5,040 research outputs found
The Dynamics Of Introgression Across An Avian Radiation
Hybridization and resulting introgression can play both a destructive and a creative role in the evolution of diversity. Thus, characterizing when and where introgression is most likely to occur can help us understand the causes of diversification dynamics. Here, we examine the prevalence of and variation in introgression using phylogenomic data from a large (1300+ species), geographically widespread avian group, the suboscine birds. We first examine patterns of gene tree discordance across the geographic distribution of the entire clade. We then evaluate the signal of introgression in a subset of 206 species triads using Patterson\u27s D-statistic and test for associations between introgression signal and evolutionary, geographic, and environmental variables. We find that gene tree discordance varies across lineages and geographic regions. The signal of introgression is highest in cases where species occur in close geographic proximity and in regions with more dynamic climates since the Pleistocene. Our results highlight the potential of phylogenomic datasets for examining broad patterns of hybridization and suggest that the degree of introgression between diverging lineages might be predictable based on the setting in which they occur
A new data analysis framework for the search of continuous gravitational wave signals
Continuous gravitational wave signals, like those expected by asymmetric
spinning neutron stars, are among the most promising targets for LIGO and Virgo
detectors. The development of fast and robust data analysis methods is crucial
to increase the chances of a detection. We have developed a new and flexible
general data analysis framework for the search of this kind of signals, which
allows to reduce the computational cost of the analysis by about two orders of
magnitude with respect to current procedures. This can correspond, at fixed
computing cost, to a sensitivity gain of up to 10%-20%, depending on the search
parameter space. Some possible applications are discussed, with a particular
focus on a directed search for sources in the Galactic center. Validation
through the injection of artificial signals in the data of Advanced LIGO first
observational science run is also shown.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure
An improved algorithm for narrow-band searches of continuous gravitational waves
Continuous gravitational waves signals, emitted by asymmetric spinning
neutron stars, are among the main targets of current detectors like Advanced
LIGO and Virgo. In the case of sources, like pulsars, which rotational
parameters are measured through electromagnetic observations, typical searches
assume that the gravitational wave frequency is at a given known fixed ratio
with respect to the star rotational frequency. For instance, for a neutron star
rotating around one of its principal axis of inertia the gravitational signal
frequency would be exactly two times the rotational frequency of the star. It
is possible, however, that this assumption is wrong. This is why search
algorithms able to take into account a possible small mismatch between the
gravitational waves frequency and the frequency inferred from electromagnetic
observations have been developed. In this paper we present an improved pipeline
to perform such narrow-band searches for continuous gravitational waves from
neutron stars, about three orders of magnitude faster than previous
implementations. The algorithm that we have developed is based on the {\it
5-vectors} framework and is able to perform a fully coherent search over a
frequency band of width (Hertz) and for hundreds of spin-down
values running a few hours on a standard workstation. This new algorithm opens
the possibility of long coherence time searches for objects which rotational
parameters are highly uncertain.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables, submitted to CQ
Cognitive debiasing 2: Impediments to and strategies for change
In a companion paper, we proposed that cognitive debiasing is a skill essential in developing sound clinical reasoning to mitigate the incidence of diagnostic failure. We reviewed the origins of cognitive biases and some proposed mechanisms for how debiasing processes might work. In this paper, we first outline a general schema of how cognitive change occurs and the constraints that may apply. We review a variety of individual factors, many of them biases themselves, which may be impediments to change. We then examine the major strategies that have been developed in the social sciences and in medicine to achieve cognitive and affective debiasing, including the important concept of forcing functions. The abundance and rich variety of approaches that exist in the literature and in individual clinical domains illustrate the difficulties inherent in achieving cognitive change, and also the need for such interventions. Ongoing cognitive debiasing is arguably the most important feature of the critical thinker and the well-calibrated mind. We outline three groups of suggested interventions going forward: educational strategies, workplace strategies and forcing functions. We stress the importance of ambient and contextual influences on the quality of individual decision making and the need to address factors known to impair calibration of the decision maker. We also emphasise the importance of introducing these concepts and corollary development of training in critical thinking in the undergraduate level in medical education
Study of line shape and angular variation of ESR spectra in two smectic a liquid crystals
Electron spin-resonance (ESR) measurement of the androstane nitroxide spin-probe is reported in isotropic, nematic and smectic A phases of the liquid crystals N(p-Octyloxy-benzylidine)-p-toludine [OBT] and p-nitrophenyl-p-n-octyloxy benzoate [NPOB]. Mono-domain samples in flat quartz tube were formed for the study of the angular variation of the spectra in smectic A phase. The analysis of the spectra using the theory of Polnaszek, Bruno and Freed (PBF) has resulted in the determination of the order parameter S, the rotational correlation time TR, and the anisotropic diffusion parameter N at different temperatures. The comparison between the two samples shows that the molecular geometry of the liquid crystals play important role in determining the value of the order parameter. The entire smectic A phase in OBT is characteristic of slow tumbling region (TR > 10-9 sec) and the anisotropic parameter N shows an anomalous increase in this phase. This indicates that the slowly relaxing local structure (SRLS) mechanism plays important role in the slow tumbling region. In NPOB the incipient slow tumbling region is almost at the end of smectic A phase and the SRLS mechanism does not seem to play as important role as in OBT
ESR line shape study of two nematic liquid crystals
Electron spin-resonance (ESR) measurements of the spin-probe17β-hydroxy-4,4'-dimethyl spiro[5α-androstane-3,2-oxazolidine]-3'-yloxyl in the liquid crystals 4-n-Amylacetophenon O-(4-n-heptyl benzoyl)-oxime [AAHBO] and 4-n-Butoxyphenyl hexyl benzoate [BPHB] are reported in isotropic and nematic phases. On the basis of the temperature variation of ESR line width, an extra, solid to solid, phase transition is observed in BPHB. The theory of Polnaszek, Bruno and Freed (PBF) appropriate for anisotropic viscosity diffusion is used to analyze the ESR spectra and thereby to determine the values of the order parameter, the rotational diffusion tensor and the correlation time at different temperatures for the two liquid crystals. The analysis shows that the slowly relaxing local structure mechanisms (SRLS) is active in slow tumbling region specially in AAHBO
A semi-coherent analysis method to search for continuous gravitational waves emitted by ultra-light boson clouds around spinning black holes
As a consequence of superradiant instability induced in Kerr black holes,
ultra-light boson clouds can be a source of persistent gravitational waves,
potentially detectable by current and future gravitational-wave detectors.
These signals have been predicted to be nearly monochromatic, with a small
steady frequency increase (spin-up), but given the several assumptions and
simplifications done at theoretical level, it is wise to consider, from the
data analysis point of view, a broader class of gravitational signals in which
the phase (or the frequency) slightly wander in time. Also other types of
sources, e.g. neutron stars in which a torque balance equilibrium exists
between matter accretion and emission of persistent gravitational waves, would
fit in this category. In this paper we present a robust and computationally
cheap analysis pipeline devoted to the search of such kind of signals. We
provide a full characterization of the method, through both a theoretical
sensitivity estimation and through the analysis of syntethic data in which
simulated signals have been injected. The search setup for both all-sky
searches and higher sensitivity directed searches is discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figure
Non-Compositional Term Dependence for Information Retrieval
Modelling term dependence in IR aims to identify co-occurring terms that are
too heavily dependent on each other to be treated as a bag of words, and to
adapt the indexing and ranking accordingly. Dependent terms are predominantly
identified using lexical frequency statistics, assuming that (a) if terms
co-occur often enough in some corpus, they are semantically dependent; (b) the
more often they co-occur, the more semantically dependent they are. This
assumption is not always correct: the frequency of co-occurring terms can be
separate from the strength of their semantic dependence. E.g. "red tape" might
be overall less frequent than "tape measure" in some corpus, but this does not
mean that "red"+"tape" are less dependent than "tape"+"measure". This is
especially the case for non-compositional phrases, i.e. phrases whose meaning
cannot be composed from the individual meanings of their terms (such as the
phrase "red tape" meaning bureaucracy). Motivated by this lack of distinction
between the frequency and strength of term dependence in IR, we present a
principled approach for handling term dependence in queries, using both lexical
frequency and semantic evidence. We focus on non-compositional phrases,
extending a recent unsupervised model for their detection [21] to IR. Our
approach, integrated into ranking using Markov Random Fields [31], yields
effectiveness gains over competitive TREC baselines, showing that there is
still room for improvement in the very well-studied area of term dependence in
IR
Initial Filling of Tehri Reservoir — Analysis of Seepage Data
Initial Filling of reservoirs in dams, particularly the embankment type, is a very important phase as unusual behaviour / accidents of many dams have been reported during this period. A regular observation / analysis of quantum of seepage vis-Ă -vis the reservoir level is a significant activity so that any serious development inside the body of dam and foundation / abutments rocks are revealed in advance and remedial measures are taken up timely to prevent catastrophic failures. At Tehri, a 260.5m high earth & rockfill dam has been constructed across river Bhagirathi, a tributary of mighty river Ganga in India. Seepage discharge data of first two years of Initial Filling of Tehri reservoir has been analysed, which has led to a few important conclusions. The Analysis of Seepage data for the Initial Filling of Tehri reservoir is presented in the paper
Initial Filling of Tehri Reservoir — Analysis of Seepage Data
Initial Filling of reservoirs in dams, particularly the embankment type, is a very important phase as unusual behaviour / accidents of many dams have been reported during this period. A regular observation / analysis of quantum of seepage vis-Ă -vis the reservoir level is a significant activity so that any serious development inside the body of dam and foundation / abutments rocks are revealed in advance and remedial measures are taken up timely to prevent catastrophic failures. At Tehri, a 260.5m high earth & rockfill dam has been constructed across river Bhagirathi, a tributary of mighty river Ganga in India. Seepage discharge data of first two years of Initial Filling of Tehri reservoir has been analysed, which has led to a few important conclusions. The Analysis of Seepage data for the Initial Filling of Tehri reservoir is presented in the paper
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