A Framework for Building Hypercubes Using MapReduce

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission will create the largest and most precise three dimensional chart of our galaxy (the Milky Way), by providing unprecedented position, parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity measurements for about one billion stars. The resulting catalogue will be made available to the scientific community and will be analyzed in many different ways, including the production of a variety of statistics. The latter will often entail the generation of multidimensional histograms and hypercubes as part of the precomputed statistics for each data release, or for scientific analysis involving either the final data products or the raw data coming from the satellite instruments. In this paper we present and analyze a generic framework that allows the hypercube generation to be easily done within a MapReduce infrastructure, providing all the advantages of the new Big Data analysis paradigmbut without dealing with any specific interface to the lower level distributed system implementation (Hadoop). Furthermore, we show how executing the framework for different data storage model configurations (i.e. row or column oriented) and compression techniques can considerably improve the response time of this type of workload for the currently available simulated data of the mission. In addition, we put forward the advantages and shortcomings of the deployment of the framework on a public cloud provider, benchmark against other popular solutions available (that are not always the best for such ad-hoc applications), and describe some user experiences with the framework, which was employed for a number of dedicated astronomical data analysis techniques workshops.

A Framework for Building Hypercubes Using MapReduce

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission will create the largest and most precise three dimensional chart of our galaxy (the Milky Way), by providing unprecedented position, parallax, proper motion, and radial velocity measurements for about one billion stars. The resulting catalogue will be made available to the scientific community and will be analyzed in many different ways, including the production of a variety of statistics. The latter will often entail the generation of multidimensional histograms and hypercubes as part of the precomputed statistics for each data release, or for scientific analysis involving either the final data products or the raw data coming from the satellite instruments. In this paper we present and analyze a generic framework that allows the hypercube generation to be easily done within a MapReduce infrastructure, providing all the advantages of the new Big Data analysis paradigmbut without dealing with any specific interface to the lower level distributed system implementation (Hadoop). Furthermore, we show how executing the framework for different data storage model configurations (i.e. row or column oriented) and compression techniques can considerably improve the response time of this type of workload for the currently available simulated data of the mission. In addition, we put forward the advantages and shortcomings of the deployment of the framework on a public cloud provider, benchmark against other popular solutions available (that are not always the best for such ad-hoc applications), and describe some user experiences with the framework, which was employed for a number of dedicated astronomical data analysis techniques workshops.

JPEG standard uniform quantization error modeling with applications to sequential and progressive operation modes

In this paper we propose a method for computing JPEG quantization matrices for a given mean square error or PSNR. Then, we employ our method to compute JPEG standard progressive operation mode definition scripts using a quantization approach. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to use a trial and error procedure to obtain a desired PSNR and/or definition script, reducing cost. Firstly, we establish a relationship between a Laplacian source and its uniform quantization error. We apply this model to the coefficients obtained in the discrete cosine transform stage of the JPEG standard. Then, an image may be compressed using the JPEG standard under a global MSE (or PSNR) constraint and a set of local constraints determined by the JPEG standard and visual criteria. Secondly, we study the JPEG standard progressive operation mode from a quantization based approach. A relationship between the measured image quality at a given stage of the coding process and a quantization matrix is found. Thus, the definition script construction problem can be reduced to a quantization problem. Simulations show that our method generates better quantization matrices than the classical method based on scaling the JPEG default quantization matrix. The estimation of PSNR has usually an error smaller than 1 dB. This figure decreases for high PSNR values. Definition scripts may be generated avoiding an excessive number of stages and removing small stages that do not contribute during the decoding process with a noticeable image quality improvement.

High capacity audio watermarking using the high frequency band of the wavelet domain

This paper proposes a novel high capacity robust audio watermarking algorithm by using the high frequency band of the wavelet decomposition at which the human auditory system (HAS) is not very sensitive to alteration. The main idea is to divide the high frequency band into frames and, for embedding, to change the wavelet samples depending on the average of relevant frame¿s samples. The experimental results show that the method has a very high capacity (about 11,000 bps), without significant perceptual distortion (ODG in [¿1 ,0] and SNR about 30dB), and provides robustness against common audio signal processing such as additive noise, filtering, echo and MPEG compression (MP3).

A novel semi-fragile forensic watermarking scheme for remote sensing images

Peer-reviewed

High capacity FFT-based audio watermarking

Peer-reviewed

High capacity robust audio watermarking scheme based on FFT and linear regression

Peer-reviewed

NDA waveform estimation in the low-SNR regime

This correspondence addresses the problem of nondata-aidedwaveform estimation for digital communications. Based on the unconditionalmaximum likelihood criterion, the main contribution of this correspondenceis the derivation of a closed-form solution to the waveform estimationproblem in the low signal-to-noise ratio regime. The proposed estimationmethod is based on the second-order statistics of the received signaland a clear link is established between maximum likelihood estimation andcorrelation matching techniques. Compression with the signal-subspace isalso proposed to improve the robustness against the noise and to mitigatethe impact of abnormals or outliers.

Influencia de la atmosfera de sinterizacion en la estabilidad termica de ceramicas de hidroxiapatita reforzadas con circona

En este trabajo se estudia la influencia de la atmósfera de sinterización sobre la estabilidad térmica de cerámicas de hidroxiapatita (HA) reforzadas con partículas de circona parcialmente estabilizada con magnesia (Mg-PSZ). Los cuerpos verdes fueron obtenidos por prensado uniaxial y las sinterizaciones se realizaron en aire y en oxígeno húmedo. El estudio por difracción de rayos-X y espectroscopía infrarroja permitió comprobar que la atmósfera húmeda evita la descomposición de la hidroxiapatita, todo lo contrario a lo que sucede en aire donde es evidente la presencia del zirconato cálcico (CZ) en la interfaz entre la partícula de circona y la matriz de HA. La caracterización microestructural de los materiales por Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido permitió apreciar el desarrollo de tamaño de grano de los materiales sinterizados. El estudio del comportamiento mecánico mediante ensayos de indentación reveló un aumento de la tenacidad a la fractura en el caso de los materiales que presentaban Mg-PSZ con respecto a la HA pura.

Effect of pressure on La2(WO4)3 with a modulated scheelite-type structure

We have studied the effect of pressure on the structural and vibrational properties of lanthanum tritungstate La2(WO4)3. This compound crystallizes under ambient conditions in the modulated scheelite-type structure known as the α phase. We have performed x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements up to a pressure of 20 GPa, as well as ab initio calculations within the framework of the density functional theory. Up to 5 GPa, the three methods provide a similar picture of the evolution under pressure of α-La2(WO4)3. At 5 GPa, we begin to observe some structural changes, and above 6 GPa we find that the x-ray patterns cannot be indexed as a single phase. However, we find that a mixture of two phases with C2/c symmetry accounts for all diffraction peaks. Our ab initio study confirms the existence of several C2/c structures, which are very close in energy in this compression range. According to our measurements, a state with medium-range order appears at pressures above 9 and 11 GPa, from x-ray diffraction and Raman experiments, respectively. Based upon our theoretical calculations we propose several high-pressure candidates with high cationic coordinations at these pressures. The compound evolves into a partially amorphous phase at pressures above 20 GPa.

Cenozoic evolution of eastern Iberia: structural data and dynamic model.

Iberia underwent intraplate deformation during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. In eastem Ibena, compression took place during the Palaeogene and early Miocene, giving rise to the Iberian Chain, and extension started during the early Miocene in the coastal areas and the Valencia trough; during early Miocene compression continued in the western Iberian Chain whereas extension had started in the eastern Iberian Chain. From the kinematic data obtained from the major compressional and extensional structures formed dunng the Cenozoic, a simple dynamic model using Bott's (1959) formula is presented. The results show that both extension and compression may have been produced assuming a main horizontal stress-axis approximately N-S, in a similar direction that the convergence between Europe, Ibena and Afnca dunng the Cenozoic.

Determinacion de las propiedades mecanicas y mecanismos de fractura de electrolitos soportados de YSZ y GDC mediante ensayos de indentacion instrumentada

El objetivo del presente trabajo es evaluar las propiedades mecánicas, así como los diferentes mecanismos de fractura activados mediante ensayos de indentación instrumentada, de electrolitos basados en circona estabilizada con itria ("yttria stabilized zirconia",YSZ) y ceria dopada con gadolinia ("gadolinia doped ceria", GDC), para pilas de combustible de óxido sólido, SOFCs. Ambos materiales, con un espesor final de 200 ¿m, se conformaron mediante prensado uniaxial a 500 MPa y se sinterizaron a 1400ºC. Propiedades mecánicas tales como la dureza (H) y el módulo de Young (E) han sido estudiadas a diferentes profundidades de penetración utilizando el algoritmo de Oliver y Pharr.

Re-disseny d’utillatge i anàlisi de vinclament per l’assaig de compressió en laminats prims

El grup de recerca AMADE de la Universitat de Girona està especialitzat en la caracteritzacióde materials compòsits. Per avaluar la resistència i la tolerància al dany d'aquestes estructures,típicament es realitzen dos assajos: impacte a baixa velocitat i compressió després d'impacte(CAI per les sigles en anglès de Compression After Impact), respectivament. L'objectiu del'assaig CAI és obtenir la resistència residual a compressió de l'estructura.L'objectiu d'aquest treball és el de crear una adaptació per l'utillatge capaç d'assajar plaquesamb baix gruix . La modelització amb el mètode dels elements finits serveix per avaluar quantitativament el valorde les càrregues crítiques de vinclament per diferents gruixos de placa.Les plaques d'assaig són plaques de material compòsit amb làmines unidireccionals amb apilamentsimètric i balancejat

Robust watermarking scheme based on the JPEG2000 standard

Peer reviewed

Features extraction based on the Discrete Hartley Transform for closed contour

In this paper the authors propose a new closed contour descriptor that could be seen as a Feature Extractor of closed contours based on the Discrete Hartley Transform (DHT), its main characteristic is that uses only half of the coefficients required by Elliptical Fourier Descriptors (EFD) to obtain a contour approximation with similar error measure. The proposed closed contour descriptor provides an excellent capability of information compression useful for a great number of AI applications. Moreover it can provide scale, position and rotation invariance, and last but not least it has the advantage that both the parameterization and the reconstructed shape from the compressed set can be computed very efficiently by the fast Discrete Hartley Transform (DHT) algorithm. This Feature Extractor could be useful when the application claims for reversible features and when the user needs and easy measure of the quality for a given level of compression, scalable from low to very high quality.