bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Senegal: a mixed study
Authors: Ba Mouhamadou Faly , Faye Adama , Kane Babacar , Diallo Amadou Ibra , Junot Amandine , Gaye Ibrahima , Bonnet Emmanuel , Ridde Valéry 
Published: December 2021

SummaryIntroductionThe most effective way to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the long term is through vaccination. Two of the important components that can hinder it are vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal. This study, conducted before the arrival of the vaccines in Senegal, aims to assess and identify factors associated with hesitancy to the COVID-19 vaccine.MethodsThis study was an explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods design. We collected quantitative data from December 24, 2020, to January 16, 2021, and qualitative data from February 19 to March 30, 2021. We conducted a marginal quota sampling nationwide. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data for the quantitative phase and an interview guide with a telephone interview for the qualitative phase. We performed descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses with R software version 4.0.5 for the quantitative phase; and performed manual content analyses for the qualitative phase.ResultsWe surveyed 607 people for the quantitative phase, and interviewed 30 people for the qualitative phase. Individuals who hesitated or refused to be vaccinated represented 12.9% and 32.8%, respectively. Vaccine hesitancy was related to gender, living in large cities, having a poor attitude towards the vaccine, thinking that the vaccine would not help protect them from the virus, being influenced by people important to them, and lacking information from health professionals. Vaccine refusal was related to living in large cities, having a poor attitude towards the vaccine, thinking that the vaccine would not help protect them from the virus, thinking that the vaccine could endanger their health, trusting opinions of people who were important to them, and lacking information from health professionals.ConclusionThe results of the study show that the factors associated with hesitancy and refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are diverse and complex. Reducing them will help to ensure better vaccination coverage if the current challenges of vaccine accessibility are addressed. Therefore, governments and health authorities should intensify their efforts to promote vaccine confidence and reduce misinformation.
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICE AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS TOWARDS COVID-19 PREVENTIVE MEASURES AT WOMEN AND NEW-BORN HOSPITAL, UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
Authors: Shampile Joyce Nambela , Lingenda Godfrey , Zambwe Mowa , Chipimo Peter J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the knowledge, attitude and Practices among healthcare workers towards covid-19 preventive measures at Women and New-born Hospital of the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka.MethodsCross-sectional study conducted at WNH-UTH, Lusaka. Convenient sample of 264 frontline healthcare workers responded to self-administered questionnaire to determine their knowledge, attitudes and practices on COVID-19 preventive measures.ResultsMajority (31.9%) of the respondents were aged 25 – 29 years. The study revealed that 63.4% had a good knowledge, 60.3% had positive attitudes and 59.9% had a good practice. Attitude was positively related with practice (r = 0.524, p < 0.001) and knowledge (r = 0.469; p < 0.001). Further, knowledge was positively correlated with practice (r = 0.51; p < 0.001). Bivariate analysis results showed that only high knowledge score (75.6%; p < 0.001) and high attitude score (77.6%; p < 0.001) was associated with an increase in good practice among healthcare workers towards Covid-19 preventive measures.ConclusionThe study showed the need for continued assessment of Knowledge Attitude and Practice among healthcare workers towards Covid-19 preventive measures. It further showed the need of designing interventions aimed at encouraging sustained compliance to preventive measures among healthcare workers to prevent COVID-19 transmission.ARTICLE SUMMARYStrengths and LimitationsThis study was conducted at Women and Newborn Hospital of the University of Zambia and described the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Healthcare workers towards Covid-109 preventive measures. The study showed the need for continued assessment of Knowledge Attitude and Practice among healthcare workers towards Covid-19 preventive measures. This study has the potential to yield significant benefits for the participants and the community at large. The study is reproducible and feasible with results which can be used in designing interventions aimed at encouraging use of preventive measures available to healthcare workers to prevent COVID-19 transmission.The study was a cross-sectional study which limits our ability to make causal inferences. Further the study was conducted at only one hospital which is located in the capital city and so the findings cannot be generalized to HCW in other parts of Zambia.
De Novo Design of Immunoglobulin-like Domains
Authors: Chidyausiku Tamuka M. , Mendes Soraia R. , Klima Jason C. , Eckhard Ulrich , Houliston Scott , Nadal Marta , Roel-Touris Jorge , Guevara Tibisay , Haddox Hugh K. , Moyer Adam , Arrowsmith Cheryl H. , Gomis-Rüth F. Xavier , Baker David , Marcos Enrique 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAntibodies and antibody derivatives such as nanobodies contain immunoglobulin-like (Ig) β-sandwich scaffolds which anchor the hypervariable antigen-binding loops and constitute the largest growing class of drugs. Current engineering strategies for this class of compounds rely on naturally existing Ig frameworks, which can be hard to modify and have limitations in manufacturability, designability and range of action. Here we develop design rules for the central feature of the Ig fold architecture – the non-local cross-β structure connecting the two β-sheets – and use these tode novodesign highly stable seven-stranded Ig domains, confirm their structures through X-ray crystallography, and show they can correctly scaffold functional loops. Our approach opens the door to the design of a new class of antibody-like scaffolds with tailored structures and superior biophysical properties.
Top-down contribution to motor network reorganization during action preparation
Authors: Pisoni Alberto , Bianco Valentina , Arrigoni Eleonora , Di Russo Francesco , Romero Lauro Leonor J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDIt is unclear whether the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) recorded in humans during action preparation mirrors motor areas activation escalation, or if its early and late phases reflect the engagement of different functional networks.OBJECTIVEHere, we aimed at recording the TMS evoked-potentials (TEP) stimulating the supplementary motor area (SMA) to assess whether and how cortical excitability and functional connectivity of this region change as the BP increases. We hypothesize that, at later stages, the SMA functional network should become more connected to regions relevant for the implementation of the final motor plan.METHODSWe performed TMS-EEG recordings on fourteen healthy subjects during the performance of a visuomotor Go/No-go task, eliciting and recording cortical activity and functional connectivity at -700 ms and -300 ms before the onset of visual stimuli over the SMA.RESULTSWhen approaching stimulus onset, and thus BP peak, the SMA increased its functional connectivity with movement-related structures in the gamma and alpha bands, indicating a regional top-down preparation to implement the motor act. Beta-band connectivity, instead, was maintained constant for the whole BP time-course, being potentially related to sustained attention required by the experimental task.CONCLUSIONThese findings reveal that the BP is not a mere result of increased activation of the SMA, but the functional networks in which this region is involved qualitatively changes over time, becoming more related to the execution of the motor act.
Terminal heterocyst differentiation in the Anabaena patA mutant as a result of post-transcriptional modifications and molecular leakage
Authors: Casanova-Ferrer Pau , Ares Saúl , Muñoz-García Javier 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe Anabaena genus is a model organism of filamentous cyanobacteria whose vegetative cells can differentiate under nitrogen-limited conditions into a type of cell called heterocyst. These heterocysts lose the possibility to divide and are necessary for the colony because they can fix and share environmental nitrogen. In order to distribute the nitrogen efficiently, heterocysts are arranged to form a quasi-regular pattern whose features are maintained as the filament grows. Recent efforts have allowed advances in the understanding of the interactions and genetic mechanisms underlying this dynamic pattern. However, the main role of the patA and hetF genes are yet to be clarified; in particular, the patA mutant forms heterocysts almost exclusively in the terminal cells of the filament. In this work, we investigate the function of these genes and provide a theoretical model that explains how they interact within the broader genetic network, reproducing their knock-out phenotypes in several genetic backgrounds, including a nearly uniform concentration of HetR along the filament for the patA mutant. Our results suggest a role of hetF and patA in a post-transcriptional modification of HetR which is essential for its regulatory function. In addition, the existence of molecular leakage out of the filament in its boundary cells is enough to explain the preferential appearance of terminal heterocysts, without any need for a distinct regulatory pathway.Author summaryUnderstanding multicellular pattern formation is key for the study of both natural and synthetic developmental processes. Arguably one of the simplest model systems for this is the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena, that in conditions of nitrogen deprivation undergoes a dynamical differentiation process that differentiates roughly one in every ten cells into nitrogen-fixing heterocysts, in a quasi-regular pattern that is maintained as the filament keeps growing. One of the most characteristic mutations affecting this process forms heterocysts mostly constrained to the terminal cells of the filament. We have used experimental observations to propose a mathematical model of heterocyst differentiation able to reproduce this striking phenotype. The model extends our understanding of the regulations in this pattern-forming system and makes several predictions on molecular interactions. Importantly, a key aspect is the boundary condition at the filament’s ends: inhibitors of differentiation should be able to leak out of the filament, or otherwise the terminal cells would not differentiate. This highlights, in a very clear example, the importance of considering physical constraints in developmental processes.
Aging impairs primary task resumption and attentional control processes following interruptions
Authors: Rösner Marlene , Zickerick Bianca , Sabo Melinda , Schneider Daniel 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAttentional selection of working memory content is impaired after an interruption. This effect was shown to increase with age. Here we investigate how electrophysiological mechanisms underlying attentional selection within working memory differ during primary task resumption between younger and older adults. Participants performed a working memory task, while being frequently interrupted with either a cognitively low- or high-demanding arithmetic task. Afterwards, a retrospective cue (retro-cue) indicated the working memory content required for later report. The detrimental effect of the interruption was evident in both age groups, but while younger adults were more strongly affected by a high-than by a low-demanding interruption, the performance deficit appeared independently of the cognitive requirements of the interruption task in older adults. A similar pattern was found regarding frontal-posterior connectivity in the theta frequency range, suggesting that aging decreases the ability to selectively maintain relevant information within working memory. The power of mid-frontal theta oscillations (4-7 Hz) featured a comparable effect of interruptions in both age groups. How-ever, posterior alpha power (8-14 Hz) following the retro-cue was more diminished by a preceding interruption in older adults. These results suggest an age-related deficit in the atten-tional selection and maintenance of primary task information following an interruption that appeared independent from the cognitive requirements of the interrupting task.
Cilia Directionality Reveals a Slow Reverse Movement of Principal Neurons for Positioning and Lamina Refinement in the Cerebral Cortex
Authors: Yang Juan , Mirhosseiniardakani Soheila , Qiu Liyan , Bicja Kostandina , Del Greco Abigail , Lin Kevin Jungkai , Lyon Mark , Chen Xuanmao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCurrently little is known about neuronal positioning and the roles of primary cilia in postnatal neurodevelopment. We show that primary cilia of principal neurons undergo marked changes in positioning and orientation, concurrent with postnatal neuron positioning in the mouse cerebral cortex. Primary cilia of early- and late-born principal neurons in compact layers display opposite orientations, while neuronal primary cilia in loose laminae are predominantly oriented toward the pia. In contrast, astrocytes and interneurons, and neurons in nucleated brain regions do not display specific cilia directionality. We further discovered that the cell bodies of principal neurons in inside-out laminated regions spanning from the hippocampal CA1 region to neocortex undergo a slow “reverse movement” for postnatal positioning and lamina refinement. Further, selective disruption of cilia function in the forebrain leads to altered lamination and gyrification in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) that is formed by reverse movement. Collectively, this study identifies reverse movement as a fundamental process for principal cell positioning that refines lamination in the cerebral cortex and casts light on the evolutionary transition from 3-layered allocortices to 6-layered neocortices.Summary StatementGuided by cilia directionality, we discovered that the somata of principal neurons in inside-out laminated regions undergo a slow but substantial reverse movement for postnatal cell positioning, which refines cortical layering.
Assessment of the residential Finnish wolf population combines DNA captures, citizen observations and mortality data using a Bayesian state-space model
Authors: Mäntyniemi Samu , Helle Inari , Kojola Ilpo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAssessment of the Finnish wolf population relies on multiple sources of information. This paper describes how Bayesian inference is used to pool the information contained in different data sets (point observations, non-invasive genetics, known mortalities) for the estimation of the number of territories occupied by family packs and pairs. The output of the assessment model is a joint probability distribution, which describes current knowledge about the number of wolves within each territory. The joint distribution can be used to derive probability distributions for the total number of wolves in all territories and for the pack status within each territory. Most of the data set comprises of both voluntary-provided point observations and DNA samples provided by volunteers and research personnel. The new method reduces the role of expert judgement in the assessment process, providing increased transparency and repeatability.
Striatal dopamine explains novelty-induced behavioral dynamics and individual variability in threat prediction
Authors: Akiti Korleki , Tsutsui-Kimura Iku , Xie Yudi , Mathis Alexander , Markowitz Jeffrey , Anyoha Rockwell , Datta Sandeep Robert , Mathis Mackenzie Weygandt , Uchida Naoshige , Watabe-Uchida Mitsuko 
Published: December 2021

SUMMARYAnimals exhibit diverse behavioral responses, such as exploration and avoidance, to novel cues in the environment. However, it remains unclear how dopamine neuron-related novelty responses influence behavior. Here, we characterized dynamics of novelty exploration using multi-point tracking (DeepLabCut) and behavioral segmentation (MoSeq). Novelty elicits a characteristic sequence of behavior, starting with investigatory approach and culminating in object engagement or avoidance. Dopamine in the tail of striatum (TS) suppresses engagement, and dopamine responses were predictive of individual variability in behavior. Behavioral dynamics and individual variability were explained by a novel reinforcement learning (RL) model of threat prediction, in which behavior arises from a novelty-induced initial threat prediction (akin to “shaping bonus”), and a threat prediction that is learned through dopamine-mediated threat prediction errors. These results uncover an algorithmic similarity between reward- and threat-related dopamine sub-systems.HighlightsNovelty-induced behaviors are analyzed using modern machine-learning methodsNovelty induces risk assessment which develops into engagement or avoidanceDopamine in the tail of striatum correlates with individual behavioral variabilityReinforcement learning with shaping bonus and uncertainty explains the data
Examining relational social ontologies of disaster resilience: lived experiences from India, Indonesia, Nepal, Chile and Andean territories
Authors: Meriläinen Eija , Joseph Jacquleen , Jauhola Marjaana , Yadav Punam , Romo-Murphy Eila , Marin Juliette , Gadhavi Shyam 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe neoliberal resilience discourse and its critiques both contribute to its hegemony, obscuring alternative discourses in the context of risk and uncertainties. Drawing from the “ontology of potentiality”, the authors suggest reclaiming “resilience” through situated accounts of the connected and relational every day from the global south. To explore alternate possibilities, the authors draw attention to the social ontology of disaster resilience that foregrounds relationality, intersectionality and situated knowledge.Design/methodology/approachQuilting together the field work experiences in India, Indonesia, Nepal, Chile and Andean territories, the authors interrogate the social ontologies and politics of resilience in disaster studies in these contexts through six vignettes. Quilting, as a research methodology, weaves together various individual fragments involving their specific materialities, situated knowledge, layered temporalities, affects and memories. The authors’ six vignettes discuss the use, politicisation and resistance to resilience in the aftermath of disasters.FindingsWhile the pieces do not try to bring out a single “truth”, the authors argue that firstly, the vignettes provide non-Western conceptualisations of resilience, and attempts to provincialise externally imposed notions of resilience. Secondly, they draw attention to social ontology of resilience as the examples underscores the intersubjectivity of disaster experiences, the relational reaching out to communities and significant others.Originality/valueDrawing from in-depth research conducted in six disaster contexts by seven scholars from South Asia, South America and Northern Europe, the authors embrace pluralist situated knowledge, and cross-cultural/language co-authoring. Thus, the co-authored piece contributes to diversifying disaster studies scholarship methodologically.
Gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship: the impact of human and social capital
Authors: Chen Hong , Lee Byung Hee , Alymkulova Asylgul 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship and illuminate the underlying mechanism of why women are less likely to create ventures in order to take advantage of the opportunity than men.Design/methodology/approachBy drawing on human/social capital theory and expanding extant gender-related entrepreneurship literature, this study addresses how human and social capital mediates the relationship between gender and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship. A sample of 115,367 individuals across 62 countries drawn from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of 2016 was examined using multilevel logistic regression and Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) mediation analysis.FindingsFindings of this study demonstrate that women’s lack of entrepreneurial relevant knowledge and skills, intrapreneurship experience as well as social networks with other entrepreneurs contribute to women’s less likelihood of engaging in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship than their male counterparts.Originality/valueCompared to previous research mainly investigating macro-level determinants, this study further explores the explanatory factors affecting gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship from the individual level. The findings provide an implication for public policy and give a direction to rethinking how to promote opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, especially for that led by women.
Associated probabilities aggregations in multistage investment decision-making
Authors: Sirbiladze Gia , Garg Harish , Khutsishvili Irina , Ghvaberidze Bezhan , Midodashvili Bidzina 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe attributes that influence the selection of applicants and the relevant crediting decisions are naturally distinguished by interactions and interdependencies. A new method of possibilistic discrimination analysis (MPDA) was developed for the second stage to address this phenomenon. The method generates positive and negative discrimination measures for each alternative applicant in relation to a particular attribute. The obtained discrimination pair reflects the interaction of attributes and represents intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs). For the aggregation of applicant's discrimination intuitionistic fuzzy assessments (with respect to attributes), new intuitionistic aggregation operators, such as AsP-IFOWA and AsP-IFOWG, are defined and studied. The new operators are certain extensions of the well-known Choquet integral and Yager OWA operators. The extensions, in contrast to the Choquet aggregation, take into account all possible interactions of the attributes by introducing associated probabilities of a fuzzy measure.Design/methodology/approachFor optimal planning of investments distribution and decreasing of credit risks, it is crucial to have selected projects ranked within deeply detailed investment model. To achieve this, a new approach developed in this article involves three stages. The first stage is to reduce a possibly large number of applicants for credit, and here, the method of expertons is used. At the second stage, a model of improved decisions is built, which reduces the risks of decision making. In this model, as it is in multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) + multi-objective decision-making (MODM), expert evaluations are presented in terms of utility, gain, and more. At the third stage, the authors construct the bi-criteria discrete intuitionistic fuzzy optimization problem for making the most profitable investment portfolio with new criterion: 1) Maximization of total ranking index of selected applicants' group and classical criterion and 2) Maximization of total profit of selected applicants' group.FindingsThe example gives the Pareto fronts obtained by both new operators, the Choquet integral and Yager OWA operators also well-known TOPSIS approach, for selecting applicants and awarding credits. For a fuzzy measure, the possibility measure defined on the expert evaluations of attributes is taken.Originality/valueThe comparative analysis identifies the applicants who will receive the funding sequentially based on crediting resources and their requirements. It has become apparent that the use of the new criterion has given more credibility to applicants in making optimal credit decisions in the environment of extended new operators, where the phenomenon of interaction of all attributes was also taken into account.