Search

Background: Veterinary clinical narratives remain a largely untapped resource for addressing complex diseases. Here we compare the ability of a large language model (ChatGPT) and a previously developed regular expression (RegexT) to identify overweight body condition scores (BCS) in veterinary narratives. Methods: BCS values were extracted from 4,415 anonymised clinical narratives using either RegexT or by appending the narrative to a prompt sent to ChatGPT coercing the model to return the BCS information. Data were manually reviewed for comparison. Results: The precision of RegexT was higher (100%, 95% CI 94.81-100%) than the ChatGPT (89.3%; 95% CI82.75-93.64%). However, the recall of ChatGPT (100%. 95% CI 96.18-100%) was considerably higher than that of RegexT (72.6%, 95% CI 63.92-79.94%). Limitations: Subtle prompt engineering is needed to improve ChatGPT output. Conclusions: Large language models create diverse opportunities and, whilst complex, present an intuitive interface to information but require careful implementation to avoid unpredictable errors., Comment: Supplementary Material: The data that support the findings of this study are available in the ancillary files of this submission. 5 pages, 2 figures (textboxes)

We study the problem of decentralized interferometric imaging over networks, where agents have access to a subset of local radar measurements and can compute pair-wise correlations with their neighbors. We propose a primal-dual distributed algorithm named Distributed Generalized Wirtinger Flow (DGWF). We use the theory of low rank matrix recovery to show when the interferometric imaging problem satisfies the Regularity Condition, which implies the Polyak-Lojasiewicz inequality. Moreover, we show that DGWF converges geometrically for smooth functions. Numerical simulations for single-scattering radar interferometric imaging demonstrate that DGWF can achieve the same mean-squared error image reconstruction quality as its centralized counterpart for various network connectivity and size., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted to IFAC 2022 Conference on Networked Systems (NecSys22)

With the arrival of a number of wide-field snapshot image-plane radio transient surveys, there will be a huge influx of images in the coming years making it impossible to manually analyse the datasets. Automated pipelines to process the information stored in the images are being developed, such as the LOFAR Transients Pipeline, outputting light curves and various transient parameters. These pipelines have a number of tuneable parameters that require training to meet the survey requirements. This paper utilises both observed and simulated datasets to demonstrate different machine learning strategies that can be used to train these parameters. The datasets used are from LOFAR observations and we process the data using the LOFAR Transients Pipeline; however the strategies developed are applicable to any light curve datasets at different frequencies and can be adapted to different automated pipelines. These machine learning strategies are publicly available as Python tools that can be downloaded and adapted to different datasets (https://github.com/AntoniaR/TraP_ML_tools)., Comment: Astronomy & Computing Accepted, 25 pages, 20 figures

We model the intermediate-mass black hole HLX-1, using the Hubble Space Telescope, XMM-Newton and Swift. We quantify the relative contributions of a bluer component, function of X-ray irradiation, and a redder component, constant and likely coming from an old stellar population. We estimate a black hole mass of about (2^{+2}_{-1}) x 10^4 M_{sun}, a spin parameter a/M ~ 0.9 for moderately face-on view, and a peak outburst luminosity of about 0.3 times the Eddington luminosity. We discuss the discrepancy between the characteristic sizes inferred from the short X-ray timescale (R ~ a few 10^{11} cm) and from the optical emitter (R sqrt[cos theta] ~ 2.2 x 10^{13} cm). One possibility is that the optical emitter is a circumbinary disk; however, we disfavour this scenario because it would require a very small donor star. A more plausible scenario is that the disk is large but only the inner annuli are involved in the X-ray outburst. We propose that the recurrent outbursts are caused by an accretion-rate oscillation driven by wind instability in the inner disk. We argue that the system has a long-term-average accretion rate of a few percent Eddington, just below the upper limit of the low/hard state; a wind-driven oscillation can trigger transitions to the high/soft state, with a recurrence period of ~1 year (much longer than the binary period, which we estimate as ~10 days). The oscillation that dominated the system in the last decade is now damped such that the accretion rate no longer reaches the level required to trigger a transition. Finally, we highlight similarities between disk winds in HLX-1 and in the Galactic black hole V404 Cyg., Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

In the current era of large surveys and massive data sets, autoclassification of astrophysical sources using intelligent algorithms is becoming increasingly important. In this paper we present the catalog of variable sources in the Third XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source catalog (3XMM) autoclassified using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm. We used a sample of manually classified variable sources from the second data release of the XMM-Newton catalogs (2XMMi-DR2) to train the classifier, obtaining an accuracy of ~92%. We also evaluated the effectiveness of identifying spurious detections using a sample of spurious sources, achieving an accuracy of ~95%. Manual investigation of a random sample of classified sources confirmed these accuracy levels and showed that the Random Forest machine learning algorithm is highly effective at automatically classifying 3XMM sources. Here we present the catalog of classified 3XMM variable sources. We also present three previously unidentified unusual sources that were flagged as outlier sources by the algorithm: a new candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient, a 400 s X-ray pulsar, and an eclipsing 5 hr binary system coincident with a known Cepheid., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

To maximize the discovery potential of future synoptic surveys, especially in the field of transient science, it will be necessary to use automatic classification to identify some of the astronomical sources. The data mining technique of supervised classification is suitable for this problem. Here, we present a supervised learning method to automatically classify variable X-ray sources in the second \textit{XMM-Newton} serendipitous source catalog (2XMMi-DR2). Random Forest is our classifier of choice since it is one of the most accurate learning algorithms available. Our training set consists of 873 variable sources and their features are derived from time series, spectra, and other multi-wavelength contextual information. The 10-fold cross validation accuracy of the training data is ${\sim}$97% on a seven-class data set. We applied the trained classification model to 411 unknown variable 2XMM sources to produce a probabilistically classified catalog. Using the classification margin and the Random Forest derived outlier measure, we identified 12 anomalous sources, of which, 2XMM J180658.7$-$500250 appears to be the most unusual source in the sample. Its X-ray spectra is suggestive of a ULX but its variability makes it highly unusual. Machine-learned classification and anomaly detection will facilitate scientific discoveries in the era of all-sky surveys., Comment: Accepted for ApJ

The brightest ultraluminous X-ray source currently known, HLX-1, has been observed to undergo five outburst cycles. The periodicity of these outbursts, and their high inferred maximum accretion rates of $\sim{\rm few}\times 10^{-4} M_\odot {\rm yr}^{-1}$, naturally suggest Roche lobe overflow at the pericenter of an eccentric orbit. It is, however, difficult for the Roche lobe overflow model to explain the apparent trend of decreasing decay times over the different outbursts while the integrated luminosity also drops. Thus if the trend is real rather than simply being a reflection of the complex physics of accretion disks, a different scenario may be necessary. We present a speculative model in which, within the last decade, a high-mass giant star had most of its envelope tidally stripped by the $\sim 10^{4-5} M_\odot$ black hole in HLX-1, and the remaining core plus low-mass hydrogen envelope now feeds the hole with a strong wind. This model can explain the short decay time of the disk, and could explain the fast decrease in decay time if the wind speed increases with time. A key prediction of this model is that there will be excess line absorption due to the wind; our analysis does in fact find a flux deficit in the $\sim 0.9-1.1$ keV range that is consistent with predictions, albeit at low significance. If this idea is correct, we also expect that within tens of years the bound material from the original disruption will return and will make HLX-1 a persistently bright source., Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJ

Relativistic jets are streams of plasma moving at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. They have been observed from stellar mass black holes ($\sim$3$-$20 solar masses, M$_\odot$) as well as supermassive black holes ($\sim$10$^6$$-$10$^9$ M$_\odot$) found in the centres of most galaxies. Jets should also be produced by intermediate mass black holes ($\sim$10$^2$$-$10$^5$ M$_\odot$), although evidence for this third class of black hole has until recently been weak. We report the detection of transient radio emission at the location of the intermediate mass black hole candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1, which is consistent with a discrete jet ejection event. These observations also allow us to refine the mass estimate of the black hole to be between $\sim$9 $\times$10$^{3}$ M$_\odot$ and $\sim$9 $\times$10$^{4}$ M$_\odot$., Comment: 13 pages, includes supplementary online information. Published in Science in August 2012

In this paper we present a combined analysis of data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Very Large Telescope (VLT), and Swift X-ray telescope (XRT) of the intermediate mass black hole ESO 243-49 HLX-1 that were taken 2 months apart between September and November 2010. Previous separate analyses of these data found that they were consistent with an irradiated accretion disc with contribution from either a very young or very old stellar population, and also indicated that the optical flux of the HLX-1 counterpart could be variable. Such variability could only be attributed to a varying accretion disc, so simultaneous analysis of all data sets should break the degeneracies in the model fits. We thus simultaneously fit the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) from near-infrared through to X-ray wavelengths of the two epochs of data with a model consisting of an irradiated accretion disc and a stellar population. We show that this combined analysis rules out an old stellar population, finding that the SED is dominated by emission from an accretion disc with moderate reprocessing in the outer disc around an intermediate mass black hole imbedded in a young (20 Myr) stellar cluster with a mass of 1E5 Msun. We also place an upper limit on the mass of an additional hidden old stellar population of 1E6 Msun. However, optical r-band observations of HLX-1 obtained with the Gemini-South telescope covering part of the decay from a later X-ray outburst are consistent with constant optical flux, indicating that the observed variability between the HST and VLT observations could be spurious caused by differences in the background subtraction applied to the two optical data sets. In this scenario the contribution of the stellar population, and thus the stellar mass of the cluster, may be higher (abridged)., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS on 8th October 2013

We present a multi-mission X-ray analysis of a bright (peak observed 0.3-10 keV luminosity of ~ 6x10^{40} erg s^{-1}), but relatively highly absorbed ULX in the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 5907. The ULX is spectrally hard in X-rays (Gamma ~ 1.2-1.7, when fitted with an absorbed power-law), and has a previously-reported hard spectral break consistent with it being in the ultraluminous accretion state. It is also relatively highly absorbed for a ULX, with a column of ~ 0.4-0.9x10^{22} atom cm^{-2} in addition to the line-of-sight column in our Galaxy. Although its X-ray spectra are well represented by accretion disc models, its variability characteristics argue against this interpretation. The ULX spectra instead appear dominated by a cool, optically-thick Comptonising corona. We discuss how the measured 9 per cent rms variability and a hardening of the spectrum as its flux diminishes might be reconciled with the effects of a very massive, radiatively-driven wind, and subtle changes in the corona respectively. We speculate that the cool disc-like spectral component thought to be produced by the wind in other ULXs may be missing from the observed spectrum due to a combination of a low temperature (~ 0.1 keV), and the high column to the ULX. We find no evidence, other than its extreme X-ray luminosity, for the presence of an intermediate mass black hole (~ 10^2 - 10^4 Msun) in this object. Rather, the observations can be consistently explained by a massive (greater than ~ 20 Msun) stellar remnant black hole in a super-Eddington accretion state., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) will give us an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the transient sky at radio wavelengths. In this paper we present VAST, an ASKAP survey for Variables and Slow Transients. VAST will exploit the wide-field survey capabilities of ASKAP to enable the discovery and investigation of variable and transient phenomena from the local to the cosmological, including flare stars, intermittent pulsars, X-ray binaries, magnetars, extreme scattering events, interstellar scintillation, radio supernovae and orphan afterglows of gamma ray bursts. In addition, it will allow us to probe unexplored regions of parameter space where new classes of transient sources may be detected. In this paper we review the known radio transient and variable populations and the current results from blind radio surveys. We outline a comprehensive program based on a multi-tiered survey strategy to characterise the radio transient sky through detection and monitoring of transient and variable sources on the ASKAP imaging timescales of five seconds and greater. We also present an analysis of the expected source populations that we will be able to detect with VAST., Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures. Submitted for publication in Pub. Astron. Soc. Australia

The ultra-luminous X-ray (ULX) source ESO 243-49 HLX-1 currently provides the strongest evidence for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. We conduct an ongoing monitoring campaign with the Swift X-ray Telescope and found that HLX-1 showed two fast rise and exponential decay with increases in the count rate of a factor ~40 separated by 375+/-13 days. We obtained new XMM-Newton and Chandra dedicated pointings that were triggered at the lowest and highest luminosities, respectively. The unabsorbed luminosities ranged from 1.9x10^40 to 1.25x10^42 erg/s. We confirm here the detection of spectral state transitions from HLX-1 reminiscent of Galactic black hole binaries: at high luminosities, the X-ray spectrum showed a thermal state dominated by a disk component with temperatures of 0.26 keV at most, and at low luminosities the spectrum is dominated by a hard power law with a photon index in the range 1.4-2.1, consistent with a hard state. The source was also observed in a steep power law state. In the thermal state, the luminosity of the disk component appears to scale with the fourth power of the inner disk temperature which supports the presence of an optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disk. The low fractional variability (rms of 9+/-9%) in this state also suggests the presence of a dominant disk. The spectral changes and long-term variability of the source cannot be explained by variations of the beaming angle and are not consistent with the source being in a super-Eddington accretion state. HLX-1 is thus an unusual ULX as it is similar to Galactic black hole binaries, which have non-beamed and sub-Eddington emission, but with luminosities 3 orders of magnitude higher. In this picture, a lower limit on the mass of the black hole of >9000 M_sun can be derived, and the disk temperature in the thermal state also suggests the presence of a black hole of a few 10^3 M_sun., Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ (October 10, 2011, v740-1); 11 figures, 13 pages with emulateapj style

We present detailed analysis of the transient X-ray source 2XMMi J003833.3+402133 detected by XMM-Newton in January 2008 during a survey of M 31. The X-ray spectrum is well fitted by either a steep power law plus a blackbody model or a double blackbody model. Prior observations with XMM-Newton, Chandra, Swift and ROSAT spanning 1991 to 2007, as well as an additional Swift observation in 2011, all failed to detect this source. No counterpart was detected in deep optical imaging with the Canada France Hawaii Telescope down to a 3sigma lower limit of g = 26.5 mag. This source has previously been identified as a black hole X-ray binary in M 31. While this remains a possibility, the transient behaviour, X-ray spectrum, and lack of an optical counterpart are equally consistent with a magnetar interpretation for 2XMMi J003833.3+402133. The derived luminosity and blackbody emitting radius at the distance of M 31 argue against an extragalactic location, implying that if it is indeed a magnetar it is located within the Milky Way but 22deg out of the plane. The high Galactic latitude could be explained if 2XMMi J003833.3+402133 were an old magnetar, or if its progenitor was a runaway star that traveled away from the plane prior to going supernova., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ following moderate revision

We have discovered an ultrasoft X-ray transient source, 2XMMi J184725.1-631724, which was detected serendipitously in two XMM-Newton observations in the direction of the center of the galaxy IC 4765-f01-1504 at a redshift of 0.0353. These two observations were separated by 211 days, with the 0.2-10 keV absorbed flux increasing by a factor of about 9. Their spectra are best described by a model dominated by a thermal disk or a single-temperature blackbody component (contributing >80% of the flux) plus a weak power-law component. The thermal emission has a temperature of a few tens of eV, and the weak power-law component has a photon index of ~3.5. Similar to the black hole X-ray binaries in the thermal state, our source exhibits an accretion disk whose luminosity appears to follow the $L\propto T^4$ relation. This would indicate that the black hole mass is about 10^5-10^6 M_sun using the best-fitting inner disk radius. Both XMM-Newton observations show variability of about 21% on timescales of hours, which can be explained as due to fast variations in the mass accretion rate. The source was not detected by ROSAT in an observation in 1992, indicating a variability factor of >64 over longer timescales. The source was not detected again in X-rays in a Swift observation in 2011 February, implying a flux decrease by a factor of >12 since the last XMM-Newton observation. The transient nature, in addition to the extreme softness of the X-ray spectra and the inactivity of the galaxy implied by the lack of strong optical emission lines, makes it a candidate tidal disruption event. If this is the case, the first XMM-Newton observation would have been in the rising phase, and the second one in the decay phase., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

With an inferred bolometric luminosity exceeding 10^42 erg/s, HLX-1 in ESO 243-49 is the most luminous of ultraluminous X-ray sources and provides one of the strongest cases for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. We obtain good fits to disk-dominated observations of the source with BHSPEC, a fully relativistic black hole accretion disk spectral model. Due to degeneracies in the model arising from the lack of independent constraints on inclination and black hole spin, there is a factor of 100 uncertainty in the best-fit black hole mass M. Nevertheless, spectral fitting of XMM-Newton observations provides robust lower and upper limits with 3000 Msun < M < 3 x 10^5 Msun, at 90% confidence, placing HLX-1 firmly in the intermediate-mass regime. The lower bound on M is entirely determined by matching the shape and peak energy of the thermal component in the spectrum. This bound is consistent with (but independent of) arguments based solely on the Eddington limit. Joint spectral modelling of the XMM-Newton data with more luminous Swift and Chandra observations increases the lower bound to 6000 Msun, but this tighter constraint is not independent of the Eddington limit. The upper bound on M is sensitive to the maximum allowed inclination i, and is reduced to M < 10^5 Msun if we limit i < 75 deg., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) Holmberg II X-1 has been observed over 4 months in 2009/2010 by the Swift observatory. The source luminosity varied by a factor of up to 14, reaching a maximum 0.3-10 keV luminosity of ~3.0E40 erg/s. The spectral properties do not vary much over these 4 months, with only a slight monotonic increase of the hardness ratio with the count rate. This means that the erratic flaring activity of the source is not associated with spectral changes, as seen in other ULXs. Conversely, comparison with data obtained by Swift in 2006 shows a completely different picture: while at a luminosity also seen in the 2009/2010 data, the source appears with a hard spectrum. Thus, it appears that, as in Galactic black hole binaries, spectral states in this ULX are not determined only by the X-ray luminosity., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, ApJL in press

The small subset of hyper-luminous X-ray sources with luminosities in excess of ~1E41 erg/s are hard to explain without the presence of an intermediate mass black hole, as significantly super-Eddington accretion and/or very small beaming angles are required. The recent discovery of HLX-1, the most luminous object in this class with a record breaking luminosity of ~1E42 erg/s in the galaxy ESO 243-49, therefore currently provides some of the strongest evidence for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. HLX-1 is almost an order of magnitude brighter than the other hyper-luminous sources, and appears to exhibit X-ray spectral and flux variability similar to Galactic stellar mass black hole X-ray binaries. In this paper we review the current state of knowledge on this intriguing source and outline the results of multi-wavelength studies from radio to ultra-violet wavelengths, including imaging and spectroscopy of the recently identified optical counterpart obtained with the Very Large Telescope. These results continue to support an intermediate mass black hole in excess of 500 Msun, Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomische Nachrichten, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources and Middle Weight Black Holes" (Madrid, May 24-26, 2010)

Here we report the detection of a 626 s periodic modulation from the X-ray source 2XMM J174016.0-290337 located in the direction of the Galactic center. We present temporal and spectral analyses of archival XMM-Newton data and photometry of archived near-infrared data in order to investigate the nature of this source. We find that the X-ray light curve shows a strong modulation at 626 +/- 2 s with a confidence level > 99.9% and a pulsed fraction of 54%. Spectral fitting demonstrates that the spectrum is consistent with an absorbed power law. No significant spectral variability was observed over the 626 s period. We have investigated the possibility that the 626 s period is orbital in nature (either that of an ultra-compact X-ray binary or an AM CVn) or related to the spin of a compact object (either an accretion powered pulsar or an intermediate polar). The X-ray properties of the source and the photometry of the candidate near-infrared counterparts are consistent with an accreting neutron star X-ray binary on the near-side of the Galactic bulge, where the 626 s period is most likely indicative of the pulsar spin period. However, we cannot rule out an ultra-compact X-ray binary or an intermediate polar with the data at hand. In the former case, if the 626 s modulation is the orbital period of an X-ray binary, it would be the shortest period system known. In the latter case, the modulation would be the spin period of a magnetic white dwarf. However, we find no evidence for absorption dips over the 626 s period, a low temperature black body spectral component, or Fe Kalpha emission lines. These features are commonly observed in intermediate polars, making 2XMM J174016.0-290337 a rather unusual member of this class if confirmed. We instead suggest that 2XMM J174016.0-290337 could be a new addition to the emerging class of symbiotic X-ray binaries., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, submitted to A&A on 18th January 2010, accepted for publication 20th August 2010

In this Letter we report a spectroscopic confirmation of the association of HLX-1, the brightest ultra-luminous X-ray source, with the galaxy ESO 243-49. At the host galaxy distance of 95 Mpc, the maximum observed 0.2 - 10 keV luminosity is 1.2E42 erg/s. This luminosity is ~400 times above the Eddington limit for a 20 Msun black hole, and has been interpreted as implying an accreting intermediate mass black hole with a mass in excess of 500 Msun (assuming the luminosity is a factor of 10 above the Eddington value). However, a number of other ultra-luminous X-ray sources have been later identified as background active galaxies or foreground sources. It has recently been claimed that HLX-1 could be a quiescent neutron star X-ray binary at a Galactic distance of only 2.5 kpc, so a definitive association with the host galaxy is crucial in order to confirm the nature of the object. Here we report the detection of the Halpha emission line for the recently identified optical counterpart at a redshift consistent with that of ESO 243-49. This finding definitively places HLX-1 inside ESO 243-49, confirming the extreme maximum luminosity and strengthening the case for it containing an accreting intermediate mass black hole of more than 500 Msun., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJL on 20th May 2010, accepted for publication 20th July 2010

Ultra-luminous X-ray sources are extragalactic objects located outside the nucleus of the host galaxy with bolometric luminosities >10^39 erg s^-1. These extreme luminosities - if the emission is isotropic and below the theoretical (i.e. Eddington) limit, where the radiation pressure is balanced by the gravitational pressure - imply the presence of an accreting black hole with a mass of ~10^2-10^5 times that of the Sun. The existence of such intermediate mass black holes is in dispute, and though many candidates have been proposed, none are widely accepted as definitive. Here we report the detection of a variable X-ray source with a maximum 0.2-10 keV luminosity of up to 1.2 x 10^42 erg s^-1 in the edge-on spiral galaxy ESO 243-49, with an implied conservative lower limit of the mass of the black hole of ~500 Msun. This finding presents the strongest observational evidence to date for the existence of intermediate mass black holes, providing the long sought after missing link between the stellar mass and super-massive black hole populations., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, published in Nature