The Absolute Magnitude of the Sun in Several Filters

This paper presents a table with estimates of the absolute magnitude of the Sun and the conversions from $vegamag$ to the AB and ST systems for several wide-band filters used in ground and space-based observatories. These estimates use the dustless spectral energy distribution (SED) of Vega, calibrated absolutely using the SED of Sirius, to set the $vegamag$ zero-points and a composite spectrum of the Sun that coadds space-based observations from the ultra-violet to the near infrared with models of the Solar atmosphere. The uncertainty of the absolute magnitudes is estimated comparing the synthetic colors with photometric measurements of solar analogs and is found to be $\sim$ 0.02 magnitudes. Combined with the uncertainty of $\sim$ 2% in the calibration of the Vega SED, the errors of these absolute magnitudes are $\sim$ 3--4%. Using these SEDs, for the three of the most utilized filters in extragalactic work the estimated absolute magnitudes of the Sun are $M_B$ = 5.44, $M_V$ = 4.81 and $M_K$ = 3.27 mag in the $vegamag$ system and $M_B$ = 5.31, $M_V$ = 4.80 and $M_K$ = 5.08 mag in AB.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, accepted by ApJS. Composite solar spectrum available for download at http://mips.as.arizona.edu/~cnaw/sun.htm

Influences of major weight loss in women treated with bariatric surgery on their partners’ and children’s weight and psychosocial functioning

The overall aim of the current PhD thesis was to explore how families of female bariatric surgery patients are affected by the surgery. The focus of the thesis was on differences in weight status in siblings born before and after maternal bariatric surgery, and on changes in weight and psychosocial functioning in partners and children of women undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Study I explored differences in BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity at the ages of four, six and 10 in children born before and after maternal bariatric surgery. Results showed that at no age did the children born after surgery have a lower prevalence of overweight or obesity, and that there was no association between differences in maternal BMI at week 10 of the two pregnancies and differences in siblings’ BMI at age four. Study II focused on changes in female RYGB patients’ partners in terms of BMI, waist circumference, sleep quality, body dissatisfaction and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results showed significant reductions in BMI and waist circumference in the partners. However, psychosocial variables, as measured by questionnaires, remained unchanged in the men. In Study III, differences in weight status, body esteem and self-concept in children of female RYGB patients were explored. It was found that the children had a reduced relative risk of overweight after maternal RYGB. The results also showed that the boys improved their age-adjusted body esteem slightly, whilst the girls did not. Study IV investigated changes in eating behaviour and food choices in female RYGB patients and their families. The women were shown to increase their cognitive restraint, decrease their uncontrolled and emotional eating, and reduce their intake frequency of soft drinks and sweets after surgery. Their partners, however, reported no changes in their eating behaviour and food choices. The boys’ eating behaviour improved following maternal RYGB, but the same was not true for the girls in the sample. The children who were overweight or obese at baseline also improved their eating behaviour in comparison to the normal weight children. In conclusion, this thesis shows that women’s gastric bypass surgery may be associated with positive changes in her partners’ and children’s weight, especially if they are themselves overweight. Changes in psychosocial functioning are smaller and more complex in the current sample, and require further study

A Granular Tabu Search Algorithm for a Real Case Study of a Vehicle Routing Problem with a Heterogeneous Fleet and Time Windows

Purpose: We consider a real case study of a vehicle routing problem with a heterogeneous fleet and time windows (HFVRPTW) for a franchise company bottling Coca-Cola products in Colombia. This study aims to determine the routes to be performed to fulfill the demand of the customers by using a heterogeneous fleet and considering soft time windows. The objective is to minimize the distance traveled by the performed routes. Design/methodology/approach: We propose a two-phase heuristic algorithm. In the proposed approach, after an initial phase (first phase), a granular tabu search is applied during the improvement phase (second phase). Two additional procedures are considered to help that the algorithm could escape from local optimum, given that during a given number of iterations there has been no improvement. Findings: Computational experiments on real instances show that the proposed algorithm is able to obtain high-quality solutions within a short computing time compared to the results found by the software that the company currently uses to plan the daily routes. Originality/value: We propose a novel metaheuristic algorithm for solving a real routing problem by considering heterogeneous fleet and time windows. The efficiency of the proposed approach has been tested on real instances, and the computational experiments shown its applicability and performance for solving NP-Hard Problems related with routing problems with similar characteristics. The proposed algorithm was able to improve some of the current solutions applied by the company by reducing the route length and the number of vehicles.Peer Reviewe

Flux calculations in an inhomogeneous Universe: weighting a flux-limited galaxy sample

Many astrophysical problems arising within the context of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, very-high energy gamma rays or neutrinos, require calculation of the flux produced by sources tracing the distribution of galaxies in the Universe. We discuss a simple weighting scheme, an application of the method introduced by Lynden-Bell in 1971, that allows the calculation of the flux sky map directly from a flux-limited galaxy catalog without cutting a volume-limited subsample. Using this scheme, the galaxy distribution can be modeled up to large scales while representing the distribution in the nearby Universe with maximum accuracy. We consider fluctuations in the flux map arising from the finiteness of the galaxy sample. We show how these fluctuations are reduced by the weighting scheme and discuss how the remaining fluctuations limit the applicability of the method.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Mid-Infrared Selected Quasars I: Virial Black Hole Mass and Eddington Ratios

We provide a catalog of 391 mid-infrared-selected (MIR, 24$\mu$m) broad-emission-line (BEL, type 1) quasars in the 22 deg$^2$ SWIRE Lockman Hole field. This quasar sample is selected in the MIR from Spitzer MIPS with $S_{\rm 24} > 400\mu$Jy, jointly with an optical magnitude limit of r (AB) $<$ 22.5 for broad line identification. The catalog is based on MMT and SDSS spectroscopy to select BEL quasars, extends the SDSS coverage to fainter magnitudes and lower redshifts, and recovers a more complete quasar population. The MIR-selected quasar sample peaks at $z\sim$1.4, and recovers a significant and constant (20\%) fraction of extended objects with SDSS photometry across magnitudes, which was not included in the SDSS quasar survey dominated by point sources. This sample also recovers a significant population of $z 19.1$. We then investigate the continuum luminosity and line profiles of these MIR quasars, and estimate their virial black hole masses and the Eddington ratios. The SMBH mass shows evidence of downsizing, though the Eddington ratios remain constant at $1 < z < 4$. Compared to point sources in the same redshift range, extended sources at $z < 1$ show systematically lower Eddington ratios. The catalog and spectra are publicly available online.Comment: 72 pages, 27 figures, 16 tables; ApJ accepte

Un algoritmo metaheurístico basado en recocido simulado con espacio de búsqueda granular para el problema de localización y ruteo con restricciones de capacidad.

Consideramos el problema de localización y ruteo con restricciones de capacidad (CLRP), en el cual la meta es determinar los depósitos a ser abiertos, los clientes a ser asignados a cada depósito abierto, y las rutas a ser construidas para satisfacer las demandas de los clientes. El objetivo es minimizar la suma de los costos de abrir depósitos, de los costos de los vehículos usados, y de los costos variables asociados con la distancia recorrida por las rutas. En este paper, proponemos una metaheurística basada en simulado y recocido con espacio de búsqueda granular para resolver el problema CLRP. Experimentos computacionales en instancias de benchmarking tomadas de la literatura muestran que el algoritmo propuesto es capaz de obtener, dentro de tiempos computacionales razonables, soluciones de alta calidad mostrando su eficacia