Toward a Definition of Nurse-Managed Centers

The purpose of this study was to gain consensus on a definition of Nurse-Managed Centers. To accomplish this task, Delphi survey methods were used with the participants of the Second Biennial Conference on Nurse-Managed Centers. Delphi methods entail obtaining autonomous consensus from experts through rounds of questionnaires and feedback of results. A questionnaire was developed that included 22 items obtained from the literature, past conferences, and the expertise of the authors. An additional 6 items were suggested by the conferees. Of the 168 conferees, 148 participated in the first round, 147 in the second, and 133 in the third. Fifty-three percent of the respondents were educators, 22% administrators, and 11% clinicians. More than 75% of the respondents were masters prepared. After the third round, the highest-ranked items indicated that NMCs should provide direct access for clients to professional nursing, be part of a strong referral network, base services on client participation, and provide holistic treatment. A definition was formulated and associations between ranked items and selected demographic characteristics were analyzed

Least-Squares Approximation by Elements from Matrix Orbits Achieved by Gradient Flows on Compact Lie Groups

Let $S(A)$ denote the orbit of a complex or real matrix $A$ under a certain equivalence relation such as unitary similarity, unitary equivalence, unitary congruences etc. Efficient gradient-flow algorithms are constructed to determine the best approximation of a given matrix $A_0$ by the sum of matrices in $S(A_1), ..., S(A_N)$ in the sense of finding the Euclidean least-squares distance $$\min \{\|X_1+ ... + X_N - A_0\|: X_j \in S(A_j), j = 1, >..., N\}.$$ Connections of the results to different pure and applied areas are discussed

Optimal control of a qubit coupled to a non-Markovian environment

A central challenge for implementing quantum computing in the solid state is decoupling the qubits from the intrinsic noise of the material. We investigate the implementation of quantum gates for a paradigmatic, non-Markovian model: A single qubit coupled to a two-level system that is exposed to a heat bath. We systematically search for optimal pulses using a generalization of the novel open systems Gradient Ascent Pulse Engineering (GRAPE) algorithm. We show and explain that next to the known optimal bias point of this model, there are optimal shapes which refocus unwanted terms in the Hamiltonian. We study the limitations of controls set by the decoherence properties. This can lead to a significant improvement of quantum operations in hostile environments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, improved pulse shape

Infrared spectroscopic study of phonons coupled to charge excitations in FeSi

From an investigation of the optical conductivity of FeSi single crystals using FTIR spectroscopy in the frequency range from 30 to 20000 wavenumbers we conclude that the transverse effective charge of the Fe and Si ions is approximately 4e. Of the five optical phonons which are allowed by symmetry we observe only four, three of which have a Fano line shape presumably resulting from an interaction of these modes with the electronic continuum. We show that the large oscillator strength of the phonons results from a relatively weak coupling (lambda of the order of 0.1) of the lattice degrees of freedom to an electronic resonance above the semiconductor gap, which is also responsible for the large electronic polarizability of the medium.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 2 postscript pictures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B Rapid Comm

Conversion efficiency and luminosity for gamma-proton colliders based on the LHC-CLIC or LHC-ILC QCD Explorer scheme

Gamma-proton collisions allow unprecedented investigations of the low x and high $Q^{2}$ regions in quantum chromodynamics. In this paper, we investigate the luminosity for "ILC"$\times$LHC ($\sqrt{s_{ep}}=1.3$ TeV) and "CLIC"$\times$LHC ($\sqrt{s_{ep}}=1.45$ TeV) based $\gamma p$ colliders. Also we determine the laser properties required for high conversion efficiency.Comment: 16, 6 figure

The Impacts of Preservice Action Research in a Rural Teaching Residency

Preliminary data was collected as part of the program assessment of a yearlong teaching residency program in rural California where preservice teachers conducted action research as the culminating activity for a Masters degree. Focus groups and survey data from program graduates were analyzed and compared to findings from the research literature. Themes from the data indicate that the residency program prepared graduates to feel confident about their ability to reflect on their teaching and to collaborate with other professionals. Graduates report that having conducted action research in their preservice program had many benefits to their experiences as a teacher of record, including analyzing data, sharing their knowledge with others, and to ask for assistance when needed. Challenges of conducting action research during a preservice program were also cited by a few participants