1,450 research outputs found
Spectral analysis of the biharmonic operator subject to Neumann boundary conditions on dumbbell domains
We consider the biharmonic operator subject to homogeneous boundary
conditions of Neumann type on a planar dumbbell domain which consists of two
disjoint domains connected by a thin channel. We analyse the spectral behaviour
of the operator, characterizing the limit of the eigenvalues and of the
eigenprojections as the thickness of the channel goes to zero. In applications
to linear elasticity, the fourth order operator under consideration is related
to the deformation of a free elastic plate, a part of which shrinks to a
segment. In contrast to what happens with the classical second order case, it
turns out that the limiting equation is here distorted by a strange factor
depending on a parameter which plays the role of the Poisson coefficient of the
represented plate.Comment: To appear in "Integral Equations and Operator Theory
Jensen-Shannon divergence as a measure of distinguishability between mixed quantum states
We discuss an alternative to relative entropy as a measure of distance
between mixed quantum states. The proposed quantity is an extension to the
realm of quantum theory of the Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD) between
probability distributions. The JSD has several interesting properties. It
arises in information theory and, unlike the Kullback-Leibler divergence, it is
symmetric, always well defined and bounded. We show that the quantum JSD (QJSD)
shares with the relative entropy most of the physically relevant properties, in
particular those required for a "good" quantum distinguishability measure. We
relate it to other known quantum distances and we suggest possible applications
in the field of the quantum information theory.Comment: 14 pages, corrected equation 1
Topological acoustics in coupled nanocavity arrays
The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model is likely the simplest one-dimensional
concept to study non-trivial topological phases and topological excitations.
Originally developed to explain the electric conductivity of polyacetylene, it
has become a platform for the study of topological effects in electronics,
photonics and ultra-cold atomic systems. Here, we propose an experimentally
feasible implementation of the SSH model based on coupled one-dimensional
acoustic nanoresonators working in the GHz-THz range. In this simulator it is
possible to implement different signs in the nearest neighbor interaction
terms, showing full tunability of all parameters in the SSH model. Based on
this concept we construct topological transition points generating nanophononic
edge and interface states and propose an easy scheme to experimentally probe
their spatial complex amplitude distribution directly by well-established
optical pump-probe techniques.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Stability estimates for resolvents, eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of elliptic operators on variable domains
We consider general second order uniformly elliptic operators subject to
homogeneous boundary conditions on open sets parametrized by
Lipschitz homeomorphisms defined on a fixed reference domain .
Given two open sets , we estimate the
variation of resolvents, eigenvalues and eigenfunctions via the Sobolev norm
for finite values of , under
natural summability conditions on eigenfunctions and their gradients. We prove
that such conditions are satisfied for a wide class of operators and open sets,
including open sets with Lipschitz continuous boundaries. We apply these
estimates to control the variation of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions via
the measure of the symmetric difference of the open sets. We also discuss an
application to the stability of solutions to the Poisson problem.Comment: 34 pages. Minor changes in the introduction and the refercenes.
Published in: Around the research of Vladimir Maz'ya II, pp23--60, Int. Math.
Ser. (N.Y.), vol. 12, Springer, New York 201
Healthcare workers and manual patient handling: A pilot study for interdisciplinary training
Manual patient handling (MPH) is a major occupational risk in healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to propose an MPH training model involving interdisciplinary aspects. A scheduled training program was performed with 60 healthcare workers (HCWs) from a hospital in Naples, Italy, providing training divided into three sections (occupational health—section one; physical therapy—section two; psychosocial section—section three) and lasting six hours. Fifty-two HCWs performed the training session. In section one, a questionnaire about risk perception related to specific working tasks was administered. Section two provided specific exercises for the postural discharge of the anatomical areas most involved in MPH. The last section provided teamwork consolidation through a role-playing exercise. The training program could also be useful for risk assessment itself, as they can examine the perceptions of the specific risk of the various workers and incorrect attitudes and therefore correct any incorrect procedures, reducing exposure to specific risks in the field. This pilot study proposes a training model that explores all aspects related to MPH risk exposure and also underlines the need for standardization of this formative model, which could represent a useful tool for studying the real effectiveness of training in workplaces
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