bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of influenza vaccination on the rate of dementia amongst older adults
Authors: Appel Andreas Moses , Janbek Janet , Jensen‐Dahm Christina , Laursen Thomas Munk , Waldemar Gunhild 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackground and PurposePrevious studies have reported conflicting results regarding the association between influenza vaccination and dementia. This association was investigated in a nationwide register‐based cohort study.MethodsUsing nationwide registries, dementia‐free adults aged ≥65 years in Denmark from 2002 to 2018 without previous influenza vaccinations were included. Poisson regression facilitated confounder‐adjusted comparisons of dementia rates for ever versus never vaccinated, number of vaccinations and within/after 5 years from first vaccination. Sensitivity analyses included stratification on age and sex.ResultsVaccination during follow‐up was associated with a slightly higher rate of dementia when adjusted for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities, both within and after the first 5 years from first vaccination (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.05). The rate of dementia decreased with increasing number of vaccinations. The highest rate was amongst those with only one vaccination (IRR 1.14; 95% CI 1.12–1.17) and the rate of dementia was only decreased amongst those with six or more vaccinations (IRR 0.95; 95% CI 0.93–0.97). Applying the same models to control outcomes of hip fracture and cancer resulted in higher rates amongst vaccinated people of 6% and 7%, respectively. Vaccinated people also had a 10% higher mortality rate.DiscussionOur results do not support the case for a preventive effect of influenza vaccination on the risk of dementia in the general population, as reported by some previous studies. However, the higher dementia rate amongst vaccinated people found in this study is probably due to residual confounding, indicated by a higher rate for control outcomes and mortality.
Health utilities of patients with epilepsy in a Canadian population
Authors: Arimoro Olayinka I. , Wiebe Samuel , Lin Chantelle Q. Y. , Josephson Colin B. , Sajobi Tolulope T. ,   for the Calgary Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Published: October 2024

AbstractObjectiveHealth state utilities are required to obtain quality adjusted life years, a common metric that informs clinical decision‐making at individual, group, and health policy levels. Health state utilities are different from health‐related quality of life, and their distribution across patients with epilepsy, as well as the factors that impact them, have not been studied in depth. We aimed to describe the distribution of health state utilities in people with epilepsy and the impact of different combinations of clinical and demographic factors on health state evaluation.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients' data prospectively collected in the Calgary Comprehensive Epilepsy Program registry. Patient‐reported health state utilities were measured using the 5‐level EuroQol 5‐Dimension scale (EQ‐5D‐5L) completed at their initial assessment. EQ‐5D‐5L index scores were derived via the time trade‐off approach based on Canadian norms, and their distribution across different health states and patient characteristics was obtained. The Tobit regression model was used to evaluate the determinants of EQ‐5D‐5L index scores.ResultsOf 1446 patients included in this analysis, 724 (50.5%) were female. The median (interquartile range) Canada‐normed EQ‐5D‐5L index score was .87 (.71–.91). Patients with significantly lower health utilities were more likely to be female (p = .008), to be older (p = .034), to be unmarried (p = .013), to have failed to achieve 1‐year seizure freedom (p < .001), to have no postsecondary education (p = .028), to be depressed (p < .001), to have antiseizure medication side effects (p = .001), to be unemployed (p < .001), and to be unable to drive (p < .001). A look‐up table of health utilities based on combinations of clinical–demographic characteristics was produced.SignificanceHealth utility estimates for combinations of different health states in people with epilepsy attending specialty clinics are now available. These can help guide clinical decision‐making in routine clinical practice, economic evaluations of treatment interventions, and health care policies.
Effects of epileptic seizures on the quality of biosignals recorded from wearables
Authors: Böttcher Sebastian , Zabler Nicolas , Jackson Michele , Bruno Elisa , Biondi Andrea , Epitashvili Nino , Vieluf Solveig , Dümpelmann Matthias , Richardson Mark P. , Brinkmann Benjamin H. , Loddenkemper Tobias , Schulze‐Bonhage Andreas 
Published: October 2024

AbstractObjectiveWearable nonelectroencephalographic biosignal recordings captured from the wrist offer enormous potential for seizure monitoring. However, signal quality remains a challenging factor affecting data reliability. Models trained for seizure detection depend on the quality of recordings in peri‐ictal periods in performing a feature‐based separation of ictal periods from interictal periods. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of epileptic seizures on signal quality, ensuring accurate and reliable monitoring.MethodsThis study assesses the signal quality of wearable data during peri‐ictal phases of generalized tonic–clonic and focal to bilateral tonic–clonic seizures (TCS), focal motor seizures (FMS), and focal nonmotor seizures (FNMS). We evaluated accelerometer (ACC) activity and the signal quality of electrodermal activity (EDA) and blood volume pulse (BVP) data. Additionally, we analyzed the influence of peri‐ictal movements as assessed by ACC (ACC activity) on signal quality and examined intraictal subphases of focal to bilateral TCS.ResultsWe analyzed 386 seizures from 111 individuals in three international epilepsy monitoring units. BVP signal quality and ACC activity levels differed between all seizure types. We found the largest decrease in BVP signal quality and increase in ACC activity when comparing the ictal phase to the pre‐ and postictal phases for TCS. Additionally, ACC activity was strongly negatively correlated with BVP signal quality for TCS and FMS, and weakly for FNMS. Intraictal analysis revealed that tonic and clonic subphases have the lowest BVP signal quality and the highest ACC activity.SignificanceMotor elements of seizures significantly impair BVP signal quality, but do not have significant effect on EDA signal quality, as assessed by wrist‐worn wearables. The results underscore the importance of signal quality assessment methods and careful selection of robust modalities to ensure reliable seizure detection. Future research is needed to explain whether seizure detection models' decisions are based on signal responses induced by physiological processes as opposed to artifacts.
Effects of Nest‐Site Availability on Male–Male Competition and the Foraging Costs of Egg Attendance in an Arachnid With Exclusive Paternal Care
Authors: Grossel Laís A. , Werneck Rachel M. , Machado Glauco 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTNatural cavities are monopolizable resources used as nest sites across many species exhibiting exclusive male care. However, our understanding of how the availability of this type of reproductive site influences male–male competition and the foraging costs associated with parental care is limited and based on studies of fish. The harvestman Magnispina neptunus offers the opportunity to explore these questions in invertebrates because males defend natural cavities used as oviposition sites and provide exclusive parental care. We hypothesized that low nest availability would increase male–male competition and the foraging costs of egg attendance. To test this hypothesis, we collected observational data in the field and conducted a laboratory experiment with two groups, low and high nest availability. Field data indicate natural cavity scarcity, as only 50% of the males were nest holders. Larger males were more likely to hold nests in the field, but body size did not predict nest ownership in the laboratory. In the field, nests with openings smaller than average were equally occupied by small and large males, while nests with openings larger than average were occupied almost exclusively by large males. The nest opening in the laboratory experiment was adjusted to be equal to the average found in the field, which may have increased nest defensibility, regardless of male size. Thus, prior residency may outweigh body size in determining nest possession. Because nest owners seem to have an advantage over intruders, the costs of abandoning a nest are likely high. This may explain why the frequency of nest takeovers and foraging outside the nests did not differ between experimental groups. In conclusion, although underexplored in empirical studies, external factors, such as the opening size of cavities defended by males of many species with resource‐defense mating systems, may play a key role in the defensibility of nest sites.
European foresight (1950–2020): A history of contrasts. Intellectual inspirations and the political conditions for success
Authors: Dulong Delphine , Robert Cécile 
Published: October 2024

AbstractAlthough foresight has played a central role in the history of European integration since its inception in the 1950s, it has not always had the same meaning, nor has it always been used in the same political way. This article looks at the genesis and development of foresight on a European scale between 1950 and 2020, analysing it as a specific public policy: such a perspective aims to highlight the differentiated relationships to time and future, the different conceptions of the respective roles of administration, politics and science, and the forms of competence on which successive foresight policies are based. It also enables us to identify the institutional and political factors that explain its development, and the particular forms it takes.
A call to action: Every family deserves active efforts. Keeping the black family together‐active efforts as the standard for all removal and reunification efforts
Authors: Robinson Brenda C. , Gray Ernestine S. , Ramirez Isel R. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThis research paper explores active efforts as a transformative measure in the child welfare system. It argues how the currently used reasonable effort standard has not served the children or families in its care adequately. When a child comes to the attention of child protective services, measures to maintain family unity could see significant improvements in the child welfare system. Additionally, the current standard has shown to be particularly detrimental to the integrity of Black families and children. Through a critical examination of these failures as well the benefits of using an active efforts approach, this paper advocates for the adoption of this standard as a necessary step in the shift toward fostering stronger, more resilient family structures.
Regeneration of secondary forest following anthropogenic disturbance from 1985 to 2021 for Amazonas, Brazil
Authors: Martin Scot T. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractFollowing old‐growth forest loss and subsequent land abandonment, secondary forest grows throughout the Amazon biome. For Amazonas, agricultural colonization was unsuccessful in many regions, leading to the regeneration of secondary forest and carbon storage under favorable climate conditions. Herein, the extent of regeneration in Amazonas and its timescale are investigated, including a granular analysis of its 62 municipalities, based on the MapBiomas dataset from 1985 to 2021. By 2021, 10,495 km2 of secondary forest had grown, corresponding to 28% of the lost old‐growth forest. After normalization for algorithmic differences, this estimate was 17%–38% lower than prior studies for Amazonas that used earlier versions of the MapBiomas dataset, indicating increased accuracy in landcover assignments for more current versions of the dataset. For the northeastern microregion, representing the 15 municipalities of economic and population dominance in Amazonas, the growth of secondary forest varied from 3.0% to 9.8% of the total land area. For the southern microregion, constituting seven municipalities adjacent to large‐scale deforestation of Mato Grosso and Rondônia, regeneration of secondary forest constituted 0.4%–1.2% of the land area. For the remaining interior municipalities, the regeneration was 0.0%–1.9%. Among the municipalities, the median regeneration interval, corresponding to the duration between the loss of old‐growth forest and the appearance of secondary forest, ranged from 2 to 7 years. The median regeneration intervals of the interior, northeastern, and southern microregions were 3, 4, and 5 years, respectively. Even as the secular trend of deforestation continues in the Amazon biome and encroaches into the southern border of Amazonas state, the results herein indicate a possible resiliency toward secondary forest for undisturbed land on a timescale of several years, at least for mixed pasture‐forest landscapes of kilometer‐scale heterogeneity and assuming that a favorable climate persists for regeneration even as global change occurs.
A New Dawn for Protist Biogeography
Authors: Pinseel Eveline , Sabbe Koen , Verleyen Elie , Vyverman Wim 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTAimBiogeographers have believed for a long time that the geographical distributions of protists are only determined by environmental conditions, because dispersal is not limited. During the past two decades, the field has come a long way to show that historical and spatial factors also significantly contribute to shaping protist distributions, calling for a reappraisal of our understanding of protist biogeography.MethodsWe review the current state‐of‐the‐art on the field of protist biogeography, highlighting several outstanding questions and opportunities. Our review brings together insights from different disciplines, ranging from morphology‐based research to environmental, population and speciation genomics.ResultsProtist communities harbour cosmopolitan and geographically restricted species and are shaped by both local environmental conditions and historical processes, yet the relative contributions of these patterns and processes likely differs depending on the geographic scale, protist lineage and the habitat that is being investigated. The field is ready to move beyond the decades‐long ubiquity versus (moderate) endemicity discourse and to instead ask why and where specific protist species and clades are more prone to widespread or restricted distributions. With the advent of next‐generation sequencing technologies, from whole‐genome sequencing to environmental and ancient DNA surveys, it is now possible to integrate insights from multiple lines of evidence and investigate protist communities, species and populations at an unprecedented scale and detail.OutlookTo further advance the field, the protist community needs to focus on understudied habitats and protist lineages, study the impact of protist traits on biogeographical patterns, perform targeted field and experimental work to disentangle the processes that underlie protist biogeographies and expand and develop databases with sequence, trait, distributional and phylogenetic information of protists. Given that a good understanding of species boundaries is central to unravelling protist biogeography, it remains crucial to invest in polyphasic taxonomic research.
Effect of Health Literacy and Patient Activation on Health‐Seeking Behaviour: A Cross‐Sectional Study in Turkey
Authors: Erişen Mehmet Akif 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe study aimed to investigate the effect of health literacy and patient activation on health‐seeking behaviour. In addition, the role of general health status and age variables in this effect was also addressed.MethodsThe research using quantitative methods is cross‐sectional. The participant information form, health literacy scale, patient activation scale and health‐seeking behaviour scale were used in the study. In addition to descriptive analyses, difference analysis, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used in the study. The study participants consisted of 1045 adult individuals living in Turkey.ResultsAccording to the correlation analysis results, it was determined that health literacy and patient activation were significantly positively associated with health‐seeking behaviour. According to multiple linear regression analysis, the independent variables of health literacy, patient activation, age and general health status significantly affected health‐seeking behaviour. Accordingly, patient activation and general health status positively affect health‐seeking behaviour, while health literacy and age have a negative effect.ConclusionTo positively improve individuals’ health‐seeking behaviours, it is thought that it would be appropriate to focus on individuals whose general health status is not good, who are not actively involved in their treatment, who have high health literacy and who are elderly.Patient or Public ContributionSince the research examines the effect of patient activation and health literacy on health‐seeking behaviour, it is of great importance for the research that the public and patients are included in the study from the design of the research to the presentation of the findings. The emergence of the study was made possible by the public and patients’ evaluations of the research topics and their participation in the survey.
Feasibility, Fidelity and Acceptability of a Person‐Centred Care Transition Support Intervention for Stroke Survivors: A Non‐Randomised Controlled Study
Authors: Lindblom Sebastian , Flink Maria , von Koch Lena , Laska Ann Charlotte , Ytterberg Charlotte 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundCare transitions from hospital to home are a critical period for patients and their families, especially after a stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, fidelity and acceptability of a co‐designed care transition support for stroke survivors.MethodsA non‐randomised controlled feasibility study recruiting patients who had had stroke and who were to be discharged home and referred to a neurorehabilitation team in primary healthcare was conducted. Data on the feasibility of recruitment and fidelity of the intervention were collected continuously during the study with screening lists and checklists. Data on the perceived quality of care transition were collected at 1‐week post‐discharge with the Care Transition Measure. Data on participant characteristics, disease‐related data and outcomes were collected at baseline (hospitalisation), 1 week and 3 months post‐discharge. Data on the acceptability of the intervention from the perspective of healthcare professionals were collected at 3 months using the Normalisation Measure Development Questionnaire.ResultsAltogether, 49 stroke survivors were included in the study: 28 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group. The recruitment and data collection of patient characteristics, disease‐related data, functioning and outcomes were feasible. The fidelity of the intervention differed in relation to the different components of the co‐designed care transition support. The intervention was acceptable from the perspective of healthcare professionals. Concerns were raised about the fidelity of the intervention. A positive direction of effects of the intervention on the perceived quality of the care transition was found.ConclusionThe study design, data collection, procedures and intervention were deemed feasible and acceptable. Modifications are needed to improve intervention fidelity by supporting healthcare professionals to apply the intervention. The feasibility study showed a positive direction of effect on perceived quality with the care transition, but a large‐scale trial is needed to determine its effectiveness.Patient or Public ContributionStroke survivors, significant others and healthcare professionals were involved in a co‐design process, including the joint development of the intervention's components, contextual factors to consider, participant needs and important outcomes to target.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT0292587.
OPEN LETTERS IN CLOSED SOCIETIES: THE VALUES OF HISTORIANS UNDER ATTACK
Authors: De Baets Antoon 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTThis article explores a question of practical ethics: To which values do historians appeal when they come under sustained attack from political power? An important instrument of historians living in closed societies to express their values is the open letter, defined as an unauthorized public statement cast in epistolary form and addressed to either political leaders or fellow historians, but always with the general public as a silent reader in the background. Limited to the post‐1945 period, a search for such open letters yielded 106 examples from 39 countries in closed and open societies. Four types of open letters were identified: those describing repression effects, those rebutting official historical views, those defending basic principles, and those presenting transitional historiography. Nine telling cases from six closed societies were then reviewed in detail and analyzed from a variety of angles (authorship, rhetoric, audience, impact, criticism, regime stage, and regime type). When these cases were examined in light of the initial question, it was found that most letters contained a great diversity of values but focused on how the human rights of historians were threatened. Invariably, their theme was historical writing in its full breadth, including its documentary infrastructure and its ramifications in education and the public sphere. Respect for historical truth was invoked more than any other value. It was a minimalist truth conception, however, understood as the absence of historical lies and falsification. The reason for this emphasis on an integrity‐oriented conception of historical truth may lie in an old and deep‐seated professional fear: the fear that the dictator's corrupted and divisive version of history survives and triumphs as the final verdict.
INTERNATIONAL SPILLOVERS OF QUALITY REGULATIONS
Authors: Macedoni Luca , Weinberger Ariel 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThis article investigates the international spillover effects of nondiscriminatory product regulations, for example, quality standards, in a multicountry general equilibrium framework with firm heterogeneity. In the presence of variable markups, when regulations are applied as a fixed cost consistent with stylized facts, they generate a positive spillover on the rest of the world as they induce entry of high‐quality firms and improve the terms of trade of the nonimposing countries. The benefits of such regulations are not fully realized under noncooperative policy settings, rationalizing international cooperation. We estimate our model to quantify the effects of regulations on various welfare‐relevant outcomes.