1,612 research outputs found
Change in Quality of Life after a Cancer Diagnosis among a Nationally Representative Cohort of Older Adults in the US
Scale-free networks as preasymptotic regimes of superlinear preferential attachment
We study the following paradox associated with networks growing according to
superlinear preferential attachment: superlinear preference cannot produce
scale-free networks in the thermodynamic limit, but there are superlinearly
growing network models that perfectly match the structure of some real
scale-free networks, such as the Internet. We obtain an analytic solution,
supported by extensive simulations, for the degree distribution in
superlinearly growing networks with arbitrary average degree, and confirm that
in the true thermodynamic limit these networks are indeed degenerate, i.e.,
almost all nodes have low degrees. We then show that superlinear growth has
vast preasymptotic regimes whose depths depend both on the average degree in
the network and on how superlinear the preference kernel is. We demonstrate
that a superlinearly growing network model can reproduce, in its preasymptotic
regime, the structure of a real network, if the model captures some
sufficiently strong structural constraints -- rich-club connectivity, for
example. These findings suggest that real scale-free networks of finite size
may exist in preasymptotic regimes of network evolution processes that lead to
degenerate network formations in the thermodynamic limit
Chaos for Liouville probability densities
Using the method of symbolic dynamics, we show that a large class of
classical chaotic maps exhibit exponential hypersensitivity to perturbation,
i.e., a rapid increase with time of the information needed to describe the
perturbed time evolution of the Liouville density, the information attaining
values that are exponentially larger than the entropy increase that results
from averaging over the perturbation. The exponential rate of growth of the
ratio of information to entropy is given by the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy of the
map. These findings generalize and extend results obtained for the baker's map
[R. Schack and C. M. Caves, Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3413 (1992)].Comment: 26 pages in REVTEX, no figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Supporting parent-child conversations in a history museum
BACKGROUND: Museums can serve as rich resources for families to learn about the social world through engagement with exhibits and parent-child conversation about exhibits.
AIMS: This study examined ways of engaging parents and child about two related exhibits at a cultural and history museum. Sample participants consisted of families visiting the Animal Antics and the Gone Potty exhibits at the British Museum.
METHODS: Whilst visiting two exhibits at the British Museum, 30 families were assigned to use a backpack of activities, 13 were assigned to a booklet of activities, and 15 were assigned to visit the exhibits without props (control condition).
RESULTS: Compared to the families in the control condition, the interventions increased the amount of time parents and children engaged together with the exhibit. Additionally, recordings of the conversations revealed that adults asked more questions related to the exhibits when assigned to the two intervention conditions compared to the control group. Children engaged in more historical talk when using the booklets than in the other two conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that providing support with either booklets or activities for children at exhibits may prove beneficial to parent-child conversations and engagement with museum exhibits
Polynomial diffeomorphisms of C^2, IV: The measure of maximal entropy and laminar currents
This paper concerns the dynamics of polynomial automorphisms of .
One can associate to such an automorphism two currents and the
equilibrium measure . In this paper we study some
geometric and dynamical properties of these objects. First, we characterize
as the unique measure of maximal entropy. Then we show that the measure
has a local product structure and that the currents have a
laminar structure. This allows us to deduce information about periodic points
and heteroclinic intersections. For example, we prove that the support of
coincides with the closure of the set of saddle points. The methods used
combine the pluripotential theory with the theory of non-uniformly hyperbolic
dynamical systems
More is the Same; Phase Transitions and Mean Field Theories
This paper looks at the early theory of phase transitions. It considers a
group of related concepts derived from condensed matter and statistical
physics. The key technical ideas here go under the names of "singularity",
"order parameter", "mean field theory", and "variational method".
In a less technical vein, the question here is how can matter, ordinary
matter, support a diversity of forms. We see this diversity each time we
observe ice in contact with liquid water or see water vapor, "steam", come up
from a pot of heated water. Different phases can be qualitatively different in
that walking on ice is well within human capacity, but walking on liquid water
is proverbially forbidden to ordinary humans. These differences have been
apparent to humankind for millennia, but only brought within the domain of
scientific understanding since the 1880s.
A phase transition is a change from one behavior to another. A first order
phase transition involves a discontinuous jump in a some statistical variable
of the system. The discontinuous property is called the order parameter. Each
phase transitions has its own order parameter that range over a tremendous
variety of physical properties. These properties include the density of a
liquid gas transition, the magnetization in a ferromagnet, the size of a
connected cluster in a percolation transition, and a condensate wave function
in a superfluid or superconductor. A continuous transition occurs when that
jump approaches zero. This note is about statistical mechanics and the
development of mean field theory as a basis for a partial understanding of this
phenomenon.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
Shuffling cards, factoring numbers, and the quantum baker's map
It is pointed out that an exactly solvable permutation operator, viewed as
the quantization of cyclic shifts, is useful in constructing a basis in which
to study the quantum baker's map, a paradigm system of quantum chaos. In the
basis of this operator the eigenfunctions of the quantum baker's map are
compressed by factors of around five or more. We show explicitly its connection
to an operator that is closely related to the usual quantum baker's map. This
permutation operator has interesting connections to the art of shuffling cards
as well as to the quantum factoring algorithm of Shor via the quantum order
finding one. Hence we point out that this well-known quantum algorithm makes
crucial use of a quantum chaotic operator, or at least one that is close to the
quantization of the left-shift, a closeness that we also explore
quantitatively.Comment: 12 pgs. Substantially elaborated version, including a new route to
the quantum bakers map. To appear in J. Phys.
Foundations for Relativistic Quantum Theory I: Feynman's Operator Calculus and the Dyson Conjectures
In this paper, we provide a representation theory for the Feynman operator
calculus. This allows us to solve the general initial-value problem and
construct the Dyson series. We show that the series is asymptotic, thus proving
Dyson's second conjecture for QED. In addition, we show that the expansion may
be considered exact to any finite order by producing the remainder term. This
implies that every nonperturbative solution has a perturbative expansion. Using
a physical analysis of information from experiment versus that implied by our
models, we reformulate our theory as a sum over paths. This allows us to relate
our theory to Feynman's path integral, and to prove Dyson's first conjecture
that the divergences are in part due to a violation of Heisenberg's uncertainly
relations
Chaotic Friedmann-Robertson-Walker Cosmology
We show that the dynamics of a spatially closed Friedmann - Robertson -
Walker Universe conformally coupled to a real, free, massive scalar field, is
chaotic, for large enough field amplitudes. We do so by proving that this
system is integrable under the adiabatic approximation, but that the
corresponding KAM tori break up when non adiabatic terms are considered. This
finding is confirmed by numerical evaluation of the Lyapunov exponents
associated with the system, among other criteria. Chaos sets strong limitations
to our ability to predict the value of the field at the Big Crunch, from its
given value at the Big Bang. (Figures available on request)Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure
Weak point disorder in strongly fluctuating flux-line liquids
We consider the effect of weak uncorrelated quenched disorder (point defects)
on a strongly fluctuating flux-line liquid. We use a hydrodynamic model which
is based on mapping the flux-line system onto a quantum liquid of relativistic
charged bosons in 2+1 dimensions [P. Benetatos and M. C. Marchetti, Phys. Rev.
B 64, 054518, (2001)]. In this model, flux lines are allowed to be arbitrarily
curved and can even form closed loops. Point defects can be scalar or polar. In
the latter case, the direction of their dipole moments can be random or
correlated. Within the Gaussian approximation of our hydrodynamic model, we
calculate disorder-induced corrections to the correlation functions of the
flux-line fields and the elastic moduli of the flux-line liquid. We find that
scalar disorder enhances loop nucleation, and polar (magnetic) defects decrease
the tilt modulus.Comment: 15 pages, submitted to Pramana-Journal of Physics for the special
volume on Vortex State Studie
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