Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The transient Milky Way : a perspective for MIRAX : São José dos Campos, Brazil, 7-9 December 2005

The contributions to this conference discuss both scientific and technical aspects of the MIRAX (Monitor e Imageador de RAios-X) x-ray astronomy project, an international satellite mission to be launched in 2011. The main topic was the importance of observing x-ray transient sources and explosive phenomena in the central Galactic plane with a wide-field imaging instrument over long and continuous periods of time.
STABILITY OF FUNCTIONAL EQUATION AND INEQUALITY IN FUZZY NORMED SPACES

In this paper, we investigate a fuzzy version of stability theory for the following functional equation f(x + y) + f(x i y) i 2f(x) i f(y) i f(iy) = 0 in the sense of M. Mirmostafaee and M. S. Moslehian.
Field Criterion for Sustained Streamer Propagation

Experiments have shown that streamers are astonishingly capable of penetrating low‐field regions before finally coming to a stop. This lead to a proposed theory of low‐field requirements for continued propagation of the ionizing potential space wave constituting the streamer. The long range of impulse streamers in atmospheric air from a positive point was investigated in order to establish their spatial properties and a criterion that allows the prediction of such ranges. This was accomplished by axial and lateral measurements of the ranges of streamers for various gap spacings. A parallel study based on charge simulation and using a digital computer delivered the field intensity at the various points of the gap. The correlation of the results of both studies showed that streamers tend to stop whenever the applied field drops below 500 to 600 V/cm regardless of gap spacing or streamer location. Thus, streamers are not capable of propagating under an external zero field and require this minimum field for sustained advance.
Fluctuations in Northern Hemisphere 700 mb Height Field Associated with the Southern Oscillation

Abstract Variations in the mid-troposphere circulation associated with the Southern Oscillation (SO) are investigated and documented using mean monthly 700 mb height data for the period 1951–79. The SO was defined by a Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) consisting of the difference in normalized mean monthly sea-level pressures at Tahiti and Darwin. Results for all four seasons are presented in the form of lagged, as well as contemporaneous, correlations and composites of height anomalies obtained separately for high and low SOI values. Different SO teleconnection patterns are observed for each season. Strongest SO signals appear in the winter with SOI leading the height field by one to two seasons. The time lead may he useful in prognostic applications. The correlation in the summer is negligible. The winter teleconnection pattern over the North Pacific-North America-North Atlantic sector is similar to that shown by Bjerknes and others. Patterns for other seasons are also presented. The statistical signifi.
Coagulation as Unifying Element for Interstellar Polarization

We calculate the extinction and polarization for aligned dust aggregates consisting of 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 spherical particles (monomers). We consider a power-law size distribution of monomers and optical constants related to interstellar values. Our calculations match the polarization and extinction by the general diffuse interstellar medium. They also match the linear correlation between the observed shift (increase) of the wavelength of maximum polarization with increasing total to selective extinction (RV). The model naturally incorporates the low values of RV at small wavelength of maximum polarization observed in molecular clouds at high Galactic latitude. A further result of the calculations is a systematic and correlated decrease in polarization efficiency with increasing aggregate size, ruling out very large aggregates if polarization is observed. Our results also support the idea that the observed change of features in molecular clouds such as the Taurus dark clouds is rather the result of a change in alignment than a change in particle size, although the small degree of coagulation that can still be inferred is in agreement with a simple coagulation model. Therefore, small aggregates in a limited size range serve as a good and most natural model structure for interstellar dust particles, with the number of monomers being the only parameter to be adjusted.
Stability of strange dwarfs: a comparison with observations

We study the stability of strange dwarfs, superdense stars with a small self-confining core (Mcore < 0.02M ⊙) containing strange quark matter and an extended crust consisting of atomic nuclei and degenerate electron gas. The mass and the radius of these stars are of the same order of magnitude as those of ordinary white dwarfs. It is shown that any study of their stability must examine the dependence of the mass on two variables, which can, for convenience, be taken to be the rest mass (total baryon number) of the quark core and the energy density ρtr of the crust at the surface of the quark core. The range of variation of these quantities over which strange dwarfs are stable is determined. This region is referred to as the stability valley for strange dwarfs. The mass and radius obtained from theoretical models of strange dwarfs are compared with observational data obtained through the HIPPARCOS program and the most probable candidate strange dwarfs are identified.
Shape effects on dynamics of inertia-free spheroids in wall turbulence

The rotational motion of inertia-free spheroids has been studied in a numerically simulated turbulent channel flow. Although inertia-free spheroids were translated as tracers with the flow, neither the disk-like nor the rod-like particles adapted to the fluid rotation. The flattest disks preferentially aligned their symmetry axes normal to the wall, whereas the longest rods were parallel with the wall. The shape-dependence of the particle orientations carried over to the particle rotation such that the mean spin was reduced with increasing departure from sphericity. The streamwise spin fluctuations were enhanced due to asphericity, but substantially more for prolate than for oblate spheroids.
Primäre medikamentöse Thromboembolieprophylaxe bei ambulanten Patienten mit fortgeschrittenem Pankreaskarzinom unter Chemotherapie?

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund und Fragestellung: Obwohl das deutlich erhöhte Risiko von Tumorpatienten für venöse Thromboembolien allgemein bekannt ist, ist die Indikationsstellung zur primärprophylaktischen Antikoagulation bei ambulanten Malignompatienten auch in den verfügbaren Leitlinien unzureichend geregelt. Dies gilt selbst für Hochrisikopatienten wie Patienten mit fortgeschrittenem Pankreaskarzinom, die sich einer ambulanten Chemotherapie unterziehen. Patienten und Methodik: Daten von 312 Patienten der prospektiv randomisierten CONKO-004-Studie wurden für diese Analyse herangezogen. Die Patienten wurden nach vordefinierten Parametern ausgewertet, um eine Risikostratifizierung hinsichtlich einer venösen Thromboembolie (VTE) zu ermöglichen. Zudem wurden die Patienten nach dem „Khorana-Scoring-Modell“ (KSM) analysiert, um dessen Aussagekraft und klinische Bedeutung an diesem Patientenkollektiv zu überprüfen. Ergebnisse: Die globale Analyse hatte eine „number needed to treat“ (NNT) von 12 medikamentös primärprophylaktisch zu behandelnden Patienten erbracht, um eine VTE zu verhindern. Eine modifizierte Risikostratifizierung analog dem KSM senkte die NNT auf 9, dies erscheint jedoch klinisch nicht relevant. Einzelne Parameter, insbesondere der Allgemeinzustand der Patienten (Karnofsky-Performance-Status), ließen sich einem erhöhten VTE-Risiko zuordnen; dies kann dem Kliniker helfen, individualisierte Entscheidungen zu treffen. Folgerung: Die Daten der CONKO-004-Studie sprechen – auch nach der vorliegenden Risikostratifizierung – dafür, dass ambulante Patienten mit inoperablem Pankreaskarzinom für die ersten 3 Monate der Erstlinien-Chemotherapie eine prophylaktische Antikoagulation mit NMH erhalten sollten.
UV flux distributions of γ Doradus stars

Context. It seems that the recently identified class of pulsating stars, the γ Dor type-variables, includes objects with different metal abundances and a large percentage of binaries. Aims. We looked for indicators of metal abundance peculiarities and stellar binarity in a sample of 40 confirmed γ Dor stars. Methods. Absolute magnitudes from Hipparcos parallaxes and UV magnitudes, from the S2/S68 experiment on board the TD1 satellite, are retrieved from databases and compared with predicted values. A set of non variable normal stars is used to check the consistency of this analysis and also serve as reference stars. Results. Twenty-nine stars of the γ Dor star sample, which is 73% of it, are discovered having abnormal UV fluxes constantly showing UV flux excesses compared to those computed with the atmospheric parameters (Teff ,l ogg, and metallicity) determined from calibration of the uvbyβ indices. The reason for this UV excess of flux at 196.5 nm and at 236.5 nm, which was previously known only for HD 209295, cannot be ascribed to binarity alone. An extra source of UV flux or less UV absorption – yet unknown – must be present.
Multi-Level Logic Synthesis Based on Kronecker Decision Diagrams and Boolean Ternary Decision Diagrams for Incompletely Specified Functions

This paper introduces several new families of decision diagrams for multi-output Boolean functions. The introduced families include several diagrams known from literature (BDDs, FDDs) as subsets. Due to this property, these diagrams can provide a more compact representation of functions than either of the two decision diagrams. Kronecker Decision Diagrams (KDDs) with negated edges are based on three orthogonal expansions (Shannon, Positive Davio, Negative Davio) and are created here for incompletely specified Boolean functions as well. An improved efficient algorithm for the construction of KDD is presented and applied in a mapping program to ATMEL 6000 fine-grain FPGAs. Four other new families of functional decision diagrams are also presented: Pseudo KDDs, Free KDDs, Boolean Ternary DDs, and Boolean Kronecker Ternary DDs. The last two families introduce nodes with three edges and require AND, OR and EXOR gates for circuit realization. There are two variants of each of the last two families: canonical and non-canonical. While the canonical diagrams can be used as efficient general-purpose Boolean function representations, the non-canonical variants are also applicable to incompletely specified functions and create don't cares in the process of the creation of the diagram. They lead to even more compact circuits in logic synthesis and technology mapping.
Body Wave Amplitude Calculations

The exact wave-theory response for a radially heterogeneous sphere has been used to find approximate formulae for treating seismic body wave amplitudes. A simple approximate formula has been found which preserves the simplicity of ray theory computations and the accuracy of exact wave solutions for band-limited signals. The new formula reduces to asymptotic ray theory predictions for simple velocity structures, but describes the effects of caustics far more accurately. In addition, the predicted amplitudes are not sensitive to small discontinuities in the first or second derivative of the velocity. The implementation of this formula requires the construction of synthetic seismograms. Thus the interference properties of various arrivals can be studied directly.
Low-Cost, High-Performance Monocular Vision System for Air Bearing Table Attitude Determination

Attitude determination is one of the most important prerequisites for the implementation of an air bearing table. In this context, computer vision is shown to be an enabling technology; a cost-effective monocular camera vision system, including hardware setup and navigation software, has been developed to determine the attitude of the air bearing table. Both infrared light-emitting diodes and filter are selected to simplify image processing, thereby maximizing the attitude update rate. A fiducial marker system uses five infrared light-emitting diodes with four in the same plane and the fifth outside the plane. This noncoplanar design not only improves the attitude determination accuracy, but also provides an element of robustness via a fiducial marker fault diagnosis and process method in case one of the light-emitting diodes is obscured by the top balance mass or is faulty. The static experimental results show that the system can provide attitude accuracy of 0.06 deg and angular velocity accuracy of 0.15.
Spectro-angular optical biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance operating in the visible spectrum

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing is one of the most widely used methods to implement biosensors due to its sensitivity and capacity for label-free detection. Most conventional SPR sensors measure the change in reflectance at a metal-dielectric interface as a function of either angle or wavelength. However, it has recently been shown that an increase in sensitivity and a greater robustness against noise can be achieved by measuring reflectivity in both domains simultaneously, in a so-called spectro-angular SPR biosensor. This provides a surface plasmon dispersion curve captured on an image sensor that can be tracked in real time. A single value decomposition method is used to project the dispersion curve onto a basis set and allow the image obtained from an unknown refractive index sample to be compared very accurately with a pre-calculated reference set. The objective of the current work is to further improve the detection limit of the spectro-angular biosensor. Simulations have shown that the spatial resolution and numerical precision of the image sensor have a significant impact on the accuracy of the refractive index change measurement. Therefore, upgrading the cameras used for the data acquisition could significantly improve the detection limit of the SPR biosensor. In this work, simulation results are presented to justify the modifications of the experimental system and to estimate the expected improvement in the detection limit of the spectro-angular biosensor by using higher spatial resolution and higher data precision cameras. Experimental results are presented and compared with the previous design.
Single-server queues with impatient customers

We consider a single-server queueing system in which a customer gives up whenever his waiting time is larger than a random threshold, his patience time. In the case of a GI/GI/1 queue with i.i. d. patience times, we establish the extensions of the classical GI/GI/1 formulae concerning the stability condition and the relation between actual and virtual waiting-time distribution functions. We also prove that these last two distribution functions coincide in the case of a Poisson input process and determine their common law.
Sensitivity of microwave radiances at 85–183 GHz to precipitating ice particles

The response of passive microwave observations to ice particle scattering and surface emissivity has been studied for frequencies at 85, 150, and 183 GHz. Using two‐ and three‐dimensional simulations of different precipitation events, we found that a channel around 150 GHz generally exhibits the strongest scattering signature due to precipitation‐sized ice particles. This channel is only moderately affected by variations in surface emissivity. The sensitivity of the 150 GHz channel to variations in cloud water is about 25 (Kg−1 m3). In comparison, the sensitivity to changes in surface emissivity is about 5 K/(10%) for cold, dry atmospheres and less than 1 K/(10%) for typical midlatitude atmospheres. Channels at around 85 GHz are much stronger affected by variable surface emissivity (sensitivities are up to 15 K/(10%) and show on average a 2 to 2.5 times smaller scattering signature (10 Kg−1 m3). The sensitivity of a water vapor sounding channel at 183–7 GHz to ice particle scattering strongly depends on the environmental conditions but is in general about a factor of 1.5 to 2.5 smaller than at 150 GHz. This is due to the contribution of water vapor in and above the cloud to total emission, masking the scattering signal. The weighting functions of channels at 183–3 and 183–1 GHz peak too high up in the atmosphere and only show a weak or negligible response to the precipitation events under investigation. Based on these results, frequencies around 150 GHz, possibly in combination with channels at 85 and 183–7 GHz seem most appropriate for the detection and retrieval of precipitation properties at middle and high latitudes.
Order Statistics for a Two-Level, Eight-Run Saturated-Unreplicated Fractional-Factorial Screening

ABSTRACT Saturated-unreplicated fractional factorial designs remain popular in factor screening investigations. Among the most commonly used schemes is the classical two-level, eight-run orthogonal design. A brute force method is employed to compute a reference cumulative population frequency and cumulative distribution function by permuting directly ranked observations. The technique is simple and nongraphical. It is based on Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test appropriately adapted for fractional-factorial composite inference. Contrary to most popular methods, this new approach does not rely to the effect-sparsity assumption. The method is illustrated in three unreplicated-saturated case studies. We discuss the performance of this test with other mainstream competing schemes.
An adaptive hidden Markov model/Kalman filter algorithm for narrowband interference suppression with applications in multiple access communications

This paper presents a novel nonlinear filter for narrowband interference suppression in multiple access communication systems; in particular code division multiple access spread spectrum. The proposed algorithm combines a recursive hidden Markov model estimator, Kalman filter and the recursive expectation maximization algorithm. It is shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms current linear and nonlinear filtering techniques, presented by Rusch and Poor (see IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol.42, no.2/3/4, p.1969-79, 1994).
Operational Status of CESR-c

We summarize recent running experience at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) operating as a highstatistics production-threshold factory for mesons containing charm quarks. Since beginning operation at beam energies near 2 GeV in late 2003, CESR has accumulated world-record samples of D and Ds meson decays and has also operated in an energy-scanning mode, making unique contributions to the presently very active field of charm spectroscopy. CESR lattice design is characterized by the versatility provided by the variety of beam-line components applied to the challenges imposed by the beam-beam interactions at the parasitic crossing points in the pretzel orbits and the necessity of powerful superconducting wiggler magnets used to tune damping and emittance. We describe the observed tune-plane, beam-current and luminosity limits, our understanding of their sources and near-term plans for operational improvements. INTRODUCTION CESR-c [1] is presently operating at a beam energy of 2.085 GeV with 3 bunches 4.2 m apart in each of 8 trains separated by 75.6 m or 79.8 m. During luminosity operation, the current is limited to about 2.7 mA/bunch, i.e. 130 mA total current in both beams. While this is about a factor of four less than the value estimated in the 2001 design report, the machine performance has nearly reached the level required for completion of the physics program scheduled to end in 2008. A number of improvements have been carried out since the report at PAC’05[2]. The present report summarizes that activity, identifies the limits on present performance, and describes plans for further improvement in the near-term. PROGRESS SINCE PAC 2005 The operational history of CESR-c since its first run at 1.88 GeV is shown in Fig. 1. The first production run following PAC 2005 was an energy scan from August to September with fine center-of-mass energy steps of 20 MeV to optimize Ds production. Our ability to provide stable running was initially adversely affected by the need to redesign the linear optics for each energy step. The vertical focusing of the wiggler magnets is substantial (QY=0.1 per wiggler) and since the accurate modeling of the wigWork supported by the National Science Foundation y critten@lepp.cornell. edu CESR-c Integrated Luminosity per Day (pb)
Radiative association of He+2 revisited

Aims. Rate coefficients for spontaneous and stimulated radiative association of the He + molecular ion are presented as a function of temperature, considering the association with rotational-vibrational states of the ground X electronic state from the continuum states of the lowest three excited A,C ,a ndE electronic states. Methods. The rate coefficients are obtained from the cross sections for radiative association, which are calculated by solving the Schrodinger equation for bound and continuum states supported by the corresponding Born-Oppenheimer potential energy curves. Results. The rate coefficients for the A → X spontaneous process are in excellent agreement with previous calculations. For temperatures up to about 10000 K, the spontaneous C → X and E → X processes are dominant, exceeding the A → X rate coefficient by several orders of magnitude. Stimulation of the radiative association by black-body radiation has significant influence only on the A → X process at temperatures below 1000 K. The black-body radiation temperature would have to be well above 50000 K in order to have any noticeable effect on the C → X and E → X processes.
Cloud-Resolving Modeling of Tropical Cloud Systems during Phase III of GATE. Part I: Two-Dimensional Experiments.

Abstract A formal framework is established for the way in which cloud-resolving numerical models are used to investigate the role of precipitating cloud systems in climate and weather forecasting models. Emphasis is on models with periodic lateral boundary conditions that eliminate unrealistic numerically generated circulations caused by open boundary conditions in long-term simulations. Defined in this formalism is the concept of large-scale forcing and the cloud-environment interactions that are consistent with the periodic boundary conditions. Two-dimensional numerical simulations of the evolution of cloud systems during 1–7 September 1974 in Phase III of the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) are conducted. Based on the above formalism, a simple technique is used to force an anelastic cloud-resolving model with evolving large-scale horizontal wind field and large-scale forcing for the temperature and moisture obtained from the GATE data. The 7-day period selected i.
DARK NEBULAE IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD. II. A 4-M SURVEY

A survey of optically-visible dust clouds is made on a set of CTIO 4-m telescope plates of the LMC, covering 14 fields in different parts of the Cloud. The dark nebulae cataloged are, on the average, a factor of two smaller than those of the previous survey, a result of the larger scale and deeper limit of the new plate material. The 146 dark nebulae have a mean dimension of 26 pc and a mean Lynds opacity class of 2.6. Although there is a good general agreement in position with CO clouds (Cohen et al. 1987), there are areas with CO emission and no dust clouds, as well as vice versa.