Multiscale kernels

This paper reconstructs multivariate functions from scattered data by a new multiscale technique. The reconstruction uses standard methods of interpolation by positive definite reproducing kernels in Hilbert spaces. But it adopts techniques from wavelet theory and shift-invariant spaces to construct a new class of kernels as multiscale superpositions of shifts and scales of a single compactly supported function φ. This means that the advantages of scaled regular grids are used to construct the kernels, while the advantages of unrestricted scattered data interpolation are maintained after the kernels are constructed. Using such a multiscale kernel, the reconstruction method interpolates at given scattered data. No manipulations of the data (e.g., thinning or separation into subsets of certain scales) are needed. Then, the multiscale structure of the kernel allows to represent the interpolant on regular grids on all scales involved, with cheap evaluation due to the compact support of the function φ, and with a recursive evaluation technique if φ is chosen to be refinable. There also is a wavelet-like data reduction effect, if a suitable thresholding strategy is applied to the coefficients of the interpolant when represented over a scaled grid. Various numerical examples are presented, illustrating the multiresolution and data compression effects.     

Intersegmental interaction and critical concentrations in PET–HFIP solutions

Spectroscopic determinations of the concentrations associated with the onset of intermolecular interaction in solutions of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) are described. The intersegment forces perturb the electronic spectra and induce ground-state aggregation. These phenomena become observable at different chain densities, reflecting the influence of concentration on the coil dimensions, as well as the dynamical nature of the interactions. An estimate of the equilibrium constant for PET dimer formation in hexafluoroisopropanol is reported.     

A new interpretation of quantum mechanics and its consequences in epistemology

A rather recent interpretation of quantum mechanics, known under the various names of consistent histories, decohering histories, or logical interpretation, has brought interpretation into a standard deductive theory and is now investigated in many places. A key difference with the Copenhagen interpretation is the status of classical physics, now derived completely from quantum principles in both its dynamical and logical aspects. After describing briefly this new interpretation in its essentials, leaving aside technical details, it is shown how its consequences in epistemology differ drastically from the familiar outcomes of the Copenhagen interpretation, leading in particular to a well-defined theory of knowledge. Some more speculative philosophical consequences associated with the unsolved problem of actuality are also mentioned.