Comparable Level Of Precision Research Articles

Document Representation and Query Expansion Models for Blog Recommendation

We explore several different document representation models and two query expansion models for the task of recommending blogs to a user in response to a query. Blog relevance ranking differs from traditional document ranking in ad-hocinformation retrieval in several ways: (1) the unit of output (the blog) is composed of a collection of documents (the blog posts) rather than a single document, (2) the query represents an ongoing and typically multifaceted interest in the topic rather than a passing ad-hoc information need and (3) due to the propensity of spam, splogs, and tangential comments, the blogosphere is particularly challenging to use as a source for high-quality query expansion terms. We address these differences at the document representation level, by comparing retrieval models that view either the blog or its constituent posts as the atomic units of retrieval, and at the query expansion level, by making novel use of the links and anchor text in Wikipedia1 to expand a user's initial query. We develop two complementary models of blog retrieval that perform at comparable levels of precision and recall. We also show consistent and significant improvement across all models using our Wikipedia expansion strategy.

Flower Detection Using Object Analysis: New Ways to Quantify Plant Phenology in a Warming Tundra Biome

Rising temperatures caused by global warming are affecting the distributions of many plant and animal species across the world. This can lead to structural changes in entire ecosystems, and serious, persistent environmental consequences. However, many of these changes occur in vast and poorly accessible biomes and involve myriad species. As a consequence, conventional methods of measurement and data analysis are resource-intensive, restricted in scope, and in some cases, intractable for measuring species changes in remote areas. In this article, we introduce a method for detecting flowers of tundra plant species in large data sets obtained by aerial drones, making it possible to understand ecological change at scale, in remote areas. We focus on the sedge species E. vaginatum that is dominant at the investigated tundra field site in the Canadian Arctic. Our system is a modified version of the Faster R-CNN architecture capable of real-world plant phenology analysis. Our model outperforms experienced human annotators in both detection and counting, recording much higher recall and comparable level of precision, regardless of the image quality caused by varying weather conditions during the data collection. (K. Stanski, GitHub - karoleks4/flower-detection: Flower detection using object analysis: New ways to quantify plant phenology in a warming tundra biome. GitHub. Accessed: Sep. 17, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://github.com/karoleks4/flower-detection .)

Precision calculations in the MSSM Higgs-boson sector with FeynHiggs 2.14

We present an overview of the status and recent developments of FeynHiggs (current version: 2.14.3) since version 2.12.2. The main purpose of FeynHiggs is the calculation of the Higgs-boson masses and other physical observables in the MSSM. For a precise prediction of the Higgs-boson masses for low and high SUSY scales, state-of-the-art fixed-order and effective-field-theory calculations are combined. We first discuss improvements of the fixed-order calculation, namely an optional DR¯ renormalization of the stop sector and a renormalization of the Higgs sector ensuring the chosen input mass to be equivalent with the corresponding physical mass. Second, we describe improvements of the EFT calculation, i.e. an implementation of non-degenerate threshold corrections as well as an interpolation for complex parameters. Lastly, we highlight some improvements of the code structure easing future extensions of FeynHiggs to models beyond the MSSM. New version program summaryProgram Title: FeynHiggsProgram Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/drw4ywjb6g.1Licensing provisions: GPLv3Programming language: Fortran, C, MathematicaJournal reference of previous version: Comput. Phys. Comm. 180 (2009) 1426Does the new version supersede the previous version? Yes.Reasons for the new version: Improved calculations and code structure.Summary of revisions: Apart from improvements discussed in other publications: implementation of optional DR¯ renormalization of stop sector, adapted two-loop Higgs sector renormalization, implementation of full non-degenerate threshold corrections, interpolation of EFT calculation for complex parameters, better code structure.Nature of problem: The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) allows predictions for the masses and mixings of the Higgs bosons in terms of a few relevant parameters. Therefore, comparisons to experimental data provide constraints on the parameter space. To fully profit from the experimental precision, a comparable level of precision is needed for the theoretical prediction.Solution method: State-of-the-art fixed-order and effective-field-theory calculations are combined to obtain a precise prediction for small as well as large supersymmetry scales.

Size and Age Structure of Anadromous and Landlocked Populations of Rainbow Smelt

AbstractRainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax are widely distributed in both anadromous and landlocked populations throughout northeastern North America; abundance, size at age, and maximum size vary widely among populations and life histories. In the present study, size at age, von Bertalanffy growth parameters, population age distributions, and precision and bias in age assessment based on scales and sectioned otoliths were compared between ecotypes and among populations of Rainbow Smelt. To compare the ecotypes, we collected spawning adults from four anadromous and three landlocked populations in Maine during spring 2014. A significant bias was identified in only one of four scale comparisons but in four of seven otolith comparisons; however, a comparable level of precision was indicated. Anadromous populations had larger and more variable size at age and von Bertalanffy growth parameters than landlocked fish. Populations were composed of ages 1–4; six populations were dominated by age‐2 or age‐3 individuals, and one population was dominated by age‐1 fish. These data suggest the presence of considerable plasticity among populations. A latitudinal gradient was observed in the anadromous Rainbow Smelt, which may show signs of population stress at the southern extent of their distribution.Received March 25, 2016; accepted November 16, 2016 Published online February 27, 2017

Worm Selector: Volume Selection in a 3D Point Cloud Through Adaptive Modelling

3D point clouds are more and more widely used, especially because of the proliferation of manual and cheap 3D scanners and 3D printers. Due to the large size of the 3D point clouds, selecting part of them is very often required. Existing interaction techniques include ray/cone casting and predefined or free-form selection volume. In order to cope with the traditional trade-off between accuracy, ease of use and flexibility of these different forms of selection techniques in a 3D point cloud, we present the Worm Selector. It allows to select complex shapes while remaining simple to use and accurate. Using the Worm Selector relies on three principles: 1) points are selected by progressively constructing a cylinder-like shape (the adaptative worm) through the sequential definition of several sections; 2) a section is defined as a set of two contours linked together with straight lines; 3) each contour is a freely drawn closed shape. A user study reveals that the Worm Selector is significantly faster than a classical selection mechanism based on predefined volumes such as spheres or cuboids, while maintaining a comparable level of precision and recall.

Estimating abundance of the remnant Apennine brown bear population using multiple noninvasive genetic data sources

Accurate and precise estimates of population size are critical for effective management but can be particularly difficult to achieve for small populations of large carnivores. We approached this challenge by integrating multiple noninvasive data sources into a DNA-based mark–recapture framework to estimate the abundance of the small and endangered Apennine brown bear population. To improve sample size and coverage, we collected hair samples from June to September 2011 by concurrently using 4 noninvasive sampling methods: intensive hair-snagging (forty-three 5×5-km cells and five 12-day sampling sessions) plus secondary sampling methods (bear rub trees, alpine buckthorn aggregations, and incidental sampling). Following marker selection based on tissue samples from 55 Apennine bears, we used 13 microsatellites (plus gender) and quality assurance protocols to identify multilocus genotypes from hair samples. We used Huggins closed models in program MARK to estimate population size, which allowed us to account for spatial, temporal, and demographic components of heterogeneity in secondary sampling methods. Based on 529 analyzed hair samples, 80.5% of which yielded high-confidence scores for all markers, we achieved a rather precise (CV = 7.9%) population estimate of 51 bears (95% CI = 47–66) including cubs. Compared to a previous survey in 2008, our results provide evidence that the Apennine brown bear population has not been declining in recent years. Additionally, the relatively high (closure corrected) density (39.7 bears/1,000 km2; 95% CI = 36.6–51.4) indicates that habitat productivity within the core range is currently adequate for bears and that effective conservation of this small bear population should aim to expand the bears’ range across a larger portion of the central Apennines. We examined if a reduction in sampling effort would affect the precision of our population estimates. Reduced sample coverage, small sample size, and low hair-trap-capture probability preclude the adoption of a single sampling method or a subset of such to survey small bear populations if a comparable level of precision is required.

Deriving a Web-Scale Common Sense Fact Database

The fact that birds have feathers and ice is cold seems trivially true. Yet, most machine-readable sources of knowledge either lack such common sense facts entirely or have only limited coverage. Prior work on automated knowledge base construction has largely focused on relations between named entities and on taxonomic knowledge, while disregarding common sense properties. In this paper, we show how to gather large amounts of common sense facts from Web n-gram data, using seeds from the ConceptNet collection. Our novel contributions include scalable methods for tapping onto Web-scale data and a new scoring model to determine which patterns and facts are most reliable. The experimental results show that this approach extends ConceptNet by many orders of magnitude at comparable levels of precision.

Maximizing the Benefits of Model-Based Period Analysis of Cancer Patient Survival

Period analysis has been shown to provide more up-to-date estimates of cancer survival than traditional methods of survival analysis. There is, however, a tradeoff between up-to-dateness and precision of period survival estimates: increasing up-to-dateness by restricting the analysis to a relatively short period, such as the most recent calendar year, goes along with loss of precision. Recently, a model-based approach was proposed, in which more precise period survival estimates for the most recent year can be obtained through modeling of survival trends within a recent 5-year period. We assess possibilities to extend the time window used for modeling to come up with even more precise, but equally accurate and up-to-date estimates of prognosis. Empirical evaluation using data from the Finnish Cancer Registry shows that extension of the time window to about 10 years provides, in most cases, as accurate results as using a 5-year time window (whereas further extension may lead to considerably less accurate results in some cases). Using 10-year time windows for modeling, SEs of survival estimates can be approximately halved compared with conventional period survival estimates for the most recent calendar year. Furthermore, we present a modification of the modeling approach, which allows extension to 10-year time windows to be achieved without the need to include additional cohorts of patients diagnosed longer time ago and which provides similarly accurate survival estimates at comparable levels of precision in most cases. Our analyses indicate opportunities to further maximize benefits of model-based period analysis of cancer survival.

Period estimates of cancer patient survival are more up-to-date than complete estimates even at comparable levels of precision

Background and Objective Period analysis provides more up-to-date estimates of cancer patient survival than traditional methods, but there is a trade-off between up-to-dateness and precision. Our objective was to compare the performance of period and complete analysis in terms of up-to-dateness and precision of survival estimates. Study Design and Setting Five-year relative survival data actually observed for patients diagnosed with 1 of 20 common forms of cancer in Finland in 36 overlapping 5-year periods between 1958–1962 and 1993–1997 were compared with period estimates and various variants of complete estimates of 5-year relative survival potentially available during these periods. Results At comparable levels of up-to-dateness, survival estimates from period analysis were more precise than survival estimates from complete analysis. At comparable levels of precision, period analysis provided more up-to-date survival estimates than did complete analysis. Conclusion These results further encourage more widespread use of period analysis as a standard tool for up-to-date monitoring of cancer patient survival by population-based cancer registries.

Dosimetry of environmental radiation—A report on the achievements of EURADOS WG3

Owing to the fact that a nuclear accident is a border-crossing problem, all national active monitoring systems should measure the same quantity with a comparable level of precision. Also, the sensitivity of the systems must be such that sudden changes in the environmental dose rate are recognised and a radiological incident is clearly identified. Thus, international intercomparisons of the so-called Early Warning Systems are the best method to assure high quality measurements. Supported by the European Commission within the scope of the 4th and 5th Framework Programmes, intercomparisons of these Early Warning Systems were organised by European Radiation Dosimetry (EURADOS) Working Group 3 (WG3) in 1999 and 2002. The methods developed for this purpose are based on controlled irradiation of the systems and the determination of their responses to secondary cosmic radiation. One of the major problems turned out to be the correct subtraction of the internal background. Investigating this problem was only possible by carrying out measurements at almost zero dose rate, as available in the Underground Laboratory for Dosimetry and Spectrometry (UDO) maintained by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. Progress was also achieved with regard to including in situ gamma spectroscopy systems in the 2002 intercomparison. For these systems, the UDO irradiation facility provides a unique possibility to measure the spectral responses to monoenergetic photons.

Assessing Ceramic Compositional Data: A Comparison of Total Reflection X‐ray Fluorescence and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis On Late Iron Age Spanish Celtiberian Ceramics

A solid‐phase, non‐chemical processing protocol was recently developed as a means of chemically characterizing archaeological ceramics by total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF). Following this methodology, TXRF can provide semi‐quantitative determinations for 18 elements with comparable levels of precision and accuracy for the majority of them in comparison with a clay reference material analysed by instrumental neutron activation (INAA). In order critically to assess the analytical capabilities of TXRF, a large sample set of Late Iron Age Spanish Celtiberian ceramics and modern clays was analysed both by TXRF and INAA. Semi‐quantitative chemical data provided by TXRF and quantitative data provided by INAA were subjected to commonly used multivariate statistical methods as a way of evaluating the ability of the new technique to discriminate among different compositional groups. The comparison of the two data sets shows no significant discrepancies, thereby allowing support for the same archaeological interpretation. These results suggest that TXRF has potential applicability for compositional characterization of archaeological ceramics, providing data that are useful for provenance studies.

Localisation de véhicules en milieu urbain par GSM ou radiogoniométrie

The performance of most satellite based positioning procedures for terrestrial vehicles such es des glonas or lutiltras is considerably degraded in urban areas as a result of multipath propagation phenomena and masking effects caused by bulldugs and obstacles. The study described in this paper was performed et the inrets. Transport Electronics and Signal Processing Laboratory illosn and consisted of conducting a feasibility analysis and then developing a mock up of an alternative positioning solution which when compared to existing systems offered greater availability in urban areas and a comparable level of precision. The proposed system uses two independent sensors one of which obtains its information from the public gsm cellular mobile telephone network and the other from the network of public radio transmitters. The paper describes implementation of the two techniques and the results obtained in typical radio electrical environments. An understanding of the behaviour and performance of each system will make it possible to develop algorithms to process the data from the two sensors either together or separately in order to improve the ultimate performance of the system.