Measuring the Performance of Livability Programs, MTI Report 12-06

This report analyzes the performance measurement processes adopted by five large “livability” programs throughout the United States. It compares and contrasts these programs by examining existing research in performance measurement methods. The “best practices” of the examined performance measurement methods for each program are explored and analyzed with respect to their key characteristics. The report entails an appropriately comprehensive literature review of the current research on performance measurement methods from the perspective of various stakeholders including the public and government agencies. Additionally, the results of this literature review are used to examine the actual performance measures of the target programs from the perspective of different stakeholders. The goal of the report is to determine what did and did not work in these programs and their measurement methods, while making recommendations based on the results of the analysis for potential future programs

What Drives the Success of Pop-Up Stores?

Pop-up stores are considered an alternative or a further development of the pioneering flagship store concept. They describe a temporary store concept that displays products in an unexpected way to attract the consumers’ attention (Hutter 2013). So far, this store format has mainly been applied to the USA and the UK, and has been insufficiently studied. This paper summarizes interim results of a pilot study on pop-up stores, which focuses on identifying factors for their success.Pop-up Stores stellen eine konzeptionelle Weiterentwicklung von Flagship Stores dar. Pop-Up Stores beschreiben ein zeitlich limitiertes Storekonzept, bei dem Produkte in einer ungewöhnlichen und finanziell erschwinglichen Art und Weise dem Kunden präsentiert werden (Hutter 2013). Bislang wird dieses neuartige Storekonzept überwiegend in den USA und in UK praktiziert und wissenschaftlich diskutiert. Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst erste Zwischenergebnisse einer Pilotstudie zu den Erfolgsfaktoren von Pop-up Stores zusammen

Improved Polyakov-loop potential for effective models from functional calculations

We investigate the quark backreaction on the Polyakov loop and its impact on the thermodynamics of quantum chromodynamics. The dynamics of the gluons generating the Polyakov-loop potential is altered by the presence of dynamical quarks. However, this backreaction of the quarks has not yet been taken into account in Polyakov-loop extended model studies. In the present work, we show within a 2+1 flavour Polyakov-quark-meson model that a quark-improved Polyakov-loop potential leads to a smoother transition between the low-temperature hadronic phase and the high-temperature quark-gluon plasma phase. In particular, we discuss the dependence of our results on the remaining uncertainties that are the critical temperature and the parametrisation of the Polyakov-loop potential as well as the mass of the sigma-meson.Comment: 19 pages, 25 figures; version published in Phys. Rev.

Workshop Synthesis: How to Collect and Use Longitudinal Data?

This paper is based on the presentations, papers and discussions of workshop “Longitudinal data” at the ISCTSC conference in Porto Novo in March 2022. The presentations and discussions are primarily based on three different panel surveys that represent different approaches and designations. All these surveys have to struggle with typical challenges. The paper discusses the analytical characteristics and the designation of longitudinal surveys, addresses the problems and challenges of longitudinal surveys and will sum up the discussed strategies, in which a long-term continuity of such surveys can be secured

On the relation of quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking

We study the phase diagram of QCD with the help of order parameters for chiral symmetry breaking and quark confinement. We also introduce a new order parameter for the confinement phase transition, which is related to the quark density. It is easily accessible by different theoretical approaches, such as functional approaches or lattice simulations. Its relation to the Polyakov loop expectation value is discussed and the QCD phase diagram is analysed. Our results suggest a close relation between the chiral and the confinement phase transition.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

On the phase diagram of QCD

In this thesis we study two flavour Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) with the Functional Renormalisation Group (FRG). We compute the QCD phase diagram at imaginary and real chemical potential in the chiral limit. We introduce dual order parameters which originate in the matter sector but are sensitive to center symmetry breaking. For real and imaginary chemical potential we find that the chiral and the confinement–deconfinement transitions agree. At vanishing chemical potential we obtain for the chiral transition Tc = 181 MeV and for the confinement–deconfinement crossover Tc ≈ 178 MeV. The dual density and the Polyakov loop agree within the percent level. At imaginary chemical potential the phase dia- gram shows the expected Roberge–Weiss periodicity. This constitutes the first calculation of the QCD phase diagram at imaginary chemical potential in the chiral limit. At real chemical potential our results agree with lattice, DSE and FRG model studies. Then we compare the Yang–Mills (YM) and the glue Polyakov loop potential and match the temperature scales as the matter contributions to the gauge dynamics do not alter the form of the potential but the temperature scale. We use the translation of the two temperature scales in a Polyakov Quark Meson model, where we study the order parameters and the thermodynamic observables. The Polyakov loop potential thus approximates the glue dynamics instead of the YM dynamics. We find very good agreement for the thermodynamic observables with lattice results

State-of-the-art of Longitudinal Travel Surveys – A Comparison of the MOP and MPN

Longitudinal travel surveys are needed to capture individual travel behaviour changes. Only two longitudinal tavel surveys of national relevance are currently in operation, the German Mobility Panel (MOP) since 1994 and the Netherlands Mobility Panel (MPN) since 2013. This paper provides an overview of both panels\u27 differences and similarities in design and data collection. Furthermore, representativeness, diary fatigue and non-random attrition are assessed in both panels to show the challenges panel surveys have to deal with. Overall, this paper shows important aspects of a panel survey that should be considered when designing a new longitudinal travel survey

Marghab Rare Book Collection

This is a catalog documenting the Vera Way Marghab Rare Book Collection at the Hilton M. Briggs Library. This collection includes rare books containing the works of William Hogarth, Luigi Mayer, Thomas Templeman, Humphrey Prideaux, Benjamin ben Jonah, Pietro della Valle, Pandolfo Collenuccio, and Richard Pococke

Outcome of all-inside second-generation meniscal repair: Minimum five-year follow-up

BACKGROUND: Meniscal repair and preservation are the goal, when possible, of the treatment of meniscal injury. Current research on second-generation all-inside repair systems has been limited to a maximum of three years of follow-up. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mid-term clinical success (at more than five years) of meniscal repair performed with a second-generation all-inside repair device, both as an isolated procedure and with a concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent meniscal repair with use of the all-inside FAST-FIX Meniscal Repair System (Smith & Nephew Arthroscopy, Andover, Massachusetts) from December 1999 to January 2007. Eighty-three meniscal repairs (in eighty-one patients) were identified, and follow-up data were obtained for seventy-five (90%). Twenty-six (35%) of the meniscal repairs were performed as isolated procedures. Clinical failure was defined as repeat surgical intervention involving resection or revision repair. Clinical outcomes were also assessed with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and the Marx activity score. RESULTS: The minimum duration of follow-up was five years (average, seven years). Twelve patients (16%) had failure of the meniscal repair, at an average of forty-seven months (range, fifteen to ninety-five months). The data did not offer enough statistical evidence, at alpha = 0.05, to establish a difference in average patient age, patient sex, or number of sutures utilized between successful repairs and failures. There was no difference in the failure rate between isolated repairs (12%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.76% to 23.76%) and those performed with concurrent ACL reconstruction (18%; 95% CI: 7.47% to 29.13%), and the average time to failure was similar between these two groups (48.1 months versus 46.6 months, p = 0.939). Postoperative KOOS and IKDC outcome scores were also similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This report of mid-term follow-up results of primary second-generation all-inside meniscal repair demonstrates its effectiveness both as an isolated procedure and when it is performed with concurrent ACL reconstruction. After a minimum of five years of follow-up, 84% of the patients continued to demonstrate successful repair. Treatment success was further supported by favorable results on patient-based outcome measures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

Self-interaction chromatography as a tool for optimizing conditions for membrane protein crystallization

The second virial coefficient, or B value, is a measurement of how well a protein interacts with itself in solution. These interactions can lead to protein crystallization or precipitation, depending on their strength, with a narrow range of B values (the `crystallization slot') being known to promote crystallization. A convenient method of determining the B value is by self-interaction chromatography. This paper describes how the light-harvesting complex 1-reaction centre core complex from Allochromatium vinosum yielded single straight-edged crystals after iterative cycles of self-interaction chromatography and crystallization. This process allowed the rapid screening of small molecules and detergents as crystallization additives. Here, a description is given of how self-interaction chromatography has been utilized to improve the crystallization conditions of a membrane protein