Exploring the stylistic uniqueness of the priestly source in Genesis and Exodus through a statistical/computational lens

We have recently introduced a computational framework that, given a partition of a text into two literary constituents, finds the best parameters for successfully distinguishing linguistic features to support that partition and evaluates the statistical significance thereof. We applied our algorithm to assess the literary uniqueness of the Priestly source in the books of Genesis and Exodus, focusing on the mathematical and statistical underpinning of our approach. Here we take a close philological look at the linguistic features found to characterize the two distinct categories of texts.Vor kurzem haben wir einen Algorithmus entwickelt und vor- gestellt, der die besten Parameter zur erfolgreichen Unterscheidung der sprachli- chen Merkmale für eine Aufteilung eines Textes in zwei literarische Gruppen findet und die statistische Signifikanz dieser Parameter bewertet. Wir haben unseren Algorithmus auf die Bücher Genesis und Exodus angewendet, um die Priesterschrift von den nicht-priesterlichen Texten zu unterscheiden, wobei wir uns auf die mathematischen und statistischen Grundlagen unseres Ansatzes stützten. Hierbei gehen wir näher auf die sprachlichen Besonderheiten ein, die die beiden literari- schen Textgruppen kennzeichnen.Récemment, nous avons développé un algorithme qui trouve les meilleurs paramètres pour distinguer avec succès les caractéristiques linguistiques d’une partition d’un texte en deux ensembles littéraires et en évalué la significativité statistique. Pour cet article, nous avons appliqué notre algorithme aux livres de la Genèse et de l’Exode pour différencier le document sacerdotal du reste des textes, en nous appuyant sur les fondements mathématiques et statistiques de notre approche. Nous examinons ici de près les spécificités linguistiques qui caractérisent les deux ensembles littéraires.Tel Aviv University Center for AI and Data Science (TAD). Open access was generously funded by the University of Haifa.https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/zatw/htmlhj2024Old Testament StudiesNon

Spatially resolving polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Herbig Ae disks with VISIR-NEAR at the VLT

We use the long-slit spectroscopy mode of the VISIR-NEAR experiment to perform diffraction-limited observations of eight nearby Herbig Ae protoplanetary disks. We extract spectra for various locations along the slit with a spectral resolution of R = 300 and perform a compositional fit at each spatial location using spectral templates of silicates and the four PAH bands. This yields the intensity vs. location profiles of each species. Results. We could obtain spatially-resolved intensity profiles of the PAH emission features in the N-band for five objects (AB Aurigae, HD 97048, HD 100546, HD 163296, and HD 169142). We observe two kinds of PAH emission geometry in our sample: centrally-peaked (HD 97048) and ring-like (AB Aurigae, HD 100546, HD 163296, and potentially HD 169142). Comparing the spatial PAH emission profiles with near-infrared scattered light images, we find a strong correlation in the disk sub-structure but a difference in radial intensity decay rate. The PAH emission shows a less steep decline with distance from the star. Finally, we find a correlation between the presence of (sub-) micron-sized silicate grains leading to the depletion of PAH emission within the inner regions of the disks. In this work, we find the following: (1) PAH emission traces the extent of Herbig Ae disks to a considerable radial distance. (2) The correlation between silicate emission within the inner regions of disks and the depletion of PAH emission can result from dust-mixing and PAH coagulation mechanisms and competition over UV photons. (3) For all objects in our sample, PAHs undergo stochastic heating across the entire spatial extent of the disk and are not saturated. (4) The difference in radial intensity decay rates between the PAHs and scattered-light profiles may be attributed to shadowing and dust-settling effects, which affect the scattering grains more than the PAHs

Exploring the stylistic uniqueness of the priestly source in Genesis and Exodus through a statistical/computational lens

Récemment, nous avons développé un algorithme qui trouve les meilleurs paramètres pour distinguer avec succès les caractéristiques linguistiques d’une partition d’un texte en deux ensembles littéraires et en évalué la significativité statistique. Pour cet article, nous avons appliqué notre algorithme aux livres de la Genèse et de l’Exode pour différencier le document sacerdotal du reste des textes, en nous appuyant sur les fondements mathématiques et statistiques de notre approche. Nous examinons ici de près les spécificités linguistiques qui caractérisent les deux ensembles littéraires.Vor kurzem haben wir einen Algorithmus entwickelt und vorgestellt, der die besten Parameter zur erfolgreichen Unterscheidung der sprachlichen Merkmale für eine Aufteilung eines Textes in zwei literarische Gruppen findet und die statistische Signifikanz dieser Parameter bewertet. Wir haben unseren Algorithmus auf die Bücher Genesis und Exodus angewendet, um die Priesterschrift von den nicht-priesterlichen Texten zu unterscheiden, wobei wir uns auf die mathematischen und statistischen Grundlagen unseres Ansatzes stützten. Hierbei gehen wir näher auf die sprachlichen Besonderheiten ein, die die beiden literarischen Textgruppen kennzeichnen.We have recently introduced a computational framework that, given a partition of a text into two literary constituents, finds the best parameters for successfully distinguishing linguistic features to support that partition and evaluates the statistical significance thereof. We applied our algorithm to assess the literary uniqueness of the Priestly source in the books of Genesis and Exodus, focusing on the mathematical and statistical underpinning of our approach. Here we take a close philological look at the linguistic features found to characterize the two distinct categories of texts

A Statistical Exploration of Text Partition Into Constituents : The Case of the Priestly Source in the Books of Genesis and Exodus

We present a pipeline for a statistical textual exploration, offering a stylometry-based explanation and statistical validation of a hypothesized partition of a text. Given a parameterization of the text, our pipeline: (1) detects literary features yielding the optimal overlap between the hypothesized and unsupervised partitions, (2) performs a hypothesis-testing analysis to quantify the statistical significance of the optimal overlap, while conserving implicit correlations between units of text that are more likely to be grouped, and (3) extracts and quantifies the importance of features most responsible for the classification, estimates their statistical stability and cluster-wise abundance. We apply our pipeline to the first two books in the Bible, where one stylistic component stands out in the eyes of biblical scholars, namely, the Priestly component. We identify and explore statistically significant stylistic differences between the Priestly and non-Priestly components

Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in NGC 1068

International audienc

Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in the Active Galaxy NGC 1068

In the widely accepted 'Unified Model' solution of the classification puzzle of Active Galactic Nuclei, the orientation of a dusty accretion torus around the central black hole dominates their appearance. In 'type-1' systems, the bright nucleus is visible at the centre of a face-on torus. In 'type-2' systems the thick, nearly edge-on torus hides the central engine. Later studies suggested evolutionary effects and added dusty clumps and polar winds but left the basic picture intact. However, recent high-resolution images of the archetypal type-2 galaxy NGC 1068 suggested a more radical revision. They displayed a ring-like emission feature which the authors advocated to be hot dust surrounding the black hole at the radius where the radiation from the central engine evaporates the dust. That ring is too thin and too far tilted from edge-on to hide the central engine, and ad hoc foreground extinction is needed to explain the type-2 classification. These images quickly generated reinterpretations of the type 1-2 dichotomy. Here we present new multi-band mid-infrared images of NGC1068 that detail the dust temperature distribution and reaffirm the original model. Combined with radio data, our maps locate the central engine below the previously reported ring and obscured by a thick, nearly edge-on disk, as predicted by the Unified Model. We also identify emission from polar flows and absorbing dust that is mineralogically distinct from that towards the Milky Way centre

Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in the Active Galaxy NGC 1068

In the widely accepted 'Unified Model' solution of the classification puzzle of Active Galactic Nuclei, the orientation of a dusty accretion torus around the central black hole dominates their appearance. In 'type-1' systems, the bright nucleus is visible at the centre of a face-on torus. In 'type-2' systems the thick, nearly edge-on torus hides the central engine. Later studies suggested evolutionary effects and added dusty clumps and polar winds but left the basic picture intact. However, recent high-resolution images of the archetypal type-2 galaxy NGC 1068 suggested a more radical revision. They displayed a ring-like emission feature which the authors advocated to be hot dust surrounding the black hole at the radius where the radiation from the central engine evaporates the dust. That ring is too thin and too far tilted from edge-on to hide the central engine, and ad hoc foreground extinction is needed to explain the type-2 classification. These images quickly generated reinterpretations of the type 1-2 dichotomy. Here we present new multi-band mid-infrared images of NGC1068 that detail the dust temperature distribution and reaffirm the original model. Combined with radio data, our maps locate the central engine below the previously reported ring and obscured by a thick, nearly edge-on disk, as predicted by the Unified Model. We also identify emission from polar flows and absorbing dust that is mineralogically distinct from that towards the Milky Way centre

Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in the Active Galaxy NGC 1068

In the widely accepted 'Unified Model' solution of the classification puzzle of Active Galactic Nuclei, the orientation of a dusty accretion torus around the central black hole dominates their appearance. In 'type-1' systems, the bright nucleus is visible at the centre of a face-on torus. In 'type-2' systems the thick, nearly edge-on torus hides the central engine. Later studies suggested evolutionary effects and added dusty clumps and polar winds but left the basic picture intact. However, recent high-resolution images of the archetypal type-2 galaxy NGC 1068 suggested a more radical revision. They displayed a ring-like emission feature which the authors advocated to be hot dust surrounding the black hole at the radius where the radiation from the central engine evaporates the dust. That ring is too thin and too far tilted from edge-on to hide the central engine, and ad hoc foreground extinction is needed to explain the type-2 classification. These images quickly generated reinterpretations of the type 1-2 dichotomy. Here we present new multi-band mid-infrared images of NGC1068 that detail the dust temperature distribution and reaffirm the original model. Combined with radio data, our maps locate the central engine below the previously reported ring and obscured by a thick, nearly edge-on disk, as predicted by the Unified Model. We also identify emission from polar flows and absorbing dust that is mineralogically distinct from that towards the Milky Way centre

Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in the Active Galaxy NGC 1068

In the widely accepted 'Unified Model' solution of the classification puzzle of Active Galactic Nuclei, the orientation of a dusty accretion torus around the central black hole dominates their appearance. In 'type-1' systems, the bright nucleus is visible at the centre of a face-on torus. In 'type-2' systems the thick, nearly edge-on torus hides the central engine. Later studies suggested evolutionary effects and added dusty clumps and polar winds but left the basic picture intact. However, recent high-resolution images of the archetypal type-2 galaxy NGC 1068 suggested a more radical revision. They displayed a ring-like emission feature which the authors advocated to be hot dust surrounding the black hole at the radius where the radiation from the central engine evaporates the dust. That ring is too thin and too far tilted from edge-on to hide the central engine, and ad hoc foreground extinction is needed to explain the type-2 classification. These images quickly generated reinterpretations of the type 1-2 dichotomy. Here we present new multi-band mid-infrared images of NGC1068 that detail the dust temperature distribution and reaffirm the original model. Combined with radio data, our maps locate the central engine below the previously reported ring and obscured by a thick, nearly edge-on disk, as predicted by the Unified Model. We also identify emission from polar flows and absorbing dust that is mineralogically distinct from that towards the Milky Way centre