= Median-of-three pivot selection
Choose the median value among the first, middle and last entries of an active <array> segment. For at least three distinct sampled values, the selected value cannot be the whole segment's minimum or maximum. It can still be the second-smallest or second-largest value, so a balanced split does not follow. Coincident sample indices in segments of length one or two can be handled by the same comparison code. Ties must also have a defined branch policy.
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