Systematic analysis of pT -distributions in p + p collisions

A systematic analysis of transverse momentum distribution of hadrons produced in ultra-relativistic p + p collisions is presented. We investigate the effective temperature and the entropic parameter from the non-extensive thermodynamic theory of strong interaction. We conclude that the existence of a limiting effective temperature and of a limiting entropic parameter is in accordance with experimental data.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Changes in Smoking During Pregnancy in Ontario, 1995 to 2010: Results From the Canadian Community Health Survey

Objective: The objectives of this study were (1) to examine changes in smoking behaviour across time in pregnant women in Ontario (relative to non-pregnant women and men) and (2) to assess whether, among pregnant women, changes across time vary as a function of sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This study used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. The study sample included 15- to 49-year-old residents of Ontario. Multivariable logistic regression, with interactions between time period and the characteristic of interest, was used to examine whether changes varied across time according to (1) group (pregnant women, non-pregnant women, men; two-year intervals, 2001 to 2010) and (2) pregnant subgroup (maternal age, maternal marital status, maternal education; 1995 to 2000 [n = 3745], 2001 to 2005 [n = 5084], and 2006 to 2010 [n = 2900]). Results: A decrease in the prevalence of smoking across time was seen in all groups but was smaller in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women (23.5% vs. 30.8%). Among pregnant women, interactions between time period and maternal age, maternal marital status, and maternal education were statistically significant. The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy decreased in older, married, and more highly educated women, but increased in younger women (by 8.2%) and less educated women (by 12.8%). Although the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy decreased in unmarried women, the change was smaller than in married women. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of smoking in pregnant women is decreasing over time, the decrease is smaller than that in non-pregnant women. Pregnant subgroups particularly resistant to change include younger, unmarried, and less educated mothers. These findings suggest there are subgroups that should be targeted more deliberately by public health interventions

Consequences of temperature fluctuations in observables measured in high energy collisions

We review the consequences of intrinsic, nonstatistical temperature fluctuations as seen in observables measured in high energy collisions. We do this from the point of view of nonextensive statistics and Tsallis distributions. Particular attention is paid to multiplicity fluctuations as a first consequence of temperature fluctuations, to the equivalence of temperature and volume fluctuations, to the generalized thermodynamic fluctuations relations allowing us to compare fluctuations observed in different parts of phase space, and to the problem of the relation between Tsallis entropy and Tsallis distributions. We also discuss the possible influence of conservation laws on these distributions and provide some examples of how one can get them without considering temperature fluctuations.Comment: Revised version of the invited contribution to The European Physical Journal A (Hadrons and Nuclei) topical issue about 'Relativistic Hydro- and Thermodynamics in Nuclear Physics' guest eds. Tamas S. Biro, Gergely G. Barnafoldi and Peter Va

Getting to Know You (and Me!): Assessment and the Archival Metrics Toolkit at Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library

In the past decade, the interest in library assessment has expanded greatly- particularly as a method to gather evidence and context for strategic planning and decision making. As has been the case with our counterparts across the nation, assessment of the quality and effectiveness of services and collections has grown exponentially at Columbia University Libraries (CUL). While campus-wide LibQUAL+® surveys have been administered since 2003, a user-based evaluation of the RBML had never been conducted before. LibQUAL+ surveys have been useful in generating broad feedback on a wide range of library activities, but they do not adequately assess the patron needs and service delivery for special collections and archives. Recognizing this problem, we decided to implement a survey to gain insight into the highly specialized needs of archives and special collections users. To conduct this assessment we adapted the Researcher Questionnaire from the Archival Metrics Toolkit. Between September 1, 2011 and August 30, 2012, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) staff distributed the paper survey to any new researcher who came to our reading room as well as to returning researchers who had not been here since the start of the survey period. The survey was distributed to 910 researchers and completed by 566, a response rate of 62%. The survey findings verified anecdotal evidence about the shortcomings of the reading areas, as well as the highly favorable way in which patrons view the staff that works with them at all levels. Results highlight the value of archives as a community outreach mechanism for the university, as well as demonstrate the university’s mission of providing a distinctive and distinguished learning environment. Our recent implementation of the web-based Aeon registration and request system will most certainly impact any future assessment initiatives undertaken by the RBML

The imprints of superstatistics in multiparticle production processes

We provide an update of the overview of imprints of Tsallis nonextensive statistics seen in a multiparticle production processes. They reveal an ubiquitous presence of power law distributions of different variables characterized by the nonextensivity parameter q > 1. In nuclear collisions one additionally observes a q-dependence of the multiplicity fluctuations reflecting the finiteness of the hadronizing source. We present sum rules connecting parameters q obtained from an analysis of different observables, which allows us to combine different kinds of fluctuations seen in the data and analyze an ensemble in which the energy (E), temperature (T) and multiplicity (N) can all fluctuate. This results in a generalization of the so called Lindhard's thermodynamic uncertainty relation. Finally, based on the example of nucleus-nucleus collisions (treated as a quasi-superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions) we demonstrate that, for the standard Tsallis entropy with degree of nonextensivity q < 1, the corresponding standard Tsallis distribution is described by q' = 2 - q > 1.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Based on invited talk given by Z.Wlodarczyk at SigmaPhi2011 conference, Larnaka, Cyprus, 11-15 July 2011. To be published in Cent. Eur. J. Phys. (2011

Using PICO to Align Medical Evidence with MDs Decision Making Models

Modern medicine is characterized by an “explosion” in clinical research information making practical application of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM), problematic for many clinicians. We have developed a PICO-(evidence based search strategy focusing on Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome)-based framework for (indexing and retrieving medical evidence and we posit that the use of PICO allows for organizing evidence that is aligned with an MD’s decision making model. We describe a study where medical students evaluated our PICO-based approach and results show that students are eager to apply EBM but are hindered by a lack of specialist skills. Students reported that the PICO-based framework for organizing evidence provided an intuitive way of accessing and evaluating evidence and would be useful for their clinical tasks

Diffusion of spheres in isotropic and nematic suspensions of rods

Diffusion of a small tracer sphere (apoferritin) in isotropic and nematic networks [of fd virus] is discussed. For a tracer sphere that is smaller than the mesh size of the network, screened hydrodynamic interactions between the sphere and the network determine its diffusion coefficient. A theory is developed for such interactions as well as their relation to the long-time self-diffusion coefficient. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements on mixtures of apoferritin and fd virus are presented. The long-time self-diffusion coefficient of apoferritin is measured as a function of the fd-virus concentration, both in the isotropic and nematic state, in directions parallel and perpendicular to the nematic director. The hydrodynamic screening length of the fd-virus network as a function of fd concentration is obtained by combining these experimental data with the theory. Surprisingly, the screening length increases with increasing concentration in nematic networks. This is due to the increase in the degree of alignment, which apparently leads to a strong increase of the screening length. Hydrodynamic screening is thus strongly diminished by alignment. A self-consistent calculation of the screening length does not work at higher concentrations, probably due to the strong variation of the typical incident flow fields over the contour of a rod

A Task-based Support Architecture for Developing Point-of-care Clinical Decision Support Systems for the Emergency Department

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to create a task-based support architecture for developing clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) that assist physicians in making decisions at the point-of-care in the emergency department (ED). The backbone of the proposed architecture was established by a task-based emergency workflow model for a patient-physician encounter. Methods: The architecture was designed according to an agent-oriented paradigm. Specifically, we used the O-MaSE (Organization-based Multi-agent System Engineering) method that allows for iterative translation of functional requirements into architectural components (e.g., agents). The agent-oriented paradigm was extended with ontology-driven design to implement ontological models representing knowledge required by specific agents to operate. Results: The task-based architecture allows for the creation of a CDSS that is aligned with the task-based emergency workflow model. It facilitates decoupling of executable components (agents) from embedded domain knowledge (ontological models), thus supporting their interoperability, sharing, and reuse. The generic architecture was implemented as a pilot system, MET3-AE – a CDSS to help with the management of pediatric asthma exacerbation in the ED. The system was evaluated in a hospital ED. Conclusions: The architecture allows for the creation of a CDSS that integrates support for all tasks from the task-based emergency workflow model, and interacts with hospital information systems. Proposed architecture also allows for reusing and sharing system components and knowledge across disease-specific CDSSs

Nonextensive statistical effects in the quark-gluon plasma formation at relativistic heavy-ion collisions energies

We investigate the relativistic equation of state of hadronic matter and quark-gluon plasma at finite temperature and baryon density in the framework of the non-extensive statistical mechanics, characterized by power-law quantum distributions. We impose the Gibbs conditions on the global conservation of baryon number, electric charge and strangeness number. For the hadronic phase, we study an extended relativistic mean-field theoretical model with the inclusion of strange particles (hyperons and mesons). For the quark sector, we employ an extended MIT-Bag model. In this context we focus on the relevance of non-extensive effects in the presence of strange matter.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

An improved direct colorimetric method for the quantitative analysis of urinary hippuric acid as an index of toluene exposure

An improved direct colorimetric method for determining the concentration of urinary hippuric acid as an index of toluene exposure was described. One tenth ml of urine was diluted with 0.4 ml 0.01 M phosphate buffer H 6.9 and mixed with 0.5 ml pyridine. The mixture was layered on 0.2 ml benzenesulfonyl chloride. The reaction was started by mixing for one min with a mechanical shaker. The colored solution was allowed to stand for 30 min, diluted with 5 ml ethanol, and absorbance measured at 410 nm within 30 min after the dilution. The coefficient of variation of this method was 6% and the recovery 103% when urine contains about 0.2-0.5 mg hippuric acid per ml of urine. The concentration was linear up to 2.0 mg per ml hippuric acid in a specimen.</p