Embodied fortitude: An introduction to the Finnish construct of sisu

In the Nordic country of Finland, a cultural construct known as sisu has been used for centuries to describe the enigmatic power that enables individuals to push through unbearable challenges. Sisu, however, lacks a direct translation and the construct has remained poorly defined and understudied. This article seeks to answer the question “What is sisu?” through the thematic analysis of two sets of qualitative data (n = 500 and n = 569) that were collected as part of a survey (N = 1,208) among a sample group of primarily Finnish respondents. The most prominent part of the conceptual core of sisu is the ability to surpass one’s preconceived limitations by accessing stored-up energy reserves. Sisu is invoked by adversity and is more about finding energy in the moment than about long-term endurance, goal-setting and achievement. Instead of being about conscious willing or mental fortitude, it implies a strength that is connected to the visceral and somatic dimension of human endurance. I propose that sisu points to a universal phenomenon of latent energy in the human system, lends it a name and contributes toward a more culturally rich conversation on the human experience of overcoming adversity across life challenges

The Status of Dwarfed Populations of Short-Horned Lizards (\u3ci\u3ePhrynosoma hernandesi\u3c/i\u3e) and Great Plains Toads (\u3ci\u3eAnaxyrus cognatus\u3c/i\u3e) in the San Luis Valley, Colorado

The San Luis Valley is a large valley formation in Colorado surrounded on either side by mountain ranges exceeding 4,267 m. Within the Valley, two of the 14 amphibian and reptile species are dwarfed: the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and the Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). Since its initial reporting in 1968 and confirmation in 1981, no research further investigating this dwarfism has been conducted. I collected morphological measurements to determine the extent and patterns of dwarfism of both species. I then investigated the genetics of both species using mitochondrial DNA to determine whether they are genetically distinct, their colonization histories within the Valley, and whether the Valley functions as a reproductive barrier. Lastly, I report life/natural-history data to determine the effects of dwarfism. Phrynosoma hernandesi and A. cognatus were significantly dwarfed and showed an increase in sexual size dimorphism compared to populations surrounding the Valley. Valley populations of P. hernandesi show high amounts of genetic divergence from populations surrounding the Valley while A. cognatus shows minimal genetic variation throughout its range. Based on the variable distribution of genetic variation in the Valley, historic climate patterns, and fossil records, there are two most likely colonization histories for P. hernandesi: 1.) populations colonized the Valley during a singular event and have since diverged or 2.) populations colonized the Valley during two events that correlate with the two warm, dry periods within the last 0.8 MYA. Dwarfed P. hernandesi consumed diets similar to populations outside the Valley although there is local variation in the diversity of prey items consumed. Phrynosoma hernandesi at Zapata Ranch showed annual variation in body size and morphology while population dynamics correlate with the timing of precipitation. Also, females show a reduced reproductive output, producing fewer neonates but of equal size to non-dwarfed neonates. Collectively, findings from this study suggest that Valley populations represent unique taxa and should be considered for further genetic study to determine their taxonomic and conservation status

Moment operators of the Cartesian margins of the phase space observables

The theory of operator integrals is used to determine the moment operators of the Cartesian margins of the phase space observables generated by the mixtures of the number states. The moments of the $x$-margin are polynomials of the position operator and those of the $y$-margin are polynomials of the momentum operator.Comment: 14 page

On the moment limit of quantum observables, with an application to the balanced homodyne detection

We consider the moment operators of the observable (i.e. a semispectral measure or POM) associated with the balanced homodyne detection statistics, with paying attention to the correct domains of these unbounded operators. We show that the high amplitude limit, when performed on the moment operators, actually determines uniquely the entire statistics of a rotated quadrature amplitude of the signal field, thereby verifying the usual assumption that the homodyne detection achieves a measurement of that observable. We also consider, in a general setting, the possibility of constructing a measurement of a single quantum observable from a sequence of observables by taking the limit on the level of moment operators of these observables. In this context, we show that under some natural conditions (each of which is satisfied by the homodyne detector example), the existence of the moment limits ensures that the underlying probability measures converge weakly to the probability measure of the limiting observable. The moment approach naturally requires that the observables be determined by their moment operator sequences (which does not automatically happen), and it turns out, in particular, that this is the case for the balanced homodyne detector.Comment: 22 pages, no figure

Measurement uncertainty relations

Measurement uncertainty relations are quantitative bounds on the errors in an approximate joint measurement of two observables. They can be seen as a generalization of the error/disturbance tradeoff first discussed heuristically by Heisenberg. Here we prove such relations for the case of two canonically conjugate observables like position and momentum, and establish a close connection with the more familiar preparation uncertainty relations constraining the sharpness of the distributions of the two observables in the same state. Both sets of relations are generalized to means of order $\alpha$ rather than the usual quadratic means, and we show that the optimal constants are the same for preparation and for measurement uncertainty. The constants are determined numerically and compared with some bounds in the literature. In both cases the near-saturation of the inequalities entails that the state (resp. observable) is uniformly close to a minimizing one.Comment: This version 2 contains minor corrections and reformulation

Semispectral measures as convolutions and their moment operators

The moment operators of a semispectral measure having the structure of the convolution of a positive measure and a semispectral measure are studied, with paying attention to the natural domains of these unbounded operators. The results are then applied to conveniently determine the moment operators of the Cartesian margins of the phase space observables.Comment: 7 page

The Tellus Airborne Geophysical Survey of Northern Ireland. Final results

The Tellus airborne geophysical survey of Northern Ireland was conducted over a two year period. Measurements from a fixed-wing aircraft operating at 56 m include magnetic (gradiometer), radiometric and frequency-domain electromagnetic. The survey comprises over 80,000 line-km of coverage and was completed in two phases (2005 and 2006). The large geographical scale and two year duration have combined to raise interesting questions regarding data processing and seasonal adjustments. The radiometric and electromagnetic data sets are completely new for N.Ireland, whereas the magnetic data set is significantly better than the existing one. The preliminary results have excited the interest of the planning, mineral and environmental communities

Quantization and noiseless measurements

In accordance with the fact that quantum measurements are described in terms of positive operator measures (POMs), we consider certain aspects of a quantization scheme in which a classical variable $f:\R^2\to \R$ is associated with a unique positive operator measure (POM) $E^f$, which is not necessarily projection valued. The motivation for such a scheme comes from the well-known fact that due to the noise in a quantum measurement, the resulting outcome distribution is given by a POM and cannot, in general, be described in terms of a traditional observable, a selfadjoint operator. Accordingly, we notice that the noiseless measurements are the ones which are determined by a selfadjoint operator. The POM $E^f$ in our quantization is defined through its moment operators, which are required to be of the form $\Gamma(f^k)$, $k\in \N$, with $\Gamma$ a fixed map from classical variables to Hilbert space operators. In particular, we consider the quantization of classical \emph{questions}, that is, functions $f:\R^2\to\R$ taking only values 0 and 1. We compare two concrete realizations of the map $\Gamma$ in view of their ability to produce noiseless measurements: one being the Weyl map, and the other defined by using phase space probability distributions.Comment: 15 pages, submitted to Journal of Physics

Small-scale flux ropes in ICME sheaths

Sheath regions of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are formed when the upstream solar wind is deflected and compressed due to the propagation and expansion of the ICME. Small-scale flux ropes found in the solar wind can thus be swept into ICME-driven sheath regions. They may also be generated locally within the sheaths through a range of processes. This work applies wavelet analysis to obtain the normalized reduced magnetic helicity, normalized cross helicity, and normalized residual energy, and uses them to identify small-scale flux ropes and Alfven waves in 55 ICME-driven sheath regions observed by the Wind spacecraft in the near-Earth solar wind. Their occurrence is investigated separately for three different frequency ranges between 10(-2) - 10(-4) Hz. We find that small scale flux ropes are more common in ICME sheaths than in the upstream wind, implying that they are at least to some extent actively generated in the sheath and not just compressed from the upstream wind. Alfven waves occur more evenly in the upstream wind and in the sheath. This study also reveals that while the highest frequency (smallest scale) flux ropes occur relatively evenly across the sheath, the lower frequency (largest scale) flux ropes peak near the ICME leading edge. This suggests that they could have different physical origins, and that processes near the ICME leading edge are important for generating the larger scale population.Peer reviewe

Common mental disorders in young adults born late-preterm

Background Results of adulthood mental health of those born late-preterm (34 + 0–36 + 6 weeks + days of gestation) are mixed and based on national registers. We examined if late-preterm birth was associated with a higher risk for common mental disorders in young adulthood when using a diagnostic interview, and if this risk decreased as gestational age increased. Method A total of 800 young adults (mean = 25.3, s.d. = 0.62 years), born 1985–1986, participated in a follow-up of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study. Common mental disorders (mood, anxiety and substance use disorders) during the past 12 months were defined using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (Munich version). Gestational age was extracted from hospital birth records and categorized into early-preterm (<34 + 0, n = 37), late-preterm (34 + 0–36 + 6, n = 106), term (37 + 0–41 + 6, n = 617) and post-term (≥42 + 0, n = 40). Results Those born late-preterm and at term were at a similar risk for any common mental disorder [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67–1.84], for mood (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.54–2.25), anxiety (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.40–2.50) and substance use (OR 1.31, 95% CI 0.74–2.32) disorders, and co-morbidity of these disorders (p = 0.38). While the mental disorder risk decreased significantly as gestational age increased, the trend was driven by a higher risk in those born early-preterm. Conclusions Using a cohort born during the advanced neonatal and early childhood care, we found that not all individuals born preterm are at risk for common mental disorders in young adulthood – those born late-preterm are not, while those born early-preterm are at a higher risk. Available resources for prevention and intervention should be targeted towards the preterm group born the earliest