1,717 research outputs found
Virtual Reality Relaxation to Decrease Dental Anxiety:Immediate Effect Randomized Clinical Trial
Introduction: Dental anxiety is common and causes symptomatic use of oral health services. Objectives: The aim was to study if a short-term virtual reality intervention reduced preoperative dental anxiety. Methods: A randomized controlled single-center trial was conducted with 2 parallel arms in a public oral health care unit: virtual reality relaxation (VRR) and treatment as usual (TAU). The VRR group received a 1- to 3.5-min 360° immersion video of a peaceful virtual landscape with audio features and sound supporting the experience. TAU groups remained seated for 3 min. Of the powered sample of 280 participants, 255 consented and had complete data. Total and secondary sex-specific mixed effects linear regression models were completed for posttest dental anxiety (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale [MDAS] total score) and its 2 factors (anticipatory and treatment-related dental anxiety) adjusted for baseline (pretest) MDAS total and factor scores and age, taking into account the effect of blocking. Results: Total and anticipatory dental anxiety decreased more in the VRR group than the TAU group (β = â0.75, P < .001, for MDAS total score; β = â0.43, P < .001, for anticipatory anxiety score) in patients of a primary dental care clinic. In women, dental anxiety decreased more in VRR than TAU for total MDAS score (β = â1.08, P < .001) and treatment-related dental anxiety (β = â0.597, P = .011). Anticipatory dental anxiety decreased more in VRR than TAU in both men (β = â0.217, P < .026) and women (β = â0.498, P < .001). Conclusion: Short application of VRR is both feasible and effective to reduce preoperative dental anxiety in public dental care settings (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03993080). Knowledge Transfer Statement: Dental anxiety, which is a common problem, can be reduced with short application of virtual reality relaxation applied preoperatively in the waiting room. Findings of this study indicate that it is a feasible and effective procedure to help patients with dental anxiety in normal public dental care settings.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
The Pegg-Barnett Formalism and Covariant Phase Observables
We compare the Pegg-Barnett (PB) formalism with the covariant phase
observable approach to the problem of quantum phase and show that PB-formalism
gives essentially the same results as the canonical (covariant) phase
observable. We also show that PB-formalism can be extended to cover all
covariant phase observables including the covariant phase observable arising
from the angle margin of the Husimi Q-function.Comment: 10 page
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
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
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 is associated
with a unique positive operator measure (POM) , 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 in our quantization is defined through its moment
operators, which are required to be of the form , , with
a fixed map from classical variables to Hilbert space operators. In
particular, we consider the quantization of classical \emph{questions}, that
is, functions taking only values 0 and 1. We compare two concrete
realizations of the map 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
Group Theory and Quasiprobability Integrals of Wigner Functions
The integral of the Wigner function of a quantum mechanical system over a
region or its boundary in the classical phase plane, is called a
quasiprobability integral. Unlike a true probability integral, its value may
lie outside the interval [0,1]. It is characterized by a corresponding
selfadjoint operator, to be called a region or contour operator as appropriate,
which is determined by the characteristic function of that region or contour.
The spectral problem is studied for commuting families of region and contour
operators associated with concentric disks and circles of given radius a. Their
respective eigenvalues are determined as functions of a, in terms of the
Gauss-Laguerre polynomials. These polynomials provide a basis of vectors in
Hilbert space carrying the positive discrete series representations of the
algebra su(1,1)or so(2,1). The explicit relation between the spectra of
operators associated with disks and circles with proportional radii, is given
in terms of the dicrete variable Meixner polynomials.Comment: 11 pages, latex fil
REVISITING ANNA MOSCOWITZ\u27S KROSS\u27S CRITIQUE OF NEW YORK CITY\u27S WOMEN\u27S COURT: THE CONTINUED PROBLEM OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF PROSTITUTION WITH SPECIALIZED CRIMINAL COURTS
This article explores New York City\u27s non-traditional, judicially based response to prostitution. This article first recounts the history of New York Cityâs Womenâs Court. It then examines the work of the Midtown Community Court, the âproblem-solving courtâ established in 1993 to address criminal issues, like prostitution, in Midtown Manhattan. It also discusses the renewed concerns about sex work in New York and describe the movement, propelled by modern reformers, to address prostitution through specialty courts. It then contrasts the shared features and attributes of the Womenâs Court and Midtown Court models. Finally, the article urges modern reformers to step back from the problem-solving court movement and their call for the creation of more such specialized criminal courts
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