bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PD233 Does Patient Input Add Value To Healthcare Decision-Making? A Two-Year Reflection On Patient Involvement Processes In Singapore
Authors: Tan Ping-Tee , Pearce Fiona 
Published: January 2025

IntroductionIn 2022, the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) co-developed patient involvement processes with local patient organizations to enable patients and caregivers to share their experiential knowledge about different medical conditions and treatments to inform health technology assessments (HTAs). This presentation describes the impact of patient input on funding recommendations during the first two years of this initiative in Singapore.MethodsA literature search was conducted to identify frameworks and indicators used by different HTA agencies that could be contextualized to evaluate local patient involvement efforts. Systematic data extraction was performed by two authors to compare patient testimonials received for HTAs conducted between May 2022 and April 2024 with key information in HTA reports, minutes from committee meetings, and published HTA guidance documents to determine the impact of patient and caregiver involvement on the committees’ deliberations and subsequent funding recommendations. The impact of patient involvement on ACE staff, existing processes, and patient participation in future HTAs was also assessed through qualitative surveys.ResultsIn the first year (May 2022 to April 2023), 112 patient responses informed 11 HTAs, while 243 responses informed 16 HTAs in the subsequent year (May 2023 to April 2024). At least one testimonial was received for 84.6 percent of HTAs in the first year, increasing to 88.9 percent in the subsequent year. Patient input addressed uncertainties in the scientific evidence and helped decision-making committees understand how different conditions affect patients and their caregivers, the outcomes that matter most to patients, and the benefits and disadvantages of different treatments. In response to feedback, ACE continually evolved its processes to meet the needs of patients and to encourage broader patient participation. Industry and patient organizations also expanded their capacity so that they can meaningfully participate in future ACE HTAs.ConclusionsContinuous process improvement in response to feedback; providing patient input templates in different formats and languages to improve accessibility; and regular feedback to patient organizations on how their inputs have informed HTAs have increased patient participation, improved the legitimacy of ACE HTAs, and added value to decision-making about which health technologies should be funded in Singapore.
PD235 Impact Of A Consumer Panel To Inform Health Technology Assessments And Policy Development: The Singapore Experience
Authors: Teo Sok Huang , Pearce Fiona , Tan Ping-Tee 
Published: January 2025

IntroductionPatient involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) at the organizational level is vital to drive process development and capacity-building, and to ensure patients have the same opportunities as other stakeholders to effect policy changes. This presentation discusses the role and impact of the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) Consumer Panel in the co-development of patient involvement and education initiatives in Singapore.MethodsThe composition and terms of reference of patient and citizen groups in overseas HTA or government agencies were reviewed to identify key aspects that could be generalized to Singapore’s context. Using selection criteria, 20 individuals from local patient or voluntary groups representing a broad range of health conditions were shortlisted; 15 were formally appointed to the Panel in April 2022. Their contributions and impact on ACE’s work and healthcare decision-making were documented throughout their two-year term. A qualitative survey was also conducted to seek members’ feedback on their participation in the Panel and identify areas to improve collaboration.ResultsSince their appointment, ACE Consumer Panel members have played a key role in providing the collective voice of local patient organizations to guide ACE’s work and have co-developed processes that ensure meaningful patient involvement in policy development and HTA. They have also informed ACE’s workplan by providing advice on priority-setting, communication strategies, and patients’ information needs. During their term, processes to include patient input in HTAs were formalized leading to the co-development of a process guide and supporting fact sheets, a patient glossary, and two patient training modules, which will be continually updated based on patient feedback.ConclusionsThe ACE Consumer Panel is the first long-standing engagement of healthcare consumers by Singapore’s Ministry of Health. The Panel’s contributions and impact on ACE’s work serve as an example for other decision-makers on how to meaningfully involve patients at the organizational level, to understand their priorities and preferences, and to ensure healthcare policies remain relevant for the people affected by them.
Dietary intakes, nutritional and biochemical status of 6 months to 12-year-old children before the COVID-19 pandemic era: the South East Asian Nutrition Survey II Indonesia (SEANUTS II) study in Java and Sumatera Islands, Indonesia
Authors: Kekalih Aria , Chandra Dian Novita , Mirtha Listya Tresnanti , Khouw Ilse , Wong Gerard , Sekartini Rini 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective:
The South East Asian Nutrition Survey II Indonesia aimed to provide up-to-date data on dietary intake, nutritional and biochemical status of children aged 0·5–12 years in Indonesia 2019–2020.

Design:
Multistage cluster sampling, stratified by geographical location.

Setting:
Out of forty-six targeted districts in Indonesia, the study only covered twenty-one districts/cities in Java and Sumatera islands, Indonesia due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants:
A total of 2475 children aged 0·5–12 years were included.

Result:
The growth (weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height and BMI-for-age) of Indonesian pre-school- and school-aged children was below the WHO standards. The prevalence of stunting in Java and Sumatera islands was 20·6 and 33·4 % in urban and rural areas, respectively. Stunting was higher in the 1·0–3·9-year age group, boys and rural areas. Overall, 9–12 percent of all children were overweight -obese, with 23·7 % of urban 7–12-year-olds having the highest prevalence.
Anaemia was 22·8 % in < 5-year-old and highest in < 1-year-old children. Fe, Zn, vitamins A and D insufficiency was observed in 20·3 %, 11·9 %, 1·9 % and 27·1 % of the children. Dietary intakes of energy, fibre, Ca, Fe, Zn, vitamins A, B1, C and vitamin D below the Indonesian RDA were prevalent and observed in more than half of the children.

Conclusion:
High stunting, increasing trends of overweight/ obesity, anaemia, serum vitamin D insufficiency, inadequate energy and micronutrient intake in children highlighted the triple burden of malnutrition in Java and Sumatera, Indonesia’s most populous regions in 2019–2020, shortly before COVID-19 pandemic era.
Equipping our public health nutrition workforce to promote planetary health: a case example of tertiary education co-designed with students
Authors: Chau Ka Po , Chong Wing , Londono Raquel , Cubillo Beau , McCartan Julia , Barbour Liza 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective:
The public health nutrition workforce is well placed to contribute to bold climate action; however, tertiary educators are seeking practical examples of how to adequately prepare our future workforce. This study examines the responses of university students engaged in a co-designed planetary health education workshop as part of their public health nutrition training.

Design:
A mixed-methods approach was used to collect and interpret student responses to four interactive tasks facilitated during an in-person workshop. Data were analysed using statistical tests, frequency counting and content analysis.

Setting:
The intervention was co-designed by students (n 5) and an educator over a 4-week period as part of a larger multi-disciplinary study at an Australian university.

Participants:
The workshop engaged nutrition and dietetics students (n 44) enrolled in public health nutrition coursework.

Results:
Students reported an increase in self-perceived knowledge about planetary health as a concept and how they can promote it within their future professional roles. Students’ descriptions of what planetary health means to them were focused on humans’ role in protecting and preserving the ecosystem, the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources and a need to sustain a healthy life for future generations. Students prioritised the values of ‘collaboration’ and ‘respect’ as being critical to guide personal and professional practice to promote planetary health.

Conclusions:
This study demonstrated that incorporating planetary health curricula designed by, and for, university students could be a feasible and effective way to prepare the future public health nutrition workforce to address planetary health challenges.
Decreased frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages intake among young children following the implementation of the health promotion levy in South Africa
Authors: Kruger H Salome , van Zyl Tertia , Monyeki Makama A , Ricci Cristian , Kruger Ruan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective:
This study assessed the association between baseline sociodemographic variables, body composition and 4-year changes in the intake of food groups, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among children, after the implementation of the health promotion levy.

Design:
Prospective cohort study.

Setting:
Ten schools in North West Province, South Africa.

Participants:
950 children aged 5–9 years at baseline and data of 672 children at follow-up. The frequency of intake from healthy and unhealthy food groups was assessed by questionnaire. Anthropometric and sociodemographic information were collected; BMI-for-age z-scores were calculated. The health promotion levy was implemented after baseline and follow-up measurements were done after 4 years. A random intercept generalised linear mixed model analysis was applied to investigate the time effect of the weekly intake of the foods adjusting for BMI-for-age z-scores and sociodemographic characteristics of the children.

Results:
The weekly frequency of intake from most food groups remained unchanged at follow-up. The frequency of SSB intake decreased significantly over 4 years. Decreased intake of SSB was not linked to increased intake of healthy foods. Changes in intakes from SSB were not associated with household income, parental education or BMI-for-age z-score categories. A decreased frequency of intake from SSB was observed following the implementation of the health promotion levy after baseline, in line with reports of national decreases in SSB sales in South Africa since 2017.

Conclusions:
The decreased frequency of SSB intakes following the implementation of the health promotion levy in South Africa may indicate that health policies can promote healthier dietary habits.
Meals, Mealtimes and moments for learning: Assessment of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care services
Authors: Searle Bonnie , Houen Sandy , Staton Sally , Thorpe Karen 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective:
Early education and care (ECEC) is part of the everyday life of most children in developed economies presenting exceptional opportunity to support nutrition and ongoing food preferences. Yet, the degree to which such opportunity is captured in policy-driven assessment and quality ratings of ECEC services is unknown.

Design:
Abductive thematic analysis was conducted, guided by key domains of knowledge in nutrition literature and examining identified themes within these domains.

Setting:
ECEC services (n=38) in Queensland, Australia.

Participants:
Data were a random sample of field notes pertaining to mealtimes and food provision (n=182) collected as evidence to inform quality ratings during assessment visits to ECEC services.

Results:
The field notes mapped to three theory-driven domains: Provisions, Practices and Education. Reflecting policy specification, health, hygiene, and safety were a key focus but food quality and quantity were not. Assessors noted promotion of child autonomy at mealtimes yet little evidence pertaining to characteristics of educator-child interactions.

Conclusions:
Despite evidence that childhood nutrition is crucial for optimal development and learning, quality and quantity of food is not directly assessed. Relationships and interactions at mealtimes provide an environment ideal for promoting learning and development yet the policy guiding inspection and assessment of ECEC services directs focus to a more limited lens of safety, hygiene and promotion of ‘healthy foods’. Our findings identify a narrow conceptualisation of mealtimes focused on ‘health’ as limiting the potential to leverage mealtimes as places to support children’s nutrition and attendant development and learning.
Précis of Open and Inclusive: Fair Processes for Financing Universal Health Coverage
Authors: Voorhoeve Alex , Dale Elina , Gopinathan Unni 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
We summarise key messages from the World Bank Report Open and Inclusive: Fair Processes for Financing Universal Health Coverage. A central lesson of the Report is that in decision-making on the path to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), procedural fairness matters alongside substantive fairness. Decision systems should be assessed using a complete conception of procedural fairness that embodies core commitments to impartial and equal consideration of interests and perspectives. These commitments demand that comprehensive information is gathered and disclosed and that justifications for policies are publicly debated; that participation in decision-making is enabled; and that these characteristics of the decision system are institutionalised rather than up to the good will of decision-makers. Procedural fairness can improve equity in outcomes, raise legitimacy and trust, and can help make reforms last. While improving procedural fairness can be costly and there are barriers to achieving it, the range of instruments that countries at varying levels of income and institutional capacity have used with some success shows that, in many contexts, advances in procedural fairness in health financing are possible and worthwhile.
Relating Dimethyl Sulphide and Methanethiol Fluxes to Surface Biota in the South‐West Pacific Using Shipboard Air‐Sea Interface Tanks
Authors: Rocco M. , Dunne E. , Salignat R. , Saint‐Macary A. , Peltola M. , Barthelmeß T. , Chamba G. , Barr N. , Safi K. , Marriner A. , Deppeler S. , Rose C. , Uitz J. , Harnwell J. , Engel A. , Colomb A. , Saiz‐Lopez A. , Harvey M. J. , Law C. S. , Sellegri K. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractDimethyl sulphide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) emissions from South Pacific surface seawater were determined in deck board Air‐Sea Interface Tanks during the Sea2Cloud voyage in March 2020. The measured fluxes from water to headspace (F) varied with water mass type, with lowest fluxes observed with Subtropical and Subantarctic waters and highest fluxes from Frontal waters. Measured DMS fluxes were consistent with fluxes calculated using a two‐layer model and seawater DMS concentrations. The MeSH:DMS flux ratio was 11%–18% across the three water mass types, confirming that MeSH may represent a significant unaccounted contribution to the atmospheric sulfur budget, with potentially important implications for marine aerosol formation and growth in models. Combining data from the ASITs and ambient surface seawater identified significant Spearman rank correlations for both dissolved DMS and MeSH with nanophytoplankton cell abundance (pvalue < 0.012), suggesting an important role for this phytoplankton size class in determining regional DMS and MeSH emissions. Applying a nanophytoplankton‐based parameterization to estimate DMSw provided good agreement with a recent DMS climatology. Consequently, the observed relationship between DMSw, MeSHw and nanophytoplankton cell abundances may be applicable for modeling atmospheric fluxes.
Liquid bidentate ligand for full ligand coverage towards efficient near-infrared perovskite quantum dot LEDs
Authors: Liu Zong-Shuo , Wang Ye , Zhao Feng , Li Hua-Hui , Liu Wei-Zhi , Shen Wan-Shan , Duan Hong-Wei , Wang Ya-Kun , Liao Liang-Sheng 
Published: January 2025

AbstractPerovskite quantum dots (PQDs) show promise in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, near-infrared (NIR) LEDs employing PQDs exhibit inferior external quantum efficiency related to the PQD emitting in the visible range. One fundamental issue arises from the PQDs dynamic surface: the ligand loss and ions migration to the interfacial sites serve as quenching centers, resulting in trap-assisted recombination and carrier loss. In this work, we developed a chemical treatment strategy to eliminate the interface quenching sites and achieve high carrier utilization. We employ a bidentate and liquid agent (Formamidine thiocyanate, FASCN) with tight binding to suppress the ligand loss and the formation of interfacial quenching sites: the FASCN-treated films exhibit fourfold higher binding energy than the original oleate ligands. Furthermore, the short ligands (carbon chain <3) enable the treated films to show eightfold higher conductivity; and the liquid characteristics of FASCN avoid the use of high polar solvents and guarantee better passivation. The high conductivity ensures efficient charge transportation, enabling PQD-based NIR-LEDs to have a record-low voltage of 1.6 V at 776 nm. Furthermore, the champion EQE of the treated LEDs is ~23%: this is twofold higher than the control, and represents the highest among reported PQD-based NIR-LEDs.
Low-threshold surface-emitting colloidal quantum-dot circular Bragg laser array
Authors: Tan Yangzhi , Huang Yitong , Wu Dan , Wang Yunjun , Sun Xiao Wei , Choi Hoi Wai , Wang Kai 
Published: January 2025

AbstractColloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive gain media due to their wavelength-tunability and low optical gain threshold. Consequently, CQD lasers, especially the surface-emitting ones, are promising candidates for display, sensing and communication. However, it remains challenging to achieve a low-threshold surface-emitting CQD laser array with high stability and integration density. For this purpose, it is necessary to combine the improvement of CQD material and laser cavity. Here, we have developed high-quality CQD material with core/interlayer/graded shell structure to achieve a low gain threshold and high stability. Subsequently, surface-emitting lasers based on CQD-integrated circular Bragg resonator (CBR) have been achieved, wherein the near-unity mode confinement factor (Γ of 89%) and high Purcell factor of 22.7 attributed to the strong field confinement of CBR enable a low lasing threshold of 17 μJ cm−2, which is 70% lower than that (56 μJ cm−2) of CQD vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. Benefiting from the high quality of CQD material and laser cavity, the CQD CBR laser is capable of continuous stable operation for 1000 hours (corresponding to 3.63 × 108 pulses) at room temperature. This performance is the best among solution-processed lasers composed of nanocrystals. Moreover, the miniaturized mode volume in CBR allows the integration of CQD lasers with an unprecedentedly high density above 2100 pixels per inch. Overall, the proposed low-threshold, stable and compactly integrated CQD CBR laser array would advance the development of CQD laser for practical applications.
Roof renewal disparities widen the equity gap in residential wildfire protection
Authors: Reining Sebastian , Wussow Moritz , Zanocco Chad , Neumann Dirk 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Wildfires are having disproportionate impacts on U.S. households. Notably, in California, over half of wildfire-destroyed homes (54%) are in low-income areas. We investigate the relationship between social vulnerability and wildfire community preparedness using building permits from 16 counties in California with 2.9 million buildings (2013–2021) and the U.S. government’s designation of disadvantaged communities (DACs), which classifies a census tract as a DAC if it meets a threshold for certain burdens, such as climate, environmental, and socio-economic. Homes located in DACs are 29% more likely to be destroyed by wildfires within 30 years, partly driven by a gap in roof renewals, one of several important home hardening actions. Homes in DACs have 28% fewer roof renewals than non-DACs and post-wildfire, non-DAC homes have more than twice the increase in renewals (+17%) compared to DAC homes (+7%). Our research offers policy insights for narrowing this equity gap in renewals for wildfire-prone areas. We recommend increasing financial support for roof renewals and targeted awareness campaigns for existing programs which are not sufficiently emphasized in wildfire strategies, particularly in DACs.
Septuple XBi2Te4 (X=Ge, Sn, Pb) intercalated MnBi2Te4 for realizing interlayer ferromagnetism and quantum anomalous hall effect
Authors: Yang Ruixia , Man Xiaoxiao , Peng Jiahui , Zhang Jingjing , Wang Fei , Wang Fang , Zhang Huisheng , Xu Xiaohong 
Published: January 2025

AbstractRealizing the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) at high temperatures remains a significant challenge in condensed matter physics. MnBi2Te4, an intrinsic magnetic topological insulator, presents a promising platform for QAHE. However, its inherent interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling hinders practical realization at high temperatures. In this study, we propose a novel approach to achieve interlayer ferromagnetic (FM) coupling in MBT bilayer by intercalating the septuple-layer of topological insulators XBi2Te4 (X=Ge, Sn, Pb). Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the pz orbital of the X atom mediates interactions between interlayer Mn atoms, enabling FM coupling. Monte Carlo simulations predict a magnetic transition temperature of 38 K for the MnBi2Te4/PbBi2Te4/MnBi2Te4 heterostructure. Our band structure and topological analyses confirm the preservation of QAHE in all MnBi2Te4/XBi2Te4/MnBi2Te4 heterostructures, while the MnBi2Te4/PbBi2Te4/MnBi2Te4 heterostructure exhibits a topological band gap of 72 meV, significantly exceeding that of the pure MnBi2Te4 bilayer. Furthermore, a continuum model is developed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the nontrivial topological states. Our work provides a practical pathway to achieving interlayer FM coupling in MnBi2Te4 bilayers, paving the way for high-temperature QAHE and advancing the development of magnetic topological insulators for quantum and spintronic applications.