bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A systematic review and meta‐analysis comparing second‐generation cryoballoon and contact force radiofrequency ablation for initial ablation of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation
Authors: Ravi Venkatesh , Poudyal Abhushan , Pulipati Priyanjali , Larsen Timothy , Krishnan Kousik , Trohman Richard G. , Sharma Parikshit S. , Huang Henry D. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIntroductionCryoballoon ablation (CBA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are the preferred modalities for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Technological advances have improved procedural outcomes, warranting an updated comparison. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CBA–2nd generation (CBA‐2G) in comparison to RFA‐contact force (RFA‐CF) in patients with AF.MethodsMEDLINE, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched until 03/01/2020 for relevant studies comparing CBA‐2G versus RFA‐CF in patients undergoing initial catheter ablation for AF.ResultsA total of 17 studies, involving 11 793 patients were included. There was no difference between the two groups in the outcomes of freedom from atrial arrhythmia (p = .67) and total procedural complications (p = .65). There was a higher incidence of phrenic nerve palsy in CBA‐2G (odds ratio: 10.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.85 to 19.55; p < .001). Procedure duration was shorter (mean difference: −31.32 min; 95% CI: −40.73 to −21.92; p < .001) and fluoroscopy duration was longer (+3.21 min; 95% CI: 1.09 to 5.33; p = .003) in CBA‐2G compared to RFA‐CF. In the subgroup analyses of patients with persistent AF and >1 freeze lesion delivered per vein, there was no difference in freedom from atrial arrhythmia.ConclusionsIn AF patients undergoing initial ablation, CBA‐2G and RFA‐CF were equally efficacious. The procedure duration was shorter, but with a higher incidence of phrenic nerve palsy in CBA‐2G. In patients with persistent AF, there was no difference in the efficacy between CBA‐2G or RFA‐CF techniques.
SNP rs2243828 in MPO associated with myeloperoxidase level and atrial fibrillation risk in Chinese Han population
Authors: Wang Pengyun , Cheng Mian , Wang Pengxia , Xiong Liang , Zeng Yali , Tu Xin , Zhang Rongfeng , Xia Yunlong , Wu Gang , Wang Qing , Cheng Xiang , Xu Chengqi 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPrevious studies shown that myeloperoxidase (MPO) level is higher in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF); however, no genetic evidence between MPO and AF risk in human population was observed. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the association between rs2243828, a variant in promoter region of MPO and the risk of AF in Chinese GeneID population. The results demonstrated that the minor G allele of rs2243828 showed a significant association with AF in two independent population (GeneID‐north population with 694 AF cases and 710 controls, adjusted P‐adj = 6.25 × 10−3 with an odds ratio was 0.77, GeneID‐central population with 1106 cases and 1501 controls, P‐adj = 9.88 × 10−5 with an odds ratio was 0.75). The results also showed G allele was significantly associated with lower plasma concentration of myeloperoxidase in general population. We also observed a significant difference of odds ratio between subgroups of hypertension and non‐hypertension. Therefore, our findings identified variant in MPO associated with risk of AF and it may give strong evidence to link the inflammation with the incidence of AF.
Counts of coral reef fishes by an experienced observer are not biased by the number of target species
Authors: Cheal Alistair J. , Emslie Michael J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractFishes are commercially, recreationally and functionally important inhabitants of coral reefs. Accordingly, accurate assessments of fish abundance and diversity are necessary for effective reef management. While some reef fish monitoring programmes target all fishes, many survey a subset of common and visually obvious species. Changing to counts of all species, while desirable, risks new and unwelcome biases from altered observer swimming speeds and search patterns. Here we test whether substantially increasing the number of target species in an established fish monitoring programme biases counts of the original subset, so precluding ongoing comparisons with historical data. A subset of 141 fish species have been visually surveyed along 50 × 5 m transects over 27 years throughout Australia's Great Barrier Reef. We experimentally compared counts of the subset from standard subset‐only surveys and from surveys of all species (excluding small site‐attached fishes that are surveyed separately) at three diverse reefs. Subset species richness and abundance, in total and of major families, and assemblage structure did not differ due to survey method. The high‐level experience of the one observer appeared to overcome new biases from counting more species and the extra 2 min/transect was not logistically excessive. Surveys of all fishes recorded almost 80% more species than subset‐only surveys and >130% higher total abundance on average from >150% more genera that included abundant and functionally important taxa. Overall, fish counts by an experienced observer were not biased by the number of species surveyed and counts of all species markedly improved assessments of reef fish diversity and function.
Self‐management programmes for cirrhosis: A systematic review
Authors: Boudreault Samuel , Chen Junqiao , Wu Kevin Y. , Plüddemann Annette , Heneghan Carl 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackground and aimsLiver cirrhosis severely decreases patients' quality of life. Since self‐management programmes have improved quality of life and reduce hospital admissions in other chronic diseases, they have been suggested to decrease liver cirrhosis burden.MethodsWe performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to evaluate the clinical impact of self‐management programmes in patients with liver cirrhosis, which followed the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Primary outcomes include health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and hospitalisation. We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and two trial registers to July 2017.ResultsWe identified four randomised trials (299 patients) all rated at a high risk of bias. No difference was demonstrated for HRQOL (standardised mean difference −0.01, 95% CI: −0.48 to 0.46) and hospitalisation days (incidence rate ratio 1.6, 95% CI: 0.5–4.8). For secondary outcomes, one study found a statistically significant improvement in patient knowledge (mean difference (MD) 3.68, 95% CI: 2.11–5.25) while another study found an increase in model for end‐stage liver disease scores (MD 2.8, 95% CI: 0.6–4.9) in the self‐management group. No statistical difference was found for the other secondary outcomes (self‐efficacy, psychological health outcomes, healthcare utilisation, mortality). Overall, the quality of the evidence was low. The content of self‐management programmes varied across studies with little overlap.ConclusionsThe current literature indicates that there is no evidence of a benefit of self‐management programmes for people with cirrhosis.Relevance to clinical practicePractitioners should use self‐management programmes with caution when delivering care to patients living with cirrhosis. Further research is required to determine what are the key features in a complex intervention like self‐management. This review offers a preliminary framework for clinicians to develop a new self‐management programme with key features of effective self‐management interventions from established models.
Sharing the cure: Building primary care and public health infrastructure to improve the hepatitis C care continuum in Maryland
Authors: Irvin Risha , Ntiri‐Reid Boatemaa , Kleinman Mary , Agee Tracy , Hitt Jeffrey , Anaedozie Onyeka , Arowolo Tolu , Cassidy‐Stewart Hope , Bush CaSaundra , Wilson Lucy E. , Millman Alexander J. , Nelson Noele P. , Canary Lauren , Brinkley Sherilyn , Moon Juhi , Falade‐Nwulia Oluwaseun , Sulkowski Mark S. , Thomas David L. , Melia Michael T. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn 2014, trained healthcare provider capacity was insufficient to deliver care to an estimated 70 000 persons in Maryland with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The goal of Maryland Community Based Programs to Test and Cure Hepatitis C, a public health implementation project, was to improve HCV treatment access by expanding the workforce. Sharing the Cure (STC) was a package of services deployed 10/1/14‐9/30/18 that included enhanced information technology and public health infrastructure, primary care provider training and practice transformation. Nine primary care sites enrolled. HCV clinical outcomes were documented among individuals who presented for care at sites and met criteria for HCV testing including risk factor or birth cohort (born between 1945 and 1965) based testing. Fifty‐three providers completed the STC training. STC providers identified 3237 HCV antibody‐positive patients of which 2624 (81%) were RNA+. Of those HCV RNA+, 1739 (66%) were staged, 932 (36%) were prescribed treatment, 838 (32%) started treatment, 721 (27%) completed treatment and 543 (21%) achieved cure. Among 1739 patients staged, 693 (40%) patients had a liver fibrosis assessment score < F2, rendering them ineligible for treatment under Maryland Medicaid guidelines. HCV RNA testing among HCV antibody‐positive people increased from 40% (baseline) to 95% among STC providers. Of 554 patients with virologic data reported, 543 (98%) achieved cure. Primary care practices can effectively serve as HCV treatment centers to expand treatment access. However, criteria by insurance providers in Maryland were a major barrier to treatment.
Improving the safety and quality of the intra‐hospital transport of critically ill patients
Authors: Alizadeh Sharafi Rahimeh , Ghahramanian Akram , Sheikhalipour Zahra , Ghafourifard Mansour , Ghasempour Mostafa 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundAdverse events during patient transport are common and may threaten critically ill patients' lives.AimThis study aimed to determine the incidence of adverse events during intra‐hospital transport and to obtain suggestions from critical care nurses for improving the transportation process.DesignThis was a cross‐sectional study.MethodsThis study was carried out with 160 critical care nurses between September 2018 and January 2019. Data were collected through a semi‐structured interview using a 53‐item questionnaire developed by Brunsveld‐Reinders et al. It assesses nurses' experiences of adverse events during the three phases of intra‐hospital transport related to equipment, patient physiology, monitoring, medications, and fluid management. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics in SPSS software, and the responses of open‐ended questions were analysed using a conventional qualitative content analysis.ResultsOn scales from 0 to 10, the mean (and SD) values of fear, confidence, and skill to carry out a safe intra‐hospital transport were 2.66 (2.73), 6.45 (3.16), and 7.75 (1.55), respectively. The most important causes of feeling afraid or unconfident about the transport among the nurses were unstable patient condition, cardiac arrest, extubation, and oxygen desaturation. In all three phases, oxygen desaturation, haemodynamic instability, and agitation were reported as the most frequent events. The most important suggestions by nurses for improving the transport process were related to paying attention to the patient's clinical condition and connections before, during, and after the transfer.ConclusionsAlong with the acquisition and improvement of technical and tactical skills, adequate human resources and appropriate equipment can improve the quality of intra‐hospital transport.Relevance to clinical practiceNurses are key members of the transport team and lead the team. They are responsible for keeping patients safe during transport. By identifying adverse events and trying to modify risk factors, nurses can improve patients' safety.
Bulking as a Mechanism in the Failure of Advanced Ceramics
Authors: Koch Brendan M. L. , Lo Calvin , Sano Tomoko , Hogan James David 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Failure in brittle materials is characterized by crack growth and fracture, processes which involve an increase in the volume of a sample to accommodate these cracks. This process is called bulking and it is known to be an important factor in the failure of materials such as ceramics, stone, and concrete. While volumetric strains are obtainable under quasi-static conditions, under dynamic conditions technical challenges have stood in the way of obtaining multi-dimensional strain data that would allow for assessment of bulking under the sort loading conditions that would simulate a high velocity impact. Advances in digital-image-correlation and ultra-high-speed-photography have however opened up the capacity to obtain this higher dimensional data. This data in turn has prompted an assessment of prior theory to produce a framework through which stress-strain behavior can be expressed in terms of changes to multiple elastic constants simultaneously. This presentation offers initial results in quasi-static and dynamic experiments and discusses the implications for brittle material behavior and crack evolution phenomenon under a variety of conditions.
Deformation and Acceleration of Zn and Cu Liners under Explosive Shock Loading
Authors: Sutipanya Puwadet , Saito Fumikazu , Nakashita Mitsuyori , Ogino Takashi , Takizawa Yutaka , Okada Yohsuke , Natsubori Masahiko 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Shaped charge jets (SCJs) are of interest in the field of ballistics because of their excellent penetration ability. The various characteristics of an SCJ, such as density, temperature and length of the jet, are important when estimating the expected penetration depth. Therefore, these characteristics have been widely researched [1-5]. Zernow studied the density deficit associated with an in-flight jet using densitometry [1]. This prior work determined that the 15-20% density deficit of a Cu jet (as reported by Jamet [2]) includes a temperature contribution of 3.5%, an experimental error of 5% and a so-called “vacancy avalanche” contribution of 6.5%. Uhlig and Hummer measured the conductivity and temperature of in-flight Cu SCJs by employing a novel magnetic diffusion technique and five color radiometry. The resulting conductivity values indicated that the tip of the SCJ had a bulk temperature on the order of 1200 K, which is in the vicinity of the melting point of Cu (1350 K) [3]. Hertel et al. developed an analytical model for the SCJ formation process. CTH calculations utilizing their analytical model accurately predicted the thermodynamic characteristics of the SCJ [4, 5]. Huang quantified the density of an SCJ and reported the density distribution based on evaluating the x-ray absorption coefficient of a metal jet [6], and found that the density of a powder metal jet decreases toward the jet tip as the jet elongates. These prior reports indicate that observations of various jet features under high temperature conditions (close to the melting point) can be a useful means of assessing the density deficit of an SCJ.
Modelling the deformation of a high-hardness armour steel in Taylor rod-on-anvil experiments
Authors: Ryan Shannon , McDonald Brodie , Scott Nikki , Bigger Rory , Chocron Sidney 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
A high hardness armour steel (HHA) has been subjected to mechanical characterization under tension, compression, and shear loading at quasi-static and dynamic rates incorporating ambient and elevated temperatures. The resulting data has been used to derive constants for four plasticity constitutive models: Johnson-Cook (JC), Zerilli-Armstrong (ZA), modified Johnson-Cook (MJC), and a generalized J2-J3 yield surface (GYS). The resulting models have been used to predict the response of the HHA material during Taylor rod-on-anvil experiments. High speed photography and digital image correlation was used during the rod-on-anvil experiments to capture both transient deformation profiles and maximum principal strain along the surface of the rod (i.e. compression along the length of the rod). The JC, MJC, and GYS models were found to provide the best prediction of the shape of the rod (nose diameter and length), within 2% of the experimental measurement in all four rod-on-anvil experiments which did not result in fracture. The JC and GYS models, furthermore, were found to provide the best agreement with the measured transient surface strain profiles, predicting the experimental measurement to within 10% at all measurement locations and time steps for the experiment resulting in maximum deformation (impact velocity = 208 m/s). The results suggest that the added complexity of models such as the MJC and GYS, which incorporate strain hardening saturation, two-part strain rate dependency, and J3 plasticity effects, are unnecessary for HHA under the loading conditions experienced during rod-on-anvil experiments.
Modelling the Fracture of High-Hardness Armour Steel in Taylor Rod-on-Anvil Experiments
Authors: McDonald Brodie , Ryan Shannon , Cimpoeru Stephen J. , Edwards Nathan , Orifici Adrian 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
A series of Taylor rod-on-anvil experiments have been performed to validate the predicted impact velocity fracture threshold and fracture mode of a high hardness armour steel (HHA) obtained through explicit finite element simulations. Experimentally, the rods exhibited principal shear failure, a condition that can be closely linked to adiabatic shear band (ASB) formation in high strength steel. Using a stress triaxiality and Lode angle dependent failure strain criterion (Basaran 3D fracture locus), calibrated from quasi-static mechanical characterisation tests, the simulations were unable to predict the onset of fracture observed in experiments. As such, a strength-fading criterion is proposed using a phenomenological description to capture the loss of load-carrying capacity resulting from ASB formation. The ASB criterion is based on an exponential fit to experimentally-observed instability strains measured at different average stress triaxialities in a series of tests on inclined cylindrical and modified flat-hat specimens. With the prediction of ASB formation the material strength is reduced to model the thermal softening experienced in the shear band, and fracture of the material (in the form of element erosion) remains controlled by the Basaran fracture model. Incorporating the ASB-based criterion, the numerical models were found to accurately predict both the impact velocity fracture threshold, as well as the general appearance of the observed principal shear fracture. The proposed criterion enables the effects of ASB formation to be captured in an impact simulation with little increase in computational cost.
Simulation study of non-spherical, graphite-epoxy projectiles
Authors: Miller Joshua E. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The DebriSat hypervelocity impact experiment, performed at the Arnold Engineering Development Center, is intended to update the catastrophic break-up models for modern satellites. To this end, the DebrisSat was built with many modern materials including structural panels of carbon-fiber, reinforced-polymer (CFRP). Subsequent to the experiment, fragments of the DebrisSat have been extracted from porous, catcher panels used to gather the debris from the impact event. Thus far, one of the key observations from the collected fragments is that CFRP represents a large fraction of the fragments and that these fragments tend to be thin, flake-like structures or long, needle-like structures; whereas, debris with nearly equal dimensions is less prevalent. As current ballistic limit models are all developed based upon spherical impacting particles, the experiment has pointed to a missing component in the current approach that must be considered. To begin to understand the implications of this observation, simulations have been performed using cylindrical structures at a representative orbital speed into an externally-insulated, double-wall shield that is representative of shielding on the current International Space Station crew transport vehicle, the Soyuz. These simulations have been performed for normal impacts to the surface with three different impact angles-of-attack to capture the effect on the shield performance. This paper documents the simulated shield and the models developed to study the effect of fragments and derives the critical characteristics of CFRP impacting particles for the selected shield. This work gives a deployable form of a critical, non-spherical projectile ballistic limit equation for evaluating non-spherical space debris for orbital debris environment modeling.
Automatic Mesh-Generation (FEM/SPH) for HVI-Simulations of Arbitrary Rotational Symmetric Impactors
Authors: Becker Marvin , Seidl Marina , Mehl Miriam , Souli Mhamed 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
For the numerical description of high velocity impact, Smooth-Particle-Hydrodynamics (SPH) has gained more and more interest. The standard Lagrangian Finite-Element (FE) approach has difficulties in describing large deformations and fracture. However, a simulation based on SPH only is very expensive due to the small size of the particles. A well adopted solution to this is to couple both methods, using SPH only where it is necessary, and capturing the outer boundary conditions with a bias FE-mesh correctly - without considerable extra computational cost.
We apply such a hybrid approach in LS-DYNA® for the characterization of threats in terminal ballistics. Different meshing approaches for the projectile and target were implemented to guarantee an optimal initial condition. The particle size and the required size of the SPH-region were studied to exclude discretization effects. Exemplarily, a projectile surrogate with simplified geometry is investigated for a fixed impact velocity and two different angles of obliquity. A qualitative comparison between experiments, observed with X-ray cinematography, reveals a good potential of this approach towards predicting fracture and ricochet during high velocity impact events.
Effect of Liquid Parameters on Protective Performance of a Liquid Composite Target Subjected to Jet Impact
Authors: Yaping Tan , Xin Jia , Zhengxiang Huang , Youer Cai , Xudong Zu 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
In order to study the influence of liquid parameters on the protective performance of liquid composite targets (LCT), based on the theory of interaction between the jet and the LCT, three dimensionless numbers - C, G, and V - are obtained by dimensional analysis in this paper. These 3 dimensionless parameters represent the compressibility, inertia, and viscosity of the liquid, respectively. The empirical formula, P/H = 0.346C1.251G−0.7120V0.036, was obtained by fitting experimental data of the static depth of penetration (DOP) experiment which can predict the residual depth of penetration (RDOP) of the jet penetrating the LCT. It turns out that the 2 dimensionless parameters - C and G - which characterize the compressibility and inertia of the liquid, plays a decisive role in the protection performance of the LCT, while the influence of liquid viscosity is small. In addition, according to the research results of this paper, the protective performance of the LCT can be improved by selecting a liquid with high sound velocity, high viscosity, and low density.