Optical properties of random alloys : Application to Cu_{50}Au_{50} and Ni_{50}Pt_{50}

In an earlier paper [K. K. Saha and A. Mookerjee, Phys. Rev. B 70 (2004) (in press) or, cond-mat/0403456] we had presented a formulation for the calculation of the configuration-averaged optical conductivity in random alloys. Our formulation is based on the augmented-space theorem introduced by one of us [A. Mookerjee, J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. 6, 1340 (1973)]. In this communication we shall combine our formulation with the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbitals (TB-LMTO) technique to study the optical conductivities of two alloys Cu_{50}Au_{50} and Ni_{50}Pt_{50}.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure

Identification of acute myocardial infarction from electronic healthcare records using different disease coding systems

Objective: To evaluate positive predictive value (PPV) of different disease codes and free text in identifying acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from electronic healthcare records (EHRs). Design: Validation study of cases of AMI identified from general practitioner records and hospital discharge diagnoses using free text and codes from the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), International Classification of Diseases 9th revision-clinical modification (ICD9-CM) and ICD-10th revision (ICD-10). Setting: Population-based databases comprising routinely collected data from primary care in Italy and the Netherlands and from secondary care in Denmark from 1996 to 2009. Participants: A total of 4 034 232 individuals with 22 428 883 person-years of follow-up contributed to the data, from which 42 774 potential AMI cases were identified. A random sample of 800 cases was subsequently obtained for validation. Main outcome measures: PPVs were calculated overall and for each code/free text. 'Best-case scenario' and 'worst-case scenario' PPVs were calculated, the latter taking into account non-retrievable/non-assessable cases. We further assessed the effects of AMI misclassification on estimates of risk during drug exposure. Results: Records of 748 cases (93.5% of sample) were retrieved. ICD-10 codes had a 'best-case scenario' PPV of 100% while ICD9-CM codes had a PPV of 96.6% (95% CI 93.2% to 99.9%). ICPC codes had a 'best-case scenario' PPV of 75% (95% CI 67.4% to 82.6%) and free text had PPV ranging from 20% to 60%. Corresponding PPVs in the 'worst-case scenario' all decreased. Use of codes with lower PPV generally resulted in small changes in AMI risk during drug exposure, but codes with higher PPV resulted in attenuation of risk for positive associations. Conclusions: ICD9-CM and ICD-10 codes have good PPV in identifying AMI from EHRs; strategies are necessary to further optimise utility of ICPC codes and free-text search. Use of specific AMI disease codes in estimation of risk during drug exposure may lead to small but significant changes and at the expense of decreased precision

Non-Standard Errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

Non-standard errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants

Validity of the coding for intensive care admission, mechanical ventilation, and acute dialysis in the Danish National Patient Registry: a short report

Linea Blichert-Hansen, Malene S Nielsson, Rikke B Nielsen, Christian F Christiansen, Mette NørgaardDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, DenmarkBackground: Large health care databases provide a cost-effective data source for observational research in the intensive care unit (ICU) if the coding is valid. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the recorded coding of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and acute dialysis in the population-based Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR).Methods: We conducted the study in the North Denmark Region, including seven ICUs. From the DNPR we selected a total of 150 patients with an ICU admission by the following criteria: (1) 50 patients randomly selected among all patients registered with an ICU admission code, (2) 50 patients with an ICU admission code and a concomitant code for mechanical ventilation, and (3) 50 patients with an ICU admission code and a concomitant code for acute dialysis. Using the medical records as gold standard we estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) for each of the three procedure codes.Results: We located 147 (98%) of the 150 medical records. Of these 147 patients, 141 (95.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 91.8–98.3) had a confirmed ICU admission according to their medical records. Among patients, who were selected only on the coding for ICU admission, the PPV for ICU admission was 87.2% (95% CI: 75.6–94.5). For the mechanical ventilation code, the PPV was 100% (95% CI: 95.1–100). Forty-nine of 50 patients with the coding for acute dialysis received this treatment, corresponding to a PPV of 98.0% (95% CI: 91.0–99.8).Conclusion: We found a high PPV for the coding of ICU admission and even higher PPVs for mechanical ventilation, and acute dialysis in the DNPR. The DNPR is a valuable data source for observational studies of ICU patients.Keywords: critical care, epidemiology, intensive care unit, positive predictive values, validit

Safety of etoricoxib, celecoxib and non-selective NSAIDs in Ankylosing spondylitis and other Spondyloarthritis patients: A Swedish national population based cohort study.

Objective: Safety data regarding the usage of etoricoxib and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients are rather limited. To estimate and compare rates of gastrointestinal, renovascular, and cardiovascular adverse events in patients exposed to etoricoxib, celecoxib, non-selective NSAIDs (nsNSAIDs) or totally unexposed to NSAIDs. Methods: This is a national register-based cohort study on patients with AS or SpA (N=21,872) identified in the Swedish national patient register (NPR) 1987 - 2009. Treatment exposure was assessed time-dependently based on the prescription drugs register from 2006 - 2009 adjusting for socio-demography, and comorbidities derived from national population-based registers. Results: Exposure to etoricoxib, celecoxib and nsNSAID were 7.6%, 3.9% and 71.2%, respectively. No major risk differences for serious cardiovascular, gastrointestinal or renal adverse events were seen among the three exposure groups. Patients unexposed to NSAIDs had more baseline co-morbidities and an increased relative risk for congestive heart failure events during the study period 2.0 (95% 1.3 to 3.2). The relative risk for atherosclerotic events was non-significant when compared to the nsNSAID group 1.0 (95% CI: 0.7 to 1.5), while the risk for gastrointestinal events was lower for unexposed patients 0.5 (0.4 to 0.7). Conclusion: Overall, serious adverse events related to nsNSAID, etoricoxib and celecoxib were similar and in the range of what would be expected in a group of SpA patients. Patients unexposed to NSAIDs had considerable more baseline co-morbidities and increased risk for congestive heart failure, reflecting a selection of patients being prescribed NSAID in clinical practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved