background: atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia in patients with rheumatic mitral and other valve diseases who are candidates for valve repair surgeries. conversion of rhythm to sinus has positive effects on quality of life and lower use of medications. the aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the radiofrequency ablation maze iii procedure in the treatment of a...

The interaction of thermal Ar plasma particles with Si and W surfaces is modeled using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. At plasma energies above the threshold for ablation, the ablation yield can be calculated directly from MD. For plasma energies below threshold, the ablation yield becomes exponentially low, and direct MD simulations are inefficient. Instead, we propose an integr...

Surface modification of fused silica windows caused by the laser ablation of surface-bound microparticles is investigated. Using optical and electron microscopies between laser pulses, we detail the ablation, fragmentation and dispersal of 2-150 m diameter particles of various materials. Following complete ablation and ejection of all debris material, surface pitting was found to be highly dep...

We present experimental results for the plasmonic laser ablation of silicon with nanoscale features as small as 22 x 66 nm using single near-infrared, femtosecond laser pulses incident on gold nanorods. Near the ablation threshold, these features are photo-imprints of gold nanorod particles positioned on the surface of the silicon and have feature sizes similar to the nanorods. The single rod-s...

Rates of ice mass loss at the calving margins of tidewater glaciers (frontal ablation rates) are a key uncertainty in sea level rise projections. Measurements are difficult because mass lost is replaced by ice flow at variable rates, and frontal ablation incorporates sub-aerial calving, and submarine melt and calving. Here we derive frontal ablation rates for three dynamically contrasting glaci...

Adhesive bonding offers many advantages over mechanical fastening, but requires robust materials and processing methodologies before it can be incorporated in primary structures for aerospace applications. Surface preparation is widely recognized as one of the key steps to producing robust and predictable bonds. This report documents an ongoing investigation of a surface preparation technique b...

The formation of self-organized micro- and nano-structured surfaces on nickel via both above surface growth (ASG) and below surface growth (BSG) mechanisms using femtosecond laser pulse illumination is reported. Detailed stepped growth experiments demonstrate that conical mound-shaped surface structure development is characterized by a balance of growth mechanisms including scattering from surf...

Surface albedo is a key variable controlling solar radiation absorbed at the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) surface and, thus, meltwater production. Recent decline in surface albedo over the GrIS has been linked to enhanced snow grain metamorphic rates, earlier snowmelt, and amplified melt– albedo feedback from atmospheric warming. However, the importance of distinct surface types on ablation area ...

PURPOSE An increase in corneal temperature has been implicated in subepithelial haze after surface photorefractive keratectomy. We aimed to determine if cooling the cornea by means of hydration between ablations and immediately after final surface ablation in PRK reduces haze. METHODS One hundred five eyes of 61 patients with myopia ranging from -6.00 to -9.75 D were included. One of the surg...

Background: The rationale was to develop an ablation approach to destroy regions of tumor resistant to radiation and thus reduce the time required for whole tumor ablation, while improving overall tumor control after radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: The system is composed of a micro positron emission tomography (mPET), 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a customized MRI-compatible foc...