Sequential measurement of multidimensional transducers technical report no. 431

Application of sequential decoding algorithm to measurement problem

Precise Estimation of Cosmological Parameters Using a More Accurate Likelihood Function

The estimation of cosmological parameters from a given data set requires a construction of a likelihood function which, in general, has a complicated functional form. We adopt a Gaussian copula and constructed a copula likelihood function for the convergence power spectrum from a weak lensing survey. We show that the parameter estimation based on the Gaussian likelihood erroneously introduces a systematic shift in the confidence region, in particular for a parameter of the dark energy equation of state w. Thus, the copula likelihood should be used in future cosmological observations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Maches version published by the Physical Review Letter

Strong Approximation of Empirical Copula Processes by Gaussian Processes

We provide the strong approximation of empirical copula processes by a Gaussian process. In addition we establish a strong approximation of the smoothed empirical copula processes and a law of iterated logarithm

Moderators of the effects of anger awareness and expression training and relaxation training to improve chronic headache symptoms

Chronic headache (HA), a common condition among young adults, is exacerbated by stress. Arousal reducing techniques, such as relaxation training (RT), are moderately effective as stress-management techniques. Suppression of negative emotions, such as anger, has also been shown to worsen stress and pain. Previously, our laboratory found that an innovative 3-session, group-based anger awareness and expression training (AAET) intervention was comparable to group relaxation training (RT) in improving outcomes in HA, and both treatments were more beneficial than no intervention. However, it is likely that individuals respond differently to these interventions. A person\u27s baseline emotion regulation abilities, assertiveness, and ambivalence over emotional expression likely influence their response to these interventions. Therefore, secondary analyses were conducted to explore how alexithymia and it\u27s facets (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking), ambivalence over anger expression, and assertiveness, moderated the effects of AAET, RT, compared with each other and no intervention. A sample of 127 young adults with chronic HA were randomized to 1 of the 3 conditions (AAET, RT, or no-intervention control), and headache frequency, severity, and duration, physical symptoms, and affect were assessed at baseline and 6-week follow-up. Results indicated that AAET is beneficial at reducing headache symptoms, physical health problems, and anxiety for individuals who have difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings, whereas RT has very minimal benefits for these individuals. In contrast, externally oriented thinking predicted greater physical symptoms after AAET compared to RT. Results also demonstrated that AAET is beneficial at reducing headache severity for individuals who are ambivalent over anger expression. Furthermore, AAET was effective at increasing positive affect for individuals who have a high baseline levels of assertiveness, but not useful for individuals with low assertiveness. These findings suggest that a brief, group-based intervention that incorporates anger awareness and expression skills can be beneficial for a subset of individuals with chronic HA

The Role of Leadership in Creating a Strategic Climate for Evidence-Based Practice Implementation and Sustainment in Systems and Organizations

There is a growing impetus to effectively implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) in health and allied health settings in order to improve the public health impact of such practices. To support implementation and sustainment of EBPs, it is important to consider that health care is delivered within the outer context of public health systems and the inner context of health care organizations and work groups (3). This article identifies two relevant types of leadership for implementation and recommends steps that leaders can take in developing a strategic climate for EBP implementation and sustainment within the outer and inner contexts of health and allied health care systems and organizations

Consistent thermodynamics for spin echoes

Spin-echo experiments are often said to constitute an instant of anti-thermodynamic behavior in a concrete physical system that violates the second law of thermodynamics. We argue that a proper thermodynamic treatment of the effect should take into account the correlations between the spin and translational degrees of freedom of the molecules. To this end, we construct an entropy functional using Boltzmann macrostates that incorporates both spin and translational degrees of freedom. With this definition there is nothing special in the thermodynamics of spin echoes: dephasing corresponds to Hamiltonian evolution and leaves the entropy unchanged; dissipation increases the entropy. In particular, there is no phase of entropy decrease in the echo. We also discuss the definition of macrostates from the underlying quantum theory and we show that the decay of net magnetization provides a faithful measure of entropy change.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figs. Changed figures, version to appear in PR

An Alternative Interpretation of Statistical Mechanics

In this paper I propose an interpretation of classical statistical mechanics that centers on taking seriously the idea that probability measures represent complete states of statistical mechanical systems. I show how this leads naturally to the idea that the stochasticity of statistical mechanics is associated directly with the observables of the theory rather than with the microstates (as traditional accounts would have it). The usual assumption that microstates are representationally significant in the theory is therefore dispensable, a consequence which suggests interesting possibilities for developing non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and investigating inter-theoretic answers to the foundational questions of statistical mechanics

Does a Computer have an Arrow of Time?

In [Sch05a], it is argued that Boltzmann's intuition, that the psychological arrow of time is necessarily aligned with the thermodynamic arrow, is correct. Schulman gives an explicit physical mechanism for this connection, based on the brain being representable as a computer, together with certain thermodynamic properties of computational processes. [Haw94] presents similar, if briefer, arguments. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the support for the link between thermodynamics and an arrow of time for computers. The principal arguments put forward by Schulman and Hawking will be shown to fail. It will be shown that any computational process that can take place in an entropy increasing universe, can equally take place in an entropy decreasing universe. This conclusion does not automatically imply a psychological arrow can run counter to the thermodynamic arrow. Some alternative possible explana- tions for the alignment of the two arrows will be briefly discussed.Comment: 31 pages, no figures, publication versio