3,111 research outputs found
Construction of weakly CUD sequences for MCMC sampling
In Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling considerable thought goes into
constructing random transitions. But those transitions are almost always driven
by a simulated IID sequence. Recently it has been shown that replacing an IID
sequence by a weakly completely uniformly distributed (WCUD) sequence leads to
consistent estimation in finite state spaces. Unfortunately, few WCUD sequences
are known. This paper gives general methods for proving that a sequence is
WCUD, shows that some specific sequences are WCUD, and shows that certain
operations on WCUD sequences yield new WCUD sequences. A numerical example on a
42 dimensional continuous Gibbs sampler found that some WCUD inputs sequences
produced variance reductions ranging from tens to hundreds for posterior means
of the parameters, compared to IID inputs.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/07-EJS162 the Electronic
Journal of Statistics (http://www.i-journals.org/ejs/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
On the thermal conduction in tangled magnetic fields in clusters of galaxies
Thermal conduction in tangled magnetic fields is reduced because heat
conducting electrons must travel along the field lines longer distances between
hot and cold regions of space than if there were no fields. We consider the
case when the tangled magnetic field has a weak homogeneous component. We
examine two simple models for temperature in clusters of galaxies: a
time-independent model and a time-dependent one. We find that the actual value
of the effective thermal conductivity in tangled magnetic fields depends on how
it is defined for a particular astrophysical problem. Our final conclusion is
that the heat conduction never totally suppressed but is usually important in
the central regions of galaxy clusters, and therefore, it should not be
neglected.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure
RXTE and ASCA Constraints on Non-thermal Emission from the A2256 Galaxy Cluster
An 8.3 hour observation of the Abell 2256 galaxy cluster using the Rossi
X-ray Timing Explorer proportional counter array produced a high quality
spectrum in the 2 - 30 keV range. Joint fitting with the 0.7 - 11 keV spectrum
obtained with the Advanced Satellite for Astrophysics and Cosmology gas imaging
spectrometer gives an upperlimit of 2.3x10^-7 photons/cm^2/sec/keV for
non-thermal emission at 30 keV. This yields a lower limit to the mean magnetic
field of 0.36 micro Gauss (uG) and an upperlimit of 1.8x10^-13 ergs/cm^3 for
the cosmic-ray electron energy density. The resulting lower limit to the
central magnetic field is ~1 - 3 uG While a magnetic field of ~0.1 - 0.2 uG can
be created by galaxy wakes, a magnetic field of several uG is usually
associated with a cooling flow or, as in the case of the Coma cluster, a
subcluster merger. However, for A2256, the evidence for a merger is weak and
the main cluster shows no evidence of a cooling flow. Thus, there is presently
no satisfactory hypothesis for the origin of an average cluster magnetic field
as high as >0.36 uG in the A2256 cluster.Comment: 8 pages, Astrophysical Journal (in press
A flight experiment to determine GPS photochemical contamination accumulation rates
It was recently suggested that photochemically deposited contamination, originating from volatiles outgassed by a spacecraft, may be responsible for the anomalous degradation in power seen on the GPS Block 1 vehicles. In an attempt to confirm, or deny, the photochemical deposition rates predicted, a study was undertaken to design a flight experiment to be incorporated on the GPS vehicles currently in production. The objective was to develop an inexpensive, light weight instrument package that would give information on the contamination levels within a few months of launch. Three types of apparatus were studied, Quartz Crystal Microbalances, (QCM's), modified solar cells, and calorimeters. A calorimeter was selected due primarily to its impact on the production schedule of the GPS vehicles. An analysis of the sensitivity of the final design is compared to the predicted contamination accumulation rates in order to determine how long after launch it will take the experiment to show the effects of photochemical contamination
GOVERNANCE FORM AND VALUE CREATION IN IT OUTSOURCING
This research-in-progress considers the make/buy dichotomy common in research on IT outsourcing (ITO) transaction arrangements. Recent strategic management research finds that several kinds of transaction arrangements exist and categorizes them on three independent dimensions of control. Using a sample of 100+ ITO transactions from a small consulting firm, I plan to empirically test the relationship between use of these arrangements in ITO transactions and value created and captured by the transaction partners. Expected findings of the completed research will contribute to the outsourcing literature by validating a more nuanced means of analyzing outsourcing transactions. In addition, this research aids scholarsâ understanding of how transaction arrangements contribute to the creation of value for transaction partners. Finally, this research contributes an additional IS perspective on a prominent theory of the firm, transaction cost economics (TCE), and contributes to ongoing debate in the IS literature regarding the applicability of TCE to ITO transactions
Charlottesville
Since taking office President Trump has been leading America into a downward spiral. Instead of uniting everyone, he has divided us as a country. It feels As if weâre back in the 50s with racial segregation and discrimination an example of this is the Charlottesville Rally where white supremacists went to protest the cityâs plan to take down Confederate monuments. The event turned violent after protesters clashed with counter-protesters. After seeing this play out on CNN I was inspired to make an abstract representation of the event that took place during the rally as the counter-protester was attacked
Christmas Island lagoonal lakes, models for the deposition of carbonateâevaporiteâorganic laminated sediments
The atoll of Christmas Island (now known as Kiritimati) in the Kiribati Republic (Central Pacific) lies at about 2°N in the intertropical convergence zone. Much of the surface area of the atoll (ca. 360 km2) is occupied by numerous lakes in which carbonate, evaporite (calcium sulfate, halite) and organic layers are deposited. Observations suggest that deposition of these different laminae is controlled by climatic and biologic factors. It is thought that periodic climatic variations, such as El Niño-Southern Oscillations (ENSO) events which bring heavy rainfall to the atoll, result in the succession of the precipitation of carbonate minerals (during periods after dilution of hypersaline waters by heavy rains), followed by evaporitic minerals (carbonate, calcium sulfate, halite) when salinity increases through evaporation. Thick (up to 5 cm) microbial (essentially cyanobacterial) mats develop continuously on the lake bottom surfaces providing the sediment with an important (total organic carbon 2â5%) organic contribution in the form of an internal, geometrically structured, network in which the authigenic minerals precipitate. The high bioproductivity of these microbial populations is reflected in low ÎŽ13C values of sedimentary organic carbon (â14 to â17â°), interpreted as being the result of high atmospheric CO2 demand (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 56 (1992) 335). The well-laminated organic layers present in the sediment profile result from the death and burial of microbial populations at the time of severe climatic events (storms, heavy rainfall). These lagoonal lakes provide a model for the deposition of carbonate and organic matter in an evaporitic environment. The high ratio of deposited carbonate vs. sulfate+chloride, when compared to low ratio in evaporitic salinas, results from both a lack of limitation of calcium, magnesium and carbonate ions (in a carbonate reef environment) and active processes of high-Mg calcite precipitation (organomineralization)
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