34 research outputs found
Nerves and classifying spaces for bicategories
This paper explores the relationship amongst the various simplicial and
pseudo-simplicial objects characteristically associated to any bicategory C. It
proves the fact that the geometric realizations of all of these possible
candidate `nerves of C' are homotopy equivalent. Any one of these realizations
could therefore be taken as the classifying space BC of the bicategory. Its
other major result proves a direct extension of Thomason's `Homotopy Colimit
Theorem' to bicategories: When the homotopy colimit construction is carried out
on a diagram of spaces obtained by applying the classifying space functor to a
diagram of bicategories, the resulting space has the homotopy type of a certain
bicategory, called the `Grothendieck construction on the diagram'. Our results
provide coherence for all reasonable extensions to bicategories of Quillen's
definition of the `classifying space' of a category as the geometric
realization of the category's Grothendieck nerve, and they are applied to
monoidal (tensor) categories through the elemental `delooping' construction.Comment: 42 page
Cost-efficiency assessment of Advanced Life Support (ALS) courses based on the comparison of advanced simulators with conventional manikins
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Simulation is an essential tool in modern medical education. The object of this study was to assess, in cost-effective measures, the introduction of new generation simulators in an adult life support (ALS) education program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two hundred fifty primary care physicians and nurses were admitted to ten ALS courses (25 students per course). Students were distributed at random in two groups (125 each). Group A candidates were trained and tested with standard ALS manikins and Group B ones with new generation emergency and life support integrated simulator systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In group A, 98 (78%) candidates passed the course, compared with 110 (88%) in group B (p < 0.01). The total cost of conventional courses was âŹ7689 per course and the cost of the advanced simulator courses was âŹ29034 per course (p < 0.001). Cost per passed student was âŹ392 in group A and âŹ1320 in group B (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although ALS advanced simulator systems may slightly increase the rate of students who pass the course, the cost-effectiveness of ALS courses with standard manikins is clearly superior.</p
On the Classification of Strongly Graded Hopf Algebras
The main result in this paper states that every strongly graded bialgebra whose component of grade 1 is a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra is itself a Hopf algebra. This fact is used to obtain a group cohomology classification of strongly graded Hopf algebras, with 1-component of finite dimension, from known results on strongly graded bialgebras