Centralized or decentralized? A case study of Norwegian hospital reform

In recent years, decentralization of financial and political power has been perceived as a useful means to improve outcomes of the health care sector. Such reforms are often a result of fashion, rather than being based on knowledge of “what works”. If decentralization is the favored strategy in health care, studies of countries that go against the current trend will be of interest and importance as they provide information about the potential drawbacks of decentralization. In Norway, specialized health care has recently been recentralized. In this paper, we review some of the evidence now available on its economic effects. The most striking observation is that recentralization did not affect the variables related to cost containment and soft budgeting.Health care system; decentralization; recentralization; Norway.

What Users Ask a Search Engine: Analyzing One Billion Russian Question Queries

We analyze the question queries submitted to a large commercial web search engine to get insights about what people ask, and to better tailor the search results to the users’ needs. Based on a dataset of about one billion question queries submitted during the year 2012, we investigate askers’ querying behavior with the support of automatic query categorization. While the importance of question queries is likely to increase, at present they only make up 3–4% of the total search traffic. Since questions are such a small part of the query stream and are more likely to be unique than shorter queries, clickthrough information is typically rather sparse. Thus, query categorization methods based on the categories of clicked web documents do not work well for questions. As an alternative, we propose a robust question query classification method that uses the labeled questions from a large community question answering platform (CQA) as a training set. The resulting classifier is then transferred to the web search questions. Even though questions on CQA platforms tend to be different to web search questions, our categorization method proves competitive with strong baselines with respect to classification accuracy. To show the scalability of our proposed method we apply the classifiers to about one billion question queries and discuss the trade-offs between performance and accuracy that different classification models offer. Our findings reveal what people ask a search engine and also how this contrasts behavior on a CQA platform

New Gauge Invariant Formulation of the Chern-Simons Gauge Theory

A new gauge invariant formulation of the relativistic scalar field interacting with Chern-Simons gauge fields is considered. This formulation is consistent with the gauge fixed formulation. Furthermore we find that canonical (Noether) Poincar\'e generators are not gauge invariant even on the constraints surface and do not satisfy the (classical) Poincar\'e algebra. It is the improved generators, constructed from the symmetric energy-momentum tensor, which are (manifestly) gauge invariant and obey the classical Poincar\'e algebra.Comment: Shortened, to appear as Papid Communication-PRD/Nov/9

Galilean Lee Model of the Delta Function Potential

The scattering cross section associated with a two dimensional delta function has recently been the object of considerable study. It is shown here that this problem can be put into a field theoretical framework by the construction of an appropriate Galilean covariant theory. The Lee model with a standard Yukawa interaction is shown to provide such a realization. The usual results for delta function scattering are then obtained in the case that a stable particle exists in the scattering channel provided that a certain limit is taken in the relevant parameter space. In the more general case in which no such limit is taken finite corrections to the cross section are obtained which (unlike the pure delta function case) depend on the coupling constant of the model.Comment: 7 pages, latex, no figure

The Outburst of the Blazar AO 0235+164 in 2006 December: Shock-in-Jet Interpretation

We present the results of polarimetric ($R$ band) and multicolor photometric ($BVRIJHK$) observations of the blazar AO 0235+16 during an outburst in 2006 December. The data reveal a short timescale of variability (several hours), which increases from optical to near-IR wavelengths; even shorter variations are detected in polarization. The flux density correlates with the degree of polarization, and at maximum degree of polarization the electric vector tends to align with the parsec-scale jet direction. We find that a variable component with a steady power-law spectral energy distribution and very high optical polarization (30-50%) is responsible for the variability. We interpret these properties of the blazar withina model of a transverse shock propagating down the jet. In this case a small change in the viewing angle of the jet, by $\lesssim 1^o$, and a decrease in the shocked plasma compression by a factor of $\sim$1.5 are sufficient to account for the variability.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for Ap

Three-Phase Intersection Points in Monolayers

Some phospholipid/dihydrocholesterol Langmuir monolayers form coexisting liquid phases. Gas domains form at the interface between the phospholipid-rich and dihydrocholesterol-rich liquid phases when these monolayers undergo expansion to low surface pressure. Analysis of the domain shapes thus formed yields the relative line tensions of the gas/phospholipid, gas/dihydrocholesterol, and phospholipid/dihydrocholesterol phase interfaces

Фактори, які кондиціонують поліваріантність ефектів бальнеотерапевтичного комплексу курорту Трускавець на інтракардіальну та центральну гемодинаміку

Показано что, разнообразие эффектов курса бальнеотерапии на курорте Трускавець на гемодинамику может быть сведено методом кластерного анализа к четырем вариантам. Методом дискриминантного анализа выявлены 15 исходных параметров гемодинамики, вегетативной регуляции и обмена электролитов и липидов, закономерно обуславливающих тот или иной вариант бальнеоэффекта.The method of an echocardiography studies reactings intracardial and central hemodynamics of the man on a course balneotherapy on a spa Truskavets'. Outgoing from shifts of main parameters: an index of contractility (IC), frequency of a rhythm (FR), middledynamic pressure (Pm), general peripheral resistance of vessels (GPRV), expulsion time (ET), enddyastolic (EDV), shock (SV) volumes of heart and cardiac output (CО) - is selected 4 types of reacting. Hypotensive bradycardiо-antikinetic reacting registered for 34,8% of persons, is characterized reduce of Pm, rhythm, ET and CО associated with absence of changes SV, EDV, GPRV and IC. For antiresistive tachycardiо-prokinetic type (30,3% of cases) is characteristic combination of increase of a FR, ET and CО with a considerable decrease GPRV. At proresistive antiinotropic tachycardiо-antikinetic type (19,7% of faces) is essentially increased GPRV and FR, reduced IC, ET, EDV, SV and CО. For 15,2% of faces is established antiresistive proinotropic prokinetic type described by a increase of IC, EDV, SV, FR and CО and decrease of GPRV. The type of effects are conditionized by constellation of 15 initial parameters of haemodynamic, vegetative regulation and exchange of lipides and electrolytes and are prognozed by method of disccriminant analysis (correctly 83,3%)

Covariance systems

We introduce new definitions of states and of representations of covariance systems. The GNS-construction is generalized to this context. It associates a representation with each state of the covariance system. Next, states are extended to states of an appropriate covariance algebra. Two applications are given. We describe a nonrelativistic quantum particle, and we give a simple description of the quantum spacetime model introduced by Doplicher et al.Comment: latex with ams-latex, 23 page