Hilbert Spaces from Path Integrals

It is shown that a Hilbert space can be constructed for a quantum system starting from a framework in which histories are fundamental. The Decoherence Functional provides the inner product on this "History Hilbert space". It is also shown that the History Hilbert space is the standard Hilbert space in the case of non-relativistic quantum mechanics.Comment: 22 pages. Minor updates to match published versio

Consistency of the kernel density estimator - a survey

Various consistency proofs for the kernel density estimator have been developed over the last few decades. Important milestones are the pointwise consistency and almost sure uniform convergence with a fixed bandwidth on the one hand and the rate of convergence with a fixed or even a variable bandwidth on the other hand. While considering global properties of the empirical distribution functions is sufficient for strong consistency, proofs of exact convergence rates use deeper information about the underlying empirical processes. A unifying character, however, is that earlier and more recent proofs use bounds on the probability that a sum of random variables deviates from its mean

Gender-Kompetenz für die Erwachsenenbildung

Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet EQF und DQR als Herausforderung und Chance, auch für Beschäftigte in der Weiterbildung zu einem kompetenzorientierten Qualifikationsrahmen zu kommen. Gerade in Bezug auf die Lehrenden könnte ein solcher Bezugsrahmen Klarheit schaffen und vielfältig Nutzen stiften. Ein erstes Referenzmodell wurde im Rahmen einer Expertise für das BMBF erarbeitet, es orientiert sich an hiesigen Vorarbeiten und nimmt auch Anleihen bei ausländischen Modellen. Die Ausarbeitung ist letztlich dem Interesse an mehr Professionalisierung und Qualität in der Weiterbildung geschuldet.This article presents a specific qualifications framework for the sector of further education, consisting of a two-stage model (basic and advanced certificates). This touches on the discussion about the EQF and DQR as a motivation and opportunity for the professionalisation of further education. The model takes up examples from Austria and Switzerland and is aligned toward preliminary work in Germany

Pricing and Hedging of CDOs: A Top Down Approach

This paper considers the pricing and hedging of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). CDOs are complex derivatives on a pool of credits which we choose to analyse in the top down model proposed in Filipovic et al. (Math. Finance, forthcoming, 2009). We reflect on the implied forward rates and bring them in connection with the top-down framework in Lipton and Shelton (Working paper, 2009) and Schonbucher (Working paper, ETH Zurich, 2005). Moreover, we derive variance-minimizing hedging strategies for hedging single tranches with the full index. The hedging strategies are given for the general case. We compute them also explicitly for a parsimonious one-factor affine model

Cocaine-exposed Preterm Neonates Show Behavioral and Hormonal Differences

Objective. Prematurity has been associated with prenatal cocaine exposure, but most studies on the behavioral effects of prenatal cocaine exposure have been restricted to full-term infant samples. The current study focused on behavioral and hormonal responses in preterm cocaine-exposed infants compared with a cohort of non-cocaine-exposed infants of similar gestational age. Methodology. A comparison between 30 cocaine-exposed and 30 non-cocaine-exposed preterm neonates suggested that the cocaine-exposed neonates were born to mothers who had higher parity and more obstetric complications. In addition, mothers of cocaine-exposed preterm neonates visited, touched, held, and fed their infants less frequently than mothers of nonexposed infants. Results. The cocaine-exposed infants had smaller head circumferences at birth, spent more time in the neonatal intensive care unit, and had a greater incidence of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhages. They also had inferior Brazelton cluster scores, including lower state regulation and range-of-state scores, and greater depression. During sleep-wake behavior observations, they showed difficulty maintaining alert states and self-regulating their behavior, and they spent more time in indeterminate sleep and had decreased periods of quiet sleep and increased levels of agitated behavior, including tremulousness, mouthing, multiple limb movements, and clenched fists. Finally, higher urinary norepinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol levels and lower plasma insulin levels were noted in the cocaine-exposed preterm neonates. Conclusions. These findings highlight the need for follow-up assessments and early intervention