bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health insurance utilisation after ischaemic stroke in Sweden: a retrospective cohort study in a system of universal healthcare and social insurance
Authors: Willers Carl , Westerlind Emma , Borgström Fredrik , von Euler Mia , Sunnerhagen Katharina S 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundStroke is one of the largest single-condition sources of the global burden of non-communicable disease in terms of disability-adjusted life-years and monetary costs, directly as well as indirectly in terms of informal care and productivity loss. The objective was to assess the population afflicted with ischaemic stroke in working age in the context of universal healthcare and social insurance; to estimate the levels of absence from work, the indirect costs related to that and to assess the associated patient characteristics.MethodsThis was a retrospective register-based study; all individuals registered with an ischaemic stroke during 2008–2011 in seven Swedish regions, covering the largest cities as well as more rural areas, were included. Individual-level data were used to compute net days of sick leave and disability pension, indirect costs due to productivity loss and to perform regression analysis on net absence from work to assess the associated factors. Costs related to productivity loss were estimated using the human capital approach.ResultsWomen had significantly fewer net days of sick leave and disability pension than men after multivariable adjustment, and high-income groups had higher levels of sick leave than low-income groups. There were no significant differences for participants regarding educational level, region of birth or civil status. Indirect monetary costs amounted to €17 400 per stroke case during the first year, totalling approximately €169 million in Sweden.ConclusionThe individual’s burden of stroke is heavy in terms of morbidity, and the related productivity loss for society is immense. Income-group differences point to a socioeconomic gradient in the utilisation of the Swedish social insurance.
How well can we assess the validity of non-randomised studies of medications? A systematic review of assessment tools
Authors: D'Andrea Elvira , Vinals Lydia , Patorno Elisabetta , Franklin Jessica M. , Bennett Dimitri , Largent Joan A. , Moga Daniela C. , Yuan Hongbo , Wen Xuerong , Zullo Andrew R. , Debray Thomas P. A. , Sarri Grammati 
Published: March 2021

ObjectiveTo determine whether assessment tools for non-randomised studies (NRS) address critical elements that influence the validity of NRS findings for comparative safety and effectiveness of medications.DesignSystematic review and Delphi survey.Data sourcesWe searched PubMed, Embase, Google, bibliographies of reviews and websites of influential organisations from inception to November 2019. In parallel, we conducted a Delphi survey among the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology Comparative Effectiveness Research Special Interest Group to identify key methodological challenges for NRS of medications. We created a framework consisting of the reported methodological challenges to evaluate the selected NRS tools.Study selectionChecklists or scales assessing NRS.Data extractionTwo reviewers extracted general information and content data related to the prespecified framework.ResultsOf 44 tools reviewed, 48% (n=21) assess multiple NRS designs, while other tools specifically addressed case–control (n=12, 27%) or cohort studies (n=11, 25%) only. Response rate to the Delphi survey was 73% (35 out of 48 content experts), and a consensus was reached in only two rounds. Most tools evaluated methods for selecting study participants (n=43, 98%), although only one addressed selection bias due to depletion of susceptibles (2%). Many tools addressed the measurement of exposure and outcome (n=40, 91%), and measurement and control for confounders (n=40, 91%). Most tools have at least one item/question on design-specific sources of bias (n=40, 91%), but only a few investigate reverse causation (n=8, 18%), detection bias (n=4, 9%), time-related bias (n=3, 7%), lack of new-user design (n=2, 5%) or active comparator design (n=0). Few tools address the appropriateness of statistical analyses (n=15, 34%), methods for assessing internal (n=15, 34%) or external validity (n=11, 25%) and statistical uncertainty in the findings (n=21, 48%). None of the reviewed tools investigated all the methodological domains and subdomains.ConclusionsThe acknowledgement of major design-specific sources of bias (eg, lack of new-user design, lack of active comparator design, time-related bias, depletion of susceptibles, reverse causation) and statistical assessment of internal and external validity is currently not sufficiently addressed in most of the existing tools. These critical elements should be integrated to systematically investigate the validity of NRS on comparative safety and effectiveness of medications.Systematic review protocol and registrationhttps://osf.io/es65q.
Hospital-based acute care in the last 30 days of life among patients with chronic disease that received early, late or no specialist palliative care: a retrospective cohort study of eight chronic disease groups
Authors: Earp Madalene , Cai Pin , Fong Andrew , Blacklaws Kelly , Pham Truong-Minh , Shack Lorraine , Sinnarajah Aynharan 
Published: March 2021

ObjectiveFor eight chronic diseases, evaluate the association of specialist palliative care (PC) exposure and timing with hospital-based acute care in the last 30 days of life.DesignRetrospective cohort study using administrative data.SettingAlberta, Canada between 2007 and 2016.Participants47 169 adults deceased from: (1) cancer, (2) heart disease, (3) dementia, (4) stroke, (5) chronic lower respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)), (6) liver disease, (7) neurodegenerative disease and (8) renovascular disease.Main outcome measuresThe proportion of decedents who experienced high hospital-based acute care in the last 30 days of life, indicated by ≥two emergency department (ED) visit, ≥two hospital admissions,≥14 days of hospitalisation, any intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or death in hospital. Relative risk (RR) and risk difference (RD) of hospital-based acute care given early specialist PC exposure (≥90 days before death), adjusted for patient characteristics.ResultsIn an analysis of all decedents, early specialist PC exposure was associated with a 32% reduction in risk of any hospital-based acute care as compared with those with no PC exposure (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.71; RD 0.16, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.17). The association was strongest in cancer-specific analyses (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.55; RD 0.31, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.33) and renal disease-specific analyses (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.84; RD 0.22, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.34), but a~25% risk reduction was observed for each of heart disease, COPD, neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. Early specialist PC exposure was associated with reducing risk of four out of five individual indicators of high hospital-based acute care in the last 30 days of life, including ≥two ED visit,≥two hospital admission, any ICU admission and death in hospital.ConclusionsEarly specialist PC exposure reduced the risk of hospital-based acute care in the last 30 days of life for all chronic disease groups except dementia.
MUKnineOPTIMUM protocol: a screening study to identify high-risk patients with multiple myeloma suitable for novel treatment approaches combined with a phase II study evaluating optimised combination of biological therapy in newly diagnosed high-risk multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukaemia
Authors: Brown Sarah , Sherratt Debbie , Hinsley Samantha , Flanagan Louise , Roberts Sadie , Walker Katrina , Hall Andrew , Pratt Guy , Messiou Christina , Jenner Matthew , Kaiser Martin 
Published: March 2021

IntroductionMultiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell tumour with over 5800 new cases each year in the UK. The introduction of biological therapies has improved outcomes for the majority of patients with MM, but in approximately 20% of patients the tumour is characterised by genetic changes which confer a significantly poorer prognosis, generally termed high-risk (HR) MM. It is important to diagnose these genetic changes early and identify more effective first-line treatment options for these patients.Methods and analysisThe Myeloma UKnineOPTIMUM trial (MUKnine) evaluates novel treatment strategies for patients with HRMM. Patients with suspected or newly diagnosed MM, fit for intensive therapy, are offered participation in a tumour genetic screening protocol (MUKnine a), with primary endpoint proportion of patients with molecular screening performed within 8 weeks. Patients identified as molecularly HR are invited into the phase II, single-arm, multicentre trial (MUKnine b) investigating an intensive treatment schedule comprising bortezomib, lenalidomide, daratumumab, low-dose cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone, with single high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) followed by combination consolidation and maintenance therapy. MUKnine bprimary endpoints are minimal residual disease (MRD) at day 100 post-ASCT and progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints include response, safety and quality of life. The trial uses a Bayesian decision rule to determine if this treatment strategy is sufficiently active for further study. Patients identified as not having HR disease receive standard treatment and are followed up in a cohort study. Exploratory studies include longitudinal whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI for imaging MRD testing.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval London South East Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 17/LO/0022, 17/LO/0023). Results of studies will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberISRCTN16847817, May 2017; Pre-results.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-enhanced communication skills: development and evaluation of a novel training programme
Authors: Hulbert-Williams Nicholas J , Hulbert-Williams Lee , Patterson Pandora , Suleman Sahil , Howells Lesley 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundPsychological suffering is ubiquitous with cancer and frequently presents as an unmet supportive care need. In clinical practice, distress-related needs are often addressed by nurses and non-psychologist allied healthcare professionals who may have limited training in psychological therapeutic frameworks, particularly more recently developed interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).AimsWe developed a single-day training programme for professionals working in supportive and palliative cancer care settings to change the nature of clinical communication about psychological distress and suffering towards an ACT-consistent approach.MethodWe report on experiences of training delivery, and evaluation data about training satisfaction and intention to apply the training to clinical practice, from three training iterations in British and Australian, government-funded and charitable sectors. One hundred and sixteen cancer care professionals participated in the training. Evaluation data were collected from 53 participants (at either 2-week or 3-month follow-ups, or both) using self-report survey, including both quantitative and free-text questions.ResultsAt 2 week follow-up, 73% of trainees rating our course as having relevance to their work, and at 3 month follow-up, 46% agreed that they were better placed to provide improved clinical services. Qualitative feedback supported the inclusion of experiential learning and theoretical explanations underpinning ACT techniques. Undertaking this training did not significantly increase trainees’ stress levels, nor did implementation of this new way of working negatively affect staff well-being. Positive, ACT-consistent, changes in communication behaviours and attitudes were reported, however there was a lack of significant change in psychological flexibility.DiscussionAcceptability and applicability of this training to supportive and palliative healthcare is positive. The lack of change in psychological flexibility suggests a potential need for more experiential content in the training programme. Logistical challenges in one training group suggests the need for more robust train-the-trainer models moving forward.
Energy condition in unimodular f(R, T) gravity
Authors: Rajabi Fateme , Nozari Kourosh 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe study an interesting alternative of modified gravity theory, namely, the unimodular f(R, T) gravity in which R is the Ricci scalar and T is the trace of the stress–energy tensor. We study the viability of the model by using the energy conditions. We discuss the strong, weak, null and dominant energy conditions in terms of deceleration, jerk and snap parameters. We investigate energy conditions for reconstructed unimodular f(R, T) models and give some constraints on the parametric space of the model. We observe that by setting appropriately free parameters, energy conditions can be satisfied. Furthermore, we study the stability of the solutions in perturbations framework. In this case, we investigate stability conditions for de Sitter and power law solutions and we examine viability of cosmological evolution of these perturbations. The results show that for some values of the input parameters, for which energy conditions are satisfied, de Sitter and power-law solutions may be stable.
Scalar and vector perturbations in a universe with nonlinear perfect fluid
Authors: Canay Ezgi , Brilenkov Ruslan , Eingorn Maxim , Arapoğlu A. Savaş , Zhuk Alexander 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe study a three-component universe filled with dust-like matter in the form of discrete inhomogeneities (e.g., galaxies) and perfect fluids characterized by linear and nonlinear equations of state. Within the cosmic screening approach, we develop the theory of scalar and vector perturbations. None of the energy density contrasts associated with the distinct components is treated as small. Consequently, the derived equations are valid at both sub- and super-horizon scales and enable simulations for a variety of cosmological models.
No short hair behaviors of ultra-compact stars
Authors: Peng Yan 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn the black hole spacetime, a no short hair theorem was proved, which states that the effective radius of black hole hairs must extend beyond the null circular orbit. In the present paper, in the horizonless gravity, we find a similar no short hair behavior that the effective radius of matter fields must also extend beyond the null circular orbit of ultra-compact stars. We should emphasize that the theorem presented in this manuscript is valid only for spatially regular matter configurations whose energy-momentum traces are non-negative.
Optical tweezers in a dusty universe
Authors: Polimeno P. , Magazzù A. , Iatì M. A. , Saija R. , Folco L. , Bronte Ciriza D. , Donato M. G. , Foti A. , Gucciardi P. G. , Saidi A. , Cecchi-Pestellini C. , Jimenez Escobar A. , Ammannito E. , Sindoni G. , Bertini I. , Della Corte V. , Inno L. , Ciaravella A. , Rotundi A. , Maragò O. M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractOptical tweezers are powerful tools based on focused laser beams. They are able to trap, manipulate, and investigate a wide range of microscopic and nanoscopic particles in different media, such as liquids, air, and vacuum. Key applications of this contactless technique have been developed in many fields. Despite this progress, optical trapping applications to planetary exploration are still to be developed. Here we describe how optical tweezers can be used to trap and characterize extraterrestrial particulate matter. In particular, we exploit light scattering theory in the T-matrix formalism to calculate radiation pressure and optical trapping properties of a variety of complex particles of astrophysical interest. Our results open perspectives in the investigation of extraterrestrial particles on our planet, in controlled laboratory experiments, aiming forspace tweezersapplications: optical tweezers used to trap and characterize dust particles in space or on planetary bodies surface.
Utilization and Availability of Advanced Imaging in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Kim Youngran , Lee Songmi , Abdelkhaleq Rania , Lopez-Rivera Victor , Navi Babak , Kamel Hooman , Savitz Sean I. , Czap Alexandra L. , Grotta James C. , McCullough Louise D. , Krause Trudy Millard , Giancardo Luca , Vahidy Farhaan S. , Sheth Sunil A. 
Published: March 2021

Background:
Recent clinical trials have established the efficacy of endovascular stroke therapy and intravenous thrombolysis using advanced imaging, particularly computed tomography perfusion (CTP). The availability and utilization of CTP for patients and hospitals that treat acute ischemic stroke (AIS), however, is uncertain.

Methods:

We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using 2 complementary Medicare datasets, full sample Texas and 5% national fee-for-service data from 2014 to 2017. AIS cases were identified using
International Classification of Diseases
,
Ninth
Revision
and
International Classification of Diseases
,
Tenth Revision
coding criteria. Imaging utilization performed in the initial evaluation of patients with AIS was derived using Current Procedural Terminology codes from professional claims. Primary outcomes were utilization of imaging in AIS cases and the change in utilization over time. Hospitals were defined as imaging modality–performing if they submitted at least 1 claim for that modality per calendar year. The National Medicare dataset was used to validate state-level findings, and a local hospital-level cohort was used to validate the claims-based approach.

Results:
Among 50 797 AIS cases in the Texas Medicare fee-for-service cohort, 64% were evaluated with noncontrast head CT, 17% with CT angiography, 3% with CTP, and 33% with magnetic resonance imaging. CTP utilization was greater in patients treated with endovascular stroke therapy (17%) and intravenous thrombolysis (9%). CT angiography (4%/y) and CTP (1%/y) utilization increased over the study period. These findings were validated in the National dataset. Among hospitals in the Texas cohort, 100% were noncontrast head CT–performing, 77% CT angiography–performing, and 14% CTP-performing in 2017. Most AIS cases (69%) were evaluated at non-CTP–performing hospitals. CTP-performing hospitals were clustered in urban areas, whereas large regions of the state lacked immediate access.

Conclusions:
In state-wide and national Medicare fee-for-service cohorts, CTP utilization in patients with AIS was low, and most patients were evaluated at non-CTP–performing hospitals. These findings support the need for alternative means of screening for AIS recanalization therapies.
History in High Places: Tatarna Monastery and the Pindus Mountains
Authors: Greene Molly 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Monasteries and the records they produced are a promising source base for writing a history of the mountains of the western Balkans. These mountains are, by and large, absent from accounts of the Ottoman presence in the Balkans and, as with mountainous areas more generally, are often considered to exist outside of the main historical narrative. Using the example of a monastery that was founded in the Pindus mountains in 1556, I argue that the monastery’s beginnings are best understood within the context of the Ottoman sixteenth century, even as due regard for Byzantine precedent must also be made. In addition, I pay close attention to the monastery’s location, for two reasons. First, this opens up a new set of questions for the history of monasteries during the Ottoman period; to date most studies have focused on taxation, land ownership and the relationship to the central state. Second, the monastery’s location offers a way into the environmental history of these mountains at the Empire’s western edge. This article aspires to extend the nascent field of Ottoman environmental history into mountainous terrain.
China and the Two Romes. The 1081 and 1091 “Fulin” Embassies to the Song Empire
Authors: Thurin Romain 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In the late 11th century, two mysterious “Roman” embassies visited China and offered tribute to the Song Dynasty. This paper seeks to reopen the argument surrounding the identity of the Roman embassies. The question enjoyed intense discussions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before interest waned thereafter. Relying on a broad range of underused sources, this paper re-assesses the two most widely acknowledged theories that associate the embassies with the aims of the Byzantine pretender Nikephoros Melissenos and of the Seljuk prince in exile Sulaymān ibn Qutlumush.
The Forgotten Jihad under Japan: Muslim Reformism and the Promise of Indonesian Independence
Authors: Laffan Michael 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In this article I seek to make sense of the apparent contradiction of a call for jihad made under the auspices of the Japanese empire during its occupation of Java from March 1942 to September 1945. Why was Mas Mansur (1896–1946), the Indonesian religious figure and national hero who made the call, so supportive of the Japanese military administration? And why is this act so seldom remembered? As I hope to explain, Japan had already figured in the reformist Muslim imagination as a patriotic anti-western model for decades, creating a constituency that was initially open to Japanese overtures framed around mobilising national sentiment. Equally some Japanese advocates of southern expansion had thought about such framings while downplaying their preferred vision for a Greater East Asia that would not include an independent Indonesia. How this collaboration played out, with the Japanese eventually conceding ground on Islamic terms to gain national bodies, is a story worth retelling. In so doing I stress that Indonesia – lying at the intersection of pan-Islamic and pan-Asian imaginaries – should figure more prominently in global studies of Japanese policies regarding Islam in Asia or yet anti-Westernism in general.
A Cross-Cultural Examination of Organizational Structure and Control: The Zambian Agricultural Sector
Authors: Meyer Robert E. 
Published: March 2021

This article examines modified scales of Hage and Aiken's constructs of centralization and formalization. The modified scales were tested in 16 relatively heterogeneous agricultural planning and service organizations in Central Province, Zambia. Overall, the revised scales performed as well cross-culturally as the original scales have in various institutional settings in the United States.The results of correlation and partial correlation suggests the importance of environmental considerations in organizational studies. Most variable relationships were supported crossculturally, however, some relationships were reversed.
Floating Sophia, Polarizing to Abeyance, Waqf-izing the State
Authors: Akan Murat 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The 2020 ‘mosque-ing’ of Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) shook a cornerstone of the Turkish Republican tradition. I lay out the immediate political context, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the content of five court decisions that built up to the mosque-ing, and what these show about the current state of secularism, democracy and institutions in Turkey. I argue that the Ayasofya episode is a case of polarization to the point of abeyance and waqf-izing the Turkish state. Evaluating the episode in light of the past decade of Turkish politics, I propose that it is the present stage of a trajectory from the politics of modernity to the anti-politics of abeyance, and that the midpoint of this trajectory is the politics of ‘multiple modernities’. It is time to lay to rest the wave of conservative epistemologies emerging from Shmuel Eisenstadt’s ‘multiple modernities’.