Applying Binomial Statistics to Weighted Monte Carlo

Weighted Monte Carlo calculations requiring a uniform sampling of the problem-space can suffer from diminished statistical significance because many, if not most, of the randomly-chosen sampling points contribute only slightly to the desired result. Their contribution is reduced in size due the variable-size of the weighting terms. In contrast, none of the randomly-chosen points which are favored by variable size weighting terms will have their statistical significance enhanced beyond that of just one random point in the Monte Carlo sampling. A Monte Carlo analysis was used in earlier work to verify both Gauss\u27 Law and Newton\u27s Shell Theorem. Both examples suffered from statistical difficulties since each Monte Carlo sampling point has a weight inversely proportional to the square of the distance between source and field points. The present work analyzes the diminished significance in weighted Monte Carlo for the specific example of Newton\u27s Shell Theorem, describing the geometry in terms of closest approach distance of the spherical mass shell to the field point. Binomial Statistics is used to remedy this diminished statistical significance by providing a prescription for increasing the value of the Monte Carlo sample size needed to assure that the chosen precision remains invariant as the mass-shell geometry is changed

The Journal of the Friends' Historical Society vol. 5 No. 1

1. Notices. 2. Notes and Queries. 3. The Westmorland and Swaledale Seekers in 1651. 4. Extracts from the Minute Book of the Sufferings of Friends in Mansfield. 5. Reminiscences of the Friends' Meeting, Manchester. 6. Women Ministers stopped by Highwaymen. 7. Presentations of Quakers in Episcopal Visitations, 1662-1679. 8. Elisha Bates. 9. Keye-Worsley Marriage Certificate, 1666. 10. Thomas Areskine, Brewer, of Edinburgh. 11. Meeting Records. 12. A Glimpse of Ancient Friends in Dorset I. 13. Distribution of Literature in Cornwall, 1734. 14. William White, M.D. F.R.S. of York. 15. Friends in Barbadoes. 16. Some Quaker Teachers in 1736. 17. Friends in Current Literature. 18. Editors' Note. 19. Anecdote of Obed Cook, Schoolmaster. 20. Early Quaker Booksellers of York

Thermodynamic phase diagram of Fe(Se0.5Te0.5) single crystals in fields up to 28 tesla

International audienceWe report on specific heat Cp , transport, Hall probe, and penetration depth measurements performed on Fe Se0.5Te0.5 single crystals Tc 14 K . The thermodynamic upper critical field Hc2 lines has been deduced from Cp measurements up to 28 T for both H c and H ab, and compared to the lines deduced from transport measurements up to 55 T in pulsed magnetic fields . We show that this thermodynamic Hc2 line presents a very strong downward curvature for T→Tc which is not visible in transport measurements. This temperature dependence associated to an upward curvature of the field dependence of the Sommerfeld coefficient confirms that Hc2 is limited by paramagnetic effects. Surprisingly this paramagnetic limit is visible here up to T/Tc 0.99 for H ab which is the consequence of a very small value of the coherence length c 0 4 Å and ab 0 15 Å , confirming the strong renormalization of the effective mass as compared to DMFT calculations previously observed in ARPES measurements A. Tamai, A. Y. Ganin, E. Rozbicki, J. Bacsa, W. Meevasana, P. D. C. King, M. Caffio, R. Schaub, S. Margadonna, K. Prassides, M. J. Rosseinsky, and F. Baumberger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 097002 2010 . Hc1 measurements lead to ab 0 =430 50 nm and c 0 =1600 200 nm and the corresponding anisotropy is approximatively temperature independent 4 , being close to the anisotropy of Hc2 for T→Tc. The temperature dependence of both T2 and the electronic contribution to the specific heat confirm the nonconventional coupling mechanism in this system

A four-year, systems-wide intervention promoting interprofessional collaboration

Background: A four-year action research study was conducted across the Australian Capital Territory health system to strengthen interprofessional collaboration (IPC) through multiple intervention activities. Methods: We developed 272 substantial IPC intervention activities involving 2,407 face-to-face encounters with health system personnel. Staff attitudes toward IPC were surveyed yearly using Heinemann et al’s Attitudes toward Health Care Teams and Parsell and Bligh’s Readiness for Interprofessional Learning scales (RIPLS). At study’s end staff assessed whether project goals were achieved. Results: Of the improvement projects, 76 exhibited progress, and 57 made considerable gains in IPC. Educational workshops and feedback sessions were well received and stimulated interprofessional activities. Over time staff scores on Heinemann’s Quality of Interprofessional Care subscale did not change significantly and scores on the Doctor Centrality subscale increased, contrary to predictions. Scores on the RIPLS subscales of Teamwork & Collaboration and Professional Identity did not alter. On average for the assessment items 33% of staff agreed that goals had been achieved, 10% disagreed, and 57% checked ‘neutral’. There was most agreement that the study had resulted in increased sharing of knowledge between professions and improved quality of patient care, and least agreement that between-professional rivalries had lessened and communication and trust between professions improved. Conclusions: Our longitudinal interventional study of IPC involving multiple activities supporting increased IPC achieved many project-specific goals, but improvements in attitudes over time were not demonstrated and neutral assessments predominated, highlighting the difficulties faced by studies targeting change at the systems level and over extended periods

Atheisms and the purification of faith

Philosophers of religion have distinguished between ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ atheism. This article considers further conceptions of atheism, especially the idea that atheism can facilitate a faith in God purified of idolatrous assumptions. After introducing Bultmann’s contention that a ‘conscious atheist’ can find something transcendent in the world, this contention is interpreted through reflection on Ricoeur’s claim that the atheisms of Nietzsche and Freud serve to mediate a transition to a purified faith – a faith involving heightened receptivity to agapeic love. The troubling question of what differentiates atheism from belief in God is then discussed in the light of Simone Weil’s meditations on God’s secret presence

Greenland surface mass-balance observations from the ice-sheet ablation area and local glaciers

Glacier surface mass-balance measurements on Greenland started more than a century ago, but no compilation exists of the observations from the ablation area of the ice sheet and local glaciers. Such data could be used in the evaluation of modelled surface mass balance, or to document changes in glacier melt independently from model output. Here, we present a comprehensive database of Greenland glacier surface mass-balance observations from the ablation area of the ice sheet and local glaciers. The database spans the 123 a from 1892 to 2015, contains a total of similar to 3000 measurements from 46 sites, and is openly accessible through the PROMICE web portal (http://www.promice.dk). For each measurement we provide X, Y and Z coordinates, starting and ending dates as well as quality flags. We give sources for each entry and for all metadata. Two thirds of the data were collected from grey literature and unpublished archive documents. Roughly 60% of the measurements were performed by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS, previously GGU). The data cover all regions of Greenland except for the southernmost part of the east coast, but also emphasize the importance of long-term time series of which there are only two exceeding 20 a. We use the data to analyse uncertainties in point measurements of surface mass balance, as well as to estimate surface mass-balance profiles for most regions of Greenland

The Inner-Shelf Dynamics Experiment

17 USC 105 interim-entered record; under review.The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0281.1The inner shelf, the transition zone between the surfzone and the midshelf, is a dynamically complex region with the evolution of circulation and stratification driven by multiple physical processes. Cross-shelf exchange through the inner shelf has important implications for coastal water quality, ecological connectivity, and lateral movement of sediment and heat. The Inner-Shelf Dynamics Experiment (ISDE) was an intensive, coordinated, multi-institution field experiment from September–October 2017, conducted from the midshelf, through the inner shelf, and into the surfzone near Point Sal, California. Satellite, airborne, shore- and ship-based remote sensing, in-water moorings and ship-based sampling, and numerical ocean circulation models forced by winds, waves, and tides were used to investigate the dynamics governing the circulation and transport in the inner shelf and the role of coastline variability on regional circulation dynamics. Here, the following physical processes are highlighted: internal wave dynamics from the midshelf to the inner shelf; flow separation and eddy shedding off Point Sal; offshore ejection of surfzone waters from rip currents; and wind-driven subtidal circulation dynamics. The extensive dataset from ISDE allows for unprecedented investigations into the role of physical processes in creating spatial heterogeneity, and nonlinear interactions between various inner-shelf physical processes. Overall, the highly spatially and temporally resolved oceanographic measurements and numerical simulations of ISDE provide a central framework for studies exploring this complex and fascinating region of the ocean.U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR)ONR Departmental Research Initiative (DRI)Inner-Shelf Dynamics Experiment (ISDE

Effects of Two Commercial Electronic Prescribing Systems on Prescribing Error Rates in Hospital In-Patients: A Before and After Study

In a before-and-after study, Johanna Westbrook and colleagues evaluate the change in prescribing error rates after the introduction of two commercial electronic prescribing systems in two Australian hospitals

The Epidemic of Hip Fractures: Are We on the Right Track?

Background: Hip fractures are a public health problem, leading to hospitalization, long-term rehabilitation, reduced quality of life, large healthcare expenses, and a high 1-year mortality. Especially older adults are at greater risk of fractures than the general population, due to the combination of an increased fall risk and osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to determine time trends in numbers and incidence rates of hip fracture-related hospitalizations and admission duration in the older Dutch population. Methods and Findings: Secular trend analysis of all hospitalizations in the older Dutch population (≥65 years) from 1981 throughout 2008, using the National Hospital Discharge Registry. Numbers, age-specific and age-adjusted incidence rates (per 10,000 persons) of hospital admissions and hospital days due to a hip fracture were used as outcome measures in each year of the study. Between 1981 and 2008, the absolute number of hip fractures doubled in the older Dutch population. Incidence rates of hip fracture-related hospital admissions increased with age, and were higher in women than in men. The age-adjusted incidence rate increased from 52.0 to 67.6 per 10,000 older persons. However, since 1994 the incidence rate decreased (percentage annual change -0.5%, 95% CI: -0.7; -0.3), compared with the period 1981-1993 (percentage annual change 2.3%, 95% CI: 2.0; 2.7). The total number of hospital days was reduced by a fifth, due to a reduced admission duration in all age groups. A possible limitation was that data were obtained from a linked administrative database, which did not include information on medication use or co-morbidities. Conclusions: A trend break in the incidence rates of hip fracture-related hospitalizations was observed in the Netherlands around 1994, possibly as a first result of efforts to prevent falls and fractures. However, the true cause of the observation is unknown