The g-factor of the 21/2+^{+} state in 91^{91}Nb

The $^{89}$Y($\alpha$, 2n$\gamma$)$^{91}$Nb reaction was used to populate excited states in $^{91}$Nb. The rotation of the angular distribution of the 357 keV gamma-transition from the 21/2$^{+}$ state was measured in an external magnetic field. The IPAD method was used. By applying $\tau$ =(1.33$\pm$ 0.14) ns for the lifetime of the 21/2$^{+}$ state at 3467 keV, the value of the g-factor 1.18 $\pm$ 0.18 was derived

Reduced costs with bisoprolol treatment for heart failure - An economic analysis of the second Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS-II)

Background Beta-blockers, used as an adjunctive to diuretics, digoxin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, improve survival in chronic heart failure. We report a prospectively planned economic analysis of the cost of adjunctive beta-blocker therapy in the second Cardiac Insufficiency BIsoprolol Study (CIBIS II). Methods Resource utilization data (drug therapy, number of hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, ward type) were collected prospectively in all patients in CIBIS . These data were used to determine the additional direct costs incurred, and savings made, with bisoprolol therapy. As well as the cost of the drug, additional costs related to bisoprolol therapy were added to cover the supervision of treatment initiation and titration (four outpatient clinic/office visits). Per them (hospital bed day) costings were carried out for France, Germany and the U.K. Diagnosis related group costings were performed for France and the U.K. Our analyses took the perspective of a third party payer in France and Germany and the National Health Service in the U.K. Results Overall, fewer patients were hospitalized in the bisoprolol group, there were fewer hospital admissions perpatient hospitalized, fewer hospital admissions overall, fewer days spent in hospital and fewer days spent in the most expensive type of ward. As a consequence the cost of care in the bisoprolol group was 5-10% less in all three countries, in the per them analysis, even taking into account the cost of bisoprolol and the extra initiation/up-titration visits. The cost per patient treated in the placebo and bisoprolol groups was FF35 009 vs FF31 762 in France, DM11 563 vs DM10 784 in Germany and pound 4987 vs pound 4722 in the U.K. The diagnosis related group analysis gave similar results. Interpretation Not only did bisoprolol increase survival and reduce hospital admissions in CIBIS II, it also cut the cost of care in so doing. This `win-win' situation of positive health benefits associated with cost savings is Favourable from the point of view of both the patient and health care systems. These findings add further support for the use of beta-blockers in chronic heart failure

The additional value of patient-reported health status in predicting 1-year mortality after invasive coronary procedures: A report from the Euro Heart Survey on Coronary Revascularisation

Objective: Self-perceived health status may be helpful in identifying patients at high risk for adverse outcomes. The Euro Heart Survey on Coronary Revascularization (EHS-CR) provided an opportunity to explore whether impaired health status was a predictor of 1-year mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing angiographic procedures. Methods: Data from the EHS-CR that included 5619 patients from 31 member countries of the European Society of Cardiology were used. Inclusion criteria for the current study were completion of a self-report measure of health status, the EuroQol Questionnaire (EQ-5D) at discharge and information on 1-year follow-up, resulting in a study population of 3786 patients. Results: The 1-year mortality was 3.2% (n = 120). Survivors reported fewer problems on the five dimensions of the EQ-5D as compared with non-survivors. A broad range of potential confounders were adjusted for, which reached a p<0.10 in the unadjusted analyses. In the adjusted analyses, problems with self-care (OR 3.45; 95% CI 2.14 to 5.59) and a low rating (≤ 60) on health status (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.47 to 3.94) were the most powerful independent predictors of mortality, among the 22 clinical variables included in the analysis. Furthermore, patients who reported no problems on all five dimensions had significantly lower 1-year mortality rates (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.81). Conclusions: This analysis shows that impaired health status is associated with a 2-3-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients with CAD, independent of other conventional risk factors. These results highlight the importance of including patients' subjective experience of their own health status in the evaluation strategy to optimise risk stratification and management in clinical practice

TiPd Shape Memory Alloy Studied by PAC Method

Perturbed angular correlation (PAC) method was applied to study the martensitic phase transition of the TiPd shape memory alloy doped with In, Hf, and Zr. The hyperfine interaction parameters and their concentration and temperature dependences for $\text{}^{111}In$/$\text{}^{111}Cd$ and $\text{}^{181}Hf$/$\text{}^{181}Ta$ probe atoms were determined. The influence of ternary element additions on the electric field gradients at Pd site was evidenced. A decrease of the martensite start temperature $(M_{S})$ and an increase of the width of the hysteresis loop $(T_{H})$ with an increasing concentration of the impurities in TiPd alloy was observed. These relationships are much stronger for In and Zr, than for Hf admixture

Au-In System Studied with Perturbed Angular Correlation Method

The Au-In system was the subject of our comprehensive study with the perturbed angular correlation technique. Bulk samples of all intermetallic phases shown in the phase diagram were prepared to determine the hyperfine interaction parameters and their temperature dependence. A polymorphic phase transformation in the AuIn phase at about 630 K and a new metastable modification of Au$\text{}_{7}$In$\text{}_{3}$ after quenching the sample of 30 at.% In from temperature above 700 K were found. In addition, formation of the Au-In phases of different stoichiometries at the interfaces of thin Au/In films was observed. It turned out that the starting composition of bilayer samples, i.e. the thickness ratio of the Au and In layers, strongly influenced the stoichiometry of the formed compounds

Au-In System Studied with Perturbed Angular Correlation Method

The Au-In system was the subject of our comprehensive study with the perturbed angular correlation technique. Bulk samples of all intermetallic phases shown in the phase diagram were prepared to determine the hyperfine interaction parameters and their temperature dependence. A polymorphic phase transformation in the AuIn phase at about 630 K and a new metastable modification of Au$\text{}_{7}$In$\text{}_{3}$ after quenching the sample of 30 at.% In from temperature above 700 K were found. In addition, formation of the Au-In phases of different stoichiometries at the interfaces of thin Au/In films was observed. It turned out that the starting composition of bilayer samples, i.e. the thickness ratio of the Au and In layers, strongly influenced the stoichiometry of the formed compounds

Thermal-spike effects in Xe-irradiated Ag/Fe bilayers observed with PAC markers

In the thermally immiscible bilayer system Ag/Fe the atomic transport induced by 450 keV Xe ion irradiation was investigated by means of perturbed angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy. A submonolayer of $\rm ^{111}In$ PAC probe atoms was deposited in Fe at a distance of 0–17 nm from the Ag/Fe interface to monitor the interface mixing. The ion irradiation results in a thermal-spike–induced transport of the $\rm ^{111}In$ from the Fe into the Ag layer caused by the different chemical affinities of In to Ag and Fe. Taking advantage of the nanometer resolution of the PAC method, the average size of the thermal spikes was estimated to be about 5 nm

Perturbed γ-γ Angular Correlation Studies of Isostructural Ag5\text{}_{5}Zn8\text{}_{8} and Ag5\text{}_{5}Cd8\text{}_{8} Intermetallic Compounds

Perturbed γ-γ angular correlation spectroscopy was applied to study hyperfine interaction parameters for $\text{}^{111}$In probes in intermetallic compounds of D8$\text{}_{2}$ structure. The perturbed γ-γ angular correlation spectra measured in Ag$\text{}_{5}$Zn$\text{}_{8}$ and Ag$\text{}_{5}$Cd$\text{}_{8}$ phases reflect a number, population and symmetry of nonequivalent substitutional sites occupied by the indium probes. The temperature dependences of the observed electric field gradients were measured in the temperature range 37-500