Coupling of conduction electrons to two-level systems formed by hydrogen: a scattering approach.

An effective Hamiltonian for a two-level system (TLS) which could model the interaction between a tunneling proton and the conduction electrons of a metal is investigated in a comparative way. In the conventional first-order Born approximation with plane waves, and for small-distance displacement of the tunneling particle, a simple correlation between the atomic motion and angular momentum change of the scattering electron is deduced. For such a displacement, and within a distorted wave Born approximation for initial and final states, the change in the scattering amplitude is expressed via bounded trigonometric functions of the corresponding difference of scattering phase shifts. The numerical value of this amplitude change is analyzed in the framework of a self-consistent screening description for an impurity embedding in a paramagnetic electron gas. The coupling thus obtained of the tunneling proton to a homogeneous electron gas is too weak to be in the range required for realization of the two-channel Kondo effect.

Dopamine: its potential for inducing ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.

As an agent potentially capable of inducing ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease, dopamine administered intravenously was evaluated as a pharmacologic stress agent by supine radionuclide angiography, and the results were compared with ergometer exercise. In a preliminary group of 11 subjects (4 normal subjects and 7 patients with coronary disease), dopamine alone was administered in increments of 2.5 micrograms/kg per min to a maximum of 15 micrograms/kg per min. There were significant differences between exercise and dopamine in maximal stress heart rates, 129.3 +/- 30.0 versus 88.0 +/- 35.8 beats/min (p less than 0.05) in normal subjects and 118.9 +/- 21.1 versus 87.6 +/- 22.6 beats/min (p less than 0.05) in patients with coronary disease, as well as in maximal stress rate-pressure products, 213.3 +/- 51.4 versus 155.0 +/- 52.5 mm Hg/min X 10(2) (p less than 0.02) in normal subjects and 216.0 +/- 45.6 versus 161.0 +/- 48.6 mm Hg/min X 10(2) (p less than 0.003) in patients with coronary disease. As a result, in these patients the ejection fraction response was significantly different: -3.3 +/- 4.5% with exercise versus + 6.3 +/- 4.6% with dopamine (p less than 0.05). In a second group of 41 subjects (9 normal subjects and 32 patients with coronary disease), atropine (0.6 mg) was administered intravenously before and after every second dopamine dose increment. This produced statistically similar maximal stress heart rates as compared with exercise in all subjects, rate-pressure products in normal subjects and slightly higher values with dopamine in patients with coronary disease: 200.3 +/- 47.2 versus 183.1 +/- 43.0 (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects on ventricular function of disopyramide, procainamide and quinidine as determined by radionuclide angiography.

To evaluate the effects of the 3 commonly used antiarrhythmic agents--disopyramide, procainamide and quinidine--on left ventricular (LV) function, these 3 agents were administered in random sequence after control radionuclide angiography performed at rest and during exercise in 17 patients. Drug dosages were tailored to achieve therapeutic blood levels 5 minutes before and 2 to 3 hours after drug administration. The mean dose of disopyramide was 141 +/- 26 mg every 6 hours, procainamide, 441 +/- 100 mg every 4 hours, and quinidine, 401 +/- 101 mg of the gluconate preparation every 6 hours. The patients received the appropriate dosage for 7 or more days before repeat radionuclide angiography was performed. The ejection fraction at rest was: control 60 +/- 13%, disopyramide 55 +/- 11%, procainamide 58 +/- 11%, and quinidine 59 +/- 12%. The exercise ejection fraction was: control 61 +/- 14%, disopyramide 58 +/- 13%, procainamide 58 +/- 12% and quinidine 61 +/- 13%. In neither case, at rest nor during exercise was there any significant difference observed between any of the agents or between any individual agent and control. However, at rest 8 subjects had a 5% or more decrease from the control value with disopyramide, 5 had a 5% or more decrease with procainamide and 6 had a 5% or more decrease with quinidine, whereas during exercise the decreases were 8, 6 and 5%, respectively. These values were not statistically different but suggest that caution should be taken in administering all 3 agents, particularly to patients with impaired LV function, because individual sensitivity to a given agent may precipitate a significant decline in LV function.

Theory of the fano resonance in the STM tunneling density of states due to a single kondo impurity

The conduction electron density of states nearby single magnetic impurities, as measured recently by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), is calculated, taking into account tunneling into conduction electron states only. The Kondo effect induces a narrow Fano resonance in the conduction electron density of states. The line shape varies with the distance between STM tip and impurity, in qualitative agreement with experiments, but is very sensitive to details of the band structure. For a Co impurity the experimentally observed width and shift of the Kondo resonance are in accordance with those obtained from a combination of band structure and strongly correlated calculations.