Introduction: Nursing homes throughout the U.S. have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years because of staffing shortages, and under-investment, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. To gain insight into the current state of nursing homes, this study examined nursing home characteristics, quality, and accessibility from a national, regional and state perspective. Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, American Community Survey, Medicare Beneficiary, and the Tennessee Department of Health. Nursing home characteristics and quality were assessed through bivariate and multivariate regression in the U.S. Assessment of HHS Region 4 nursing home characteristics and quality by state cut points were conducted with bivariate analysis. Finally, spatial analysis was conducted to determine nursing home accessibility in Tennessee. Results: In multivariate analyses of all U.S. facilities, non-metropolitan facilities are at 1.27 higher odds of being a 1-star overall rated facility and 0.86 lower odds of being a 5-star facility as compared to metropolitan facilities. When weighted health inspection scores were recategorized by more strict state cut points, 42.45% of HHS Region 4 facilities decreased in health inspection star ratings, while those that were recategorized by more lenient state cut points lead to a 26.64% increase in star ratings. Finally, in the state of Tennessee a mean of 14.9% of county areas are not within 30-minute drive to any nursing home facilities, with 66.4% of county areas being further than a 30-minute drive to a 5-star rated (highest quality) facility. Discussion: Findings from this study show that differences exist in nursing home characteristics that relate to facility quality. Additionally, health inspection 5-star ratings can vary across states, which can make comparison of quality challenging from a consumer perspective. And finally, accessibility to nursing homes can vary throughout a state by metropolitan and non-metropolitan status of the county. An understanding of nursing homes in metropolitan and non-metropolitan communities along with nursing home quality, characteristics of the facility, and characteristics of county populations can enable policymakers to create more equitable policy solutions for nursing homes and the communities they serve.

A motor-mouthed rapper with a perfect ear wants to turn a golden-voiced oddball into a music superstar but his popstar ex-lover threatens to blow up her meteoric rise.

Next generation wireless communications require transmission of reliable high data rate services. Second generation wireless communications systems use single-input multiple-output (SIMO) channel in the reverse link, meaning one transmit antenna at the user terminal and multiple receive antennas at the base station. Recently, information theoretic research has shown an enormous potential growth in the capacity of wireless systems by using multiple antenna arrays at both ends of the link. Space-time coding exploits the spatial-temporal diversity provided by the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channels, significantly increasing both system capacity and the reliability of the wireless link. The Virginia Tech Space-Time Advanced Radio (VT-STAR) system presents a test bed to demonstrate the capabilities of space-time coding techniques in real-time. Core algorithms are implemented on Texas Instruments TMS320C67 Evaluation Modules (EVM). The radio frequency subsystem is composed of multi-channel transmitter and receiver chains implemented in hardware for over the air transmission. The capabilities of the MIMO channel are demonstrated in a non-line of sight (NLOS) indoor environment. Also to characterize the capacity gains in an indoor environment this test bed was modified to take channel measurements. This thesis reports the system design of VT-STAR and the channel capacity gains observed in an indoor environment for MIMO channels. / Master of Science

A supernova explosion of a massive star at the end of its life leaves behind a compact object, either a black hole or a neutron star. We study a particular aspect of neutron stars in this project. A neutron star is a fast spinning, extremely dense object with a strong magnetic field. Neutron stars can emit lightbeams from their magnetic poles. For an observer on earth these beams appear as pulses of light. These pulses of light are practically the only way to gather information about neutron stars. We use a model of a neutron star showing how the pulses of radiation would appear from Earth based on a set of chosen parameter values. These parameters contain information regarding the geometry of the neutron star, its mass and radius, as well as some properties related to the way the radiation is emitted. We also use a particle swarm optimization method to fit the simulated pulse to the observed light pulse of the x-ray emitting Centaurus X-3 (Cen X-3) binary system. This is done In order to retrieve information about Cen X-3. Our resulting fits do not converge to a single solution, rather it shows that there are many possible configurations leading to the observed light pulses. This shows that while our model can be used to simulate the behavior of neutron stars it requires further development if one wishes to obtain reliable parameter estimates.

In this project we search for a planet in a triple-stellar system that could be habitable and a potential host to complex, human-like life. The first step in the search for potentially habitable planets involved examining catalogs of triple-stellar systems with known exoplanets and quadruple-star systems in which one of the stars could be swapped for a planet. Then, for all the potential planets, we estimated whether they lay within the habitable zone. For all systems with planets in the habitable zone, we used previously published climate model simulations of similar systems to gain a better understanding of the potential climate of these planets. Furthermore, the simulation program VPlanet was used to check the dynamical stability of systems in which one of the stars was swapped with a planet. In total, 10 planets were found to be within the habitable zone and were closer examined, with 6 of them being already existing planets and 4 of them being fabricated. Despite all of the planets lying within the habitable zone, they showed varying degrees of suitability for hosting life, with most planets being substantially cooler than Earth. None of the existing exoplanets had a suitable climate for human-like life, and none of the fabricated systems proved to be dynamically stable. However, the fabricated system that demonstrated the highest amount of stability in simulations was the one in which the planet and the stars were most similar in size. This leads us to conclude that optimal dynamical stability is achieved when the system components are of comparable size.

Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2012

The core idea of Ramsey theory is that complete disorder is impossible. Given a large structure, no matter how complex it is, we can always find a smaller substructure that has some sort of order. For positive integers $n, m$, the double star $S(n,m)$ is the graph consisting of the disjoint union of two stars $K_{1,n}$ and $K_{1,m}$ together with an edge joining their centers. The $k$-color bipartite Ramsey number of $ S(n,m)$, denoted by $r_{bip}(S(n,m);k)$, is the smallest integer $N$ such that, in any $k$-coloring of the edges of the complete bipartite graph $K_{N,N}$, there is a monochromatic copy of $S(n,m)$. The study of bipartite Ramsey numbers was initiated in the early 1970s by Faudree and Schelp and, independently, by Gy\'arf\'as and Lehel. The exact value of $r_{bip}(S(n,m);k)$ is only known for $n=m=1$ and all $k\ge2$. Here we prove that if $k=2$ and $n\ge m$, or $k\ge3$ and $n\ge 2m$, then \[ r_{bip}(S(n,m);k)=kn+1.\] For $k \geq 3$ and $m \leq n < 2m$, we prove that, \[\max\{kn + 1, (2k-4)m+1\} \leq r_{bip}(S(n,m) ; k) \leq \max\left\{ kn + 1, \left[2k - 1 - \frac{1}{2k} - O\left(\frac{1}{k^2}\right)\right]m + 1 \right \},\] where the lower bound is due to DeBiasio, Gy\'arf\'as, Krueger, Ruszink\'o, and S\'ark\"ozy in 2019.

I develop the first magnetospheric accretion model to take account of the observed complexity of T Tauri magnetic fields, and the influence of stellar coronae. It is now accepted that accretion onto classical T Tauri stars is controlled by the stellar magnetosphere, yet to date the majority of accretion models have assumed that the stellar magnetic field is dipolar. By considering a simple steady state accretion model with both dipolar and complex magnetic fields I find a correlation between mass accretion rate and stellar mass of the form M[dot above] proportional to M[asterisk subscript, alpha superscript], with my results consistent within observed scatter. For any particular stellar mass there can be several orders of magnitude difference in the mass accretion rate, with accretion filling factors of a few percent. I demonstrate that the field geometry has a significant effect in controlling the location and distribution of hot spots, formed on the stellar surface from the high velocity impact of accreting material. I find that hot spots are often at mid to low latitudes, in contrast to what is expected for accretion to dipolar fields, and that particularly for higher mass stars, accreting material is predominantly carried by open field lines. Material accreting onto stars with fields that have a realistic degree of complexity does so with a distribution of in-fall speeds. I have also modelled the rotational modulation of X-ray emission from T Tauri stars assuming that they have isothermal, magnetically confined coronae. By extrapolating from surface magnetograms I find that T Tauri coronae are compact and clumpy, such that rotational modulation arises from X-ray emitting regions being eclipsed as the star rotates. Emitting regions are close to the stellar surface and inhomogeneously distributed about the star. However some regions of the stellar surface, which contain wind bearing open field lines, are dark in X-rays. From simulated X-ray light curves, obtained using stellar parameters from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project, I calculate X-ray periods and make comparisons with optically determined rotation periods. I find that X-ray periods are typically equal to, or are half of, the optical periods. Further, I find that X-ray periods are dependent upon the stellar inclination, but that the ratio of X-ray to optical period is independent of stellar mass and radius. I also present some results that show that the largest flares detected on T Tauri stars may occur inside extended magnetic structures arising from the reconnection of open field lines within the disc. I am currently working to establish whether such large field line loops can remain closed for a long enough time to fill with plasma before being torn open by the differential rotation between the star and the disc. Finally I discuss the current limitations of the model and suggest future developments and new avenues of research.

John Williams är att betrakta som en av giganterna inom den amerikanska filmmusikkompositionen. Förutom filmmusik så har han komponerat ett flertal beställda solokonserter för betydande instrumentalister och orkestrar, däribland The Five Sacred Trees för fagott och symfoniorkester som är skriven för New York Philharmonics 150-års jubileum och denna orkesters solofagottist Judith LeClair. I detta examensarbete analyseras de första två satserna från ett motiviskt, strukturellt och i viss mån harmoniskt perspektiv, samt genomgås hur det kan påverka instuderingsprocessen och författarens interpretatoriska val. Referensmaterialet som används är främst en pianoreduktion av stycket, samt en doktorsavhandling gällande styckets pedagogiska användningsområden av John Michael Lopinto från 2004. Slutsatser efter analysen inkluderar bland annat att de två satserna i stora drag kontrasterar varandra, att konserten innehåller så pass många olika klangkaraktärer att det krävs extra arbete från solistens sida för att kunna framföra denna med endast piano, samt att John Williams kontinuerligt utvecklar motiv från tidigare verk och inkorporerar dem i konserten och har fortsatt att arbeta på detta vis även efter tillkomsten av denna konsert. Min förhoppning är att det här arbetet ökar min egen och omvärldens insikter om denna konsert, och ökar sannolikheten för att detta verk framförs i större utsträckning i framtiden. / <p>John Williams fagottkonsert, sats 1-2.</p><p>Medverkande: Gabriella Varga Karlsson, fagott</p><p>Georg Öquist, piano</p><p></p><p></p><p></p>

Cette thèse étudie la configuration télévisuelle de l’identité arabe moderne à travers un des programmes phares de la chaine satellitaire libanaise LBC-Sat : la Star Academy Middle East. Elle interroge, d’un côté, les motivations et les contraintes institutionnelles et commerciales qui orientent le processus de création de sens à la télévision et se penche, de l’autre, sur le produit fini qui porte en lui les traces des tensions et des confrontations qui ont accompagné sa conception. Elle cherche à décoder la représentation de l’arabité proposée par la chaine libanaise dans un contexte régional instable, marqué par des bouleversements profonds. Les télévisions satellitaires panarabes, reflets des nouvelles technologies qui ont inondé le marché régional à une vitesse déconcertante à partir des années 1990, ont, en effet, entrainé une contraction de l’espace et du temps oriental ainsi qu’une abolition symbolique des frontières. Elles ont permis aux citoyens arabes, urbains comme ruraux, locaux comme de la diaspora, de s’informer, en temps réel, sur l’actualité arabe et mondiale et d’interagir avec des individus proches et lointains. Elles ont, de ce fait, facilité l’émergence d’un réseau d’échange horizontal et d’un espace public transnational qui a fait renaitre de ses cendres, mais sous une forme distincte, le rêve d’unité arabe. À travers leur discours dirigé vers la « rue arabe » et orienté par des considérations plus économiques que politiques, elles ont, d’une part, fragilisé les régimes autocratiques en place, en les dépossédant de leur monopole historique sur les médias, et de l’autre regroupé, à l’échelle internationale, un ensemble d’individus partageant les mêmes convictions, les mêmes attentes ou les mêmes centres d’intérêt. En accélérant l’autonomisation des opinions publiques par rapport aux idéologies officielles, elles ont obligé les régimes arabes à se repositionner vis-à-vis de ces producteurs de sens à l’influence grandissante. Leurs discours, qu’il soit inspiré d’une rhétorique islamique ou libérale s’élabore dans une sphère publique chargée de sens et de références et s’expose à des critiques qui témoignent de l’imbrication du politique, du religieux et du culturel dans le secteur médiatique arabe. La LBC-Sat, chaine satellitaire généraliste libanaise, née de l’association entre des entrepreneurs libanais et saoudiens, a intégré cette arène symbolique en 1996. Fille de la LBCI, la télévision la plus populaire du pays des Cèdres — celle qui représente, aux yeux des téléspectateurs arabes, l’essence de la culture libanaise — elle a très tôt affiché sa volonté de séduire l’audience régionale à travers une narration qui se démarque de celle de ses concurrentes. Constituée d’un mélange d’émissions à l’esthétique occidentale, au contenu audacieux, et au ton libéré et souvent frivole, sa programmation prend ses distances vis-à-vis des conservatismes régionaux et dénote une volonté de configurer une représentation différenciée de l’identité arabe, proche d’une conception singulière de l’identité libanaise, porteuse, selon les termes des idéologues du Liban moderne, d’une mission civilisatrice auprès des pays arabes et d’un pouvoir de conciliation entre les deux cultures occidentale et orientale. Les émissions de la LBC-Sat témoignent de son rôle autoproclamé de trait d’union entre ces deux mondes et participent à populariser cette vision auprès du public arabe. Son plus grand succès transnational, l’adaptation orientale de la télé-réalité d’Endemol Star Academy, montre, en effet, qu’il est possible d’imposer cette image dans l’imaginaire collectif régional à travers la construction d’un discours sur la jeunesse orientale, caractérisé par son d’hybridité et sa position à mi-chemin entre le global et le local. / This thesis studies the representation of modern Arab identities through one of the most influential reality shows in the Arab World: Star Academy Middle East.It seeks to understand the strategic and ideological discourse over Arabism constructed by one of the leading Lebanese satellite channel in the MENA region: LBC-Sat.Through the study of both the professional and commercial context of emergence of this discourse, as well as a qualitative content analysis of the first four seasons of the show, it tries to understand its rationale as well as its impact in the Arab World.We believe that this narrative is unfolding in an arena of controversies where a multitude of positions regarding Arab identities are debated. Indeed, since the establishment of the first Arab satellite channels that led to a prosperous television industry, a pan Arab public sphere arose. TV shows became political fields in which opinions were exposed and theories regarding political and social issues were considered. The once monopolistic control over media contents of authoritarian regimes gave way to a more liberal environment, where citizens were given the chance to participate in the debates framing there lives. Today, Arab satellite channels act as a lightning rod for what is known as “New Arabism”, a sense of belonging to an imagined community that is no longer imposed by a higher power but developed by the base. With their liberal aesthetic and messages that oppose those of more conservative Arab televisions, Lebanese channels play a crucial role in redefining Arab identities. Their discourse, inspired by a cultural and ideological interpretation of Lebanon’s position in the Arab world, translates into a plea to rebuild bridges between the East and the West. As a symbolic object composed of hybrid forms and ideas, Star Academy Middle East echoes this position.