Truncated Random Measures

Completely random measures (CRMs) and their normalizations are a rich source of Bayesian nonparametric priors. Examples include the beta, gamma, and Dirichlet processes. In this paper we detail two major classes of sequential CRM representations---series representations and superposition representations---within which we organize both novel and existing sequential representations that can be used for simulation and posterior inference. These two classes and their constituent representations subsume existing ones that have previously been developed in an ad hoc manner for specific processes. Since a complete infinite-dimensional CRM cannot be used explicitly for computation, sequential representations are often truncated for tractability. We provide truncation error analyses for each type of sequential representation, as well as their normalized versions, thereby generalizing and improving upon existing truncation error bounds in the literature. We analyze the computational complexity of the sequential representations, which in conjunction with our error bounds allows us to directly compare representations and discuss their relative efficiency. We include numerous applications of our theoretical results to commonly-used (normalized) CRMs, demonstrating that our results enable a straightforward representation and analysis of CRMs that has not previously been available in a Bayesian nonparametric context.Comment: To appear in Bernoulli; 58 pages, 3 figure

State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003-2009: How Building on the Affordable Care Act Will Help Stem the Tide of Rising Costs and Eroding Benefits

Examines 2003-09 state trends in family coverage premiums and deductibles for private employers. Looks at projected savings on premiums if the 2010 healthcare reform succeeds in slowing growth by 1 percentage point annually and weighs policy implications

Aiming Higher: Results From a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, 2009

Ranks states on thirty-eight indicators of healthcare access, prevention and treatment, avoidable hospital use and costs, equity, and healthy lives. Examines trends, including eroding adult insurance coverage, poor care coordination, and rising costs

Securing a Healthy Future: The Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard on Child Health System Performance, 2011

Ranks states on twenty indicators of healthcare access, affordability, prevention and treatment, potential for healthy lives, and health system equity for children. Examines the need for targeted initiatives and policy implications for better performance

Aiming Higher: Results From a State Scorecard on Health System Performance

Assesses state variation across key dimensions of health system performance -- access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, equity, and healthy lives -- and assigns overall state rankings as well as ranks on each dimension

Why Not the Best? Results From the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2011

Assesses the U.S. healthcare system's average performance in 2007-09 as measured by forty-two indicators of health outcomes, quality, access, efficiency, and equity compared with the 2006 and 2008 scorecards and with domestic and international benchmarks

Ladder operators and endomorphisms in combinatorial Physics

Starting with the Heisenberg-Weyl algebra, fundamental to quantum physics, we first show how the ordering of the non-commuting operators intrinsic to that algebra gives rise to generalizations of the classical Stirling Numbers of Combinatorics. These may be expressed in terms of infinite, but row-finite, matrices, which may also be considered as endomorphisms of C[x]. This leads us to consider endomorphisms in more general spaces, and these in turn may be expressed in terms of generalizations of the ladder-operators familiar in physics

The application of controlled structures technology to adaptive optics

Viewgraphs on the application of controlled structures technology (CST) to adaptive optics are presented. Topics covered include: a typical large optical system (LDR); overview of current optical programs; typical adaptive optics system; actuation approaches for deforming a mirror; control approach comparison; control structure interaction (CSI) control bandwidth limitations; applications of CST concepts to optics; distributed control approaches; quasistatic error correction; low authority control (LAC); and high authority control (HAC) design methodology

Throughput Optimization in Mobile Backbone Networks

This paper describes new algorithms for throughput optimization in a mobile backbone network. This hierarchical communication framework combines mobile backbone nodes, which have superior mobility and communication capability, with regular nodes, which are constrained in mobility and communication capability. An important quantity of interest in mobile backbone networks is the number of regular nodes that can be successfully assigned to mobile backbone nodes at a given throughput level. This paper develops a novel technique for maximizing this quantity in networks of fixed regular nodes using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP). The MILP-based algorithm provides a significant reduction in computation time compared to existing methods and is computationally tractable for problems of moderate size. An approximation algorithm is also developed that is appropriate for large-scale problems. This paper presents a theoretical performance guarantee for the approximation algorithm and also demonstrates its empirical performance. Finally, the mobile backbone network problem is extended to include mobile regular nodes, and exact and approximate solution algorithms are presented for this extension.United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR grant FA9550- 04-1-0458)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (grant CCR-0325401)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (grant CNS-091598)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Graduate Fellowship