PyAbel/PyAbel: v0.8.5

Some improvements to efficiency and consistency of existing tools, as well as the compatibility of conda packages. The default path for saving and loading basis sets for methods that use them has changed from "current directory" to a single cache location, with possible customization. Please see the details below and take appropriate actions if necessary.

This PyAbel version also incorporates another fast general-purpose method, from Daun et al. (2006), and implements several original extensions to it.

Here is a full list of changes in v0.8.5:

• New functions in tools.vmi for angular integration and averaging, replacing angular_integration() and average_radial_intensity(), which had incorrect or nonintuitive behavior (PR #318, PR #319).
• Avoid unnecessary calculations in transform.Transform() for the symmetry_axis=(0, 1) case (PR #324).
• New method by Daun et al. and its extensions (PR #326).

• Basis sets are now by default stored in a single system-specific directory, see get_basis_dir() and set_basis_dir() in abel.transform (PR #327). Important! The current working directory is no longer used by default for loading basis sets. It is recommended to execute

   import abel; print(abel.transform.get_basis_dir(make=True))
  

  and move all existing basis sets to the reported directory.

• Cython optimization flags are changed to make conda packages compatible with all CPUs and to improve the direct_C method performance (PR #331). Bitwise reproducibility of direct_C transforms might be affected.