31 research outputs found
The reaction coordinate mapping in quantum thermodynamics
We present an overview of the reaction coordinate approach to handling strong
system-reservoir interactions in quantum thermodynamics. This technique is
based on incorporating a collective degree of freedom of the reservoir (the
reaction coordinate) into an enlarged system Hamiltonian (the supersystem),
which is then treated explicitly. The remaining residual reservoir degrees of
freedom are traced out in the usual perturbative manner. The resulting
description accurately accounts for strong system-reservoir coupling and/or
non-Markovian effects over a wide range of parameters, including regimes in
which there is a substantial generation of system-reservoir correlations. We
discuss applications to both discrete stroke and continuously operating heat
engines, as well as perspectives for additional developments. In particular, we
find narrow regimes where strong coupling is not detrimental to the performance
of continuously operating heat engines.Comment: 17 pages, 2 tables, 7 figures. As a chapter of: F. Binder, L. A.
Correa, C. Gogolin, J. Anders, and G. Adesso (eds.), "Thermodynamics in the
quantum regime - Recent Progress and Outlook", (Springer International
Publishing
Shared care and the management of lower urinary tract symptoms.
Contains fulltext :
57780.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between the level of shared care and the clinical management of patients with uncomplicated lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted comprising all urologists and a random selection of general practitioners (GPs) in the Netherlands. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 182 urologists (70%) and 261 GPs (55%). The first part of the questionnaire established the physicians' characteristics and the second the level of familiarity with the national shared-care guidelines, arrangements between urologists and GPs, and the availability of a shared-care prostate clinic. The third part presented a written case of a 50-year-old man with clinical uncomplicated LUTS, and asked questions about diagnostic and therapeutic care. RESULTS: The clinical management of LUTS by GPs and urologists differed, particularly for diagnostic procedures. Only a minority of GPs (8%) and urologists (18%) had a shared-care clinic at their disposal. Such clinics were associated with an increase in tests ordered by the GP, e.g. creatinine levels (odds ratio, OR 3.83) and PSA levels (OR 5.93), and a decrease in choosing a watchful-waiting strategy for patients with mild symptoms (OR 0.24). Furthermore, urologists more often chose surgical intervention for moderate symptoms (OR 9.80). CONCLUSION: A shared-care clinic may lead to a shift in primary care towards the working style of urologists. This healthcare may not be as cost-effective as expected by policy makers. Prospective studies are needed to provide better insight in the health outcomes and efficiency of shared-care clinics
The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: spherical harmonics analysis of fluctuations in the final catalogue
We present the result of a decomposition of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) galaxy overdensity field into an orthonormal basis of spherical harmonics and spherical Bessel functions. Galaxies are expected to directly follow the bulk motion of the density field on large scales, so the absolute amplitude of the observed largeâscale redshiftâspace distortions caused by this motion is expected to be independent of galaxy properties. By splitting the overdensity field into radial and angular components, we linearly model the observed distortion and obtain the cosmological constraint Ω0.6mÏ8= 0.46 ± 0.06. The amplitude of the linear redshiftâspace distortions relative to the galaxy overdensity field is dependent on galaxy properties and, for L* galaxies at redshift z= 0, we measure ÎČ(L*, 0) = 0.58 ± 0.08, and the amplitude of the overdensity fluctuations b(L*, 0)Ï8= 0.79 ± 0.03, marginalizing over the power spectrum shape parameters. Assuming a fixed power spectrum shape consistent with the full Fourier analysis produces very similar parameter constraints