bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cohort profile: patient characteristics and quality-of-life measurements for newly-referred patients with atrial fibrillation—Keio interhospital Cardiovascular Studies-atrial fibrillation (KiCS-AF)
Authors: Ikemura Nobuhiro , Spertus John A , Kimura Takehiro , Mahaffey Kenneth , Piccini Jonathan P , Inohara Taku , Ueda Ikuko , Tanimoto Kojiro , Suzuki Masahiro , Nakamura Iwao , Akaishi Makoto , Mitamura Hideo , Fukuda Keiichi , Takatsuki Seiji , Kohsaka Shun 
Published: December 2019

PurposeBesides the high rates of morbidity and mortality, atrial fibrillation (AF) is also associated with impairment of quality-of-life (QOL). However, reports covering non-selected AF population within Asian countries remain scarce. The objective of the Keio interhospital Cardiovascular Studies-atrial fibrillation (KiCS-AF) registry is to clarify the baseline and QOL profiles of the AF patients at the time of initial referral to identify areas for improvement and country-specific gaps.ParticipantsThe KiCS-AF registry is a multicentre, prospective cohort study designed to specifically recruit AF patients newly referred to the 11 network hospitals within the Kanto area of Japan. The registry completed its enrolment in June 2018. All patients were requested to answer the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life (AFEQT) questionnaire both at baseline and 1 year, with planned clinical follow-up for 5 years. The registry also assessed individual treatment strategies including rate and rhythm control, stroke prophylaxis, and their impacts on patient-reported QOL.Findings to dateAs of December 2016, 2464 AF patients were registered; their mean age was 67.1 years (SD, 11.7), majority (69.7%; n=1717) were men and 49.2% presented with paroxysmal AF. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc (cardiac failure or dysfunction, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes, stroke including vascular disease, age 65-74 years, and sex category [female]) score was 2.3 (SD, 1.6) and oral anticoagulant therapy was used for 88.6% of patients with CHA2DS2-VASc scores ≥2. The median AFEQT-overall summary score was 79.1 (IQR, 66.6–89.1). Roughly 50% had significantly impaired QOL (ie, AFEQT <80) at baseline. Currently, 2307 eligible patients (93.6%) have completed the 1-year follow-up, of which 2072 patients (89.8%) answered the second AFEQT questionnaire.Future plansThe KiCS-AF allowed for extensive investigation of AF-related QOL in a non-selected population with long-term follow-up using a rigorously validated QOL assessment tool. Almost half of patients had impaired QOL at baseline. Further investigations aimed at providing care and improving patient-reported QOL are required.
Cocreation of a digital patient health hub to enhance education and person-centred integrated care post hip fracture: a mixed-methods study protocol
Authors: Yadav Lalit , Gill Tiffany K , Taylor Anita , Jasper Unyime , De Young Jen , Visvanathan Renuka , Chehade Mellick J 
Published: December 2019

IntroductionOlder people with hip fractures often require long-term care and a crucial aspect is the provision of quality health information to patients and their carers to support continuity of care. If patients are well informed about their health condition and caring needs, particularly posthospital discharge into the community setting, this may support recovery and improve quality of life. As internet and mobile access reach every household, it is possible to deliver a new model of service using a digital education platform as a personal health hub where both patients and their providers of care can establish a more efficient information integration and exchange process. This protocol details proposed research, which aims to develop a ‘model of care’ by using a digital health solution that will allow delivery of high quality and patient-centred information, integrated into the existing process delivered within the community setting.Methods and analysisThis phase of the study uses a pragmatic mixed-methods design and a participatory approach through engagement of patients, their carers and healthcare providers from multiple disciplines to inform the development of a digital health platform. Quantitative methods will explore health literacy and e-health literacy among older people with hip fractures admitted to the two public tertiary care hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. Qualitative methods will provide an understanding of aspects of content and context required for the digital health platform to be developed in order to deliver quality health information. The study will use appropriate theoretical frameworks and constructs to guide the design, analysis and overall conduct of the research study. The scope of the study intends to ultimately empower patients and their carers to improve self-management and to better use coordinated services at the community level. This could prevent further falls including associated injuries or new fractures; reduce new hospital admissions and improve confidence and engagement by limiting the psychologically restrictive ‘fear of falls’.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, South Australia (SA) Health, Government of South Australia and the University of Adelaide Human Research Ethics Committee. Findings from the study will be published in suitable peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through workshops or conferences.
Sociodemographic, labour market marginalisation and medical characteristics as risk factors for reinfarction and mortality within 1 year after a first acute myocardial infarction: a register-based cohort study of a working age population in Sweden
Authors: Wang Mo , Vaez Marjan , Dorner Thomas Ernst , Rahman Syed Ghulam , Helgesson Magnus , Ivert Torbjörn , Mittendorfer-Rutz Ellenor 
Published: December 2019

ObjectivesResearch covering a wide range of risk factors related to the prognosis during the first year after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is insufficient. This study aimed to investigate whether sociodemographic, labour market marginalisation and medical characteristics before/at AMI were associated with subsequent reinfarction and all-cause mortality.DesignPopulation-based cohort study.ParticipantsThe cohort included 15 069 individuals aged 25–64 years who had a first AMI during 2008–2010.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe outcome measures consisted of reinfarction and all-cause mortality within 1 year following an AMI, which were estimated by univariate and multivariable HRs and 95% CIs by Cox regression.ResultsSociodemographic characteristics such as lower education showed a 1.1-fold and 1.3-fold higher risk for reinfarction and mortality, respectively. Older age was associated with a higher risk of mortality while being born in non-European countries showed a lower risk of mortality. Labour market marginalisation such as previous long-term work disability was associated with a twofold higher risk of mortality. Regarding medical characteristics, ST-elevation myocardial infarction was predictive for reinfarction (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.21) and all-cause mortality (HR: 3.80, 95% CI: 3.08 to 4.68). Moreover, diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, stroke, cancer and mental disorders were associated with a higher risk of mortality (range of HRs: 1.24–2.59).ConclusionsSociodemographic and medical risk factors were identified as risk factors for mortality and reinfarction after AMI, including older age, immigration status, somatic and mental comorbidities. Previous long-term work disability and infarction type provide useful information for predicting adverse outcomes after AMI during the first year, particularly for mortality.
Does sex predict quality of life after acute coronary syndromes: an Australian, state-wide, multicentre prospective cohort study
Authors: Koh Youlin , Stehli Julia , Martin Catherine , Brennan Angela , Dinh Diem T , Lefkovits Jeffrey , Zaman Sarah 
Published: December 2019

ObjectiveWomen have reported higher mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) compared with men. With this in mind, we aimed to identify predictors of poor quality of life (QoL) post-ACS as our primary outcome. We examined predictors of MACE, major cerebrovascular events and major bleeding as our secondary outcome.DesignProspective cohort study.Setting30 metropolitan centres across the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry network.Participants16 517 patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ACS (22.9% females). Selection/inclusion criteria: consecutive patients with successful or attempted PCI for ACS from 2013 to 2016, alive at 30 days post-PCI. Exclusion criteria: patients not fulfilling ACS criteria. At 30 days, 2497 (64.7% females) completed the QoL EQ-5D-3L instrument.Primary and secondary outcome measuresQoL, assessed using the EuroQo-5Dimensions (EQ-5D-3L) instrument by telephone at 30 days. Independent predictors of QoL were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.ResultsWomen were significantly older with more diabetes, cerebrovascular disease and renal failure. Regarding the primary outcome, female sex was independently associated with moderate/severe impairment in all EQ-5D-3L domains including mobility (OR 2.38, 95% CI 2.06 to 2.75, p<0.001), personal care (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.73 to 2.66, p<0.001), activities of daily living (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.08, p<0.001), pain/discomfort (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.67, p<0.001) and anxiety/depression (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.70, p<0.001). Women had significantly lower self-rated Visual Analogue Scale scores (80.0 for both groups, IQR 60-85 vs 70-90, p<0.001). There was no significant difference between the sexes in secondary outcomes.ConclusionsFemale sex was a predictor of poorer QoL following PCI for ACS including significantly higher pain, anxiety and depression. This was independent of age, comorbidities and ACS presentation. There is a clinical need for a tailored approach in female ACS management, for example, emphasis on management of depressive and anxiety symptoms.
Saving 20 000 Days and Beyond: a realist evaluation of two quality improvement campaigns to manage hospital demand in a New Zealand District Health Board
Authors: Middleton Lesley , Dowdle Diana , Villa Luis , Gray Jonathon , Cumming Jacqueline 
Published: December 2019

BackgroundThe current paper reports on a realist evaluation of two consecutive quality improvement campaigns based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series. The campaigns were implemented by a District Health Board to manage hospital demand in South Auckland, New Zealand. A realist evaluation design was adopted to investigate what worked in the two campaigns and under what conditions.MethodsA mixed-methods approach was used, involving three phases of data collection. During the first phase, a review of campaign materials and relevant literature, as well as key informant interviews were undertaken to generate an initial logic model of how the campaign was expected to achieve its objective. In phase II, the model was tested against the experiences of participants in the first campaign via a questionnaire to all campaign participants, interviews with campaign sponsors and collaborative team leaders and a review of collaborative team dashboards. In phase III, the refined model was tested further against the experiences of participants in the second campaign through interviews with collaborative team leaders, case studies of four collaborative teams and a review of the overall system-level dashboard.ResultsThe evaluation identified four key mechanisms through which the campaigns’ outcomes were achieved. These were characterised as ‘an organisational preparedness to change’, ‘enlisting the early adopters’, ‘strong collaborative teams’ and ‘learning from measurement’. Contextual factors that both enabled and constrained the operation of these mechanisms were also identified.ConclusionsBy focusing on the explication of a theory of how the campaigns achieved their outcomes and under what circumstances, the realist evaluation reported in this paper provides some instructive lessons for future evaluations of quality improvement initiatives.
Intravenous thrombolysis with 0.9 mg/kg alteplase for acute ischaemic stroke: a network meta-analysis of treatment delay
Authors: Chen Xi , Shen Yu , Huang Chengfang , Geng Yu , Yu Yunxian 
Published: December 2019

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alteplase in intravenous thrombolysis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) regarding the different time windows of treatment (&lt;3 hours, 3–4.5 hours, &gt;4.5 hours).MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted from PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase. 12 clinical randomised controlled trials with 3402 patients with AIS met the inclusion criteria. The primary, secondary and tertiary outcomes were modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores 0–1, mortality at 90th day after treatment and symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage within 36 hours, respectively. Network meta-analysis and conventional meta-analysis were carried out for calculating odds ratio (OR), the surface under cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) and the probabilities of being the best.ResultsFor mRS, alteplase regardless of time delay was significantly more effective than placebo (OR 1.33–2.17). However, alteplase used within 3 hours after AIS occurrence (SUCRA=98.3%) was significantly more effective (OR=1.64) than that at 3–4.5 hours (SUCRA=43%) and showed the trend of priority (OR=1.47) compared with that beyond 4.5 hours (SUCRA=58%). For the mortality, compared with placebo (SUCRA=64.7%), alteplase within 3 hours was similar to that of 3–4.5 hours whereas alteplase beyond 4.5 hours (SUCRA=7.3%) showed the trend of significantly increasing 85% mortality. For the tertiary outcome, alteplase within 3 hours (SUCRA=19.0%) was comparable with placebo (SUCRA=99.9%) whereas alteplase beyond 3 hours significantly increased (OR 5.89–6.67) the symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage.ConclusionsAlteplase within 3 hours should be recommended as the best treatment delay for its best efficacy among all the intervention and equivalent safety compared with placebo. Alteplase beyond 3 hours was less effective compared with that within 3 hours and increased the risk of mortality on 3 months as well as symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage at 36 hours. More head-to-head clinical trials are needed to confirm those findings.
Performance Evaluation of Battery Thermal Management System in Electric Vehicle using Induction Heater (Part 1: Parallel System)
Authors: Raza Waseem , Ko Gwang Soo , Park Youn Cheol 
Published: December 2019

The fast evolving Electric vehicles (EVs) have become popular due to their zero-emission, fuel economy and better technology. However, the performance and life of batteries are very sensitive to temperature, it is important to maintain the proper temperature range. The battery thermal management system (BTMS) plays an important role in the performance of EVs. In this context, this study is conducted to evaluate the thermal performance of a battery with a parallel system using an induction heater. The GT-Suite software is used for simulation and evaluation. Mixture of water and ethylene glycol 50:50 is used as a working fluid and controlled by pump and valves. The heating rate of battery was analyzed by changing the capacity of induction heater 2, 4 and 6[Formula: see text]kW and the flow rate of fluid was 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 27 LPM. The simulation work predicts that the battery heating rate increases with the increase in fluid flow. The study concluded that the battery heating rate is maximum with a flow rate of 27 LPM which is the highest amount of LPM, indicating that the rise in flow rate causes the increase in heating rate of the system which is also affected by induction heater capacity.
Line length balancing to evaluate multi-phase submarine landslide development: an example from the Storegga Slide, Norway
Authors: Bull Suzanne , Cartwright Joseph A. 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

This study shows how simple structural restoration of a discrete submarine landslide lobe can be applied to large-scale, multi-phase examples to identify different phases of slide-lobe development and evaluate their mode of emplacement. We present the most detailed analysis performed to date on a zone of intense contractional deformation, historically referred to as the compression zone, from the giant, multi-phase Storegga Slide, offshore Norway. 2D and 3D seismic data and bathymetry data show that the zone of large-scale (>650 m thick) contractional deformation can be genetically linked updip with a zone of intense depletion across a distance of 135 km. Quantification of depletion and accumulation along a representative dip-section reveals that significant depletion in the proximal region is not accommodated in the relatively mild amount (
c.
5%) of downdip shortening. Dip-section restoration indicates a later, separate stage of deformation may have involved removal of a significant volume of material as part of the final stages of the Storegga Slide, as opposed to the minor volumes reported in previous studies.
Impact of sea-level fluctuations on the sedimentation patterns of the SE African margin: implications for slope instability
Authors: Micallef Aaron , Georgiopoulou Aggeliki , Green Andrew , Maselli Vittorio 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

The sheared-passive margin offshore Durban (South Africa) is characterized by a narrow continental shelf and steep slope hosting numerous submarine canyons. Supply of sediment to the margin is predominantly terrigenous, dominated by discharge from several short but fast-flowing rivers. International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 361 provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of sea-level fluctuations on the sedimentation patterns and slope instability along the South African margin. We analysed >300 sediment samples and downcore variations in
P
-wave, magnetic susceptibility, bioturbation intensity and bulk density from site U1474, as well as regional seismic reflection profiles to: (1) document an increase in sand input since the Mid-Pliocene; (2) associate this change to a drop in sea-level and extension of subaerial drainage systems towards the shelf-edge; (3) demonstrate that slope instability has played a key role in the evolution of the South Africa margin facing the Natal Valley. Furthermore, we highlight how the widespread occurrence of failure events reflects the tectonic control on the morphology of the shelf and slope, as well as bottom-current scour and instability of fan complexes. This information is important to improve hazard assessment in a populated coastal region with growing offshore hydrocarbon activities.
Morphology and spatio-temporal distribution of lacustrine mass-transport deposits in Wörthersee, Eastern Alps, Austria
Authors: Daxer Christoph , Sammartini Maddalena , Molenaar Ariana , Piechl Thomas , Strasser Michael , Moernaut Jasper 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

In lakes, landslides can be studied in high resolution due to their accessibility and limited size. Here, we investigate mass-transport deposits in glacigenic Wörthersee (Eastern European Alps) by integration of seismic, sediment core and multibeam bathymetric data. Two outstanding landslide events were revealed: the first occurred in the Late Glacial, leading to multiple deposits of up to 15 m thickness; they consist of sandy turbidites and mudclast conglomerates, which are overlain by a 2.5 m thick megaturbidite. The extensive, likely earthquake-triggered failure linked to this event was preconditioned by rapid sedimentation of fine-grained glaciolacustrine sediments and associated build-up of excess pore pressure. The second event was presumably triggered by a major earthquake (M
w
≈7) in AD 1348 and comprises a mass-transport complex and several landslides, which led to a
c.
30 cm thick turbidite. In total, 62 landslides are imaged in the multibeam map, 6 of which are most likely human-induced. Some of these show horseshoe-type compressional ridges and frontal breaching, whereas others exhibit an extensive zone of rafted blocks. We attribute these morphological differences to four main factors: (1) slope gradient and changes therein; (2) preconditioning of the impacted zone; (3) volume of remobilized sediment; and (4) type of impactor.
Estimation of human damage and economic loss of buildings related to tsunami inundation in the city of Augusta, Italy
Authors: Pagnoni Gianluca , Armigliato Alberto , Tinti Stefano 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
We propose a methodology to assess tsunami risk in terms of human damage (HD: the quantification of people affected/killed by the tsunami) and economic loss (EL: the loss of the economic value of constructions damaged/destroyed by the tsunami). The methodology makes a combined use of detailed information on buildings, demography and reasonable tsunami inundation heights (IH). First, after defining the tsunami inundation area, we estimate the level of damage to each building within this area, which depends on the building vulnerability and on the flow depth (FD) affecting the building. To estimate the HD, by making use of census data, we infer the number of people present in each residential building of the inundated area. Then, based on FD and building damage, we evaluate the level of people exposure. Finally, we provide an estimate of fatalities. The EL is computed for two types of constructions (residential and trade/industrial) by using data on inundation and data from the real estate market. The methodology is applied to the town of Augusta (eastern Sicily coast, Italy), which, according to historical accounts, was affected by several tsunamis in the course of its history. The results are discussed in terms of the level of damage to buildings, the number of fatalities and the loss of economic value of the building stock for different tsunami sizes. This latter is prescribed through a simple bathtub approach: that is, by assuming uniform IHs with the maximum IH chosen to be consistent with historical data. Partial collapse occurs only above 6 m for residential buildings and above 8 m for trade/industrial buildings. Approximately 47% of the people living in Augusta are potentially affected by the tsunami inundation. For the highest selected IH (10 m), 70% of the people in the inundated area are effectively exposed and the fatalities are estimated at about 47%. The number of people involved increases linearly with the IH, while the number of fatalities increases following a quasi-quadratic law. Finally, the EL is also found to vary linearly with the IH, and the estimated loss in the case of the worst IH (10 m) is around 11% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire province of Siracusa, to which Augusta belongs.