bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Community health workers in rural Punjab, India: analyzing their role, expectations and challenges
Authors: Mahajan Niharika , Kaur Baljit 
Published: March 2021

PurposeThis study aimed to analyze the role of community health workers (CHWs) called accredited social health activists (ASHAs) in improving maternal health outcomes in the rural community of Punjab, India. The study also examined the expectations of these workers from the community and identified the problems faced by them in carrying out their roles.Design/methodology/approachUsing multistage sampling, a total of 28 villages were selected from seven districts of Punjab, and from these selected villages, a total of 57 ASHAs working as the interface between the rural community and the public health system and 420 women who had delivered a baby were interviewed.FindingsDesire to earn money was the most prominent reason for joining the community work program, but ASHAs felt overburdened and underpaid compared to their work commitments. Not only was the incentive paid to these workers was insufficient and irregular but they also suffered at the hands of medical staff at public hospitals.Originality/valueWhile exploring the problems experienced by the CHWs, this study recommends opting for a mix of monetary and nonmonetary incentives for acknowledging the work of CHWs. The study is the first of its kind for the state of Punjab battling with a worsening maternal mortality rate (MMR).
Post-thermal properties of Portland cement concrete made with copper slag as fine aggregates
Authors: Suresh N. , M. Manjunatha 
Published: March 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of elevated temperature on mechanical and physical properties of concrete specimens obtained by substituting the river sand with copper slag (CS) at proportions of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The specimens were heated in an electric furnace up to 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 C and kept at these temperatures for 2 h duration. After the specimens were cooled in the furnace, mass loss, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), compressive strength, split tensile strength (STS), flexural strength (FS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) values were determined. No spalling occurred in the specimens after subjected to elevated temperature. The surface cracks were observed only in specimens exposed to 600 C. The maximum reduction in compressive strength and STS at 600C is 50.3% and 36.39% for referral mix (NC), 18% and 16% for specimens with 100% CS (MCS4). The reduction in MOE of specimens is observed to be high as copper slag content increases with increasing temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies are carried out to examine the changes in micro-structures of specimens after exposed to elevated temperatures.

Design/methodology/approach
After casting of concrete specimens, it is cured for 28 days. After attainment of 28 days age, the concrete specimens is taken out from the curing tank and allowed to dry for 2 days to remove any moisture content in the specimens to prevent explosive spalling during the time of heating. The prepared concrete specimen is subjected to temperatures of 100°C, 200°C, 300°C, 400°C, 500°C and 600°C up to 2 h duration. The physical test, mechanical test and SEM studies are carried out after cooling of specimens to room temperature (RT). The quality of concrete specimens is measured by conducting UPV test after cooling to RT.

Findings
The post-thermal strength properties of concrete specimens with copper slag contents are higher than referral mix concrete. The reduction of MOE of concrete specimens is more with incremental in copper slag content with increase in temperatures. Furthermore, the quality of concrete specimens is ranging from “good to medium” up to 500C temperatures based on UPV test.

Originality/value
In this research work, the natural sand is fully replaced with copper slag materials in the concrete mixes. The post-thermal strength properties like residual compressive strength, residual STS, residual FS and residual MOE is higher than referral mix after subjected to elevated temperature conditions. Higher density and toughness properties of copper slag materials will contribute to concrete strength. The effect of elevated temperature is more on MOE of concrete specimens having higher copper slag contents when comparing to specimens compressive strength.
Measuring gambling activity in options market
Authors: Chen Bei , Gan Quan 
Published: March 2021

PurposeThis paper investigates how the gambling measure captures market bubble events, and how it predicts stock return and option return.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a gambling activity measure by jointly considering open interest and moneyness of out-of-the-money (OTM) individual equity call options.FindingsThe new measure, CallMoney, captures excessive optimism during the dot-com bubble, the oil price bubble and the pre-GFC stock market bubble. CallMoney robustly and negatively predicts both OTM and at-the-money call option returns cross-sectionally. The option return predictability of CallMoney is stronger when stock price is further from its 52-weeks high, capital gains overhang is lower, and when information uncertainty of the underlying stock is higher. CallMoney also robustly and negatively predicts cross-sectional stock returns.Originality/valueThe gambling measure has the advantages of being economically intuitive, model-free, easy to measure. The measure performs more robustly than existing lottery measures with respect to option and stock return predictability and more reliably captures the overpricing of options and stocks. The work helps understanding the gambling related anomalies in equity option returns and stock returns.
Ecological correlates of the alpha and beta diversity of zooplankton hatchling communities in seasonal subtropical ponds
Authors: Freiry Raquel F. , Pires Mateus M. , Gouvea Andressa , Hoffman Pedro H. O. , Stenert Cristina , Maltchik Leonardo 
Published: March 2021

AbstractMost zooplankton species inhabiting seasonal ponds produce dormant stages to overcome the dry seasons. Zooplankton specimens emerging from the sediment contribute to the ecological dynamics of these ecosystems, because they constitute important energy sources for higher trophic levels in aquatic food webs. In contrast to snapshot studies of the active communities, studying the ecological correlates of the distribution of the egg bank can help identify the potential drivers of zooplankton composition. We tested the association of local (habitat structure and water chemistry), climatic and spatial predictors with the alpha and beta diversity of zooplankton hatchling communities in subtropical seasonal ponds. Incubation experiments were conducted with sediment samples from 11 ponds distributed along an approximately 500‐km latitudinal gradient in southern Brazil. We assessed the patterns for the total community, Cladocera only and Rotifera only. The alpha diversity of the total community and Cladocera were primarily related to substrate heterogeneity. Annual rainfall and substrate heterogeneity jointly influenced the beta diversity of the total community. Annual rainfall solely influenced the beta diversity of Cladocera, while substrate heterogeneity influenced the overall beta diversity of Rotifera. Overall, the distinct relationships of the total hatchling community and Cladocera and Rotifera with the explanatory datasets suggest differing sensitivities of the zooplankton groups to impacts in habitat structure and climatic conditions in subtropical seasonal ponds.
Inferring species relationships among Camellia chrysanthoides and its closely related species for developing conservation strategies
Authors: Chen Hailing , Liu Shangli , Ye Quanqing , Lu Yongbin , Tang Shaoqing 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAccurate species classification is important for developing conservation strategies for endangered species. Camellia chrysanthoides and its closely related species are currently threatened. However, the taxonomy of these species is complex and contentious. A total of 87 individuals from nine populations of C. chrysanthoides and its close relatives were collected and analyzed using two nuclear genes (PAL and waxy) and a chloroplast DNA fragment. Molecular and morphological evidence demonstrates that C. chrysanthoides and C. micrantha share floral traits and nuclear and chloroplast haplotypes, suggesting that they should be treated as a single species. Our nuclear results indicated that C. parvipetala is genetically close to C. chrysanthoides and C. micrantha. A barrier to gene flow between C. chrysanthoides and C. micrantha populations and the high number of private nuclear haplotypes in C. parvipetala suggest that C. chrysanthoides, C. micrantha and C. parvipetala should be recognized as three independent conservation units.
Culturally diverse board and corporate innovation
Authors: Tang Xiangxi , Shi Jing , Han Jianlei , Shu Ao , Xiao Fulong 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe investigate the role of culturally diverse board of directors on firm outcomes in China. We examine whether the diverseness of the educational, professional and cultural backgrounds of board members influences firm innovation. We find that firms whose directors have international experience are more innovative. In addition, the positive cultural diversity effect is more pronounced for returnee directors with postgraduate and science‐related degrees, and longer international work experience. Further, the directors who gain international experience from the countries with higher standards of management practice, corporate governance and intellectual property rights protection have a higher impact on corporate innovative activities.
Encouraging and evaluating limit‐setting among on‐line gamblers: a naturalistic randomized controlled trial
Authors: Heirene Robert M. , Gainsbury Sally M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimsWe tested the effectiveness of three different messages designed to increase limit‐setting on gambling sites and sent these via e‐mail or in‐account notification to compare delivery modes. As a secondary aim, we examined the effects of limit‐setting on gambling behaviour.DesignA pre‐registered, naturalistic randomized control trial using a 3 × 2 plus control design.SettingFour on‐line Australian sports and racing wagering websites.ParticipantsA total of 31 989 wagering customers (reduced to 26,560 after eligibility screening) who had placed bets on at least 5 days in the past 30 [mean age = 41.4, standard deviation (SD) = 14.3; 79% male].Interventions and comparatorsMessages were sent via e‐mail or in‐account notification by on‐line gambling operators and were designed to either: (1) be informative, describing the availability and purpose of the tool (informative messages), (2) highlight the benefits other people receive from using the tool (social messages) or (3) promote the benefit individuals could receive from using the tool (personal messages). A control group who did not receive messages was monitored for comparison.MeasurementsOur primary outcome was the number of customers who set a deposit limit within 5 days of receiving messages and secondary outcomes included pre‐ and post‐message betting behaviour (e.g. average daily wager).FindingsOne hundred and sixty‐one (0.71%) customers sent messages set limits compared to three (0.08%) controls [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 8.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.99, 33.76)]. Social and personal messages were no more effective than informative messages (aOR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.65, 1.48; aOR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.60, 1.44) and in‐account messages were no more effective than e‐mails (aOR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.71, 1.49). Customers who set limits significantly decreased their average daily wager, the SD of daily wager, net loss and betting intensity compared with non‐limit‐setters.ConclusionsMessages to on‐line gambling website customers are inexpensive, and may lead to small but impactful increases in setting deposit limits. Limit‐setting may be an effective strategy for reducing gambling expenditure and intensity.
Expert stakeholder perspectives on the acceptability of treatment‐as‐prevention in prison: a qualitative substudy of the ‘Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with Hepatitis C’ project (SToP‐C)
Authors: Rance Jake , Lafferty Lise , Treloar Carla ,   The SToP‐C Study Group
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackground and aimsMathematical modelling has demonstrated the theoretical feasibility of HCV treatment‐as‐prevention strategies in custodial settings, yet limited empirical data exists. The Australian ‘Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with Hepatitis C’ study is the world's first trial of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment‐as‐prevention in prison. This study aimed to analyse how expert stakeholders involved in the Australian HCV response assessed the acceptability of HCV treatment‐as‐prevention in prison using interview data from the SToP‐C qualitative substudy.Design and settingQualitative analysis using semi‐structured interviews in Australia.ParticipantsNineteen key HCV experts.MeasurementsDrawing upon Sekhon's theoretical framework of acceptability, data were organized thematically under four component constructs of acceptability: affective attitude; ethicality; opportunity costs; and perceived effectiveness.FindingsMost differences in participant assessments of acceptability were a matter of relative emphasis and prioritization rather than absolute polarity. Nonetheless, a small minority of participants was overtly critical of the approach. Arguing against the focus on treatment, they instead advocated for prevention‐as‐prevention, including the improvement and expansion of existing harm reduction measures.ConclusionsQualitative analysis of expert stakeholder assessments of the acceptability of hepatitis C virus treatment‐as‐prevention in Australian prisons found no opposition to the universal rollout of direct‐acting anti‐virals, but most voiced concern regarding the lack of effective primary prevention in Australian prisons.
Agricultural R&D investment intensity: A misleading conventional measure and a new intensity index
Authors: Nin‐Pratt Alejandro 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe conventional wisdom that developing countries are significantly underinvesting in agricultural research and development (R&D) has been challenged by studies that found that the high rates of return in the literature result from data limitations and inadequate modeling choices. However, evidence of low research effort in developing countries as measured by the intensity ratio (IR)—the percentage of agricultural gross domestic product invested in agricultural R&D—has not been questioned. This article argues that the IR is an inadequate indicator of research effort and proposes an alternative index to measure R&D intensity. Using the proposed index, we find that the investment effort in developing countries is much higher than the one observed when the IR is used, that the contribution of low‐ and middle‐income (LMI) countries to growth in global R&D intensity was higher to that of high‐income (HI) countries in recent years, that the investment gap in LMI countries is close to 50% of R&D investment, and that the proposed development goal of a 1.0% value of the IR is beyond the possibilities of most Asian and African countries.
Haematological and serum biochemical reference intervals of free‐ranging Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi)
Authors: Shima AL , Berger L , Skerratt LF 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundReference intervals for haematology and serum biochemistry parameters were developed for free‐ranging Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) using 35 samples from 12 female and 15 male free‐ranging animals. Captive tree‐kangaroos (n = 12) were also sampled for comparison. Differences were found between free‐ranging and captive animals in white blood cell and neutrophil counts, and levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, creatine kinase, phosphate, triglycerides and lipase. These differences may be attributed to diet, activity, capture methods or age group. Reference intervals generated may be used for both free‐ranging and captive Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos. This study provides a valuable tool for the assessment of health in rescued and captive tree‐kangaroos and will aid in investigations into population health and disease in free‐ranging Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos.ObjectiveTo develop reference intervals (RIs) for haematology and serum biochemistry parameters in Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos.MethodsHaematological and serum biochemical RIs were determined using 35 samples from 27 clinically healthy Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos from the Atherton Tablelands region of Queensland examined between 2014 and 2019. Haematology and serum biochemistry parameters were measured from 16 samples from 12 captive animals for comparison.ResultsReference intervals based on 35 samples from free‐ranging animals showed higher mean and standard deviation values for white blood cell and neutrophil counts, and levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, creatine kinase, phosphate, triglycerides and lipase than results for 16 samples from captive animals. Captive individuals showed higher mean values than free‐ranging individuals for albumin, protein, creatinine as well as Hb, MCV, MCH and MCHC.ConclusionThe haematological and serum biochemistry RIs developed for Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos in this study will provide a valuable tool during clinical examination and investigations into disease and population health by veterinarians and researchers. The differences in parameters between free‐ranging and captive animals are consistent with differences in diet, age cohort, activity or capture methods. Reference intervals generated from free‐ranging animals should also be valid for captive Lumholtz's tree‐kangaroos.
Identification of WP1066, an inhibitor of JAK2 and STAT3, as a KV1.3 potassium channel blocker
Authors: Li Min , Yu Haibo 
Published: March 2021

Background and PurposeKV1.3 potassium channels play a predominant role in regulating calcium signalling that is essential for the activation and proliferation of effector memory T (TEM) cells. This ion channel has been recognized as a promising therapeutic target against various autoimmune diseases.Experimental ApproachIn a high‐throughput screening programme, WP1066 was identified as a KV1.3 channel inhibitor. Using molecular biology and electrophysiological methods, the mechanism(s) underlying WP1066 blockade of Kv1.3 channels was investigated. Using TEM cell proliferation assay and mouse delayed‐type hypersensitivity (DTH) model, the effects of WP1066 were examined.Key ResultsWP1066 blocked KV1.3 channels in a dose‐dependent manner with an IC50 of 3.2 μM and induced a hyperpolarizing shift of the steady‐state inactivation curve. This blockade was use‐dependent, as WP1066 interacted preferentially with channels in their open state, rather than the closed state or inactivated state. When the residues located in the S6 domain scaffolding the inner vestibule, were sequentially mutated, the potency of WP1066 was significantly impaired, especially by mutations A413C and I420C, indicating a higher affinity of interacting sites for WP1066. Moreover, WP1066 effectively suppressed mouse TEM cell proliferation in vitro and mouse DTH reaction in vivo.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe results presented here have identified WP1066 as a KV1.3 channel blocker with an open‐state‐dependent property, providing fundamental evidence for the application of WP1066 in further immunomodulatory studies targeting KV1.3 channels.
The role of deterministic succession during forest development within a southern African savanna
Authors: Jamison‐Daniels Samantha‐Leigh , Kissling W. Daniel , Botha Monique , Harris Mathew A. , Gordon Christopher E. , Greve Michelle 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWoody encroachment can lead to a switch from open savannas to dense woodlands or forests. This has implications for both the composition of ecological communities and the provision of ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and grazing capacity. The patterns and underlying drivers responsible for woody encroachment are not fully understood. Here, we investigate the underlying determinants of bush clump formation (a form of encroachment) in a South African savanna and explore whether bush clump succession is driven by deterministic (i.e., predictable changes in species composition) or stochastic (i.e., random) processes. Specifically, we test (1) whether the similarity in species composition of saplings and trees differs among small and large clumps, (2) which environmental factors are driving succession, and (3) whether forest specialization of tree and sapling species within bush clumps increases with the successional gradient. Similarity in species composition between saplings in small clumps and trees in large clumps was higher than similarity between trees in small clumps and trees in large clumps. Furthermore, temperature, soil moisture, relative humidity, and light intensity were related to changes in species composition along the successional gradient. As expected, forest specialization of trees increased with increasing clump area indicating that late‐successional bush clumps have more forest‐type species. The directional changes of species found along the successional gradient suggest a deterministic process of succession driven by changes in local environmental conditions during clump formation.
Deep brain stimulation in Lesch–Nyhan disease: outcomes from the patient’s perspective
Authors: Visser Jasper E , Cotton Adam C , Schretlen David J , Bloch Jocelyne , Tedroff Kristina , Schechtmann Gastón , Radu Djurfeldt Diana , Gonzalez Victoria , Cif Laura , Jinnah Hyder A 
Published: March 2021

AIMTo provide insight into outcome and long‐term safety and efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS), from the perspective of individuals with Lesch–Nyhan disease (LND) and their families.METHODWe used patient‐centered outcome measures to assess long‐term outcomes of DBS for 14 individuals (mean [SD] age 10y 10mo [5y 6mo], range 5–23y, all males) with LND, after an average duration of 5y 6mo (range 11mo–10y 5mo) after surgery. We compared these results with a comprehensive review of previously published cases.RESULTSPatients and their families reported that DBS of the globus pallidus can be effective both for motor and behavioral disturbances in LND. However, outcome measures were often not significantly changed owing to substantial variability among individuals, and were overall less positive than in previous reports based on clinician assessments. In addition, there was an unexpectedly high rate of adverse events, tempering overall enthusiasm for the procedure.INTERPRETATIONAlthough DBS might be an effective treatment for LND, more research is needed to understand the reasons for response variability and the unusually high rates of adverse events before DBS can be recommended for these patients.
What this paper adds

Individuals with Lesch–Nyhan disease and their families report variable efficacy of deep brain stimulation.

Long‐term outcomes are associated with a high adverse event rate.