32,423 research outputs found
Surface Free Energies, Interfacial Tensions and Correlation Lengths of the ABF Models
The surface free energies, interfacial tensions and correlation lengths of
the Andrews-Baxter-Forrester models in regimes III and IV are calculated with
fixed boundary conditions. The interfacial tensions are calculated between
arbitrary phases and are shown to be additive. The associated critical
exponents are given by with in regime III
and with in regime IV. Our results are
obtained using general commuting transfer matrix and inversion relation methods
that may be applied to other solvable lattice models.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX 2e, requires the amsmath packag
A Path to Alignment: Connecting K-12 and Higher Education via the Common Core and the Degree Qualifications Profile
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which aim to assure competency in English/language arts and mathematics through the K-12 curriculum, define necessary but not sufficient preparedness for success in college. The Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP), which describes what a college degree should signify, regardless of major, offers useful but not sufficient guidance to high school students preparing for college study. A coordinated strategy to prepare students to succeed in college would align these two undertakings and thus bridge an unfortunate and harmful cultural chasm between the K-12 world and that of higher education. Chasms call for bridges, and the bridge proposed by this white paper could create a vital thoroughfare. The white paper begins with a description of the CCSS and an assessment of their significance. A following analysis then explains why the CCSS, while necessary, are not sufficient as a platform for college success. A corresponding explanation of the DQP clarifies the prompts that led to its development, describes its structure, and offers some guidance for interpreting the outcomes that it defines. Again, a following analysis considers the potential of the DQP and the limitations that must be addressed if that potential is to be more fully realized. The heart of the white paper lies in sections 5 and 6, which provide a crosswalk between the CCSS and the DQP. These sections show how alignments and differences between the two may point to a comprehensive preparedness strategy. They also offer a proposal for a multifaceted strategy to realize the potential synergy of the CCSS and the DQP for the benefit of high school and college educators and their students -- and the nation
Innovation processes and industrial districts
In this survey, we examine the operations of innovation processes within industrial districts by exploring the ways in which differentiation, specialization, and integration
affect the generation, diffusion, and use of new knowledge in such districts. We begin with an analysis of the importance of the division of labour and then investigate the effects of social embeddedness on innovation. We also consider the effect of forms of organization within industrial districts at various stages of product and process life, and we examine the negative aspects of embeddedness for innovation. We conclude with a discussion of the possible consequences of new information and
communications technologies on innovation in industrial districts
Sparse Graph Codes for Quantum Error-Correction
We present sparse graph codes appropriate for use in quantum
error-correction. Quantum error-correcting codes based on sparse graphs are of
interest for three reasons. First, the best codes currently known for classical
channels are based on sparse graphs. Second, sparse graph codes keep the number
of quantum interactions associated with the quantum error correction process
small: a constant number per quantum bit, independent of the blocklength.
Third, sparse graph codes often offer great flexibility with respect to
blocklength and rate. We believe some of the codes we present are unsurpassed
by previously published quantum error-correcting codes.Comment: Version 7.3e: 42 pages. Extended version, Feb 2004. A shortened
version was resubmitted to IEEE Transactions on Information Theory Jan 20,
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Interaction-Round-a-Face Models with Fixed Boundary Conditions: The ABF Fusion Hierarchy
We use boundary weights and reflection equations to obtain families of
commuting double-row transfer matrices for interaction-round-a-face models with
fixed boundary conditions. In particular, we consider the fusion hierarchy of
the Andrews-Baxter-Forrester models, for which we find that the double-row
transfer matrices satisfy functional equations with an su(2) structure.Comment: 48 pages, LaTeX, requires about 79000 words of TeX memory. Submitted
to J. Stat. Phy
Coverage with evidence development: applications and issues
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2010OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the current issues surrounding Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). CED is characterized by restricted coverage for a new technology in parallel with targeted research when the stated goal of the research or data collection is to provide definitive evidence for the clinical or cost-effectiveness impact of the new technology. METHODS: Presented here is information summarized and interpreted from presentations and discussions at the 2008 Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) meeting and additional information from the medical literature. This study describes the differences between CED and other conditional coverage agreements, provides a brief history of CED, describes real-world examples of CED, describes the areas of consensus between the stakeholders, discusses the areas for future negotiation between stakeholders, and proposes criteria to assist stakeholders in determining when CED could be appropriate. RESULTS: Payers could interpret the evidence obtained from a CED program either positively or negatively, and a range of possible changes to the reimbursement status of the new technology may result. Striking an appropriate balance between the demands for prompt access to new technology and acknowledging that some degree of uncertainty will always exist is a critical challenge to the uptake of this innovative form of conditional coverage. CONCLUSIONS: When used selectively for innovative procedures, pharmaceuticals, or devices in the appropriate disease areas, CED may provide patients access to promising medicines or technologies while data to minimize uncertainty are collected.The development of the manuscript was funded by Medicines Australi
A calibration of the stellar mass fundamental plane at z ~ 0.5 using the micro-lensing induced flux ratio anomalies of macro-lensed quasars
We measure the stellar mass surface densities of early type galaxies by
observing the micro-lensing of macro-lensed quasars caused by individual stars,
including stellar remnants, brown dwarfs and red dwarfs too faint to produce
photometric or spectroscopic signatures. Instead of observing multiple
micro-lensing events in a single system, we combine single epoch X-ray
snapshots of ten quadruple systems, and compare the measured relative
magnifications for the images with those computed from macro-models. We use
these to normalize a stellar mass fundamental plane constructed using a
Salpeter IMF with a low mass cutoff of 0.1 solar mass and treat the zeropoint
of the surface mass density as a free parameter. Our method measures the
graininess of the gravitational potential produced by individual stars, in
contrast to methods that decompose a smooth total gravitational potential into
two smooth components, one stellar and one dark. We find the median likelihood
value for the normalization factor F by which the Salpeter stellar masses must
be multiplied is 1.23, with a one sigma confidence range, dominated by small
number statistics, of 0.77 < F < 2.10Comment: Revised in response to referee's suggestions and re-submitted to ApJ;
changes to the adopted effective radii propagate to a new value of the factor
F (by which Salpeter stellar masses must be multiplied) of 1.2
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