The Lattice Dynamics Of Rb1-x Kx Alloys

Phonon dispersion curves along the three principal symmetry directions of the alloy Rb1-xKx are derived as a function of concentration. The lattice dynamics of the alloys have been calculated on the basis of a phenomenological model in which an axially symmetric ion-ion interaction has been added to the electron-ion interaction from Krebs approach. The dispersion curves show localized as well as band modes. © 1988.6810897901Kamitakahara, Copley, (1978) Phys. Rev., 18 B, p. 3772Mostoller, Kaplan, (1977) Phys. Rev., 16 B, p. 2350Grünewald, Scharnberg, (1978) Proceeding of the International Conference on Lattice Dynamic, p. 443. , M. Balkanski, Paris 5–10, September 1977, Flammarion, ParisJacucci, Klein, Taylor, (1978) Phys. Rev., 18 B, p. 3782Garg, Gupta, Tripathi, (1984) Solid State Commun., 51, p. 41Kutty, (1974) Solid State Commun., 14, p. 213Brescansin, Padial, Shukla, (1976) Nuovo Cimento, 34 B, p. 103da Cunha, Brescansin, Shukla, (1974) Physica, 72, p. 179Elliot, Maradudin, (1965) Inelastic Scattering of Neutrons, p. 231. , IAEA, ViennaElliot, Taylor, Theory of correlations and scattering of lattice vibrations by defects using double-time Green's functions (1964) Proceedings of the Physical Society, 83, p. 189. , second editio

Development of new anatomy reconstruction software to localize cardiac isochrones to the cardiac surface from the 12 lead ECG

Item does not contain fulltextNon-invasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) of the cardiac muscle can help the pre-procedure planning of the ablation of ventricular arrhythmias by reducing the time to localize the origin. Our non-invasive ECGI system, the cardiac isochrone positioning system (CIPS), requires non-intersecting meshes of the heart, lungs and torso. However, software to reconstruct the meshes of the heart, lungs and torso with the capability to check and prevent these intersections is currently lacking. Consequently the reconstruction of a patient specific model with realistic atrial and ventricular wall thickness and incorporating blood cavities, lungs and torso usually requires additional several days of manual work. Therefore new software was developed that checks and prevents any intersections, and thus enables the use of accurate reconstructed anatomical models within CIPS. In this preliminary study we investigated the accuracy of the created patient specific anatomical models from MRI or CT. During the manual segmentation of the MRI data the boundaries of the relevant tissues are determined. The resulting contour lines are used to automatically morph reference meshes of the heart, lungs or torso to match the boundaries of the morphed tissue. Five patients were included in the study; models of the heart, lungs and torso were reconstructed from standard cardiac MRI images. The accuracy was determined by computing the distance between the segmentation contours and the morphed meshes. The average accuracy of the reconstructed cardiac geometry was within 2mm with respect to the manual segmentation contours on the MRI images. Derived wall volumes and left ventricular wall thickness were within the range reported in literature. For each reconstructed heart model the anatomical heart axis was computed using the automatically determined anatomical landmarks of the left apex and the mitral valve. The accuracy of the reconstructed heart models was well within the accuracy of the used medical image data (pixel size <1.5mm). For the lungs and torso the number of triangles in the mesh was reduced, thus decreasing the accuracy of the reconstructed mesh. A novel software tool has been introduced, which is able to reconstruct accurate cardiac anatomical models from MRI or CT within only a few hours. This new anatomical reconstruction tool might reduce the modeling errors within the cardiac isochrone positioning system and thus enable the clinical application of CIPS to localize the PVC/VT focus to the ventricular myocardium from only the standard 12 lead ECG

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the treatment of mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease in Brazil

Objective: To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of donepezil and rivastigmine therapy for mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Method: A hypothetical cohort of 1,000 individuals of both sexes, aged >65 years, and diagnosed with AD was simulated using a Markov model. The time horizon was 10 years, with 1-year cycles. A deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Results: For mild AD, the study showed an increase in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of 0.61 QALY/21,907.38 Brazilian reais (BRL) for patients treated with donepezil and 0.58 QALY/BRL 24,683.33 for patients treated with rivastigmine. In the moderate AD group, QALY increases of 0.05/BRL 27,414.96 were observed for patients treated with donepezil and 0.06/BRL 34,222.96 for patients treated with rivastigmine. Conclusions: The findings of this study contradict the standard of care for mild and moderate AD in Brazil, which is based on rivastigmine. A pharmacological treatment option based on current Brazilian clinical practice guidelines for AD suggests that rivastigmine is less cost-effective (0.39 QALY/BRL 32,685.77) than donepezil. Probabilistic analysis indicates that donepezil is the most cost-effective treatment for mild and moderate AD

Twenty-five-year trends in myocardial infarction attack and mortality rates, and case-fatality, in six European populations

Objective Due to the burden of coronary heart disease (CHD), the monitoring of CHD trends is required. This study sought to examine the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) trends in attack and mortality rates, and in 28-day case-fatality, in six European populations during 1985-2010. Methods Data consisted of 78 128 AMI events included in eight population-based registries from Finland (several populations), Italy (Brianza and Varese), Germany (Augsburg), France (Haute-Garonne), Spain (Girona) and Estonia (Tallinn). AMI event rates and case-fatality trends were analysed using the annual percentage change (APC) obtained by negative binomial and joinpoint regression. Results AMI attack and mortality rates decreased in most populations. Finland experienced the steepest decline in attack rates (APC=-4.4% (95% CI -5.1 to -2.9) in men; -4.0% (-5.1 to -2.8), in women). Total-hospital and inhospital case-fatality decreased in all populations except in Tallinn. The steepest decline in total case-fatality occurred in Spain (-3.8% (-5.3 to -2.4) in men; -5.1% (-6.9 to -3.3) in women). Prehospital case-fatality trends differed significantly by population and sex. The trends for all included populations showed a significant decline in AMI event rates and case-fatality, in both sexes and all age groups. However, in women aged 65-74 years, a significant increase in total case-fatality occurred in 2005-2010 (4.7% (0.7 to 8.8)). Conclusions AMI event rates and inhospital case-fatality declined in 1985-2010 in almost all populations analysed. Prehospital case-fatality declined only in certain population groups, showing differences by sex. These results highlight the need of specific strategies in AMI prevention for certain groups and populations. \ua9 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Cardiovascular Society