Partially isometric dilations of noncommuting -tuples of operators

Given a row contraction of operators on a Hilbert space and a family of projections on the space that stabilizes the operators, we show there is a unique minimal joint dilation to a row contraction of partial isometries that satisfy natural relations. For a fixed row contraction the set of all dilations forms a partially ordered set with a largest and smallest element. A key technical device in our analysis is a connection with directed graphs. We use a Wold decomposition for partial isometries to describe the models for these dilations, and we discuss how the basic properties of a dilation depend on the row contraction.

     

Rain Attenuation at 103 GHz in Millimeter Wave Ranges

We have conducted a millimeter wave propagation experiment at 103 GHz (2.9 mm) on a propagation path of 390 m. The results were compared with the rain attenuation calculations from the Marshall-Palmer, Best, Joss-Thomas-Waldvogel and Weibull distributions for raindrop-size. It has been shown that the Weibull distribution has a good agreement with the experiments.     

Dielectric investigations of associate formation process in thin nitrobenzene interlayers formed between metal substrates

Studies of thickness and temperature dependencies of the dielectric susceptibility of nitrobenzene interlayers formed on conductive substrates were carried out. The obtained data were processed under the assumption of the existence of dimers (with opposite directions of molecular dipole moments) in orientationally ordered wall-adjacent layers. The results were treated on the basis of Lifshits theory.     

On Bayes and unbiased estimators of loss

We consider estimation of loss for generalized Bayes or pseudo-Bayes estimators of a multivariate normal mean vector, θ. In 3 and higher dimensions, the MLEX is UMVUE and minimax but is inadmissible. It is dominated by the James-Stein estimator and by many others. Johnstone (1988, On inadmissibility of some unbiased estimates of loss,Statistical Decision Theory and Related Topics, IV (eds. S. S. Gupta and J. O. Berger), Vol. 1, 361–379, Springer, New York) considered the estimation of loss for the usual estimatorX and the James-Stein estimator. He found improvements over the Stein unbiased estimator of risk. In this paper, for a generalized Bayes point estimator of θ, we compare generalized Bayes estimators to unbiased estimators of loss. We find, somewhat surprisingly, that the unbiased estimator often dominates the corresponding generalized Bayes estimator of loss for priors which give minimax estimators in the original point estimation problem. In particular, we give a class of priors for which the generalized Bayes estimator of θ is admissible and minimax but for which the unbiased estimator of loss dominates the generalized Bayes estimator of loss. We also give a general inadmissibility result for a generalized Bayes estimator of loss. Research supported by NSF Grant DMS-97-04524.