bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Looking into the performance-based financing black box: evidence from an impact evaluation in the health sector in Cameroon
Authors: de Walque Damien , Robyn Paul Jacob , Saidou Hamadou , Sorgho Gaston , Steenland Maria 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Performance-based financing (PBF) is a complex health systems intervention aimed at improving the coverage and quality of care. Several studies have shown a positive impact of PBF on health service coverage, often coupled with improvements in quality, but relatively little is known about the mechanisms driving those results. This article presents results of a randomized impact evaluation in Cameroon designed to isolate the role of specific components of the PBF approach with four study groups: (i) PBF with explicit financial incentives linked to results, (ii) direct financing with additional resources available for health providers not linked to performance, (iii) enhanced supervision and monitoring without additional resources and (iv) a control group. Overall, results indicate that, when compared with the pure control group, PBF in Cameroon led to significant increases in utilization for several services (child and maternal vaccinations, use of modern family planning), but not for others like antenatal care visits and facility-based deliveries. In terms of quality, PBF increased the availability of inputs and equipment, qualified health workers, led to a reduction in formal and informal user fees but did not affect the content of care. However, for many positively impacted outcomes, the differences between the PBF group and the group receiving additional financing not linked to performance are not significant, suggesting that additional funding rather than the explicit incentives might be driving improvements. In contrast, the intervention group offering enhanced supervision, coaching and monitoring without additional funding did not experience significant impacts compared to the control group.
‘Seeing’ the Women, Peace and Security agenda: visual (re)productions of WPS in UK government national action plans
Authors: Achilleos-Sarll Columba 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Examining the visual (re)production of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda through UK national action plans and annual reports to parliament, this article proposes a new direction for WPS research. The visual politics of WPS, which affects both how the agenda is enacted and how it is encountered, has been largely understudied. To date, WPS scholarship has focused predominantly on linguistic modes of communication, neglecting both the visual aspect of WPS communication and the visual politics of WPS. The article argues that, as a vector of power, visuals matter in the agenda's (re)production, and therefore develops a theoretical and methodological framework to study the visual politics of WPS. In presenting the most comprehensive visual analysis of the WPS agenda to date, this article makes three distinct contributions to the literature. Firstly, it offers a theoretical contribution advancing visuality as a vector of power in the reproduction of WPS. Secondly, it proposes a methodological contribution by developing an analytical framework constructed around a visibility spectrum. Thirdly, it provides an empirical contribution through its focus on the UK as an illustrative case of visual reproduction. The visual analysis reveals four subject-positions placed on a visibility spectrum: the (hypervisible) ‘agential woman-in-conflict’, the (absent presence) of the ‘woman-as-victim’, the (visibility) of the ‘international community’, and the (invisibility) of ‘men and boys’. The analysis demonstrates that rather than challenging global hierarchies of power, these mutually constituted subjects visually reproduce particular gendered, racialized and colonial logics, further stripping the agenda of its transformative potential.
From spawning to first-year recruitment: the fate of juvenile sole growth and survival under future climate conditions in the North Sea
Authors: van de Wolfshaar K E , Barbut L , Lacroix G 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
This study shows the effect of climate change on the growth and survival of early life history stages of common sole (Solea solea) in different nursery areas of the North Sea, by combining a larval transport model with an individual-based growth model (Dynamic Energy Budget) to assess the fate from egg to young of the year at the end of the first growth season. Three scenarios of climate change, inspired by the 2040 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections, are tested and results are compared to a reference situation representative of current climate conditions. Under climate change scenarios where wind changes, water temperature increases and earlier spawning are considered, the early arrival of fish larvae in their nurseries results in larger young of the year at the end of summer. However, early arrival leads to higher mortality due to initially slow growth in spring. Future climate scenarios result in higher biomass and reduced first-year survival. How this result translates into changes at population level and stock management needs further investigation. Nonetheless, this study illustrates that processes linking life stages are paramount to understand and predict possible consequences of future climate conditions on population dynamics.
Antidepressants and risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Zhong Pei-Xun , Li I-Hsun , Shih Jui-Hu , Yeh Chin-Bin , Chiang Kuan-Wei , Kao Li-Ting 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Background
Increasing numbers of animal studies have found that sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is related to the mechanism of serotonergic modulation. However, the relationship between antidepressants and SSNHL is unclear in humans. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between antidepressant use and risk of SSNHL.

Methods
Data from 218 466 antidepressant users and 1 116 518 nonusers were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We used propensity-score matching (PSM) and inverse-probability treatment weighting (IPTW) to eliminate any bias. Each patient was tracked for 5 years to ascertain whether or not they were diagnosed with SSNHL. Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses were performed to calculate the SSNHL risk.

Results
The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of SSNHL for antidepressant users was 1.36 compared with nonusers in the full cohort study. The aHR for antidepressant users was 1.44 and 1.49 compared with the nonusers in the IPTW and PSM cohorts, respectively. All classes of antidepressants consistently increased the SSNHL risk. Additionally, patients receiving four classes of antidepressants were associated with a much higher SSNHL risk (aHR, 2.05) and those receiving one or two classes of antidepressants had a relatively lower SSNHL risk.

Conclusion
Antidepressants increased SSNHL risk, regardless of their class. Furthermore, patients who took a higher number of antidepressant classes showed an increased risk of developing SSNHL than those who took a lower number of antidepressant classes. Therefore, physicians should estimate the risks and benefits of antidepressant use and avoid prescribing antidepressants concurrently.
Neuroendocrine Response to Exogenous Ghrelin Administration, Combined With Alcohol, in Heavy-Drinking Individuals: Findings From a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Human Laboratory Study
Authors: Farokhnia Mehdi , Abshire Kelly M , Hammer Aaron , Deschaine Sara L , Saravanakumar Anitha , Cobbina Enoch , You Zhi-Bing , Haass-Koffler Carolina L , Lee Mary R , Akhlaghi Fatemeh , Leggio Lorenzo 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Background
Accumulating evidence has established a role for the orexigenic hormone ghrelin in alcohol-seeking behaviors. Accordingly, the ghrelin system may represent a potential pharmacotherapeutic target for alcohol use disorder. Ghrelin modulates several neuroendocrine pathways, such as appetitive, metabolic, and stress-related hormones, which are particularly relevant in the context of alcohol use. The goal of the present study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of neuroendocrine response to exogenous ghrelin administration, combined with alcohol, in heavy-drinking individuals.

Methods
This was a randomized, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled human laboratory study, which included 2 experimental alcohol administration paradigms: i.v. alcohol self-administration and i.v. alcohol clamp. Each paradigm consisted of 2 counterbalanced sessions of i.v. ghrelin or placebo administration. Repeated blood samples were collected during each session, and peripheral concentrations of the following hormones were measured: leptin, glucagon-like peptide-1, pancreatic polypeptide, gastric inhibitory peptide, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, cortisol, prolactin, and aldosterone.

Results
Despite some statistical differences, findings were consistent across the 2 alcohol administration paradigms: i.v. ghrelin, compared to placebo, increased blood concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-1, pancreatic polypeptide, cortisol, and prolactin, both acutely and during the whole session. Lower levels of leptin and higher levels of aldosterone were also found during the ghrelin vs placebo session.

Conclusion
These findings, gathered from a clinically relevant sample of heavy-drinking individuals with alcohol use disorder, provide a deeper insight into the complex interplay between ghrelin and appetitive, metabolic, and stress-related neuroendocrine pathways in the context of alcohol use.
A mathematical model for bleb regulation in zebrafish primordial germ cells
Authors: Dirks Carolin , Striewski Paul , Wirth Benedikt , Aalto Anne , Olguin-Olguin Adan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBlebs are cell protrusions generated by local membrane–cortex detachments followed by expansion of the plasma membrane. Blebs are formed by some migrating cells, e.g. primordial germ cells of the zebrafish. While blebs occur randomly at each part of the membrane in unpolarized cells, a polarization process guarantees the occurrence of blebs at a preferential site and thereby facilitates migration toward a specified direction. Little is known about the factors involved in the controlled and directed bleb generation, yet recent studies revealed the influence of an intracellular flow and the stabilizing role of the membrane–cortex linker molecule Ezrin. Based on this information, we develop and analyse a coupled bulk-surface model describing a potential cellular mechanism by which a bleb could be induced at a controlled site. The model rests upon intracellular Darcy flow and a diffusion–advection–reaction system, describing the temporal evolution from a homogeneous to a strongly anisotropic Ezrin distribution. We prove the well-posedness of the mathematical model and show that simulations qualitatively correspond to experimental observations, suggesting that indeed the interaction of an intracellular flow with membrane proteins can be the cause of the Ezrin redistribution accompanying bleb formation.
Genital Abnormalities, Hormonal Contraception, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission Risk in Rwandan Serodifferent Couples
Authors: Wall Kristin M , Karita Etienne , Nyombayire Julien , Ingabire Rosine , Mukamuyango Jeannine , Parker Rachel , Brill Ilene , Price Matt , Haddad Lisa B , Tichacek Amanda , Hunter Eric , Allen Susan 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Background
We explored the role of genital abnormalities and hormonal contraception in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission among heterosexual serodifferent couples in Rwanda.

Methods
From 2002 to 2011, HIV-serodifferent couples who were not using antiretroviral treatment were followed up, and sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, family planning provided, and HIV-negative partners retested. Couples were assessed for genital ulcers; nonulcerative genital sexually transmitted infection (STIs), including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis; and non-STI vaginal infections, including bacterial vaginosis and candida. Multivariable models evaluated associations between covariates and HIV transmission genetically linked to the index partner.

Results
Among 877 couples in which the man was HIV positive, 37 linked transmissions occurred. Factors associated with women’s HIV acquisition included genital ulceration in the female partner (adjusted hazard ratio, 14.1) and nonulcerative STI in the male partner (8.6). Among 955 couples in which the woman was HIV positive, 46 linked transmissions occurred. Factors associated with HIV acquisition in men included nonulcerative STI in the female partner (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.4), non-STI vaginal dysbiosis (7.1), and genital ulceration in the male partner (2.6). Hormonal contraception use was not associated with HIV transmission or acquisition.

Conclusions
Our findings underscore the need for integrating HIV services with care for genital abnormalities. Barriers (eg, cost of training, demand creation, advocacy, and client education; provider time; and clinic space) to joint HIV/STI testing need to be considered and addressed.
An Efficient Framework for a Third Party Auditor in Cloud Computing Environments
Authors: Mahdavi-Hezavehi S , Alimardani Y , Rahmani R 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The paper ‘An Efficient Framework for a Third Party Auditor in Cloud Computing Environments’, by S. Mahdavi-Hezavehi, Y. Alimardani and R. Rahmani, published in The Computer Journal, Volume 63, Issue 9, September 2020, explores a new framework for significant cost savings in the cloud.
Expression of the qepA1 gene is induced under antibiotic exposure
Authors: Brandis Gerrit , Gockel Jonas , Garoff Linnéa , Guy Lionel , Hughes Diarmaid 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Background
The qepA1 gene encodes an efflux pump that reduces susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Little is known about the regulation of qepA1 expression.

Objectives
To assess the potential role of ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics in the regulation of qepA1 gene expression. To identify the promoter that drives qepA1 expression and other factors involved in expression regulation. To assess whether the identified features are universal among qepA alleles.

Methods
A translational qepA1-yfp fusion under the control of the qepA1 upstream region was cloned into the Escherichia coli chromosome. Expression of the fusion protein was measured in the presence of various antibiotics. Deletions within the upstream region were introduced to identify regions involved in gene expression and regulation. The qepA1 coding sequence and upstream region were compared with all available qepA sequences.

Results
Cellular stress caused by the presence of various antibiotics can induce qepA1 expression. The qepA1 gene is fused to a class I integron and gene expression is driven by the Pc promoter within the integrase gene. A segment within the integron belonging to a truncated dfrB4 gene is essential for the regulation of qepA1 expression. This genetic context is universal among all sequenced qepA alleles.

Conclusions
The fusion of the qepA1 gene to a class I integron has created a novel regulatory unit that enables qepA1 expression to be under the control of antibiotic exposure. This setup mitigates potential negative effects of QepA1 production on bacterial fitness by restricting high-level expression to environmental conditions in which QepA1 is beneficial.
Serum phenoloxidase activity in the hemolymph of the anomuran crab Albunea symmysta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda: Anomura: Albuneidae)
Authors: Sivakumar Shanthi , Sivakumar Mullaivanam R , Balasubramanian Rayvathy 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
We characterized the optimal conditions for measuring serum phenoloxidase activity and its functional activity and susceptibility to an inhibitor and various activators in an anomuran crab, Albunea symmysta (Linnaeus, 1758). The substrate affinity of the phenoloxidase (PO) enzyme was determined using different phenolic substrates in which only diphenols were found to be oxidized. The enzyme was characterized as a catecholoxidase-type of PO and 3,4-dihydroxy-DL-phenylalanine (DL-Dopa), the enzyme showing the highest substrate affinity to the serum. The optimal enzyme activity was observed at 5 mM DL-Dopa in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer at a pH of 7.5 at 25 °C for 10 min, and absorbance at 470 nm. Serum-PO activity was inhibited by 7 mM phenylthiourea (PTU), and activated by activators such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, pronase-E, and detergent-like sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). We also identified the chemicals causing in vitro inhibition or activation of the enzyme as a serum of the crab having a potent PO activity.
Trap Cropping Harlequin Bug: Distance of Separation Influences Female Movement and Oviposition
Authors: Bier Alexander D , Wallingford Anna K , Haber Ariela I , Herlihy-Adams Megan V , Weber Donald C 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
To evaluate perimeter trap crops for management of harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica (Hahn), we undertook greenhouse and field experiments with mustard greens as trap crop for a collard cash crop. We confirmed that harlequin bugs prefer to immigrate to and reside on mustard. Females, however, in greenhouse cage experiments, ‘commuted’ to collards to lay their eggs. In separate spring and fall field plantings, using replicated 12 m by 12 m collard plots in 1-ha fields, we tested mustard planted as an adjacent perimeter trap crop, or a perimeter trap crop separated by 2 unplanted rows (2.3 m), or with no trap crop. Adults accumulated on the spring mustard crop but overall numbers remained low, with all collards sustaining &lt;1% leaves damaged. In the fall, the separation of 2.3 m reduced oviposition on collards fourfold, and feeding damage approximately 2.5-fold, compared to collards with an adjacent trap crop. Fall control plots with no border trap crop showed even lower foliar damage; likely result of preferential immigration of harlequin bugs to mustard at the field scale, resulting in fewer bugs near the control treatment plots. Thus, the spatial arrangement of the mustard trap crop, and its separation from the cash crop, influences pest abundance and damage. A separated mustard border can reduce bug movement including female commuting and egg-laying, thus better protecting the collard cash crop. Future research should address reduction in area of trap crops, deployment of semiochemicals, and possible changes in timing, to promote trap cropping that is practical for grower implementation.
A novel saturation calculation model of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir via multiscale pore networks: a case study from Sichuan Basin, China
Authors: Sun Jianmeng , Chi Peng , Cheng Zhigang , Yang Lin , Yan Weichao , Cui Likai 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Existing saturation models cannot effectively describe the specific fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir in area A of the Sichuan Basin, southwestern China. This reservoir has got a wide pore size distribution, strong heterogeneity, high gas saturation and complex electrical conductivity mechanism. Hence, the present study attempted to establish a new saturation calculation equation for this carbonate reservoir based on the microscopic conductivity mechanism of the rock. Here, we first used the multiscale computed tomography (CT) scanning method to build multiscale digital rocks. Subsequently, we applied the maximum sphere algorithm to extract the pore space structure and constructed the multiscale pore network models. By using the cross-scale fusion method, four different pore configurations were determined. Then, the percolation theory was implemented to simulate the conductivity mechanism of the constructed pore network models. As a result, the fluid distribution characteristics and the resistivity variation trends of the different pore structures were obtained. The simulation results showed that the fracture system of the studied reservoir had a much greater effect than the vug system on the carbonate rock's electrical conductivity, and the conductivity was closely related to the fluid distribution. In addition, based on the simulation results, a new conductivity model was proposed that incorporates the coupling phenomenon of pores, vugs and fractures; and also a new saturation calculation equation for triple-porosity media was established. The observations indicated that the field application of the proposed equation had an acceptable performance with an error value of less than 2.56%. The results from the present study provide new insights into the evolution of electrical properties in triple-porosity carbonate systems.
MiR-30a sensitized lung cancer against neoadjuvant chemotherapy by depressing autophagy
Authors: Lin Xiao , Lai Xiaojing , Feng Wei , Yu Xiaofu , Gu Qing , Zheng Xiao 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objective
This study was aimed at exploring whether miR-30a enhanced sensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells against neoadjuvant chemotherapy through an autophagy-dependent way.

Methods
We totally recruited 304 NSCLC patients who have underwent chemotherapy, as well as 185 NSCLC patients who did not receive chemotherapy. NSCLC cell lines (i.e. H1299 and H460) were also purchased, and they were transfected by miR-30a mimic/inhibitor. Furthermore, cisplatin (DDP)/pemetrexed (PEM) resistance of NSCLC cells was assessed utilizing MTT assay, and autophagic proteins isolated from NSCLC tissues and cells were quantitated by western blotting.

Results
Lowly expressed miR-30a was reflective of lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage and poor 5-year survival among NSCLC patients treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (i.e. combined treatment of DDP and PEM) (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, DDP combined with PEM attenuated viability and proliferation, but, on the contrary, promoted autophagy of H1299 and H460 cell lines (P &lt; 0.05). However, miR-30a undermined resistance of NSCLC cells against DDP and PEM (P &lt; 0.05), and it suppressed DDP/PEM-induced autophagy and promoted DDP/PEM-triggered apoptosis of NSCLC cells (P &lt; 0.05).

Conclusions
Intentionally elevating miR-30a expression was conducive to improving NSCLC prognosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, for its depressing drug-caused autophagy and resistance.
Identification and characterization of apocarotenoid modifiers and carotenogenic enzymes for biosynthesis of crocins in Buddleja davidii flowers
Authors: Diretto Gianfranco , López-Jiménez Alberto José , Ahrazem Oussama , Frusciante Sarah , Song Jingyuan , Rubio-Moraga Ángela , Gómez-Gómez Lourdes 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Crocetin biosynthesis in Buddleja davidii flowers proceeds through a zeaxanthin cleavage pathway catalyzed by two carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (BdCCD4.1 and BdCCD4.3), followed by oxidation and glucosylation reactions that lead to the production of crocins. We isolated and analyzed the expression of 12 genes from the carotenoid pathway in B. davidii flowers and identified four candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of crocins (BdALDH, BdUGT74BC1, BdUGT74BC2, and BdUGT94AA3). In addition, we characterized the profile of crocins and their carotenoid precursors, following their accumulation during flower development. Overall, seven different crocins, crocetin, and picrocrocin were identified in this study. The accumulation of these apocarotenoids parallels tissue development, reaching the highest concentration when the flower is fully open. Notably, the pathway was regulated mainly at the transcript level, with expression patterns of a large group of carotenoid precursor and apocarotenoid genes (BdPSY2, BdPDS2, BdZDS, BdLCY2, BdBCH, BdALDH, and BdUGT Genes) mimicking the accumulation of crocins. Finally, we used comparative correlation network analysis to study how the synthesis of these valuable apocarotenoids diverges among B. davidii, Gardenia jasminoides, and Crocus sativus, highlighting distinctive differences which could be the basis of the differential accumulation of crocins in the three species.