Position Measurements Obeying Momentum Conservation

We present a hitherto unknown fundamental limitation to a basic measurement: that of the position of a quantum object when the total momentum of the object and apparatus is conserved. This result extends the famous Wigner-Araki-Yanase (WAY) theorem, and shows that accurate position measurements are only practically feasible if there is a large momentum uncertainty in the apparatus

Using Simulation-based Inference with Panel Data in Health Economics

Panel datasets provide a rich source of information for health economists, offering the scope to control for individual heterogeneity and to model the dynamics of individual behaviour. However the qualitative or categorical measures of outcome often used in health economics create special problems for estimating econometric models. Allowing a flexible specification of the autocorrelation induced by individual heterogeneity leads to models involving higher order integrals that cannot be handled by conventional numerical methods. The dramatic growth in computing power over recent years has been accompanied by the development of simulation-based estimators that solve this problem. This review uses binary choice models to show what can be done with conventional methods and how the range of models can be expanded by using simulation methods. Practical applications of the methods are illustrated using data on health from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS).

Using Simulation-Based Inference with Panel Data in Health Economics

Panel datasets provide a rich source of information for health economists, offering the scope to control for individual heterogeneity and to model the dynamics of individual behaviour. However the qualitative or categorical measures of outcome often used in health economics create special problems for estimating econometric models. Allowing a flexible specification of individual heterogeneity leads to models involving higher order integrals that cannot be handled by conventional numerical methods. The dramatic growth in computing power over recent years has been accompanied by the development of simulation estimators that solve this problem. This review uses binary choice models to show what can be done with conventional methods and how the range of models can be expanded by using simulation methods. Practical applications of the methods are illustrated using on health from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)Econometrics, panel data, simulation methods, determinants of health

Emerging technologies for learning (volume 1)

Collection of 5 articles on emerging technologies and trend

The Cloze Procedure and Intersentential Comprehension in College-Level German

This is the publisher's version, also available at http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/iralThe intersentential sensitivity of the mechanical deletion cloze procedure was examined in this investigation. A total of 124 college-level students of German participated in the study. One group of subjects completed a sequential cloze task, a second group completed a scrambled cloze task, and a third group completed an imbedded cloze task. The results revealed no significant differences between cloze test scores in the exact word or the acceptable word (synonyms allowed) scoring conditions. It is suggested that the cloze procedure may not yield a valid and reliable assessment of global comprehension in the second-language context. Reading is generally considered to be one of the most important second language learning skills. Most classroom activities depend on the students' ability to read the target language. The ability to read is also one of the few outcomes of the second-language learning process that students have the opportunity to utilize actively after the completion of their formal training. The cloze procedure has generally been accepted as a valid and reliable estimate of reading comprehension in the first and second language setting. Researchers such as Oiler, (1973), Chihara et al (1977) Cziko (1978), Clarke (1979), and Bachman (1982) proclaim the cloze procedure to be an objective, dependable measure of global comprehension. However, there have been a number of other reading researchers that question the intersentential sensitivity of cloze. MacGinitie (1961), Miller and Coleman (1967), Alderson (1979), and Shanahan et al (1982) posit that the cloze procedure is primarily a sentence-level or subsentence-level processing task that students can successfully complete without attending to intersentential comprehension. Given the widely divergent views with respect to cloze as a measure of global comprehension, it was decided to investigate the matter more closely

Closing in on open design: comparing casual and critical design challenges

Open Design has become an umbrella term for a wide range of approaches to design and creativity where professional design is challenged. These range from seeing designers as simply irrelevant (in democratized innovation) to an active and creative collaboration between designers and non-designers (co-design) to the dissolution of the distinction between designer and nondesigner altogether. While supporting open design in general, we argue that there are important instances where open design approaches may not be appropriate and that there will be a polarization between casual design activity (for cups, t-shirts and so on) and critical designs (medical equipment, very complex systems like mobile phones).</p

An Iterative Quality-Based Localization Algorithm for Ad Hoc Networks

An iterative quality-based algorithm for location discovery is presented which can be used in wireless ad hoc sensor networks. The algorithm will take the reliability of measurements into account and will produce a reliability index for every estimated location using a statistical approach. The algorithm can also work in a hybrid network with different kinds of distance measuring techniques. It will use the reliability of each of these methods in the final result. Satisfactory results can be achieved with this approach

Large-Scale Analysis of Gene Expression and Connectivity in the Rodent Brain: Insights through Data Integration

Recent research in C. elegans and the rodent has identified correlations between gene expression and connectivity. Here we extend this type of approach to examine complex patterns of gene expression in the rodent brain in the context of regional brain connectivity and differences in cellular populations. Using multiple large-scale data sets obtained from public sources, we identified two novel patterns of mouse brain gene expression showing a strong degree of anti-correlation, and relate this to multiple data modalities including macroscale connectivity. We found that these signatures are associated with differences in expression of neuronal and oligodendrocyte markers, suggesting they reflect regional differences in cellular populations. We also find that the expression level of these genes is correlated with connectivity degree, with regions expressing the neuron-enriched pattern having more incoming and outgoing connections with other regions. Our results exemplify what is possible when increasingly detailed large-scale cell- and gene-level data sets are integrated with connectivity data

The transfer characteristics of hair cells encoding mechanical stimuli in the lateral line of zebrafish

Hair cells transmit mechanical information by converting deflection of the hair bundle into synaptic release of glutamate. We have investigated this process in the lateral line of larval zebrafish (male and female) to understand how mechanical stimuli are encoded within a neuromast. Using multiphoton microscopy in vivo, we imaged synaptic release of glutamate using the reporter iGluSnFR and deflections of the cupula. We found that the neuromast is composed of a functionally diverse population of hair cells. Half the hair cells signalled cupula motion in both directions from rest, either by increasing glutamate release in response to a deflection in the positive direction or by reducing release in the negative direction. The relationship between cupula deflection and glutamate release demonstrated maximum sensitivity at displacements of just ~40 nm in the positive direction. The remaining hair cells only signalled motion in one direction and were less sensitive, extending the operating range of the neuromast beyond 1 μm. Adaptation of the synaptic output was also heterogeneous, with some hair cells generating sustained glutamate release in response to a steady deflection of the cupula and others generating transient outputs. Finally, a distinct signal encoded a return of the cupula to rest: a large and transient burst of glutamate release from hair cells unresponsive to the initial stimulus. A population of hair cells with these different sensitivities, operating ranges and adaptive properties will allow the neuromast to encode weak stimuli while maintaining the dynamic range to signal the amplitude and duration of stronger deflections