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Abstract: We report on the construction and commissioning of the high-efficiency CAESium-iodide scintillator ARray CAESAR, a device designed for in-beam spectroscopy experiments utilizing fast beams of rare isotopes at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU). CAESAR consists of 192 CsI(Na) crystals, totaling 290kg of active scintillator material. For 1MeV rays, a full-energy-peak efficiency of 35% is achieved at an in-beam energy resolution of better than 10% FWHM after event-by-event Doppler reconstruction of the rays emitted by nuclei moving with velocities of . The spectral quality of the array allows for the identification of transitions with intensities of several 10 counts in the full-energy peak and thus opens new avenues for the study of the most exotic nuclei available at the NSCL for in-beam spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-energy excited states in 71,73Ni populated via the β decay of 71,73Co were investigated in an experiment performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU). Detailed analysis led to the construction of level schemes of 71,73Ni, which are interpreted using systematics and analyzed using shell-model calculations. The 5/2- states attributed to the the f5/2 orbital and positive-parity 5/2+ and 7/2+ states from the g9/2 orbital have been identified in both 71,73Ni. In 71Ni the location of a 1/2- β-decaying isomer is proposed, and limits are suggested as to the location of the isomer in 73Ni. The location of positive-parity cluster states are also identified in 71,73Ni. Beta-delayed neutron branching ratios obtained from this data are given for both 71,73Co. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thick-target-induced nucleon-adding transfer reactions onto energetic rare-isotope beams are an emerging spectroscopic tool. Their sensitivity to single-particle structure complements one-nucleon removal reaction capabilities in the quest to reveal the evolution of nuclear shell structure in very exotic nuclei. Purpose: Our purpose is to add intermediate-energy, carbon-target-induced one-proton pickup reactions to the arsenal of y-ray-tagged direct reactions applicable in the regime of low beam intensities and to apply these for the first time to fp-shell nuclei. Methods: Inclusive and partial cross sections were measured for the 12C(48Cr, 49Mn + &ggr;)X and 12C(50Fe,51Co + &ggr;)X proton pickup reactions at 56.7 and 61.2 MeV/nucleon, respectively, using coincident particle-/ spectroscopy at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The results are compared to reaction theory calculations using /p-shell-model nuclear structure input. For comparison with our previous work, the same reactions were measured on 9Be targets. Results: The measured partial cross sections confirm the specific population pattern predicted by theory, with pickup into high-l orbitals being strongly favored, driven by linear and angular momentum matching. Conclusion: Carbon-target-induced pickup reactions are well suited, in the regime of modest beam intensity, to study the evolution of nuclear structure, with specific sensitivities that are well described by theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US health care industry has broadly adopted performance and quality measures that are extracted from electronic health records and connected to payment incentives that hope to improve declining life expectancy and health status and reduce costs. While the development of a quality measurement infrastructure based on electronic health record data was an important first step in addressing US health outcomes, these metrics, reflecting the average performance across diverse populations, do not adequately adjust for population demographic differences, social determinants of health, or ecosystem vulnerability. Like society as a whole, health care must confront the powerful impact that social determinants of health, race, ethnicity, and other demographic variations have on key health care performance indicators and quality metrics. Tools that are currently available to capture and report the health status of Americans lack the granularity, complexity, and standardization needed to improve health and address disparities at the local level. In this article, we discuss the current and future state of electronic clinical quality measures through a lens of equity., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Shah receives consulting earnings from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Amarin, and Merck and research support from National Institutes of Health, Amgen, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Janssen. Dr Sitapati is an internal advisor for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and acts as an unpaid consultant to nonprofit organizations the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Kelee Foundation. The other authors report no conflicts.