2,451 research outputs found
A note on entropic uncertainty relations of position and momentum
We consider two entropic uncertainty relations of position and momentum
recently discussed in literature. By a suitable rescaling of one of them, we
obtain a smooth interpolation of both for high-resolution and low-resolution
measurements respectively. Because our interpolation has never been mentioned
in literature before, we propose it as a candidate for an improved entropic
uncertainty relation of position and momentum. Up to now, the author has
neither been able to falsify nor prove the new inequality. In our opinion it is
a challenge to do either one.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, 2 references adde
Dynamical response of the Hodgkin-Huxley model in the high-input regime
The response of the Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal model subjected to stochastic
uncorrelated spike trains originating from a large number of inhibitory and
excitatory post-synaptic potentials is analyzed in detail. The model is
examined in its three fundamental dynamical regimes: silence, bistability and
repetitive firing. Its response is characterized in terms of statistical
indicators (interspike-interval distributions and their first moments) as well
as of dynamical indicators (autocorrelation functions and conditional
entropies). In the silent regime, the coexistence of two different coherence
resonances is revealed: one occurs at quite low noise and is related to the
stimulation of subthreshold oscillations around the rest state; the second one
(at intermediate noise variance) is associated with the regularization of the
sequence of spikes emitted by the neuron. Bistability in the low noise limit
can be interpreted in terms of jumping processes across barriers activated by
stochastic fluctuations. In the repetitive firing regime a maximization of
incoherence is observed at finite noise variance. Finally, the mechanisms
responsible for spike triggering in the various regimes are clearly identified.Comment: 14 pages, 24 figures in eps, submitted to Physical Review
Fidelity of Quantum Interferometers
For a generic interferometer, the conditional probability density
distribution, , for the phase given measurement outcome ,
will generally have multiple peaks. Therefore, the phase sensitivity of an
interferometer cannot be adequately characterized by the standard deviation,
such as (the standard limit), or (the Heisenberg limit). We propose an alternative measure of phase
sensitivity--the fidelity of an interferometer--defined as the Shannon mutual
information between the phase shift \ and the measurement outcomes .
As an example application of interferometer fidelity, we consider a generic
optical Mach-Zehnder interferometer, used as a sensor of a classical field. We
find the surprising result that an entangled {\it N00N} state input leads to a
lower fidelity than a Fock state input, for the same photon number.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Automated Academic and Professional Behaviors Student Tracking Systems
The purpose of this presentation is to describe a novel program faculty designed automated academic and professional behaviors student tracking system in select programs at three campuses of the University of St Augustine for Health Sciences.
The automated tracking systems streamlined and served to improve both faculty and student understanding of both academic and professional behavior performance, across three programs and three campuses at this multi campus university Early detection of performance insufficiencies was critical to changing performance and behavior
Partners in Water Quality Monitoring at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Water resources are essential to landscape development and maintenance of the extraordinary ecosystem at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. The National Park Service has implemented many policies and management practices in an effort to maintain and improve the water quality in the park. As part of their resources management, the Park evaluates current hydrologic conditions, as well as, anticipates and responds to emerging issues. With regards to that goal, Mammoth Cave National Park Service partnered with Tennessee State University, the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning, and the U.S. Geological Survey on a series of water-related projects from 2007-2013. The objective of this paper is to highlight some of the findings and lessons learned from the past 6 years. Many of the results presented in this paper have been presented at other conferences or published in other reports. Collaborative projects included storm-water runoff from parking lots and roads, evaluating storm-water filters, and transport of chemicals in the caves. These projects purposefully engaged students to provide professional experience and educational outreach opportunities. Over 50 student presentations related to these monitoring activities have been made at regional and national conferences in the past 6 years, resulting in numerous awards and publications. Major funding or in-kind services were provided by the partnering agencies and institutions. Additional funding for supplies and student support was provided by the National Science Foundation (Opportunity for Enhancing Diversity in Geoscience, 2007-8; Undergraduate Research and Mentoring, 2009-13), and, the Department of Energy (Massey Chair – NNSA, 2007-13). The following summaries are excerpts from previously published student papers (West et al., 2010; Diehl et al., 2012, Embry, et al., 2012, West et al., 2012)
Evidence of Titan's Climate History from Evaporite Distribution
Water-ice-poor, 5-m-bright material on Saturn's moon Titan has
previously been geomorphologically identified as evaporitic. Here we present a
global distribution of the occurrences of the 5-m-bright spectral unit,
identified with Cassini's Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and
examined with RADAR when possible. We explore the possibility that each of
these occurrences are evaporite deposits. The 5-m-bright material covers
1\% of Titan's surface and is not limited to the poles (the only regions with
extensive, long-lived surface liquid). We find the greatest areal concentration
to be in the equatorial basins Tui Regio and Hotei Regio. Our interpretations,
based on the correlation between 5-m-bright material and lakebeds, imply
that there was enough liquid present at some time to create the observed
5-m-bright material. We address the climate implications surrounding a
lack of evaporitic material at the south polar basins: if the south pole basins
were filled at some point in the past, then where is the evaporite
Measuring Information Transfer
An information theoretic measure is derived that quantifies the statistical
coherence between systems evolving in time. The standard time delayed mutual
information fails to distinguish information that is actually exchanged from
shared information due to common history and input signals. In our new
approach, these influences are excluded by appropriate conditioning of
transition probabilities. The resulting transfer entropy is able to distinguish
driving and responding elements and to detect asymmetry in the coupling of
subsystems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figures, Revte
What is a clinical pathway? Refinement of an operational definition to identify clinical pathway studies for a Cochrane systematic review
Clinical pathways (CPWs) are a common component in the quest to improve the quality of health. CPWs are used to reduce variation, improve quality of care, and maximize the outcomes for specific groups of patients. An ongoing challenge is the operationalization of a definition of CPW in healthcare. This may be attributable to both the differences in definition and a lack of conceptualization in the field of clinical pathways. This correspondence article describes a process of refinement of an operational definition for CPW research and proposes an operational definition for the future syntheses of CPWs literature. Following the approach proposed by Kinsman et al. (BMC Medicine 8(1):31, 2010) and Wieland et al. (Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 17(2):50, 2011), we used a four-stage process to generate a five criteria checklist for the definition of CPWs. We refined the operational definition, through consensus, merging two of the checklist’s criteria, leading to a more inclusive criterion for accommodating CPW studies conducted in various healthcare settings. The following four criteria for CPW operational definition, derived from the refinement process described above, are (1) the intervention was a structured multidisciplinary plan of care; (2) the intervention was used to translate guidelines or evidence into local structures; (3) the intervention detailed the steps in a course of treatment or care in a plan, pathway, algorithm, guideline, protocol or other ‘inventory of actions’ (i.e. the intervention had time-frames or criteria-based progression); and (4) the intervention aimed to standardize care for a specific population. An intervention meeting all four criteria was considered to be a CPW. The development of operational definitions for complex interventions is a useful approach to appraise and synthesize evidence for policy development and quality improvement
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