bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of information on transportation systems with strategic customers
Authors: Logothetis Dimitrios , Economou Antonis 
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, a transportation station has the possibility to provide its potential passengers with information regarding the arrival times of the successively arriving facilities, the congestion in the station and the space availability of future facilities. Such information influences the behavior of the passengers who think strategically and consequently the throughput and the welfare that are generated by the system. In the present work, we consider a general model of a transportation station where strategic customers arrive according to a Poisson process, the arriving instants of the transportation facilities form a renewal process and the capacities of successively arriving facilities are finite. Customers decide whether to stay or balk based on their expected waiting costs and the probability of being served, conditioning on the information provided. The information may include the capacity of the next facility, the elapsed time from the previous visit of the facility and/or the number of waiting customers in the station. We derive the customer equilibrium strategies and compare the equilibrium throughput and social welfare, under various information structures. We then determine the ideal level of information that should be provided according to the operational and economic parameters of a given system. Providing the elapsed time from the previous visit of the facility is of utmost importance for infrequent transportation visits. On the other hand, revealing the number of waiting customers is the most advantageous piece of information in the case of frequent facility's visits and small mean capacity.
Immune globulin usage trends in commercially insured and Medicare populations, 2009–2019
Authors: Jiao Yixin , Moll Keran , Dores Graça M. , Tworkoski Ellen , Zhou Cindy Ke , Scott Dorothy , Wong Hui‐Lee , Fingar Kathryn , Burrell Timothy , McEvoy Rowan , Hobbi Shayan , Chillarige Yoganand , Obidi Joyce , MaCurdy Thomas , Kelman Jeffrey , Shoaibi Azadeh 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundLongitudinal patterns of immune globulins (IG) use have not been described in large populations. Understanding IG usage is important given potential supply limitations impacting individuals for whom IG is the sole life‐saving/health‐preserving therapy. The study describes US IG utilization patterns from 2009 to 2019.Study Design and MethodsUsing IBM MarketScan commercial and Medicare claims data, we examined four metrics overall and by condition‐specific categories during 2009–2019: (1) IG administrations per 100,000 person‐years, (2) IG recipients per 100,000 enrollees, (3) average annual administrations per recipient, and (4) average annual dose per recipient.ResultsIn the commercial and Medicare populations respectively: IG administrations per 100,000 person‐years increased by 120% (213–470) and 144% (692–1693); IG recipients per 100,000 enrollees grew by 71% (24–42) and 102% (89–179); average annual administrations per recipient rose by 28% (8–10) and 19% (8–9); and average annual dose (grams) per recipient increased by 29% (384–497) and 34% (317–426). IG administrations associated with immunodeficiency (per 100,000 person‐years) increased by 154% (from 127 to 321) and 176% (from 365 to 1007). Autoimmune and neurologic conditions were associated with higher annual average administrations and dose than other conditions.DiscussionIG use increased, coinciding with a growth in the IG recipient population in the United States. Several conditions contributed to the trend, with the largest increase observed among immunodeficient individuals. Future investigations should assess changes in the demand for IVIG by disease state or indication and consider treatment effectiveness.
WHAT MAKES A QUANTUM PHYSICS BELIEF BELIEVABLE? MANY‐WORLDS AMONG SIX IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST
Authors: Henson Shaun C. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAn extraordinary, if circumscribed, positive shift has occurred since the mid‐twentieth century in the perceived status of Hugh Everett III's 1956 theory of the universal wave function of quantum mechanics, now widely called the Many‐Worlds Interpretation (MWI). Everett's starkly new interpretation denied the existence of a separate classical realm, contending that the experimental data can be seen as presenting a state vector for the whole universe. Since there is no state vector collapse, reality as a whole is strictly deterministic. Explained jointly by the dynamical variables and the state vector, “this reality is not the reality we customarily think of, but is a reality composed of many worlds,” wrote Everett's colleague Bryce DeWitt. In this essay, I account briefly for the change of status in conventional scientific terms, yet chiefly in extended terms of three sets of ideas that I argue can be understood to affect believability in both scientific and religious contexts, illuminating helpfully the MWI phenomenon, and its engagement with theology: orthodoxy and heresy, language and reference, and faith and agnosticism. One's orientation relative to the variable content of these dynamic, socially oriented categories helps to make belief in ideas as metaphysically challenging as Everettian Quantum Mechanics, or particular ideas about God, either more or less believable. The categories will have the same function in a theology engaging Everett's theory, and in any theology at all written in a society deeply marked by what I further argue is a subtle, powerful, and pervasive mode of quasi‐scientific thinking we can call societal constructive agnosticism, of which anyone doing theology today must be aware.
Can Physical Activity Breaks Assist Mathematics Learning? A Domain Learning Theory Perspective
Authors: Wang Wen-Yi , Chen Ang 
Published: February 2023

Purpose: Guided by the model of domain learning theory, this study was intended to determine the extent to which integrating a 10-min physical activity (PA) break in elementary school mathematics lessons would enhance the learning of mathematics content. Methods: A sample of 22 intact classes from a random sample of eight schools in Taiwan were randomly assigned to an experimental condition with PA breaks (n = 11) and a control condition (n = 11) for 12 weeks. Students’ (N = 420) mathematics knowledge was assessed using the standardized aptitude tests accompanying the curriculum, which encompassed five knowledge domains. Results: Analysis on class means showed that adding the PA breaks did not benefit mathematics learning, which lends support to the model of domain learning theory. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings seem to question the theoretical foundation for adding PA breaks to classroom-taught content, including mathematics. Although interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary instruction and learning may be necessary to advance students’ knowledge, including PA in classroom-taught subjects needs extensive research.
Analysis of the pachychoroid phenotype in an Asian population: methodology and baseline study population characteristics
Authors: Wong Wendy Meihua , Sun Wu , Vyas Chinmayi , Fong Angie Hon Chi , Chee Caroline K , Su Xin Yi , Teo Kelvin YC , Cheung Chui Ming Gemmy 
Published: February 2023

AimTo describe the clinical characteristics in a cohort of patients with the pachychoroid phenotype and to evaluate the association of ocular and systemic factors with type of complications observed.MethodsWe report baseline findings from a prospective observational study which recruited subjects with subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of ≥300 µm on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Multimodal imaging was used to classify eyes as uncomplicated pachychoroid (UP) or pachychoroid disease with pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (PPE), central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) or pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) subtypes.ResultsAmong 181 eyes of 109 participants (mean age 60.6 years, 33 (30.3%) female, 95 (7.2%) Chinese), 38 eyes (21.0%) had UP. Of 143 eyes (79.0%) with pachychoroid disease, 82 (45.3%), 41 (22.7%) and 20 (11.0%) had PPE, CSC and PNV, respectively. Addition of autofluorescence and OCT angiography to structural OCT led to reclassification of 31 eyes to a more severe category. Systemic and ocular factors evaluated, including SFCT, were not associated with disease severity. Comparison of PPE, CSC and PNV eyes showed no significant difference in OCT features of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) dysfunction, but disruption of the ellipsoid zone (PPE 30.5% vs CSC 70.7% vs PNV 60%, p<0.001) and thinning of inner nuclear/inner plexiform layers (PPE 7.3% vs CSC 36.6% vs PNV 35%, p<0.001) were more frequent in CSC and PNV eyes.ConclusionsThese cross-sectional associations suggest pachychoroid disease manifestations may reflect progressive decompensation from the choroid to the RPE then retinal layers. Planned follow-up of this cohort will be beneficial in clarifying the natural history of the pachychoroid phenotype.
Cost of hepatocellular carcinoma to the national health service in England: a registry-based analysis
Authors: Cullen Katherine , Jones Mari , Pockett Rhys D. , Burton Anya , Cross Timothy J.S. , Rowe Ian A. , Paley Lizz , Tataru Daniela , Alexander Graeme , Marshall Aileen , Fitzsimmons Deborah 
Published: February 2023

ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence in the UK trebled between 1997 and 2017. With increasing numbers requiring treatment, understanding the likely impact on healthcare budgets can inform service planning and commissioning. The aim of this analysis was to use existing registry data to describe the direct healthcare costs of current treatments for HCC and estimate the impact on National Health Service (NHS) budgets.DesignA retrospective data analysis based on the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service cancer registry informed a decision-analytic model for England comparing patients by cirrhosis compensation status and those on palliative or curative treatment pathways. Potential cost drivers were investigated by undertaking a series of one-way sensitivity analyses.ResultsBetween 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016, 15 684 patients were diagnosed with HCC. The median cost per patient over 2 years was £9065 (IQR: £1965 to £20 491), 66% did not receive active therapy. The cost of HCC treatment for England over 5 years was estimated to be £245 million.ConclusionThe National Cancer Registration Dataset and linked data sets have enabled a comprehensive analysis of the resource use and costs of secondary and tertiary healthcare for HCC, providing an overview of the economic impact to the NHS England of treating HCC.
Aspirations and realities of intergovernmental collaboration in national- level interventions: insights from maternal, neonatal and child health policy processes in Nigeria, 2009–2019
Authors: Etiaba Enyi , Eboreime Ejemai Amaize , Dalglish Sarah L , Lehmann Uta 
Published: February 2023

In Nigeria’s federal government system, national policies assign concurrent healthcare responsibilities across constitutionally arranged government levels. Hence, national policies, formulated for adoption by states for implementation, require collaboration. This study examines collaboration across government levels, tracing implementation of three maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) programmes, developed from a parent integrated MNCH strategy, with intergovernmental collaborative designs, to identify transferable principles to other multilevel governance contexts, especially low-income countries.National-level setting was Abuja, where policymaking is domiciled, while two subnational implementation settings (Anambra and Ebonyi states) were selected based on their MNCH contexts. A qualitative case study triangulated information from 69 documents and 44 in-depth interviews with national and subnational policymakers, technocrats, academics and implementers. Emerson’s integrated collaborative governance framework was applied thematically to examine how governance arrangements across the national and subnational levels impacted policy processes.The results showed that misaligned governance structures constrained implementation. Specific governance characteristics (subnational executive powers, fiscal centralisation, nationally designed policies, among others) did not adequately generate collaboration dynamics for collaborative actions. Collaborative signing of memoranda of understanding happened passively, but the contents were not implemented. Neither state adhered to programme goals, despite contextual variations, because of an underlying disconnect in the national governance structure.Collaboration across government levels could be better facilitated via full devolution of responsibilities by national authorities to subnational governments, with the national level providing independent evaluation and guidance only. Given the existing fiscal structure, innovative reforms which hold government levels accountable should be linked to fiscal transfers. Sustained advocacy and context-specific models of achieving distributed leadership across government levels are required across similar resource-limited countries. Stakeholders should be aware of what drivers are available to them for collaboration and what needs to be built within the system context.
Development and validation of nomograms to predict survival in patients with invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast
Authors: Cheng Yixin , Zhang Pengkun , Huang Yulin , Zhang Zhihui , Tang Ru , Chi Feng , Sun Jia-Yuan , He Zhenyu 
Published: February 2023

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to develop and validate nomograms to predict the survival of patients with breast invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) to aid objective decision-making.DesignPrognostic factors were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses and used to construct nomograms to predict overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) at 3 and 5 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis, calibration curves, the area under the curve (AUC) and the concordance index (C-index) evaluated the nomograms’ performance. Decision curve analysis (DCA), integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to compare the nomograms with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system.SettingPatient data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. This database holds data related to the incidence of cancer acquired from 18 population-based cancer registries in the US.ParticipantsWe ruled out 1893 patients and allowed the incorporation of 1340 patients into the present study.ResultsThe C-index of the AJCC8 stage was lower than that of the OS nomogram (0.670 vs 0.766) and the OS nomograms had higher AUCs than the AJCC8 stage (3 years: 0.839 vs 0.735, 5 years: 0.787 vs 0.658). On calibration plots, the predicted and actual outcomes agreed well, and DCA revealed that the nomograms had better clinical utility compared with the conventional prognosis tool. In the training cohort, the NRI for OS was 0.227, and for BCSS was 0.182, while the IDI for OS was 0.070, and for BCSS was 0.078 (both p<0.001), confirming its accuracy. The Kaplan-Meier curves for nomogram-based risk stratification showed significant differences (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe nomograms showed excellent discrimination and clinical utility to predict OS and BCSS at 3 and 5 years, and could identify high-risk patients, thus providing IMPC patients with personalised treatment strategies.
Lidocaine for Neuropathic Cancer Pain (LiCPain): study protocol for a mixed-methods pilot study
Authors: Lee Jessica , Currow David , Lovell Melanie , Phillips Jane L , McLachlan Andrew , Ritchie Megan , Brown Linda , Fazekas Belinda , Aggarwal Rajesh , Seah Davinia , Sheehan Caitlin , Chye Richard , Noble Beverly , McCaffrey Nikki , Aggarwal Ghauri , George Rachel , Kow Marian , Ayoub Chadi , Linton Anthony , Sanderson Christine , Mittal Dipti , Rao Angela , Prael Grace , Urban Katalin , Vandersman Priyanka , Agar Meera 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionMany patients experience unrelieved neuropathic cancer-related pain. Most current analgesic therapies have psychoactive side effects, lack efficacy data for this indication and have potential medication-related harms. The local anaesthetic lidocaine (lignocaine) has the potential to help manage neuropathic cancer-related pain when administered as an extended, continuous subcutaneous infusion. Data support lidocaine as a promising, safe agent in this setting, warranting further evaluation in robust, randomised controlled trials. This protocol describes the design of a pilot study to evaluate this intervention and explains the pharmacokinetic, efficacy and adverse effects evidence informing the design.Methods and analysisA mixed-methods pilot study will determine the feasibility of an international first, definitive phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an extended continuous subcutaneous infusion of lidocaine for neuropathic cancer-related pain. This study will comprise: a phase II double-blind randomised controlled parallel-group pilot of subcutaneous infusion of lidocaine hydrochloride 10% w/v (3000 mg/30 mL) or placebo (sodium chloride 0.9%) over 72 hours for neuropathic cancer-related pain, a pharmacokinetic substudy and a qualitative substudy of patients’ and carers’ experiences. The pilot study will provide important safety data and help inform the methodology of a definitive trial, including testing proposed recruitment strategy, randomisation, outcome measures and patients’ acceptability of the methodology, as well as providing a signal of whether this area should be further investigated.Ethics and disseminationParticipant safety is paramount and standardised assessments for adverse effects are built into the trial protocol. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. This study will be considered suitable to progress to a phase III study if there is a completion rate where the CI includes 80% and excludes 60%. The protocol and Patient Information and Consent Form have been approved by Sydney Local Health District (Concord) Human Research Ethics Committee 2019/ETH07984 and University of Technology Sydney ETH17-1820.Trial registration numberANZCTR ACTRN12617000747325.
Non-pharmacological interventions for possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Shi Ya , Stanmore Emma , McGarrigle Lisa , Todd Chris 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionEarly prevention of sarcopenia is a recommendation to reduce morbidity, mortality and improve quality of life. Several non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the risk of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older people have been proposed. Therefore, there is a need to identify the scope and differences of these interventions. This scoping review will summarise the nature and extent of the existing literature that describes and examines non-pharmacological interventions for community-dwelling older adults with possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia.Methods and analysisThe seven-stage review methodology framework will be used. Searches will be conducted in the following databases: Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, All EBM Reviews, Web of Science, Scopus, CBM, CNKI, WANFANG and VIP. Grey literature will also be identified from Google scholar. Search dates will be restricted to January 2010 to December 2022, in English and Chinese language only. Screening will be focused on published research, including both quantitative and qualitative study designs, and prospectively registered trials. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews will be followed when delineating the search decision process. Findings will be synthesised quantitatively and qualitatively as appropriate and classified using key conceptual categories. We will identify whether studies identified have been included in systematic reviews or meta-analyses, and research gaps and opportunities will be identified and summarised.Ethics and disseminationAs this is a review, ethical approval will not be sought. The results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and also disseminated in relevant disease support groups and conferences. The planned scoping review will help us identify the current status of research and gaps in the literature, so as to develop a future research agenda.
Role of patients’ family members in end-of-life communication: an integrative review
Authors: Pun Jack , Chow James C H , Fok Leslie , Cheung Ka Man 
Published: February 2023

ObjectivesTo synthesise empirical findings on the role of family in end-of-life (EOL) communication and to identify the communicative practices that are essential for EOL decision-making in family-oriented cultures.SettingThe EOL communication settings.ParticipantsThis integrative review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guideline. Relevant studies published between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 2021 were retrieved from four databases, including the PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE and Ovid nursing databases, using keywords with meanings of ‘end-of-life’, ‘communication’ and ‘family’. Data were then extracted and coded into themes for analysis. The search strategy yielded 53 eligible studies; all 53 included studies underwent quality assessment. Quantitative studies were evaluated using the Quality Assessment Tool, and Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used for qualitative research.Primary and secondary outcome measuresResearch evidence on EOL communication with a focus on family.ResultsFour themes emerged from these studies: (1) conflicts in family decision-making in EOL communication, (2) the significance of timing of EOL communication, (3) difficulty in identification of a ‘key person’ who is responsible for decisions regarding EOL care and (4) different cultural perspectives on EOL communication.ConclusionsThe current review pointed towards the importance of family in EOL communication and illustrated that family participation likely leads to improved quality of life and death in patients. Future research should develop a family-oriented communication framework which is designed for the Chinese and Eastern contexts that targets on managing family expectations during prognosis disclosure and facilitating patients’ fulfilment of familial roles while making EOL decision-making. Clinicians should also be aware of the significance of the role of family in EOL care and manage family members’ expectations according to cultural contexts.