Failure of Zr50 Ti16.5 Cu15 Ni18.5 amorphous metallic ribbon

The deformation and fracture behavior of Zr50Ti165Cu15Ni185 bulk amorphous metal in the form of a thin ribbon have been determined in tensile test at room temperature. The fracture is localized in a major shear band and the fracture angle between the tensile stress axis and the fracture plane is close to 45°. Fractographic observations have revealed that the fracture surface of the amorphous metallic glass consists mainly of a vein-like pattern morphology We present a scheme of three zones of fracture surface morphology: progressive smooth sliding region (A), dominating vein like pattern (B), and river-like ripples (C).Исследованы особенности деформирования и разрушения массивного аморфного металла 2г50Т116.5Си15№185 в виде тонкой ленты при испытании на растяжение при комнатной температуре. Разрушение локализуется в главной полосе сдвига, при этом угол разрушения между осью растягивающего напряжения и плоскостью разрушения близок к 45°. Фрактографические исследования показали, что поверхность излома аморфного металлического стекла состоит в основном из жильной морфологии. Приведена схема трех зон морфологии поверхности излома: область последовательного непрерывного скольжения (А), преобладающая жильная структура (В) и “речная” рябь (С)

Design of a Study Assessing Disease Behaviour During the Peri-Diagnostic Period in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease: The STARLINER Study

Background/Objectives: This study will aim to characterise disease behaviour during the peri-diagnostic period in patients with suspected interstitial lung disease (ILD), including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), using daily home spirometry and accelerometry. Additionally, this study will aim to increase collaboration between secondary and tertiary centres using a digital collaboration platform. Methods: The STARLINER study (NCT03261037) will enrol approximately 180 symptomatic patients aged 50 years or more with radiological evidence of ILD/IPF from community and tertiary centres in Canada and Europe. Approximately two-thirds of sites will be community centres. Patients will be followed during pre-diagnosis (inclusion to diagnosis; up to a maximum of 12 months) and post-diagnosis (diagnosis to treatment initiation; up to a maximum of 6 months). The study will be facilitated by a digital ecosystem consisting of the devices used for home-based assessments and a digital collaboration platform enabling communication between community and tertiary centres, and between clinicians and patients. Planned Outcomes: The primary endpoint will be time-adjusted semi-annual change in forced vital capacity (FVC; in millilitres) during the peri-diagnostic period. Physical functional capacity and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) will also be assessed. FVC and physical functional capacity will be measured using daily home spirometry and accelerometry, and at site visits using spirometry and the 6-min walk test. PROs will be assessed prior to, or during, site visits and will always be completed in the same order. Conclusions: Findings from this study may help to facilitate the early and accurate diagnosis of ILDs by increasing knowledge about disease progression, enabling collaboration between community and tertiary centres and improving communication between clinicians and patients. Trial Registration Number: NCT03261037. Funding: F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd., Basel, Switzerland. Plain Language Summary: Plain language summary available for this article

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial

Aims  The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.8 mmol/L) despite intensive statin therapy. In a pre-specified analysis, we assessed the effects of alirocumab on types of MI. Methods and results  Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Myocardial infarction types were prospectively adjudicated and classified. Of 1860 total MIs, 1223 (65.8%) were adjudicated as Type 1, 386 (20.8%) as Type 2, and 244 (13.1%) as Type 4. Few events were Type 3 (n = 2) or Type 5 (n = 5). Alirocumab reduced first MIs [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95; P = 0.003], with reductions in both Type 1 (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99; P = 0.032) and Type 2 (0.77, 0.61–0.97; P = 0.025), but not Type 4 MI. Conclusion  After ACS, alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy favourably impacted on Type 1 and 2 MIs. The data indicate for the first time that a lipid-lowering therapy can attenuate the risk of Type 2 MI. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below levels achievable with statins is an effective preventive strategy for both MI types.For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz299</p

Effect of alirocumab on mortality after acute coronary syndromes. An analysis of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES randomized clinical trial

Background: Previous trials of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) inhibitors demonstrated reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events, but not death. We assessed the effects of alirocumab on death after index acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) was a double-blind, randomized comparison of alirocumab or placebo in 18 924 patients who had an ACS 1 to 12 months previously and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy. Alirocumab dose was blindly titrated to target achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) between 25 and 50 mg/dL. We examined the effects of treatment on all-cause death and its components, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, with log-rank testing. Joint semiparametric models tested associations between nonfatal cardiovascular events and cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death. Results: Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Death occurred in 334 (3.5%) and 392 (4.1%) patients, respectively, in the alirocumab and placebo groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98; P=0.03, nominal P value). This resulted from nonsignificantly fewer cardiovascular (240 [2.5%] vs 271 [2.9%]; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.05; P=0.15) and noncardiovascular (94 [1.0%] vs 121 [1.3%]; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.01; P=0.06) deaths with alirocumab. In a prespecified analysis of 8242 patients eligible for ≥3 years follow-up, alirocumab reduced death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.94; P=0.01). Patients with nonfatal cardiovascular events were at increased risk for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths (P<0.0001 for the associations). Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (P<0.001) and thereby may have attenuated the number of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths. A post hoc analysis found that, compared to patients with lower LDL-C, patients with baseline LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) had a greater absolute risk of death and a larger mortality benefit from alirocumab (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.90; Pinteraction=0.007). In the alirocumab group, all-cause death declined wit h achieved LDL-C at 4 months of treatment, to a level of approximately 30 mg/dL (adjusted P=0.017 for linear trend). Conclusions: Alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy has the potential to reduce death after acute coronary syndrome, particularly if treatment is maintained for ≥3 years, if baseline LDL-C is ≥100 mg/dL, or if achieved LDL-C is low. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01663402

Superconducting Properties of NbN−SiO2NbN-SiO_2 Sol-Gel Derived Thin Films

This work presents results of superconducting properties studies of $xNbN-(100-x)SiO_2$ (where x = 80 mol%) films of the thickness from 450 to 1950 nm. The films were prepared by thermal nitridation of sol-gel derived $xNb_2O_5-(100-x)SiO_2$ coatings. The nitridation process of $Nb_2O_5-SiO_2$ coatings leads to the formation of weakly disordered structures, with NbN metallic grains dispersed in the matrix of insulating $SiO_2$. All the samples in the normal state exhibit negative temperature coefficient of resistivity. Superconducting transition was not observed for the sample 450 nm thick. To examine the influence of magnetic field on superconducting properties of the films, the resistance versus temperature of 1350 and 1650 nm thick samples was measured in high magnetic fields. Resistive superconducting transitions are broadened due to the magnetic flux creep. The perpendicular upper critical magnetic fields for 1350 and 1650 thick samples are about 4.4 T. The critical temperatures of the superconducting transitions are about 4.5 K. Specific features of the magnetic field induced superconductor-insulator transition are found

Spectral analysis of creep recovery process in finemet type amorphous alloy

The creep recovery process in Finemet type amorphous alloy leas been analyzed using the method for calculating the relaxation tithe spectra. The influence of structural relaxation and temperature on the spectra shape lags been studied. The creep recovery spectrum of the anelastic deformation of the multicomponent Fe-Nb-Cu-Si-B amorphous alloy seems to be snore complex in comparison with standard amorphous alloys

Electronic structure and magnetostrictive sensitivity of Fe–B metallic glasses

The effect of mechanical tensile stresses 0 ≤ σ ≤ 62 MPa on the low-field (0 ≤ H ≤ 45 Oe) magnetization curves of the metallic glasses Fe₁₀₀₋xBx (x=14, 16, 17, 20) is studied at temperatures of 77 and 300 K. The correlation between the electronic structure of the glasses and their magnetostrictive sensitivity ks is revealed: the eutectic metallic glass Fe₈₃B₁₇, which possesses a special electronic structure with a 30% lower conduction (sp) electron density, has a value of ks differing substantially from that of the other metallic glasses studied. Under low stresses (0 ≤ σ ≤ 22 MPa) the eutectic alloy possesses a magnetostrictive sensitivity ks(σ₁) which is higher than that of the rest of the alloys studied, while under high stresses (22 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 62 MPa) its magnetostrictive sensitivity ks(σ₂) is close to zero