1,692 research outputs found
Nonlinear Competition Between Small and Large Hexagonal Patterns
Recent experiments by Kudrolli, Pier and Gollub on surface waves,
parametrically excited by two-frequency forcing, show a transition from a small
hexagonal standing wave pattern to a triangular ``superlattice'' pattern. We
show that generically the hexagons and the superlattice wave patterns bifurcate
simultaneously from the flat surface state as the forcing amplitude is
increased, and that the experimentally-observed transition can be described by
considering a low-dimensional bifurcation problem. A number of predictions come
out of this general analysis.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, revised, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Managing healthcare budgets in times of austerity: the role of program budgeting and marginal analysis
Given limited resources, priority setting or choice making will remain a reality at all levels of publicly funded healthcare across countries for many years to come. The pressures may well be even more acute as the impact of the economic crisis of 2008 continues to play out but, even as economies begin to turn around, resources within healthcare will be limited, thus some form of rationing will be required. Over the last few decades, research on healthcare priority setting has focused on methods of implementation as well as on the development of approaches related to fairness and legitimacy and on more technical aspects of decision making including the use of multi-criteria decision analysis. Recently, research has led to better understanding of evaluating priority setting activity including defining ‘success’ and articulating key elements for high performance. This body of research, however, often goes untapped by those charged with making challenging decisions and as such, in line with prevailing public sector incentives, decisions are often reliant on historical allocation patterns and/or political negotiation. These archaic and ineffective approaches not only lead to poor decisions in terms of value for money but further do not reflect basic ethical conditions that can lead to fairness in the decision-making process. The purpose of this paper is to outline a comprehensive approach to priority setting and resource allocation that has been used in different contexts across countries. This will provide decision makers with a single point of access for a basic understanding of relevant tools when faced with having to make difficult decisions about what healthcare services to fund and what not to fund. The paper also addresses several key issues related to priority setting including how health technology assessments can be used, how performance can be improved at a practical level, and what ongoing resource management practice should look like. In terms of future research, one of the most important areas of priority setting that needs further attention is how best to engage public members
Scattering mechanism in a step-modulated subwavelength metal slit: a multi-mode multi-reflection analysis
In this paper, the scattering/transmission inside a step-modulated
subwavelength metal slit is investigated in detail. We firstly investigate the
scattering in a junction structure by two types of structural changes. The
variation of transmission and reflection coefficients depending on structural
parameters are analyzed. Then a multi-mode multi-reflection model based on ray
theory is proposed to illustrate the transmission in the step-modulated slit
explicitly. The key parts of this model are the multi-mode excitation and the
superposition procedure of the scatterings from all possible modes, which
represent the interference and energy transfer happened at interfaces. The
method we use is an improved modal expansion method (MEM), which is a more
practical and efficient version compared with the previous one [Opt. Express
19, 10073 (2011)]. In addition, some commonly used methods, FDTD, scattering
matrix method, and improved characteristic impedance method, are compared with
MEM to highlight the preciseness of these methods.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
NT 666 The Book of Revelation
G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation Klein, Blomberg, Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graecehttps://place.asburyseminary.edu/syllabi/1673/thumbnail.jp
Organizations’ choices when implementing an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention program (EIBI).
The organizations’ characteristics and choices are essential components of an action plan that favors quality program implementation, a prelude to effectiveness, especially in natural environment. The objectives of this study are to describe the choices made by rehabilitation centers (CRDITED) in the context of a universal community based on Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention program (EIBI) for 2 to 5 year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Québec (Canada). Based on a theoretical evaluation model, a questionnaire was filled out by 15 CRDITEDs, covering the large majority of the Quebec territory but also the Quebec population. Results show a great diversity between the different CRDITEDs. Factors that impact implementation quality are identified. Absence of evidence-based implementation practices and the diversity of the approaches to EIBI are discussed
Competency drivers to support implementation of early intensive behavioral intervention in large-scale community-based services: Perspectives of caseworkers and organization representatives
Implementing evidence-based practices in “real-world” settings poses significant challenges. Organizations involved must address this issue by providing supportive infrastructures. Among the elements to consider are competency drivers, which refer to the selection, training, and supervision of caseworkers. The purpose of this study was to describe the perspectives of caseworkers and representatives on competency drivers that organizations put in place to support the implementation of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) in large-scale community-based services. The sample consisted of 109 caseworkers and 23 organization representatives who completed questionnaires. Results demonstrated that respondents consider clinical support and training as key elements in EIBI implementation. However, despite recognizing these factors, respondents reported considerable variability in practices. It appears necessary to better define and plan the implementation of these competency drivers with a view to improving EIBI implementation
Small-polaron hopping conductivity in bilayer manganite LaSrMnO
We report anisotropic resistivity measurements on a
LaSrMnO single crystal over a temperature range
from 2 to 400 K and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. For K, the
temperature dependence of the zero-field in-plane resistivity
obeys the adiabatic small polaron hopping mechanism, while the out-of-plane
resistivity can be ascribed by an Arrhenius law with the same
activation energy. Considering the magnetic character of the polarons and the
close correlation between the resistivity and magnetization, we developed a
model which allows the determination of . The excellent
agreement of the calculations with the measurements indicates that small
polarons play an essential role in the electrical transport properties in the
paramagnetic phase of bilayer manganites.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Physical Review
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