A goal programming approach to strategic resource allocation in acute care hospitals

This paper describes a methodology for allocating resources in hospitals. The methodology uses two linear goal-programming models. One model sets case mix and volume for physicians, while holding service costs fixed; the other translates case mix decisions into a commensurate set of practice changes for physicians. The models allow decision makers to set case mix and case costs in such a way that the institution is able to break even, while preserving physician income and minimizing disturbance to practice. The models also permit investigation of trade-offs between case mix and physician practice parameters. Results are presented from a decision-making scenario facing the surgical division of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital after the announcement of a 3-year, 18% reduction in funding.     

Equivalence of Toda-Hopf invariants

In this paper it is shown that various existing constructions of ‘Hopf invariant’ are equivalent to each other. In consequence one gets that the oneToda-Hopf invariant enjoys various properties. Both authors supported in part by the NSF.     

Synthesis and optical properties of a poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivative and polyfluorenes with bipolar groups along the main chain

A poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivative (PPV–TPA)] and a series of statistical copolyfluorenes (PF–TPA)] containing oxadiazole and triphenylamine segments along the main chain were synthesized by the Heck reaction and nickel‐mediated coupling, respectively. The PF–TPA copolyfluorenes with relatively low contents of oxadiazole and triphenylamine units were readily soluble in common organic solvents, whereas the other copolyfluorenes displayed lower solubility. PPV–TPA showed excellent solubility in solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), dichloromethane, chloroform, and toluene. Thin films of the polymers absorbed light in the range of 375–396 nm and had optical band gaps of 2.76–2.98 eV. They emitted blue‐green light with a maximum at 414–522 nm. The fluorescence quantum yields in THF solutions were 0.08–0.53. The copolyfluorene PF–TPA thin films with high contents of oxadiazole and triphenylamine moieties emitted pure blue light that remained stable even after annealing at 150 °C for 4 h in air. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3556–3566, 2006     

Novel blue‐greenish electroluminescent poly(fluorenevinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophenevinylene)s and their model compounds

Poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐vinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophene‐2,8‐vinylene) (PS) and poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐vinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophene‐5,5‐dioxide‐2,8‐ vinylene) (PSO) as well as corresponding model compounds were synthesized by Heck coupling. Both the polymers and model compounds were readily soluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, chloroform, and toluene. The polymers showed a decomposition temperature at ～430 °C and a char yield of about 65% at 800 °C in N₂. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were almost identical (75–77 °C) and higher than those of the model compounds (26–45 °C). All samples absorbed around 390 nm, and their optical band gaps were 2.69–2.85 eV. They behaved as blue‐greenish light emitting materials in both solutions and thin films, with photoluminescence emission maxima at 450–483 nm and photoluminescence quantum yields of 0.52–0.72 in solution. Organic light‐emitting diodes with an indium tin oxide/poly(ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonic acid)/polymer/Mg:Ag/Ag configuration with polymers PS and PSO as emitting layers showed green electroluminescence with maxima at 530 and 540 nm, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6790–6800, 2006     

Kinetics of methylchlorosilane formation on Zn-promoted Cu3Si

The kinetics of the direct synthesis reaction (Si + 2CH₃Cl → (CH₃)₂SiCl₂) were measured on a Cu₃Si alloy containing 1.2 atom % Zn. Reaction was carried out in a differential reactor (520–595 K, 1 atm) attached to an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system. Auger spectroscopy was used to characterize the surface before and after reaction. Zinc does not significantly change the overall rate of reaction, but it changes selectivity to dimethyldichlorosilane (the desired product), surface composition, activation energies, and induction times. The rate of silicon diffusion to the surface is not limiting in the presence of zinc. Zinc is found to be a promoter for improved selectivity only in low concentrations, and only a fraction of the surface appears to be active for reaction. The kinetics appear relatively insensitive to the surface composition or the form of surface carbon. A Cu₃Si surface with Zn is shown to be a good model catalyst for the direct synthesis reaction.     

Interpreting Kullback-Leibler divergence with the Neyman-Pearson lemma

Kullback-Leibler divergence and the Neyman-Pearson lemma are two fundamental concepts in statistics. Both are about likelihood ratios: Kullback-Leibler divergence is the expected log-likelihood ratio, and the Neyman-Pearson lemma is about error rates of likelihood ratio tests. Exploring this connection gives another statistical interpretation of the Kullback-Leibler divergence in terms of the loss of power of the likelihood ratio test when the wrong distribution is used for one of the hypotheses. In this interpretation, the standard non-negativity property of the Kullback-Leibler divergence is essentially a restatement of the optimal property of likelihood ratios established by the Neyman-Pearson lemma. The asymmetry of Kullback-Leibler divergence is overviewed in information geometry.     

Non-Achievability of Metal-Insulator Transition in Two-Dimensional Systems

We present a simple demonstration of the nonfeasibility of metal-insulator transition in an exactly two-dimensional （2D） system. The Hartree-Fock potential in the 3D system is suitably modified and presented for the 2D case. The many body effects are included in the screening function, and binding energies of a donor are obtained as a function of impurity concentration so as to find out the possible way leading metal-insulator transition in the 2D system. While solving for the binding energy for a shallow donor in an isolated well of a GaAs/Ga1-x Als As superlattice system within the effective mass approximation, it leads to unphysical results for higher concentrations. It shows that the phase transition, the bound electron entering into the conduction band whereby （H）min=0, is not possible beyond this concentration. The results suggest thai a phase transition is impossible in 213 systems, supporting the scaling theory of localization. The results are compared with the existing data available and discussed in the light of existing literature.     

Coordinate transform invariance

A four-dimensional operator is shown to contain the operator-generators for rotation, scale, reflections, and boosts. The hypothesis is advanced that a physical system changes under this operator by at most a complex phase factor due to invariance against the choice of menial frame. A canonical transform gives a simple relation between space-time and energy-momentum. The basic conserved quantity is a four-dimensional angular momentum and/or coupling constant. The differential of this function contains a second-order differential product which is constrained as a power series in the independent variable. The analysis explores the consequences of the model and shows its degree of correspondence to the standard models.