Calculation of Effective Coulomb Interaction for Pr3+Pr^{3+}, U4+U^{4+}, and UPt3UPt_3

In this paper, the Slater integrals for a screened Coulomb interaction of the the Yukawa form are calculated and by fitting the Thomas-Fermi wavevector, good agreement is obtained with experiment for the multiplet spectra of $Pr^{3+}$ and $U^{4+}$ ions. Moreover, a predicted multiplet spectrum for the heavy fermion superconductor $UPt_3$ is shown with a calculated Coulomb U of 1.6 eV. These effective Coulomb interactions, which are quite simple to calculate, should be useful inputs to further many-body calculations in correlated electron metals.Comment: 8 pages, revtex, 3 uuencoded postscript figure

The Physics of Star Cluster Formation and Evolution

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00689-4.Star clusters form in dense, hierarchically collapsing gas clouds. Bulk kinetic energy is transformed to turbulence with stars forming from cores fed by filaments. In the most compact regions, stellar feedback is least effective in removing the gas and stars may form very efficiently. These are also the regions where, in high-mass clusters, ejecta from some kind of high-mass stars are effectively captured during the formation phase of some of the low mass stars and effectively channeled into the latter to form multiple populations. Star formation epochs in star clusters are generally set by gas flows that determine the abundance of gas in the cluster. We argue that there is likely only one star formation epoch after which clusters remain essentially clear of gas by cluster winds. Collisional dynamics is important in this phase leading to core collapse, expansion and eventual dispersion of every cluster. We review recent developments in the field with a focus on theoretical work.Peer reviewe

The present and future of QCD

This White Paper presents an overview of the current status and future perspective of QCD research, based on the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the 2022 Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting. We present the progress made in the last decade toward a deep understanding of both the fundamental structure of the sub-atomic matter of nucleon and nucleus in cold QCD, and the hot QCD matter in heavy ion collisions. We identify key questions of QCD research and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions in the near future, hence defining priorities of our research over the coming decades

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Comparing Seasonal Forecasts of Industrial Production

Forecast combination methodologies exploit complementary relations between different types of econometric models and often deliver more accurate forecasts than the individual models on which they are based. This paper examines forecasts of seasonally unadjusted monthly industrial production data for 17 countries and the Euro Area, comparing individual model forecasts and forecast combination methods in order to examine whether the latter are able to take advantage of the properties of different seasonal specifications. In addition to linear models (with deterministic seasonality and with nonstationary stochastic seasonality), more complex models that capture nonlinearity or seasonally varying coefficients (periodic models) are also examined. Although parsimonous periodic models perform well for some countries, forecast combinations provide the best overall performance at short horizons, implying that utilizing the characteristics captured by different models can contribute to improved forecast accuracy.

Forecasting Seasonal Time Series

This chapter reviews the principal methods used by researchers when forecasting seasonal time series. In addition, the often overlooked implications of forecasting and feedback for seasonal adjustment are discussed. After an introduction in Section 1, Section 2 examines traditional univariate linear models, including methods based on SARIMA models, seasonally integrated models and deterministic seasonality models. As well as examining how forecasts are computed in each case, the forecast implications of misspecifying the class of model (deterministic versus nonstationary stochastic) are considered. The linear analysis concludes with a discussion of the nature and implications of cointegration in the context of forecasting seasonal time series, including merging short-term seasonal forecasts with those from long-term (nonseasonal) models. Periodic (or seasonally varying parameter) models, which often arise from theoretical models of economic decision-making, are examined in Section 3. As periodic models may be highly parameterized, their value for forecasting can be open to question. In this context, modelling procedures for periodic models are critically examined, as well as procedures for forecasting. Section 3 discusses less traditional models, specifically nonlinear seasonal models and models for seasonality in variance. Such nonlinear models primarily concentrate on interactions between seasonality and the business cycle, either using a threshold specification to capture changing seasonality over the business cycle or through regime transition probabilities being seasonally varying in a Markov switching framework. Seasonality heteroskedasticity is considered for financial time series, including deterministic versus stochastic seasonality, periodic GARCH and periodic stochastic volatility models for daily or intra-daily series. Economists typically consider that seasonal adjustment rids their analysis of the "nuisance" of seasonality. Section 5 shows this to be false. Forecasting seasonal time series is an inherent part of seasonal adjustment and, further, decisions based on seasonally adjusted data affect future outcomes, which destroys the assumed orthogonality between seasonal and nonseasonal components of time series.

What's in a name? Brand name confusion and generic medicines

We need an urgent review of medicines labelling in Australia and New Zealand.Shane L Carney, Madlen Gazarian, Justin T Denholm, David M Reith, Robert K Penhall, Christine R Jenkins, Kay A Wilhelm, Paul A Komesaroff, Mary M Osborn and Richard O Da