Dynamic Responses and Crack Propagation of Rock with Crossed Viscoelastic Joints Under Blasting Loads.

To investigate the propagation of stress waves in viscoelastic joints under blasting loads, and their impact on crack propagation and dynamic response in rock masses, a numerical model incorporating intersecting viscoelastic joints was developed using LS-DYNA. This study focuses on the influence of various joint geometric parameters, including thickness and angle, on stress wave propagation and damage patterns in rock. The Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma (RHT) model was employed to simulate the dynamic behavior of rock, while the Poynting-Thomson model was used to describe the viscoelastic properties of the joint fillings.

Bivalirudin vs heparin with or without tirofiban during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in acute myocardial infarction: the BRIGHT randomized clinical trial.

Importance: The safety and efficacy of bivalirudin compared with heparin with or without glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are uncertain.

Objective: To determine if bivalirudin is superior to heparin alone and to heparin plus tirofiban during primary PCI.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Multicenter, open-label trial involving 2194 patients with AMI undergoing primary PCI at 82 centers in China between August 2012 and June 2013.

[Efficacy and safety of intravenous levosimendan compared with dobutamine in decompensated heart failure].

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous levosimendan and dobutamine in patients with decompensated heart failure refractory to conventional medications.

Methods: Patients were recruited into this multicentre, randomised, positive-controlled and parallel-group study to receive either levosimendan or dobutamine therapy. In the levosimendan group, an initial loading dose of levosimendan of 12 microg x kg was infused over 10 min, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.

Nicotinamide overload may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Aim: To investigate whether nicotinamide overload plays a role in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Nicotinamide metabolic patterns of 14 diabetic and 14 non-diabetic subjects were compared using HPLC. Cumulative effects of nicotinamide and N(1)-methylnicotinamide on glucose metabolism, plasma H(2)O(2) levels and tissue nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) contents of adult Sprague-Dawley rats were observed.

Changing knowledge, behavior, and practice related to universal precautions among hospital nurses in China.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of an educational training program for hospital nurses on universal precautions in Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.

Method: Using a quasi-experimental design, 50 of 100 randomly selected hospital nurses were randomly assigned to receive an educational intervention. Questionnaires were administered to the 100 nurses prior to and 4 months after the training.