No approximate complex fermion coherent states

Whereas boson coherent states with complex parametrization provide an elegant, and intuitive representation, there is no counterpart for fermions using complex parametrization. However, a complex parametrization provides a valuable way to describe amplitude and phase of a coherent beam. Thus we pose the question of whether a fermionic beam can be described, even approximately, by a complex-parametrized coherent state and define, in a natural way, approximate complex-parametrized fermion coherent states. Then we identify four appealing properties of boson coherent states (eigenstate of annihilation operator, displaced vacuum state, preservation of product states under linear coupling, and factorization of correlators) and show that these approximate complex fermion coherent states fail all four criteria. The inapplicability of complex parametrization supports the use of Grassman algebras as an appropriate alternative.Comment: Argumentation made cleare

How urban form impacts flooding.

Urbanization and climate change are contributing to severe flooding globally, damaging infrastructure, disrupting economies, and undermining human well-being. Approaches to make cities more resilient to floods are emerging, notably with the design of flood-resilient structures, but relatively little is known about the role of urban form and its complexity in the concentration of flooding. We leverage statistical mechanics to reduce the complexity of urban flooding and develop a mean-flow theory that relates flood hazards to urban form characterized by the ground slope, urban porosity, and the Mermin order parameter which measures symmetry in building arrangements. The mean-flow theory presents a dimensionless flood depth that scales linearly with the urban porosity and the order parameter, with different scaling for disordered square- and hexagon-like forms. A universal scaling is obtained by introducing an effective mean chord length representative of the unobstructed downslope travel distance for flood water, yielding an analytical model for neighborhood-scale flood hazards globally. The proposed mean-flow theory is applied to probe city-to-city variations in flood hazards, and shows promising results linking recorded flood losses to urban form and observed rainfall extremes

Developing a set of legally compliant Intangible asset valuation criteria and an equation-supported TEV (Total Enterprise Value) valuation approach

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

A comparison of the generalization of behavioral marital therapy and enhanced behavioral marital therapy

This study examined the generalization of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and enhanced behavioral marital therapy (EBMT), which added cognitive restructuring, affect exploration, and generalization training to BMT. Couples’ communication and cognitions were assessed in the clinic and at home. Both BMT and EBMT were effective in decreasing negative communication behaviors and cognition across settings, but there was little evidence of differential generalization or change between the treatments. A series of regression equations showed no significant association between the extent of change in communication or cognitions and change in frequency of marital disagreements or marital satisfaction. It is concluded that BMT results in impressive generalization of communication and cognitive change, but it remains to be demonstrated that these changes are crucial to improvements in marital satisfaction

Parental divorce and premarital couple communication

On the basis of a social learning analysis, it was hypothesized that a history of parental divorce would predispose partners to difficulties in managing conflict. Ninety-three engaged couples were videotaped while they discussed two areas of conflict. Each partner then completed a video-mediated recall procedure, an assessment of cognition during the interactions, which was then coded and analyzed. As predicted, couples in which the woman's parents had divorced showed more negative communication and cognitions during conflict discussions than did couples in which neither partner's parents had divorced. Contrary to predictions, couples in which the man's parents had divorced did not differ from couples in which neither partner's parents had divorced. The current research shows that, at least for women, a history of parental divorce is associated with more negative couple communication before marriage

A CSO Search for ll-C3_3H+^+: Detection in the Orion Bar PDR

The results of a Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) search for $l$-C$_3$H$^+$, first detected by Pety et al. (2012) in observations toward the Horsehead photodissociation region (PDR), are presented. A total of 39 sources were observed in the 1 mm window. Evidence of emission from $l$-C$_3$H$^+$ is found in only a single source - the Orion Bar PDR region, which shows a rotational temperature of 178(13) K and a column density of 7(2) x $10^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$. In the remaining sources, upper limits of ~10$^{11} - 10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$ are found. These results are discussed in the context of guiding future observational searches for this species.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 4 table

Behavioral Marital Therapy: An Evaluation of Treatment Effects Across High and Low Risk Settings

The present study examined the generalization of treatment effects of a cognitive- behavioral treatment program for marital distress. Following a baseline phase, each of four couples received two phases of marital therapy within a multiple baseline across subject design. The first phase of treatment was behavioral marital therapy (BMT) focusing on communication and problem solving skills. The second phase was cognitive- behavioral marital therapy (CBMT) which focused on conflict management skills in high risk interactive settings at home. Couples’ communication was assessed in a training setting in the clinic and each of two generalization probe settings at home (a low risk and a high risk) setting. The BMT phase produced a clear reduction in communication negativity in the training setting which generalized to both the low and the high risk setting. The CMBT phase produced little additional changes in communication, however, it was associated with changes on a measure of positive and negative partner- referent thoughts

Can Skills Training Prevent Relationship Problems in At-Risk Couples? Four-Year Effects of a Behavioral Relationship Education Program

Eighty-three couples were stratified into groups at high and low risk for relationship distress and randomized to either the Self-Regulatory Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (Self-PREP) or a control condition. As predicted, there were differential effects of Self-PREP on high-risk and low-risk couples. Because of low statistical power, results must be interpreted cautiously, but at 1-year follow-up high-risk couples in Self-PREP showed trends toward better communication than control couples. However, there was no difference in the communication of Self-PREP and control low-risk couples. High-risk couples receiving Self-PREP exhibited higher relationship satisfaction at 4 years than control couples, but in low-risk couples relationship satisfaction was higher in the control condition. High-risk couples seemed to benefit from skills-based relationship education, but low-risk couples did not