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L M Bloudek,
M Stokes,
D C Buse,
T K Wilcox,
R B Lipton,
P J Goadsby,
S F Varon,
A M Blumenfeld,
Z Katsarava, J Pascual,
M Lanteri-Minet,
P Cortelli,
P Martelletti
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ABSTRACT: Migraine is a disabling neurological disease that affects 14.7 % of Europeans. Studies evaluating the economic impact of migraine are complex to conduct adequately and with time become outdated as healthcare systems evolve. This study sought to quantify and compare direct medical costs of chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM) in five European countries. Cross-sectional data collected via a web-based survey were screened for migraine and classified as CM (≥15 headache days/month) or EM (<15 headache days/month), and included sociodemographics, resource use data and medication use. Unit cost data, gathered using publicly available sources, were analyzed for each type of service, stratified by migraine status. Univariate and multivariate log-normal regression models were used to examine the relationship between various factors and their impact on total healthcare costs. This economic analysis included data from respondents with migraine in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. CM participants had higher level of disability and more prevalent psychiatric disorders compared to EM. CM participants had more provider visits, emergency department/hospital visits, and diagnostic tests; the medical costs were three times higher for CM than EM. Per patient annual costs were highest in the UK and Spain and lower in France and Germany. CM was associated with higher medical resource use and total costs compared to EM in all study countries, suggesting that treatments that reduce headache frequency could decrease the clinical and economic burden of migraine in Europe. Comparing patterns of care and outcomes among countries may facilitate the development of more cost-effective care, and bring greater recognition to patients affected by migraine.
The Journal of Headache and Pain 05/2012; 13(5):361-78. · 2.43 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Nine bacterial strains were studied by means of rep-PCR, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization and physiological characterization. Typing analysis by means of rep-PCR showed that all nine strains were highly homogeneous, with similarities above 94 %. The strains were isolated from the same geographical area (Mazatlan, Sinaloa state, Mexico) and the same type of host (cultured rose snapper, Lutjanus guttatus), although from different individuals and organs. Comparison of the almost-complete 16S rRNA gene sequences of five strains showed that they belonged to the genus Vibrio and are closely related to the type strains of Vibrio brasiliensis and Vibrio hepatarius, with similarity values ranging from 97.9 to 98.1 % and from 97.4 to 97.8 %, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization value of strain CAIM 797(T) with the type strain of V. brasiliensis (CAIM 495(T)) was 47.5 %, with a reciprocal value of 44.7 %. The main phenotypic features of the strains were in agreement with the phylogenetic and genomic data. The results presented here support the description of a novel species, for which the name Vibrio sinaloensis sp. nov. is proposed, with strain CAIM 797(T) (=CECT 7298(T)) as the type strain.
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 01/2008; 58(Pt 7):1621-4.
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ABSTRACT: This paper examines the polymerization of acrylonitrile to poly(acrylonitrile)(PAN), and its cycliza-tion, in bulk form and using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent in which both monomer and polymer are soluble. Thermal analysis of the resultant products after polymerization has been per-formed by DSC and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Scanning elec-tron microscopy has been used to study the morphology of the resultant products and after thermal treatments. The DSC thermal curve of PAN-DMF sample is quite different from the PAN bulk sam-ple, showing a single sharp exothermic peak associated with nitrile group polymerization (cycliza-tion) of PAN at lower temperature (240°C) than that of bulk PAN sample (314°C). Cyclization of PAN was confirmed by IR spectroscopy. It was found that the amide molecules are difficult to eliminate completely in the product obtained after the polymerization reaction, even after prolonged heating at 110°C, and remain occluded. The formation of a complex by dipolar bonding is also pos-sible and it is discussed. It is concluded that the amount of heat evolved as well as the temperature in-terval over which it is released are influenced by the chemical processing of PAN when using DMF as solvent of both monomer and polymer. Pyrolysis of these PAN samples revealed the release of oc-cluded molecules of DMF, and several compounds containing nitrogen produced from the thermal degradation processes. All these results are interesting to know the chemical processing of carbon fibres and activated carbon fibres from PAN modified precursors.
Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 01/2002; 67:177-188. · 1.60 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The polymerization of acrylonitrile to polyacrylonitrile (PAN) has been studied using several solvents: N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), hexane, toluene, water, and in bulk form (no solvent). The addition of DMF is the only case where both monomer and polymer are soluble in the solvent. Thermal analyses of the resultant products after polymerization have been performed by differential scanning calorimetry and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The effect of the solvents employed as media for polymerization is interpreted from the results of the thermal and structural (X-ray diffraction) methods. The polymer samples obtained when using water or toluene as solvents have the greater content of amorphous components compared to the others. The amide molecules are difficult to completely eliminate in the product obtained after the polymerization reaction and even after prolonged heating at 110°C and remain occluded. DMF can be considered to exert a plasticized effect on PAN and is even capable of forming complexes by dipolar bonding. As a result of this interaction, the thermogram is quite different from the other samples studied in the present work, showing a single sharp exothermic peak. This is associated with nitrile group polymerization (cyclization) of PAN. It is deduced that the amount of heat evolved as well as the temperature interval over which it is released are influenced by the chemical processing of PAN, in particular when using DMF as solvent for both monomer and polymer. Pyrolysis of the different PAN samples revealed the release of occluded solvent molecules, mainly when using DMF, and compounds produced from the thermal degradation processes. Different types of cyclized compounds, such as pyridine derivatives and aromatic nitriles were identified. All these compounds could be derived from cyclized PAN structures which are not completely degraded by the thermal treatment of pyrolysis. Alkyldinitriles have also been tentatively identified associated with the final molecular breakdown of cyclized structures with six-member rings by pyrolysis. Valuable complementary information on the structure of the PAN samples (homopolymer) obtained using the different processing approaches involving several solvent media has been provided by pyrolysis. The present results will improve our understanding of the evolution of the structure and properties of carbon and activated carbon fibres which will enable us to establish processing strategies in order to obtain these materials under adequate and reproducible conditions.
Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 03/2001; 58-59:155-172. · 2.49 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: An initial investigation of the influence of the sacrificial oxidation process on the improvement of the quality of deposited SiC films is reported. The process is developed in three different steps: polishing of SiC heterostructures, heating in an O2 atmosphere at 1150°C for 15 h, and.finally, deoxidation of the overgrown layers. The two non-destructive techniques which have been used to characterise the ‘ready for processing’ samples are low temperature photoluminescence and Raman scattering. Experimental results show that in processed samples the interfacial stress relaxes appreciably and the photoluminescence efficiency is considerably improved.MST/3320
Materials Science and Technology 12/1995; 12(1):108-112. · 0.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: An analog signal processor using commercial 3-μm CMOS
technology has been designed and produced for the silicon luminosity
calorimeter SiCAL of the ALEPH experiment. The authors present the
results and the analysis of the various tests that have been performed
on the circuit. This processor is a modified version of the AMPLEX
integrated circuit designed for the inner silicon detector of the UA-2
experiment. The output voltage swing has been increased to more than 5.5
V are required for the large dynamic range of 1000 MIPs or 3.8 pC<sup>2
</sup>. A fast analog summation, based on a neural network principle
called follower aggregation, computes the average input charges for
triggering purposes. This chip contains 16 channels, with a charge
amplifier, shaper, track-and-hold stage, multiplexer, fast analog sum,
and a calibration system. The power consumption of the overall chip was
100 mW. The equivalent noise charge was less than 0.13 MIP for a 50 pF
detector capacitance, and the peaking time was about 250 ns
IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 09/1992; · 1.45 Impact Factor
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[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: An analog signal processor using commercial 3-μm CMOS
technology has been designed and produced for the silicon luminosity
calorimeter SiCAL of the ALEPH experiment. This processor is a modified
version of the AMPLEX integrated circuit designed for the inner silicon
detector of the UA-2 experiment. The output voltage swing has been
increased to more than 5.5 V as required for the large dynamic range of
1000 MIPs or 3.8 pC. A fast analog summation, based on a neural network
principle called follower aggregation, computes the average input
charges for triggering purposes. The chip contains 16 channels, with a
charge amplifier, shaper, track-and-hold stage, multiplexer, fast analog
sum, and calibration system. The power consumption of the overall chip
is 100 mW. The equivalent noise charge is less than 0.13 MIP (0.5 fC
RMS) for a 50-pF detector capacitance, and the peaking time is about 250
ns
Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, 1991., Conference Record of the 1991 IEEE; 12/1991
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ABSTRACT: Investigating in great detail the polarization dependence of the first-order Raman spectrum of α-AlPO4 (berlinite), we discuss the experimental results in terms of first-order (quartzlike) and folded-zone frequencies. We identify all Raman-active modes predicted by group-theory arguments and find, in many cases, a small renormalization of experimental values through the isoelectronic sequence β-SiO2, α-SiO2, α-AlPO4. This demonstrates a strong molecular character which is well accounted for by a simple model calculation in which one links, progressively, three decoupled SiO4 tetrahedra to build a quartzlike unit cell.
Phys. Rev. B. 10/1991; 44(18).
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ABSTRACT: A low-temperature investigation of the first-order Raman spectrum of TlSbS2 has been performed, and all Raman modes predicted by group-theory arguments have been resolved. Marked selection rules have been found which are not usual for a crystal with triclinic symmetry. Also, a fine structure, indicative of Davydov-like partners, has been found at low temperatures. This behavior is discussed in terms of the most important chains that underlie the crystal structure.
Phys. Rev. B. 12/1988; 38(17).
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ABSTRACT: Performing polarized reflectivity and absorption measurements in the experimental range 15–1500 cm-1, we have investigated the infrared activity of phonons in aluminum phosphate. We report both Γ2 (E∥c) and Γ3 (E⊥c) polarized components and, in order to identify all modes predicted by group theory arguments, we compare with similar measurements performed on α-quartz. We have found the following. In polarization E∥c, we resolve from reflectivity spectra all but one infrared-active Γ2 components. Since they are exclusively infrared active, they could not be found from any other technique. To investigate the missing mode, which corresponds to the folded acoustic branch, we performed a series of transmission measurements. In this way we could find a weak absorption structure, which appears at room temperature at 48 cm-1. In polarization E⊥c, we find 15 infrared-active Γ3 components which compare satisfactorily with previously published Raman data. Two modes, at 112 and 126 cm-1, form a close doublet which resolves only when running absorption measurements at liquid-helium temperature. The high-energy component (126 cm-1) comes from the folded acoustic branch and the second is the infrared counterpart in aluminum phosphate of the 128-cm-1 phonon of α-quartz. This is clearly established from a comparison of both reflection and transmission experiments performed on the same sample. Finally, performing a series of oscillator fits, we get quantitative values for (i) the LO-TO splitting of the phonon modes under consideration and (ii) the corresponding oscillator strengths. The series of parameters obtained in this way compare satisfactorily with a simple model of infrared exclusive modes in β-quartz admixed twice: first, with silent or Raman exclusive components (this is the case in the α variety) and, second, with zone-boundary modes (this appears in berlinite when doubling the length of the unit cell).
Phys. Rev. B. 10/1988; 38(12).
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ABSTRACT: The fracture behaviour of an alumina–zirconia multilayered ceramic obtained by slip casting has been evaluated and compared to monolithic alumina taken as a reference. It is found that the laminated system exhibits an apparent fracture toughness Kapt,c, calculated experimentally (SEPB) and analytically with a weight function approach, higher than twice the value determined for the monolithic material. Additionally, the experimental rupture tests accomplished indicate the existence of a threshold strength in the multilayer. The increase in Kapt,c in the laminate, associated with a pronounced R-curve behaviour, is discussed in terms of the high compressive stresses in the internal layers and their effect on the effective driving force for crack extension.
Journal of the European Ceramic Society.
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ABSTRACT: We report an investigation of the long wavelength phonons of TlSbS2 performed by far-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. In close agreement with our previous Raman work, we find strongly polarized data. Significant differences appear between the two set of infra-red and Raman frequencies which correlate well with the centrosymmetric character of some of the linear units which couple to constitute the layer.
Solid State Communications.
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D Buskulic,
D Casper,
I De Bonis,
D Decamp,
P Ghez,
C Goy,
J P Lees,
M N Minard,
P Odier,
B Pietrzyk, [......],
M Takashima,
J D Turk,
A M Walsh,
F V Weber,
E Wicklund,
Wu Sau Lan,
X Wu,
J M Yamartino,
M Zheng,
G Zobernig
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S. Akhmadaliev,
F. Albiol,
P. Amaral,
G. Ambrosini,
A. Amorim,
K. Anderson,
M.L. Andrieux,
B. Aubert,
E. Augé,
F. Badaud, [......],
A. White,
M. Wielers,
I. Wingerter-Seez,
H. Wolters,
N. Yamdagni,
G. Yarygin,
C. Yosef,
A. Zaitsev,
R. Zitoun,
Y.P. Zolnierowski
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ABSTRACT: A new combined test of an electromagnetic liquid argon accordion calorimeter and a hadronic scintillating-tile calorimeter was carried out at the CERN SPS. These devices are prototypes of the barrel calorimeter of the future ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The energy resolution of pions in the energy range from 10 to 300 GeV at an incident angle θ of about 12° is well described by the expression , where E is in GeV. The response to electrons and muons was evaluated. Shower profiles, shower leakage and the angular resolution of hadronic showers were also studied. Results are compared with those from the previous beam test.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment.
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ALEPH Collaboration,
D Buskulic,
D Casper,
I De Bonis,
D Decamp,
P Ghez,
C Goy,
JP Lees,
MN Minard,
P Odier, [......],
M Takashima,
JD Turk,
AM Walsh,
FV Weber,
E Wicklund,
SL Wu,
X Wu,
JM Yamartino,
M Zheng,
G Zobernig
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ATLAS Collaboration,
WW Armstrong,
W Burris,
DM Gingrich,
P Green,
LG Greeniaus,
JC Hewlett,
L Holm,
JW McDonald,
S Mullin, [......],
K Hamacher,
S. Kersten,
G Lenzen,
P. Middelkamp,
S Uberschar,
H Wahlen,
H. Hakopian,
V. Grabsky,
A Vartapetian,
E. Mnatsakanian
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ATLAS Collaboration,
A. Airapetian,
V. Grabsky,
H. Hakopian,
A Vartapetian,
F Fares,
GF Moorhead,
ME Sevior,
GN Taylor,
SN Tovey, [......],
T Zhao,
D Fasching,
S Gonzalez,
RC Jared,
YB Pan,
IJ Scott,
J Walsh,
SL Wu,
JM Yamartino,
G Zobernig
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ATLAS Collaboration,
A. Airapetian,
V. Grabsky,
H. Hakopian,
A Vartapetian,
F Fares,
GF Moorhead,
ME Sevior,
GN Taylor,
SN Tovey, [......],
T Zhao,
D Fasching,
S Gonzalez,
R C Jared,
YB Pan,
IJ Scott,
J Walsh,
SL Wu,
JM Yamartino,
G Zobernig
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ALEPH Collaboration,
D Decamp,
B Deschizeaux,
JP Lees,
MN Minard,
JM Crespo,
M Delfino,
E Fernandez,
M Martinez,
R Miquel, [......],
S Ritz,
Y Saadi,
V Sharma,
D Strong,
JA Wear,
FV Weber,
E Wicklund,
SL Wu,
ST Xue,
G Zobernig
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence of a bias for emotional information (panic-related, depression-related, positive and neutral) in explicit memory and implicit memory (by means of free recall and word-stem completion tasks, respectively) among depressed (N=20) and panic (N=20) patients. Three different encoding conditions (graphemic, semantic and self-reference) were used. The results of this study failed to show the existence of a mood-congruent memory bias for both implicit and explicit memory in these emotional disorders. According to the correlational analyses performed, differences among categories of emotional words meant less than the difference among various types of encoding and memory bias in order to differentiate among groups.
Behaviour Research and Therapy.
