Multiple testing via FDRLFDR_L for large-scale imaging data

The multiple testing procedure plays an important role in detecting the presence of spatial signals for large-scale imaging data. Typically, the spatial signals are sparse but clustered. This paper provides empirical evidence that for a range of commonly used control levels, the conventional $\operatorname {FDR}$ procedure can lack the ability to detect statistical significance, even if the $p$-values under the true null hypotheses are independent and uniformly distributed; more generally, ignoring the neighboring information of spatially structured data will tend to diminish the detection effectiveness of the $\operatorname {FDR}$ procedure. This paper first introduces a scalar quantity to characterize the extent to which the "lack of identification phenomenon" ($\operatorname {LIP}$) of the $\operatorname {FDR}$ procedure occurs. Second, we propose a new multiple comparison procedure, called $\operatorname {FDR}_L$, to accommodate the spatial information of neighboring $p$-values, via a local aggregation of $p$-values. Theoretical properties of the $\operatorname {FDR}_L$ procedure are investigated under weak dependence of $p$-values. It is shown that the $\operatorname {FDR}_L$ procedure alleviates the $\operatorname {LIP}$ of the $\operatorname {FDR}$ procedure, thus substantially facilitating the selection of more stringent control levels. Simulation evaluations indicate that the $\operatorname {FDR}_L$ procedure improves the detection sensitivity of the $\operatorname {FDR}$ procedure with little loss in detection specificity. The computational simplicity and detection effectiveness of the $\operatorname {FDR}_L$ procedure are illustrated through a real brain fMRI dataset.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOS848 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Cooperation and Stability through Periodic Impulse

Basic games, where each individual chooses between two strategies, illustrate several issues that immediately emerge from the standard approach that applies strategic reasoning, based on rational decisions, to predict population behavior where no rationality is assumed. These include how mutual cooperation (which corresponds to the best outcome from the population perspective) can evolve when the only individually rational choice is to defect, illustrated by the Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) game, and how individuals can randomize between two strategies when neither is individually rational, illustrated by the Battle of the Sexes (BS) game that models male-female conflict over parental investment in offspring. We examine these questions from an evolutionary perspective where the evolutionary dynamics includes an impulsive effect that models sudden changes in collective population behavior. For the PD game, we show analytically that cooperation can either coexist with defection or completely take over the population, depending on the strength of the impulse. By extending these results for the PD game, we also show that males and females each evolve to a single strategy in the BS game when the impulsive effect is strong and that weak impulses stabilize the randomized strategies of this game

Detecting fractional Josephson effect through 4π4\pi phase slip

Fractional Josephson effect is a unique character of Majorana Fermions in topological superconductor system. This effect is very difficult to detect experimentally because of the disturbance of quasiparticle poisoning and unwanted couplings in the superconductor. Here, we propose a scheme to probe fractional DC Josephson effect of semiconductor nanowire-based topological Josephson junction through 4{\pi} phase slip. By exploiting a topological RF SQUID system we find that the dominant contribution for Josephson coupling comes from the interaction of Majorana Fermions, resulting the resonant tunneling with 4{\pi} phase slip. Our calculations with experimentally reachable parameters show that the time scale for detecting the phase slip is two orders of magnitude shorter than the poisoning time of nonequilibrium quasiparticles. Additionally, with a reasonable nanowire length the 4{\pi} phase slip could overwhelm the topological trivial 2{\pi} phase slip. Our work is meaningful for exploring the effect of modest quantum fluctuations of the phase of the superconductor on the topological system, and provide a new method for quantum information processing.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure