Quantum Phase Transitions and Heat Capacity in a two-atoms Bose-Hubbard Model

We show that a two-atoms Bose-Hubbard model exhibits three different phases in the behavior of thermal entanglement in its parameter space. These phases are demonstrated to be traceable back to the existence of quantum phase transitions in the same system. Significant similarities between the behaviors of thermal entanglement and heat capacity in the parameter space are brought to light thus allowing to interpret the occurrence and the meaning of all these three phases.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Heat Capacity and Entanglement Measure in a simple two-qubit model

A simple two-qubit model showing Quantum Phase Transitions as a consequence of ground state level crossings is studied in detail. Using the Concurrence of the system as an entanglement measure and heat capacity as a marker of thermodynamical properties, an analytical expression giving the latter in terms of the former is obtained. A protocol allowing an experimental measure of entanglement is then presented and compared with a related proposal recently reported by Wie\'sniak, Vedral and BruknerComment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Entropy production and information fluctuations along quantum trajectories

Employing the stochastic wave function method, we study quantum features of stochastic entropy production in nonequilibrium processes of open systems. It is demonstarted that continuous measurements on the environment introduce an additional, non-thermal contribution to the entropy flux, which is shown to be a direct consequence of quantum fluctuations. These features lead to a quantum definition of single trajectory entropy contributions, which accounts for the difference between classical and quantum trajectories and results in a quantum correction to the standard form of the integral fluctuation theorem.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Using Monte Carlo Simulation as a Financial Modeling Tool to Support Sustainability Efforts of a Government Agency

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects ecosystem data to support coastal resource conservation and management activities by studying stressors that impact estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay, which is the largest in the United States. This paper seeks to help NOAA justify its existence and its budget by utilizing Monte Carlo simulation as a financial modeling tool, with such simulations providing insights on how to allocate identified resources. The results of the study offer an innovative method for helping government managers decide how much money to spend, what to spend it on, and how to acquire resources for the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System. Moreover, this paper also demonstrates how an experiential project in graduate business education can be used to support sustainability efforts by addressing community-focused issues while improving student connection between theory and application at the same time

Using Monte Carlo Simulation as a Financial Modeling Tool to Support Sustainability Efforts of a Government Agency

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects ecosystem data to support coastal resource conservation and management activities by studying stressors that impact estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay, which is the largest in the United States. This paper seeks to help NOAA justify its existence and its budget by utilizing Monte Carlo simulation as a financial modeling tool, with such simulations providing insights on how to allocate identified resources. The results of the study offer an innovative method for helping government managers decide how much money to spend, what to spend it on, and how to acquire resources for the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System. Moreover, this paper also demonstrates how an experiential project in graduate business education can be used to support sustainability efforts by addressing community-focused issues while improving student connection between theory and application at the same time

Role of the α1 blocker doxazosin in alcoholism: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial

Evidence suggests that the norepinephrine system represents an important treatment target for alcohol dependence (AD) and the α1-blocker prazosin may reduce alcohol drinking in rodents and alcoholic patients. The α1-blocker doxazosin demonstrates a more favorable pharmacokinetic profile than prazosin, but has never been studied for AD. A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted in AD individuals seeking outpatient treatment. Doxazosin or matched placebo was titrated to 16 mg/day (or maximum tolerable dose). Drinks per week (DPW) and heavy drinking days (HDD) per week were the primary outcomes. Family history density of alcoholism (FHDA), severity of AD and gender were a priori moderators. Forty-one AD individuals were randomized, 30 (doxazosin = 15) completed the treatment phase and 28 (doxazosin = 14) also completed the follow-up. There were no significant differences between groups on DPW and HDD per week. With FHDA as a moderator, there were significant FHDA × medication interactions for both DPW (pcorrected = 0.001, d = 1.18) and HDD (pcorrected = 0.00009, d = 1.30). Post hoc analyses revealed that doxazosin significantly reduced alcohol drinking in AD patients with high FHDA and by contrast increased drinking in those with low FHDA. Doxazosin may be effective selectively in AD patients with high FHDA. This study provides preliminary evidence for personalized medicine using α1-blockade to treat AD. However, confirmatory studies are required

On the merit of a Central Limit Theorem-based approximation in statistical physics

The applicability conditions of a recently reported Central Limit Theorem-based approximation method in statistical physics are investigated and rigorously determined. The failure of this method at low and intermediate temperature is proved as well as its inadequacy to disclose quantum criticalities at fixed temperatures. Its high temperature predictions are in addition shown to coincide with those stemming from straightforward appropriate expansions up to (k_B T)^(-2). Our results are clearly illustrated by comparing the exact and approximate temperature dependence of the free energy of some exemplary physical systems.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur

Estimation of Piecewise-Deterministic Trajectories in a Quantum Optics Scenario

The manipulation of individual copies of quantum systems is one of the most groundbreaking experimental discoveries in the field of quantum physics. On both an experimental and a theoretical level, it has been shown that the dynamics of a single copy of an open quantum system is a trajectory of a piecewise-deterministic process. To the best of our knowledge, this application field has not been explored by the literature in applied mathematics, from both probabilistic and statistical perspectives. The objective of this chapter is to provide a self-contained presentation of this kind of model, as well as its specificities in terms of observations scheme of the system, and a first attempt to deal with a statistical issue that arises in the quantum world

Consensus Paper: Cerebellum and Emotion

Over the past three decades, insights into the role of the cerebellum in emotional processing have substantially increased. Indeed, methodological refinements in cerebellar lesion studies and major technological advancements in the field of neuroscience are in particular responsible to an exponential growth of knowledge on the topic. It is timely to review the available data and to critically evaluate the current status of the role of the cerebellum in emotion and related domains. The main aim of this article is to present an overview of current facts and ongoing debates relating to clinical, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological findings on the role of the cerebellum in key aspects of emotion. Experts in the field of cerebellar research discuss the range of cerebellar contributions to emotion in nine topics. Topics include the role of the cerebellum in perception and recognition, forwarding and encoding of emotional information, and the experience and regulation of emotional states in relation to motor, cognitive, and social behaviors. In addition, perspectives including cerebellar involvement in emotional learning, pain, emotional aspects of speech, and neuropsychiatric aspects of the cerebellum in mood disorders are briefly discussed. Results of this consensus paper illustrate how theory and empirical research have converged to produce a composite picture of brain topography, physiology, and function that establishes the role of the cerebellum in many aspects of emotional processing