Automated novelty detection in the WISE survey with one-class support vector machines

Wide-angle photometric surveys of previously uncharted sky areas or wavelength regimes will always bring in unexpected sources whose existence and properties cannot be easily predicted from earlier observations: novelties or even anomalies. Such objects can be efficiently sought for with novelty detection algorithms. Here we present an application of such a method, called one-class support vector machines (OCSVM), to search for anomalous patterns among sources preselected from the mid-infrared AllWISE catalogue covering the whole sky. To create a model of expected data we train the algorithm on a set of objects with spectroscopic identifications from the SDSS DR13 database, present also in AllWISE. OCSVM detects as anomalous those sources whose patterns - WISE photometric measurements in this case - are inconsistent with the model. Among the detected anomalies we find artefacts, such as objects with spurious photometry due to blending, but most importantly also real sources of genuine astrophysical interest. Among the latter, OCSVM has identified a sample of heavily reddened AGN/quasar candidates distributed uniformly over the sky and in a large part absent from other WISE-based AGN catalogues. It also allowed us to find a specific group of sources of mixed types, mostly stars and compact galaxies. By combining the semi-supervised OCSVM algorithm with standard classification methods it will be possible to improve the latter by accounting for sources which are not present in the training sample but are otherwise well-represented in the target set. Anomaly detection adds flexibility to automated source separation procedures and helps verify the reliability and representativeness of the training samples. It should be thus considered as an essential step in supervised classification schemes to ensure completeness and purity of produced catalogues.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure

Investigation of Polymer–Plasticizer Blends as SH-SAW Sensor Coatings for Detection of Benzene in Water with High Sensitivity and Long-Term Stability

We report the first-ever direct detection of benzene in water at concentrations below 100 ppb (parts per billion) using acoustic wave (specifically, shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave, SH-SAW) sensors with plasticized polymer coatings. Two polymers and two plasticizers were studied as materials for sensor coatings. For each polymer–plasticizer combination, the influence of the mixing ratio of the blend on the sensitivity to benzene was measured and compared to commercially available polymers that were used for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) detection in previous work. After optimizing the coating parameters, the highest sensitivity and lowest detection limit for benzene were found for a 1.25 μm thick sensor coating of 17.5%-by-weight diisooctyl azelate-polystyrene on the tested acoustic wave device. The calculated detection limit was 45 ppb, with actual sensor responses to concentrations down to 65 ppb measured directly. Among the sensor coatings that showed good sensitivity to benzene, the best long-term stability was found for a 1.0 μm thick coating of 23% diisononyl cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate-polystyrene, which was studied here because it is known to show no detectable leaching in water. The present work demonstrates that, by varying type of plasticizer, mixing ratio, and coating thickness, the mechanical and chemical properties of the coatings can be conveniently tailored to maximize analyte sorption and partial chemical selectivity for a given class of analytes as well as to minimize acoustic-wave attenuation in contact with an aqueous phase at the operating frequency of the sensor device

Late spring freezes in Poland in relation to atmospheric circulation

Late spring freeze events, a significant agroclimatic hazard, are investigated for Poland. Daily minimum air temperatures from 184 stations for the period 1951-2010 were used to analyze the frequency and conditional probability of late spring freezes. In addition, three classification schemes were employed to investigate the atmospheric circulation responsible for late spring freezes events. The findings suggest that knowledge of the airflow influencing late spring freezes can help to understand the complex historical trends and projected future changes in freeze risk for perennial crop

Predicting the band gap of ternary oxides containing 3d(10) and 3d(0) metals

We present soft x-ray spectroscopy measurements and electronic structure calculations of ZnTiO 3, a ternary oxide that is related to wurtzite ZnO and rutile TiO 2. The electronic structure of ZnTiO 3 was calculated using a variety of exchange-correlation functionals, and we compare the predicted band gaps of this material obtained from each functional with estimates from our experimental data and optical gaps quoted from the literature. We find that the main hybridizations in the electronic structure of ZnTiO 3 can be predicted from the electronic structures of the two binary oxides. We further find that ZnTiO 3 has weaker O 2p-Zn 3d repulsion than in ZnO, resulting in a relatively lower valence band maximum and consequently a larger band gap. Although we find a significant core hole shift in the measured O K XAS of ZnTiO 3, we provide a simple empirical scheme for estimating the band gap that may prove to be applicable for any d10-d0 ternary oxide, and could be useful in finding a ternary oxide with a band gap tailored to a specific energy. © 2012 American Physical Society

Preparation and CO2 adsorption of amine modified Mg-Al LDH via exfoliation route

In response to the recent focus on reducing carbon dioxide emission, the preparation and characterization of organically functionalized materials for use in carbon capture have received considerable attention. In this paper the synthesis of amine modified layered double hydroxides (LDHs) via an exfoliation and grafting synthetic route is reported. The materials were characterized by elemental analysis (EA), powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectrometer (DRIFTS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Adsorption of carbon dioxide on modified layered double hydroxides was investigated by TGA at 25–80 °C. 3-[2-(2-Aminoethylamino) ethylamino]propyl-trimethoxysilane modified MgAl LDH showed a maximum CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.76 mmol g−1 at 80 °C. The influence of primary and secondary amines on carbon dioxide adsorption is discussed. The carbon dioxide adsorption isotherms presented were closely fitted to the Avrami kinetic model

The Ultimate Fate of Supercooled Liquids

In recent years it has become widely accepted that a dynamical length scale {\xi}_{\alpha} plays an important role in supercooled liquids near the glass transition. We examine the implications of the interplay between the growing {\xi}_{\alpha} and the size of the crystal nucleus, {\xi}_M, which shrinks on cooling. We argue that at low temperatures where {\xi}_{\alpha} > {\xi}_M a new crystallization mechanism emerges enabling rapid development of a large scale web of sparsely connected crystallinity. Though we predict this web percolates the system at too low a temperature to be easily seen in the laboratory, there are noticeable residual effects near the glass transition that can account for several previously observed unexplained phenomena of deeply supercooled liquids including Fischer clusters, and anomalous crystal growth near T_g

FOXC2 controls adult lymphatic endothelial specialization, function, and gut lymphatic barrier preventing multiorgan failure.

The mechanisms maintaining adult lymphatic vascular specialization throughout life and their role in coordinating inter-organ communication to sustain homeostasis remain elusive. We report that inactivation of the mechanosensitive transcription factor Foxc2 in adult lymphatic endothelium leads to a stepwise intestine-to-lung systemic failure. Foxc2 loss compromised the gut epithelial barrier, promoted dysbiosis and bacterial translocation to peripheral lymph nodes, and increased circulating levels of purine metabolites and angiopoietin-2. Commensal microbiota depletion dampened systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, corrected intestinal lymphatic dysfunction, and improved survival. Foxc2 loss skewed the specialization of lymphatic endothelial subsets, leading to populations with mixed, pro-fibrotic identities and to emergence of lymph node-like endothelial cells. Our study uncovers a cross-talk between lymphatic vascular function and commensal microbiota, provides single-cell atlas of lymphatic endothelial subtypes, and reveals organ-specific and systemic effects of dysfunctional lymphatics. These effects potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, or lymphedema

Preparation and characterization of biodiesel industry waste partially carbonized material in order to produce an organic soil conditioner.

This work seeks to determine the best methods of production of partly carbonized waste of biodiesel industry - castor (Ricinus communis) meal - aimed at obtaining material comparable to organic matter of soils Terras Pretas de Índios to be used as a soil conditioner. The subject Terras Pretas de Índios has aroused interest in the international scientific community that in recent years several articles and letters of Nature and Science were devoted to the subject (e.g. 1, 2, 3) and The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) organized a symposium in their annual meeting in 2006 with the title: Amazonian Dark Earths: New Discoveries. This work corresponds to chemical studies in the sense of scientific knowledge and technological development and innovation in the use of organic by-products, especially from the biofuels industries, seeking the excellent performance of the so-called Terras Pretas de Índios of the Amazon (4). In these work the carbonized materials were obtained by controlled heating of different mixture of biodiesel industry tort with glycerol, starch as industrial Brazilian by-product, and potassium sulfate (K2SO4) as a macronutrient addictive. The obtained products were analyzed by EPR, NMR, and DRUV-Vis spectroscopy

Phosphor Dysprosium-Doped Layered Double Hydroxides Exchanged with Different Organic Functional Groups

The layers of a Zn/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) were doped with Dy3+ cations. Among some compositions, the Zn2+ : Al3+ : Dy3+ molar ratio equal to 30 : 9 : 1 presented a single crystalline phase. Organic anions with carboxylic, amino, sulfate, or phosphate functional groups were intercalated as single layers between LDH layers as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Photoluminescence spectra of the nitrate intercalated LDH showed a wide emission band with strong intensity in the yellow region (around 574 nm), originated due to symmetry distortion of the octahedral coordination in dysprosium centers. Moreover, a broad red band emission was also detected apparently due to the presence of zinc oxide. The distorted symmetry of the dysprosium coordination environment, also confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, was modified after the intercalation with phenyl phosphonate (PP), aspartate (Asp), adipate (Adip), and serinate (Ser) anions; the emission as measured from PL spectra of these LDH was more intense in the blue region (ca. 486 nm), thus indicating an increase in symmetry of dysprosium octahedrons. The red emission band from zinc oxide kept the same intensity after intercalation of dodecyl sulfate (DDS). An additional emission of unknown origin at λ = 767 nm was present in all LDHs