Unstable particles in finite volume: The broken phase of the 44-d O(4)O(4) non-linear σ\sigma-model

According to a proposal of L\"uscher it is possible to determine elastic scattering phases in infinite volume from the energy spectrum of two-particle states in a periodic box. We demonstrate the applicability of this method in the broken phase of the 4-dimensional $O(4)$ non-linear $\sigma$-model in a Monte-Carlo study on finite lattices. This non-perturbative approach also permits the study of unstable particles, the \sg-particle in our case. We observe the \sg-resonance and extract its mass and its width.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX, 4 PS figures, LATTICE'92 contributio

Scattering phases in the broken phase of the 4-d O(4) non-linear sigma-model

Using Luescher's method we determine the elastic scattering phases in the broken phase of the 4-dimensional O(4) non-linear sigma-model from the two-particle energy spectrum in a Monte-Carlo study on finite lattices. In the isospin-0-channel we observe the sigma-resonance and extract its mass and its width. In all scattering channels investigated the results are consistent with perturbative calculations.Comment: 3 pages, talk presented at Lattice 199

Scattering phases on finite lattices in the broken phase of the four-dimensional O(4)-\phi^4 theory

According to a proposal of Luescher it is possible to determine elastic scattering phases in infinite volume from the energy spectrum of two-particle states in a periodic box. We demonstrate the applicability of this method in the broken phase of the four-dimensional O(4) non-linear sigma-model in a Monte Carlo study on finite lattices. This non-perturbative approach also permits the study of unstable particles, the sigma-particle in our case. We observe the sigma-resonance and extract its mass and width. In all scattering channels investigated the results are completely consistent with perturbative calculations.Comment: 46 pages uuencoded Postscript, file 1 contains text with tables (29 pages), file 2 contains figures (17 pages), complete ps-file available via anonymous ftp at thphys.physik.rwth-aachen.de in directory pub/scat, preprints HLRZ Juelich 94-8 and Aachen PITHA 94/1

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701