| 1. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
-
PHENIX detector overview
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 469-479
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX detector is designed to perform a broad study of A-A, p-A, and p-p collisions to investigate nuclear matter under extreme conditions. A wide variety of probes, sensitive to all timescales, are used to study systematic variations with species and energy as well as to measure the spin structure of the nucleon. Designing for the needs of the heavy-ion and polarized-proton programs has produced a detector with unparalleled capabilities. PHENIX measures electron and muon pairs, photons, and hadrons with excellent energy and momentum resolution. The detector consists of a large number of subsystems that are discussed in other papers in this volume. The overall design parameters of the detector are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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Double helicity asymmetry in inclusive midrapidity pi(0) production for polarized p+p collisions at root s=200 GeV
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 93:20: 202002
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a measurement of the double longitudinal spin asymmetry in inclusive pi(0) production in polarized proton-proton collisions at roots=200 GeV. The data were taken at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider with average beam polarizations of 0.27. The measurements are the first in a program to study the longitudinal spin structure of the proton, using strongly interacting probes, at collider energies. The asymmetry is presented for transverse momenta 1-5 GeV/c at midrapidity, where next-to-leading-order perturbative quantum chromodynamic (NLO pQCD) calculations well describe the unpolarized cross section. The observed asymmetry is small and is compared to a NLO pQCD calculation with a range of polarized gluon distributions.
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| 4. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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Elliptic flow of identified hadrons in Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 91:18: 182301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The anisotropy parameter (v(2)), the second harmonic of the azimuthal particle distribution, has been measured with the PHENIX detector in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=200 GeV for identified and inclusive charged particle production at central rapidities (eta<0.35) with respect to the reaction plane defined at high rapidities (eta=3-4 ). We observe that the v(2) of mesons falls below that of (anti)baryons for p(T)>2 GeV/c, in marked contrast to the predictions of a hydrodynamical model. A quark-coalescence model is also investigated.
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| 5. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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Bose-Einstein correlations of charged pion pairs in Au+Au collisions at root(NN)-N-s = 200 GeV
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 93:15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bose-Einstein correlations of identically charged pion pairs were measured by the PHENIX experiment at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=200 GeV. The Bertsch-Pratt radius parameters were determined as a function of the transverse momentum of the pair and as a function of the centrality of the collision. Using the standard core-halo partial Coulomb fits, and a new parametrization which constrains the Coulomb fraction as determined from the unlike-sign pion correlation, the ratio R-out/R-side is within 0.8-1.1 for 0.25<<1.2 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of all radii is well described by a linear scaling in N-part(1/3), and R-out/R-side for similar to0.45 GeV/c is approximately constant at unity as a function of centrality.
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| 6. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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J/psi production from proton-proton collisions at root s=200 GeV
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 92:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- J/psi production has been measured in proton-proton collisions at roots=200 GeV over a wide rapidity and transverse momentum range by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Distributions of the rapidity and transverse momentum, along with measurements of the mean transverse momentum and total production cross section are presented and compared to available theoretical calculations. The total J/psi cross section is 4.0+/-0.6(stat)+/-0.6(syst)+/-0.4(abs) mub. The mean transverse momentum is 1.80+/-0.23(stat)+/-0.16(syst) GeV/c.
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| 7. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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J/psi production in Au-Au collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 69:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- First results on charm quarkonia production in heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are presented. The yield of J/psi's measured in the PHENIX experiment via electron-positron decay pairs at midrapidity for Au-Au reactions at roots(NN) = 200 GeV is analyzed as a function of collision centrality. For this analysis we have studied 49.3x10(6) minimum bias Au-Au reactions. We present the J/psi invariant yield dN/dy for peripheral and midcentral reactions. For the most central collisions where we observe no signal above background, we quote 90% confidence level upper limits. We compare these results with our J/psi measurement from proton-proton reactions at the same energy. We find that our measurements are not consistent with models that predict strong enhancement relative to binary collision scaling.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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Scaling properties of proton and antiproton production in root s(NN)=200 GeV Au+Au collisions
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 91:17: 172301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the yield of protons and antiprotons, as a function of centrality and transverse momentum, in Au+Au collisions at rootS(NN)=200 GeV measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In central collisions at intermediate transverse momenta (1.5
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Net charge fluctuations in Au+Au interactions root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data from Au+ Au interactions at s(NN)=130 GeV, obtained with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, are used to investigate local net charge fluctuations among particles produced near midrapidity. According to recent suggestions, such fluctuations may carry information from the quark-gluon plasma. This analysis shows that the fluctuations are dominated by a stochastic distribution of particles, but are also sensitive to other effects, like global charge conservation and resonance decays.
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| 12. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Centrality dependence of the high (PT) charged hadron suppression in Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physics Letters. Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - 0370-2693. ; 561:1-2, s. 82-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p(T) spectra from Au +An collisions at root(s)NN = 130 GeV The truncated mean p(T) decreases with centrality for p(T) > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p(T) hadrdn production. For central collisions the yield at high p(T) is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p + p, data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e., for collisions with less than similar to140 participating nucleons. The observed p(T) and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
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| 13. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Event-by-event fluctuations in mean p(T) and mean E(T) in root s(NN)=130 GeVAu+Au collisions
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 66:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Distributions of event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum and mean transverse energy near mid-rapidity have been measured in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=130 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. By comparing the distributions to what is expected for statistically independent particle emission, the magnitude of nonstatistical fluctuations in mean transverse momentum is determined to be consistent with zero. Also, no significant nonrandom fluctuations in mean transverse energy are observed. By constructing a fluctuation model with two event classes that preserve the mean and variance of the semi-inclusive p(T) or e(T) spectra, we exclude a region of fluctuations in roots(NN)=130 GeV Au+Au collisions.
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| 14. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Flow Measurements via Two-Particle Azimuthal Correlations in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two-particle azimuthal correlation functions are presented for charged hadrons produced in Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV). The measurements permit determination of elliptic flow without event-by-event estimation of the reaction plane. The extracted elliptic flow values (v2) show significant sensitivity to both the collision centrality and the transverse momenta of emitted hadrons, suggesting rapid thermalization and relatively strong velocity fields. When scaled by the eccentricity of the collision zone ε, the scaled elliptic flow shows little or no dependence on centrality for charged hadrons with relatively low pT. A breakdown of this ε scaling is observed for charged hadrons with pT >1.0 GeV/c.
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| 15. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of Lambda and (Lambda)over-bar particles in Au plus Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present results on the measurement of Lambda and (&ULambda;) over bar production in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=130 GeV with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The transverse momentum spectra were measured for minimum bias and for the 5% most central events. The (&ULambda;) over bar/Lambda ratios are constant as a function of p(T) and the number of participants. The measured net Lambda density is significantly larger than predicted by models based on hadronic strings (e.g., HIJING) but in approximate agreement with models which include the gluon-junction mechanism.
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| 16. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of single electrons and implications for charm production in Au+Au collisions at root(NN)-N-S=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:19
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transverse momentum spectra of electrons from Au+Au collisions at roots(NN) = 130 GeV have been measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The spectra show an excess above the background from photon conversions and light hadron decays. The electron signal is consistent with that expected from semileptonic decays of charm. The yield of the electron signal dN(e)/dy for p(T) > 0.8 GeV/c is 0.025 +/- 0.004(stat) +/- 0.010( syst) in central collisions, and the corresponding charm cross section is 380 +/- 60(stat) +/- 200(syst ) mub per binary nucleon-nucleon collision.
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| 17. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Suppression of hadrons with large transverse momentum in central Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transverse momentum spectra for charged hadrons and for neutral pions in the range 1 Gev/c < P-T < 5 GeV/c have been measured by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in Au + Au collisions at rootS(NN) = 130 GeV. At high p(T) the spectra from peripheral nuclear collisions are consistent with scaling the spectra from p + p collisions by the average number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The spectra from central collisions are significantly suppressed when compared to the binary-scaled p + p expectation, and also when compared to similarly binary-scaled peripheral collisions, indicating a novel nuclear-medium effect in central nuclear collisions at RHIC energies.
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| 18. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Transverse-mass dependence of two-pion correlations in Au+Au collisions at root(NN)-N-S=130 GeV
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:19
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two-pion correlations in roots(NN) = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC have been measured over a broad range of pair transverse momentum k(T) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The k(T) dependent transverse radii are similar to results from heavy-ion collisions at roots(NN) = 4.1 , 4.9, and 17.3 GeV, whereas the longitudinal radius increases monotonically with beam energy. The ratio of the outwards to sidewards transverse radii (R-out/R-side) is consistent with unity and independent of k(T) .
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| 19. |
- Adler, SS, et al.
(författare)
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PHENIX on-line systems
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 560-592
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX On-Line system takes signals from the Front End Modules (FEM) on each detector subsystem for the purpose of generating events for physics analysis. Processing of event data begins when the Data Collection Modules (DCM) receive data via fiber-optic links from the FEMs. The DCMs format and zero suppress the data and generate data packets. These packets go to the Event Builders (EvB) that assemble the events in final form. The Level-1 trigger (LVL1) generates a decision for each beam crossing and eliminates uninteresting events. The FEMs carry out all detector processing of the data so that it is delivered to the DCMs using a standard format. The FEMs also provide buffering for LVL1 trigger processing and DCM data collection. This is carried out using an architecture that is pipelined and deadtimeless. All of this is controlled by the Master Timing System (MTS) that distributes the RHIC clocks. A Level-2 trigger (LVL2) gives additional discrimination. A description of the components and operation of the PHENIX On-Line system is given and the solution to a number of electronic infrastructure problems are discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 20. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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PHENIX central arm tracking detectors
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 489-507
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PHENIX tracking system consists of Drift Chambers (DC), Pad Chambers (PC) and the Time Expansion Chamber (TEC). PC1/DC and PC2/TEC/PC3 form the inner and outer tracking units, respectively. These units link the track segments that transverse the RICH and extend to the EMCal. The DC measures charged particle trajectories in the r-phi direction to determine P-T of the particles and the invariant mass of particle pairs. The PCs perform 3D spatial point measurements for pattern recognition and longitudinal momentum reconstruction and provide spatial resolution of a few mm in both r-phi and z. The TEC tracks particles passing through the region between the RICH and the EMCal. The design and operational parameters of the detectors are presented and running experience during the first year of data taking with PHENIX is discussed. The observed spatial and momentum resolution is given which imposes a limitation on the identification and characterization of charged particles in various momentum ranges. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Pfohl, J., et al.
(författare)
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Highly deformed rotational structures in 136Pm
- 2000
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Ingår i: Physical Review C - Nuclear Physics. - 0556-2813. ; 62:3, s. 313041-313045
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Four highly deformed structures in the odd-odd nucleus 13661Pm75 were observed via the 105Pd(35Cl,2p2n) reaction at 180 and 173 MeV using the GAMMASPHERE γ-ray spectrometer and the Microball charged-particle detector array. Quadrupole moment measurements were performed on all of the bands. In contrast to lighter odd-Ζ Pm and Pr nuclei, bands based on the g9/2[404]9/2 proton orbital were not observed. Instead, the four observed sequences are assigned as a coupling of an i13/2 neutron with the low-Ω h11/2 and mixed d5/2g7/2 orbitals. Comparisons with neighboring highly deformed structures are discussed and cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations for 136Pm are presented.
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| 23. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(författare)
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Construction and performance of the PHENIX pad chambers
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 497:2-3, s. 263-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the Pad Chamber detector system in the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The three station system provides space points along each track in the spectrometer arms at mid-rapidity and covers a total area of 88 m(2). Its main functions are to provide the track coordinate along the beam and to ensure reliable pattern recognition at very high particle multiplicity. A new concept for two dimensional wire chamber readout via its finely segmented cathode was developed. The full readout system, comprising 172 800 electronic channels, is described together with the challenging design of the chambers. The electronics, mounted on the outer chamber face, together with the chamber itself amounts to 1.2% of a radiation length. Results from cosmic ray tests, showing an average efficiency better than 99.5% for all chambers are presented. The experiences from the full scale operation in the first run are reported. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Sever, P. S., et al.
(författare)
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Prevention of coronary and stroke events with atorvastatin in hypertensive patients who have average or lower-than-average cholesterol concentrations, in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial--Lipid Lowering Arm (ASCOT-LLA): a multicentre randomised controlled trial
- 2004
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Ingår i: Drugs. - 0012-6667. ; 64 Suppl 2, s. 43-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The lowering of cholesterol concentrations in individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease improves outcome. No study, however, has assessed benefits of cholesterol lowering in the primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) in hypertensive patients who are not conventionally deemed dyslipidaemic. METHODS: Of 19 342 hypertensive patients (aged 40-79 years with at least three other cardiovascular risk factors) randomised to one of two antihypertensive regimens in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial, 10,305 with nonfasting total cholesterol concentrations 6.5 mmol/L or less were randomly assigned additional atorvastatin 10 mg or placebo. These patients formed the lipid-lowering arm of the study. We planned follow-up for an average of 5 years, the primary endpoint being non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal CHD. Data were analysed by intention to treat. FINDINGS: Treatment was stopped after a median follow-up of 3.3 years. By that time, 100 primary events had occurred in the atorvastatin group compared with 154 events in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0.64 [95% CI 0.50-0.83], p = 0.0005). This benefit emerged in the first year of follow-up. There was no significant heterogeneity among prespecified subgroups. Fatal and non-fatal stroke (89 atorvastatin vs 121 placebo, 0.73 [0.56-0.96], p = 0.024), total cardiovascular events (389 vs 486, 0.79 [0.69-0.90], p = 0.0005), and total coronary events (178 vs 247, 0.71 [0.59-0.86], p = 0.0005) were also significantly lowered. There were 185 deaths in the atorvastatin group and 212 in the placebo group (0.87 [0.71-1.06], p = 0.16). Atorvastatin lowered total serum cholesterol by about 1.3 mmol/L compared with placebo at 12 months, and by 1.1 mmol/L after 3 years of follow-up. INTERPRETATION: The reductions in major cardiovascular events with atorvastatin are large, given the short follow-up time. These findings may have implications for future lipid-lowering guidelines.
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| 30. |
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Khodaei-O'Brien, S, et al.
(författare)
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Heterogeneity at the 5'-end of MEN1 transcripts
- 2000
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Ingår i: Biochemical and biophysical research communications. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X. ; 276:2, s. 508-514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Omland, T, et al.
(författare)
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N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Long-Term Mortality in Acute Coronary Syndromes
- 2002
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Ingår i: Circulation. - : American Heart Association. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 106:20, s. 2913-2918
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ackground— B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a predictor of short- and medium-term prognosis across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The N-terminal fragment of the BNP prohormone, N-BNP, may be an even stronger prognostic marker. We assessed the relation between subacute plasma N-BNP levels and long-term, all-cause mortality in a large, contemporary cohort of patients with ACS. Methods and Results— Blood samples for N-BNP determination were obtained in the subacute phase in 204 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI): 220 with non-ST segment elevation MI and 185 with unstable angina in the subacute phase. After a median follow-up of 51 months, 86 patients (14%) had died. Median N-BNP levels were significantly lower in long-term survivors than in patients dying (442 versus 1306 pmol/L; P<0.0001). The unadjusted risk ratio of patients with supramedian N-BNP levels was 3.9 (95% confidence interval, 2.4 to 6.5). In a multivariate Cox regression model, N-BNP (risk ratio 2.1 [95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.9]) added prognostic information above and beyond Killip class, patient age, and left ventricular ejection fraction. Adjustment for peak troponin T levels did not markedly alter the relation between N-BNP and mortality. In patients with no evidence of clinical heart failure, N-BNP remained a significant predictor of mortality after adjustment for age and ejection fraction (risk ratio, 2.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 5.4]). Conclusions— N-BNP is a powerful indicator of long-term mortality in patients with ACS and provides prognostic information above and beyond conventional risk markers.
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Tosteson, ANA, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges for model-based economic evaluations of postmenopausal osteoporosis interventions
- 2001
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Ingår i: Osteoporosis international. - : Springer Nature. - 1433-2965 .- 0937-941X. ; 12:10, s. 849-857
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assessing the cost-effectiveness of long-term treatment for osteoporosis requires use of mathematical models to estimate health effects and costs for competing interventions. The primary motivations for model-based analyses include the lack of long-term clinical trial outcome data and the lack of data comparing all relevant treatments within randomized clinical trials. We report on specific modeling challenges that arose in the development of a model of the natural history of postmenopausal osteoporosis that is suitable for assessing the cost-effectiveness of osteoporosis interventions among various population subgroups in diverse countries. These include choice of modeling changes in bone mineral density (BMD) or in fracture rate, definition of health states, modeling mortality and costs of long-term care following fracture, incorporation of health utility, and model validation. This report should facilitate future postmenopausal osteoporosis model development and provide insight for decisionmakers who must evaluate model-based economic analyses of postmenopausal osteoporosis interventions.
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| 44. |
- Weinstein, M.C., et al.
(författare)
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Principles of Good Practice for Decision Analytic Modeling in Health-Care Evaluation: Report of the ISPOR Task Force on Good Research Practices—Modeling Studies
- 2003
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Ingår i: Value in health. - : Elsevier Inc. - 1524-4733 .- 1098-3015. ; 6:1, s. 9-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mathematical modeling is used widely in economic evaluations of pharmaceuticals and other health-care technologies. Users of models in government and the private sector need to be able to evaluate the quality of models according to scientific criteria of good practice. This report describes the consensus of a task force convened to provide modelers with guidelines for conducting and reporting modeling studies. The task force was appointed with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors of ISPOR. Members were experienced developers or users of models, worked in academia and industry, and came from several countries in North America and Europe. The task force met on three occasions, conducted frequent correspondence and exchanges of drafts by electronic mail, and solicited comments on three drafts from a core group of external reviewers and more broadly from the membership of ISPOR. Criteria for assessing the quality of models fell into three areas: model structure, data used as inputs to models, and model validation. Several major themes cut across these areas. Models and their results should be represented as aids to decision making, not as statements of scientific fact; therefore, it is inappropriate to demand that models be validated prospectively before use. However, model assumptions regarding causal structure and parameter estimates should be continually assessed against data, and models should be revised accordingly. Structural assumptions and parameter estimates should be reported clearly and explicitly, and opportunities for users to appreciate the conditional relationship between inputs and outputs should be provided through sensitivity analyses. Model-based evaluations are a valuable resource for health-care decision makers. It is the responsibility of model developers to conduct modeling studies according to the best practicable standards of quality and to communicate results with adequate disclosure of assumptions and with the caveat that conclusions are conditional upon the assumptions and data on which the model is built.
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