31,640 research outputs found
Predictors of refusal to participate: a longitudinal health survey of the elderly in Australia
BACKGROUND:
The loss of participants in longitudinal studies due to non-contact, refusal or death can introduce bias into the results of such studies. The study described here examines reasons for refusal over three waves of a survey of persons aged ≥ 70 years.
METHODS:
In a longitudinal study involving three waves, participants were compared to those who refused to participate but allowed an informant to be interviewed and to those who refused any participation.
RESULTS:
At Wave 1 both groups of Wave 2 non-participants had reported lower occupational status and fewer years of education, had achieved lower verbal IQ scores and cognitive performance scores and experienced some distress from the interview. Those with an informant interview only were in poorer physical health than those who participated and those who refused. Depression and anxiety symptoms were not associated with non-participation. Multivariate analyses found that verbal IQ and cognitive impairment predicted refusal. Results were very similar for refusers at both Waves 2 and 3.
CONCLUSIONS:
Longitudinal studies of the elderly may over estimate cognitive performance because of the greater refusal rate of those with poorer performance. However, there is no evidence of bias with respect to anxiety or depression
The role of coherence entropy of physical twin observables in entanglement
The concept of physical twin observables (PTO) for bipartite quantum
states,introduced and proved relevant for quantum information theory in recent
work, is substantially simplified. The relation of observable and state is
studied in detail from the point of view of coherence entropy. Properties of
this quantity are further explored. It is shown that, besides for pure states,
quantum discord (measure of entanglement) can be expressed through the
coherence entropy of a PTO complete in relation to the state.Comment: 19 pages, Latex+Revtex
Entanglement versus Quantum Discord in Two Coupled Double Quantum Dots
We study the dynamics of quantum correlations of two coupled double quantum
dots containing two excess electrons. The dissipation is included through the
contact with an oscillator bath. We solve the Redfield master equation in order
to determine the dynamics of the quantum discord and the entanglement of
formation. Based on our results, we find that the quantum discord is more
resistant to dissipation than the entanglement of formation for such a system.
We observe that this characteristic is related to whether the oscillator bath
is common to both qubits or not and to the form of the interaction Hamiltonian.
Moreover, our results show that the quantum discord might be finite even for
higher temperatures in the asymptotic limit.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures (new version is the final version to appear in
NJP
A general low frequency acoustic radiation capability for NASTRAN
A new capability called NASHUA is described for calculating the radiated acoustic sound pressure field exterior to a harmonically-excited arbitrary submerged 3-D elastic structure. The surface fluid pressures and velocities are first calculated by coupling a NASTRAN finite element model of the structure with a discretized form of the Helmholtz surface integral equation for the exterior fluid. After the fluid impedance is calculated, most of the required matrix operations are performed using the general matrix manipulation package (DMAP) available in NASTRAN. Far field radiated pressures are then calculated from the surface solution using the Helmholtz exterior integral equation. Other output quantities include the maximum sound pressure levels in each of the three coordinate planes, the rms and average surface pressures and normal velocities, the total radiated power and the radiation efficiency. The overall approach is illustrated and validated using known analytic solutions for submerged spherical shells subjected to both uniform and nonuniform applied loads
The Role of Local Policies on Resource Utilization: Timber Harvesting in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Seemingly unrelated regression was used to investigate if the passage of forestry-related ordinances has had an effect upon timber harvesting activities in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Results indicate that a significant negative relationship exists between a $10,000 road bond ordinance and the level of timber harvest in the Parish.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Motor Vehicle Insurance Reform: Revisiting the Uninsured Driver
The Florida Legislature in 1988 addressed problems regarding uninsured motorists by passing the Motor Vehicle Insurance Reform Act of 1988. In this Article, the authors analyze the problems and the Legislature\u27s latest attempt to solve them. The authors detail the specific mechanisms designed to eliminate financially irresponsible motorists in Florida, and explain the various policy considerations behind the enactments
Orthogonal measurements are {\it almost} sufficient for quantum discord of two qubits
The common use in literature of orthogonal measurements in obtaining quantum
discord for two-qubit states is discussed and compared with more general
measurements. We prove the optimality of orthogonal measurements for rank 2
states. While for rank 3 and 4 mixed states they are not optimal, we present
strong numerical evidence showing that they give the correct quantum discord up
to minimal corrections. Based on the connection, through purification with an
ancilla, between discord and entanglement of formation (EoF), we give a tight
upper bound for the EoF of a mixed state of rank 2, given by an
optimal decomposition of 2 elements. We also provide an alternative way to
compute the quantum discord for two qubits based on the Bloch vectors of the
state.Comment: EPL 96, 40005 (2011
Vortex spectrum in superfluid turbulence: interpretation of a recent experiment
We discuss a recent experiment in which the spectrum of the vortex line
density fluctuations has been measured in superfluid turbulence. The observed
frequency dependence of the spectrum, , disagrees with classical
vorticity spectra if, following the literature, the vortex line density is
interpreted as a measure of the vorticity or enstrophy. We argue that the
disagrement is solved if the vortex line density field is decomposed into a
polarised field (which carries most of the energy) and an isotropic field
(which is responsible for the spectrum).Comment: Submitted for publication
http://crtbt.grenoble.cnrs.fr/helio/GROUP/infa.html
http://www.mas.ncl.ac.uk/~ncfb
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