Nonperturbative approach to circuit quantum electrodynamics.

We outline a rigorous method which can be used to solve the many-body Schrödinger equation for a Coulomb interacting electronic system in an external classical magnetic field as well as a quantized electromagnetic field. Effects of the geometry of the electronic system as well as the polarization of the quantized electromagnetic field are explicitly taken into account. We accomplish this by performing repeated truncations of many-body spaces in order to keep the size of the many particle basis on a manageable level.

The urban stormwater farm.

Currently more than 3 billion people live in urban areas. The urban population is predicted to increase by a further 3 billion by 2050. Rising oil prices, unreliable rainfall and natural disasters have all contributed to a rise in global food prices.

Successful implementation of the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program in the private sector: the Patient Safety in Surgery study.

Background: The Veterans Affairs' (VA) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has been associated with significant reductions in postoperative morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine if NSQIP methods and risk models were applicable to private sector (PS) hospitals and if implementation of the NSQIP in the PS would be associated with reductions in adverse postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Data from patients (n = 184,843) undergoing major general or vascular surgery between October 1, 2001, and September 30, 2004, in 128 VA hospitals and 14 academic PS hospitals were used to develop prediction models based on VA patients only, PS patients only, and VA plus PS patients using logistic regression modeling, with measures of patient-related risk as the independent variables and 30-day postoperative morbidity or mortality as the dependent variable.

The patient safety in surgery study: background, study design, and patient populations.

Background: The purpose of this article is to describe the background, design, and patient populations of the Patient Safety in Surgery Study, as a preliminary to the articles in this journal that will report the results of the Study.

Study Design: The Patient Safety in Surgery Study was a prospective cohort study. Trained nurses collected preoperative risk factors, operative variables, and 30-day postoperative mortality and morbidity outcomes in patients undergoing major general and vascular operations at 128 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and 14 selected university medical centers between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2004.

Tension-free repair versus watchful waiting for men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic inguinal hernias: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Watchful waiting (WW) has been shown to be an acceptable option in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic inguinal hernias when clinical and patient-reported outcomes are considered. Although WW is likely to be less costly initially when compared with tension-free repair (TFR) because of the cost of the operation, it is not clear whether WW remains the least costly option when longer-term costs are considered.

Study Design: We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomized controlled trial at six community and academic centers.