial habitat supporting a crew of four for 28 to 30 days are proposed. Two of these are based on using Space Station Freedom structural elements modified for use in a lunar-gravity environment. A third concept is proposed that is based on an earlier technology based on expandable modules. The expandable modules offer significant advantages in launch mass and packaged volume reductions. It appears feasible to design a transport spacecraft lander that, once landed, can serve as a habitat and a stand-off for supporting a regolith environmental shield. A permanent lunar base habitat supporting a crew of twelve for an indefinite period can be evolved by using multiple initial habitats. There appears to be no compelling need for an entirely different structure of larger volume and increased complexity of implantation
Contextual compositionality detection with external knowledge bases and word embeddings
When the meaning of a phrase cannot be inferred from the individual meanings of its words (e.g., hot dog), that phrase is said to be non-compositional. Automatic compositionality detection in multiword phrases is critical in any application of semantic processing, such as search engines [9]; failing to detect non-compositional phrases can hurt system effectiveness notably. Existing research treats phrases as either compositional or non-compositional in a deterministic manner. In this paper, we operationalize the viewpoint that compositionality is contextual rather than deterministic, i.e., that whether a phrase is compositional or non-compositional depends on its context. For example, the phrase \ufffdgreen card\ufffd is compositional when referring to a green colored card, whereas it is non-compositional when meaning permanent residence authorization. We address the challenge of detecting this type of contextual compositionality as follows: given a multi-word phrase, we enrich the word embedding representing its semantics with evidence about its global context (terms it often collocates with) as well as its local context (narratives where that phrase is used, which we call usage scenarios). We further extend this representation with information extracted from external knowledge bases. The resulting representation incorporates both localized context and more general usage of the phrase and allows to detect its compositionality in a non-deterministic and contextual way. Empirical evaluation of our model on a dataset of phrase compositionality1, manually collected by crowdsourcing contextual compositionality assessments, shows that our model outperforms state-of-the-art baselines notably on detecting phrase compositionality
Course of Skin Symptoms and Quality of Life in Children Referred for Patch Testing - A Long-term Follow-up Study
Level Crossing Analysis of the Stock Markets
We investigate the average frequency of positive slope ,
crossing for the returns of market prices.
The method is based on stochastic processes which no scaling feature is
explicitly required. Using this method we define new quantity to quantify stage
of development and activity of stocks exchange. We compare the Tehran and
western stock markets and show that some stocks such as Tehran (TEPIX) and New
Zealand (NZX) stocks exchange are emerge, and also TEPIX is a non-active market
and financially motivated to absorb capital.Comment: 6 pages and 4 figure
Wavelet and R/S analysis of the X-ray flickering of cataclysmic variables
Recently, wavelets and R/S analysis have been used as statistical tools to
characterize the optical flickering of cataclysmic variables. Here we present
the first comprehensive study of the statistical properties of X-ray flickering
of cataclysmic variables in order to link them with physical parameters. We
analyzed a sample of 97 X-ray light curves of 75 objects of all classes
observed with the XMM-Newton space telescope. By using the wavelets analysis,
each light curve has been characterized by two parameters, alpha and Sigma,
that describe the energy distribution of flickering on different timescales and
the strength at a given timescale, respectively. We also used the R/S analysis
to determine the Hurst exponent of each light curve and define their degree of
stochastic memory in time. The X-ray flickering is typically composed of long
time scale events (1.5 < alpha < 3), with very similar strengths in all the
subtypes of cataclysmic variables (-3 < Sigma < -1.5). The X-ray data are
distributed in a much smaller area of the alpha-Sigma parameter space with
respect to those obtained with optical light curves. The tendency of the
optical flickering in magnetic systems to show higher Sigma values than the
non-magnetic systems is not encountered in the X-rays. The Hurst exponents
estimated for all light curves of the sample are larger than those found in the
visible, with a peak at 0.82. In particular, we do not obtain values lower than
0.5. The X-ray flickering presents a persistent memory in time, which seems to
be stronger in objects containing magnetic white dwarf primaries. The
similarity of the X-ray flickering in objects of different classes together
with the predominance of a persistent stochastic behavior can be explained it
terms of magnetically-driven accretion processes acting in a considerable
fraction of the analyzed objects.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Language revision. Accepted for
publication in A&
Metal Enrichment of the Intergalactic Medium in Cosmological Simulations
Observations have established that the diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM) at
z ~ 3 is enriched to ~0.1-1% solar metallicity and that the hot gas in large
clusters of galaxies (ICM) is enriched to 1/3-1/2 solar metallicity at z=0.
Metals in the IGM may have been removed from galaxies (in which they presumably
form) during dynamical encounters between galaxies, by ram-pressure stripping,
by supernova-driven winds, or as radiation-pressure driven dust efflux. This
study develops a method of investigating the chemical enrichment of the IGM and
of galaxies, using already completed cosmological simulations. To these
simulations, we add dust and (gaseous) metals, distributing the dust and metals
in the gas according to three simple parameterized prescriptions, one for each
enrichment mechanism. These prescriptions are formulated to capture the basic
ejection physics, and calibrated when possible with empirical data. Our results
indicate that dynamical removal of metals from >~ 3*10^8 solar mass galaxies
cannot account for the observed metallicity of low-column density Ly-alpha
absorbers, and that dynamical removal from >~ 3*10^10 solar mass galaxies
cannot account for the ICM metallicities. Dynamical removal also fails to
produce a strong enough mass-metallicity relation in galaxies. In contrast,
either wind or radiation-pressure ejection of metals from relatively large
galaxies can plausibly account for all three sets of observations (though it is
unclear whether metals can be distributed uniformly enough in the low-density
regions without overly disturbing the IGM, and whether clusters can be enriched
quite as much as observed). We investigate in detail how our results change
with variations in our assumed parameters, and how results for the different
ejection processes compare. (Abridged)Comment: Minor revision, 1 figure added addressing diffusion of metals after
their ejection. Accepted by ApJ. 31 EmulateApj Pages with 13 embedded
postscript figure
Fatal poisoning in drug addicts in the Nordic countries in 2017
This study is the seventh report on fatal poisonings among drug addicts in the Nordic countries. In this report, we analyse data from the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Data on gender, number of deaths, places of deaths, age, main intoxicants and substances detected in blood were recorded to obtain national and comparable Nordic data, and to allow comparison with earlier studies conducted in 1984, 1991, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012. The death rate (number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) was highest in Iceland (6.58) followed closely by Sweden (6.46) and then lowest in Denmark (4.29). The death rate increased in Finland (5.84), Iceland and Sweden and decreased in Denmark compared to earlier studies. The death rate in Norway, which has decreased since 2002, has stabilised around 5.7 as of 2017. Women accounted for 7-23% of the fatal poisonings. The percentage was lowest in Iceland and highest in Finland and Norway. The age range was 14-70 years. The median age (41 years) was highest in Denmark and Norway. The other countries had a median age between 33 and 35 years. Opioids were the main cause of death. Methadone remained the main intoxicant in Denmark, while heroin/morphine was still the main intoxicant in Norway, as was buprenorphine in Finland. However, the picture has changed in Sweden compared to 2012, where heroin/morphine caused most deaths in 2017. Sweden also experienced the highest number of deaths from fentanyl analogues (67 deaths) and buprenorphine (61 deaths). Deaths from fentanyl analogues also occurred in Denmark, Finland and Norway, but to a smaller extent. Over the years, the proportion of opioid deaths has decreased in all countries except Sweden, which has experienced an increase. This decline has been replaced by deaths from CNS stimulants like cocaine, amphetamine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Cocaine deaths have occurred in all countries but most frequently in Denmark. MDMA deaths have increased in all countries but mostly in Finland. Poly-drug use was widespread, as seen in the earlier studies. The median number of detected drugs per case varied from 4-6. Heroin/morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and benzodiazepines were frequently detected. Pregabalin and gabapentin were detected in all countries, especially pregabalin, which was detected in 42% of the Finnish cases. New psychoactive substances (NPS) occurred in all countries except Iceland. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe
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