41,441 research outputs found
Support Vector Machine classification of strong gravitational lenses
The imminent advent of very large-scale optical sky surveys, such as Euclid
and LSST, makes it important to find efficient ways of discovering rare objects
such as strong gravitational lens systems, where a background object is
multiply gravitationally imaged by a foreground mass. As well as finding the
lens systems, it is important to reject false positives due to intrinsic
structure in galaxies, and much work is in progress with machine learning
algorithms such as neural networks in order to achieve both these aims. We
present and discuss a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm which makes use of
a Gabor filterbank in order to provide learning criteria for separation of
lenses and non-lenses, and demonstrate using blind challenges that under
certain circumstances it is a particularly efficient algorithm for rejecting
false positives. We compare the SVM engine with a large-scale human examination
of 100000 simulated lenses in a challenge dataset, and also apply the SVM
method to survey images from the Kilo-Degree Survey.Comment: Accepted by MNRA
The interpretive approach to religious education : challenging Thompson's interpretation
In a recent book chapter, Matthew Thompson makes some criticisms of my work, including the interpretive approach to religious education and the research and activity of Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit. Against the background of a discussion of religious education in the public sphere, my response challenges Thompson’s account, commenting on his own position in relation to dialogical approaches to religious education. The article rehearses my long held view that the ideal form of religious education in fully state funded schools of a liberal democracy should be ‘secular’ but not ‘secularist’; there should be no implication of an axiomatic secular humanist interpretation of religions
Diurnal patterns of wheat spectral reflectances and their importance in the assessment of canopy parameters from remotely sensed observations
Spectral reflectances of Produra wheat were measured at 13 different times of the day at Phoenix, Arizona, during April 1979 using a nadir-oriented hand-held 4-band radiometer which had bandpass characteristics similar to those on LANDSAT satellites. Different Sun altitude and azimuth angles caused significant diurnal changes in radiant return in both visible and near-IR regions of the spectrum and in several vegetation indices derived from them. The magnitude of these changes were related to different canopy architecture, percent cover and green leaf area conditions. Spectral measurements taken at each time period were well correlated with green leaf area index but the nature of the relationship changed significantly with time of day. Thus, a significant bias in the estimation of the green leaf area index from remotely sensed spectral data could occur if sun angles are not properly accounted for
The Expanded Very Large Array
In almost 30 years of operation, the Very Large Array (VLA) has proved to be
a remarkably flexible and productive radio telescope. However, the basic
capabilities of the VLA have changed little since it was designed. A major
expansion utilizing modern technology is currently underway to improve the
capabilities of the VLA by at least an order of magnitude in both sensitivity
and in frequency coverage. The primary elements of the Expanded Very Large
Array (EVLA) project include new or upgraded receivers for continuous frequency
coverage from 1 to 50 GHz, new local oscillator, intermediate frequency, and
wide bandwidth data transmission systems to carry signals with 16 GHz total
bandwidth from each antenna, and a new digital correlator with the capability
to process this bandwidth with an unprecedented number of frequency channels
for an imaging array. Also included are a new monitor and control system and
new software that will provide telescope ease of use. Scheduled for completion
in 2012, the EVLA will provide the world research community with a flexible,
powerful, general-purpose telescope to address current and future astronomical
issues.Comment: Added journal reference: published in Proceedings of the IEEE,
Special Issue on Advances in Radio Astronomy, August 2009, vol. 97, No. 8,
1448-1462 Six figures, one tabl
Hand-held radiometry: A set of notes developed for use at the Workshop of Hand-held radiometry
A set of notes was developed to aid the beginner in hand-held radiometry. The electromagnetic spectrum is reviewed, and pertinent terms are defined. View areas of multiband radiometers are developed to show the areas of coincidence of adjacent bands. The amounts of plant cover seen by radiometers having different fields of view are described. Vegetation indices are derived and discussed. Response functions of several radiometers are shown and applied to spectrometer data taken over 12 wheat plots, to provide a comparison of instruments and bands within and among instruments. The calculation of solar time is reviewed and applied to the calculation of the local time of LANDSAT satellite overpasses for any particular location in the Northern Hemisphere. The use and misuse of hand-held infrared thermometers are discussed, and a procedure for photographic determination of plant cover is described. Some suggestions are offered concerning procedures to be followed when collecting hand-held spectral and thermal data. A list of references pertinent to hand-held radiometry is included
Evaluation of an advanced directionally solidified gamma/gamma'-alpha Mo eutectic alloy
An attempt was made to improve on the properties of the candidate jet engine turbine blade material AG-60, a gamma/gamma prime-alpha Mo eutectic composite. Alloy 38 (AG-170) was evaluated in the greatest detail. This alloy, Ni-5.88 A1-29.74 Mo-1.65 V-1.2C Re (weight percent), represents an improvement beyond AG-60, based on mechanical testing of the transverse and/or longitudinal orientations over a range of temperatures in tension, shear, rupture, and rupture after thermal exposure. It is likely that other alloys in the study represent a similar improvement
Vortex signatures in annular Bose-Einstein condensates
We consider a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a ``Mexican hat''
potential, with a quartic minus quadratic radial dependence. We find conditions
under which the ground state is annular in shape, with a hole in the center of
the condensate. Rotation leads to the appearance of stable multiply-quantized
vortices, giving rise to a superfluid flow around the ring. The collective
modes of the system are explored both numerically and analytically using the
Gross-Pitaevskii and hydrodynamic equations. Potential experimental schemes to
detect vorticity are proposed and evaluated, which include measuring the
splitting of collective mode frequencies, observing expansion following release
from the trap, and probing the momentum distribution of the condensate.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Exactly solvable model of the 2D electrical double layer
We consider equilibrium statistical mechanics of a simplified model for the
ideal conductor electrode in an interface contact with a classical
semi-infinite electrolyte, modeled by the two-dimensional Coulomb gas of
pointlike unit charges in the stability-against-collapse regime of
reduced inverse temperatures . If there is a potential difference
between the bulk interior of the electrolyte and the grounded interface, the
electrolyte region close to the interface (known as the electrical double
layer) carries some nonzero surface charge density. The model is mappable onto
an integrable semi-infinite sine-Gordon theory with Dirichlet boundary
conditions. The exact form-factor and boundary state information gained from
the mapping provide asymptotic forms of the charge and number density profiles
of electrolyte particles at large distances from the interface. The result for
the asymptotic behavior of the induced electric potential, related to the
charge density via the Poisson equation, confirms the validity of the concept
of renormalized charge and the corresponding saturation hypothesis. It is
documented on the non-perturbative result for the asymptotic density profile at
a strictly nonzero that the Debye-H\"uckel limit is a
delicate issue.Comment: 14 page
Entangled states of trapped ions allow measuring the magnetic field gradient of a single atomic spin
Using trapped ions in an entangled state we propose detecting a magnetic
dipole of a single atom at distance of a few m. This requires a
measurement of the magnetic field gradient at a level of about 10
Tesla/m. We discuss applications e.g. in determining a wide variation of
ionic magnetic moments, for investigating the magnetic substructure of ions
with a level structure not accessible for optical cooling and detection,and for
studying exotic or rare ions, and molecular ions. The scheme may also be used
for measureing spin imbalances of neutral atoms or atomic ensembles trapped by
optical dipole forces. As the proposed method relies on techniques well
established in ion trap quantum information processing it is within reach of
current technology.Comment: 4 pages, 2 fi
Airborne monitoring of crop canopy temperatures for irrigation scheduling and yield prediction
Airborne and ground measurements were made on April 1 and 29, 1976, over a USDA test site consisting mostly of wheat in various stages of water stress, but also including alfalfa and bare soil. These measurements were made to evaluate the feasibility of measuring crop temperatures from aircraft so that a parameter termed stress degree day, SDD, could be computed. Ground studies have shown that SDD is a valuable indicator of a crop's water needs, and that it can be related to irrigation scheduling and yield. The aircraft measurement program required predawn and afternoon flights coincident with minimum and maximum crop temperatures. Airborne measurements were made with an infrared line scanner and with color IR photography. The scanner data were registered, subtracted, and color-coded to yield pseudo-colored temperature-difference images. Pseudo-colored images reading directly in daily SDD increments were also produced. These maps enable a user to assess plant water status and thus determine irrigation needs and crop yield potentials
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