bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health service providers’ perspective on barriers and strategies to tuberculosis treatment adherence in Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East District in the Ashanti region, Ghana: a qualitative study
Authors: Appiah Maxwell Afranie , Arthur Joshua Appiah , Asampong Emmanuel , Kamau Edward Mberu , Gborgblorvor Delphine , Solaga Peter , Dako-Gyeke Phyllis 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Background
Despite the substantial improvement in treatment success rate over the past two decades in Ghana, some districts in the country still record high rates of tuberculosis (TB) deaths and lost-to-follow-up. The high incidence of these adverse outcomes suggests that the TB programme is not performing well in these districts which could be due to some barriers in the programme implementation. This paper explored the perspectives of healthcare providers on the barriers to TB treatment adherence and the potential strategies to address them in two high-burden districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Methods
This study utilised an explorative qualitative study design among 16 purposively selected healthcare providers directly involved in TB care in the Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East District. Key informant interviews were used to collect data, which were audio-recorded and transcribed word-for-word. The transcriptions were then imported into Atlas.ti version 8.4 software for thematic content analysis.

Results
Findings from this study revealed significant socioeconomic and individual barriers to TB treatment adherence. Key socioeconomic barriers included income insecurity, transportation cost, food insecurity, lack of public education on TB and frequent shortage of TB diagnostic tools. The individual barriers identified were misconception of TB causation, perceived full recovery after intensive phase treatment, inadequate patient privacy and noncompliance to treatment transfer protocol. The strategies recommended by healthcare providers to address these barriers were home-based treatment, provision of food incentives, frequent education on TB, and usage of reminder systems for follow-ups.

Conclusion
The barriers to TB treatment adherence from the healthcare providers’ perspective were mainly socioeconomic and individual. The suggested strategies offer actionable steps towards addressing these barriers. Thus, it is recommended that the TB programme and other supporting stakeholders take into account these barriers and adopt these strategies when planning for TB control to enhance treatment adherence and improve patient health outcomes.
Residents’ KABP and Social Support Statuses Under Normalized COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Yang Kaihan , Peng Yubinxin , Li Jiehang , Xie Yujie , Zhang Fei 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objectives:
To investigate the status quo of residents’ knowledge, attitude, belief, and practice (KABP) and social support and the correlation of KABP with social support under normalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic prevention and control.

Methods:
A questionnaire was designed based on the KABP model, and an online survey was conducted among residents in September 2022. SPSS software (version 25.0) was used to analyze the data. Two independent sample t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate linear regression analysis, and Pearson’s correlation analysis were conducted.

Results:
In total, 326 valid questionnaires were obtained. The scoring rates of residents’ KABP and social support were 68.1%, 92.2%, 89.3%, 75.3%, and 62.6%, respectively. Main factors influencing residents’ knowledge included gender, nationality, education level, practice, and social support; those influencing attitude were belief and practice; those influencing belief were place of residence, attitude, and practice; those influencing practice were knowledge, attitude, belief, and social support; and those influencing social support were marital status, place of residence, knowledge, and practice. Social support was positively correlated with knowledge and practice.

Conclusions:
This study provides a scientific foundation for the current normalized prevention and control of COVID-19 and is conducive to health managers to better carry out prevention and control related health education for specific groups.
The Critical Need for Disaster Medicine in Modern Medical Education
Authors: Shah Muhammad Hamza , Roy Subham , Flari Eleni 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Current escalation of natural disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian crises underscores the pressing need for inclusion of disaster medicine in medical education frameworks. Conventional medical training often lacks adequate focus on the complexities and unique challenges inherent in such emergencies. This discourse advocates for the integration of disaster medicine into medical curricula, highlighting the imperative to prepare health-care professionals for an effective response in challenging environments. These competencies encompass understanding mass casualty management, ethical decision-making amidst resource constraints, and adapting health-care practices to varied emergency contexts. Therefore, we posit that equipping medical students with these specialized skills and knowledge is vital for health-care delivery in the face of global health emergencies.
Dyadic inter-group cooperation in shotgun hunting activities in a Congo Basin village
Authors: Kandza Vidrige H. , Jang Haneul , Kiabiya Ntamboudila Francy , Lew-Levy Sheina , Boyette Adam H. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of inter-group cooperation in human adaptation has been the subject of recent empirical and theoretical studies in evolutionary anthropology, beginning to fill gaps in our knowledge of how interactions across political, economic and social domains can – and often do – lead to stable, large-scale cooperation. Here we investigate dyadic intergroup cooperation in shotgun hunting in the Republic of the Congo. In the Congo Basin, inter-group cooperation between foragers and farmers is at the centre of an exchange system maintained by traditional norms and institutions such as fictive kinship. Here, we focused on what factors predict cooperative shotgun hunting exchanges between BaYaka and Yambe. We conducted structured interviews with 48 BaYaka hunters and 18 Yambe men who organise hunts in a village along the Motaba River. We used Bayesian multilevel regression models to investigate the influence of Yambe and BaYaka attributes on probability of dyadic cooperation. We found that BaYaka men's reputations as skilled hunters and their family size each predicted cooperation in shotgun hunting, whereas there was no effect of Yambe attributes (status, wealth, family size). We discuss the results in terms of evolutionary models of men as hunters and inter-group cooperation, as well as biodiversity conservation implications.
Prolonged grief disorder symptomology in three African countries: A network analysis and comparison
Authors: Robinson Martin , Armour Chérie , Levin Yafit 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Bereavement is a globally prevalent life stressor, but in some instances, it may be followed by a persistent condition of grief and distress, codified within the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Network analysis provides a valuable framework for understanding psychological disorders at a nuanced symptom-based level.

Aim
This study novelly explores the network structure of ICD-11 PGD symptomology in a non-Western sample and assesses the replication of this across three African country sub-samples in these data.

Methodology
Network models were estimated using the “Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised” in a sample of trauma-exposed individuals who experienced bereavement throughout life (N = 1,554) from three African countries (Ghana, n = 290; Kenya, n = 619; Nigeria, n = 645). These networks were statistically evaluated using the network comparison test.

Results
It was found that “Feelings of Loss” and “Difficulty moving on” were the most central symptoms in the combined sample network. These findings were largely consistent for the Ghana and Nigeria sub-samples, however, network structure differences were noted in the Kenya sub-sample.

Conclusion
The identified PGD network highlights particular indicators and associations across three African samples. Implications for the assessment and treatment of PGD in these cultural contexts warrant consideration.
Inclusion, Representation, Populism, and Democracy in Latin America
Authors: Gamboa Laura 
Published: April 2024

This essay reviews the following works:
A Dynamic Theory of Populism in Power: The Andes in Comparative Perspective. By: Julio F. Carrión. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022. Pp. xi + 269. $26.93 cloth. ISBN: 9780197572290.
¿Por qué funciona el populismo? El discurso que sabe construir explicaciones convincentes en un mundo en crisis. By María Esperanza Casullo. Buenos Aires: Siglo Veintiuno Editores, 2019. Pp. v + 208. $19.52 paperback. ISBN: 9789876298964.
The Chain of Representation: Preferences, Institutions, and Policy across Presidential Systems. By Brian F. Crisp, Olivella Santiago and Guillermo Rosas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. iii + 262. $36.69 paperback. ISBN: 9781108745413.
Shifting the Meaning of Democracy: Race, Politics, and Culture in the United States and Brazil. By Jessica Lynn Graham. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2019. Pp. iii + 365. $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780520293762.
The Inclusionary Turn in Latin American Democracies. Edited by Diana Kapiszewski, Steven Levitsky, and Deborah J. Yashar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. iii + 537. $93.45 cloth. ISBN: 9781108842044.
Diminished Parties: Democratic Representation in Contemporary Latin America. Edited by Juan Pablo Luna, Rafael Piñeiro Rodríguez, Fernando Rosenblatt, and Gabriel Vommaro. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. iii + 341. $120.00 cloth. ISBN: 978–1316513187.
Democracia para Venezuela: ¿Representativa, participativa o populista? By Margarita López Maya. Caracas: Editorial Alfa, 2021. Pp. 3 + 238. $19.00 paperback. ISBN: 978–8412266566.
Checking Presidential Power: Executive Decrees and the Legislative Process in New Democracies. By Valeria Palanza. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. iii + 245. $108.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781108427623.
Insights into Growth, Ring Formation and Maximum Ages of Brazil Nut Trees (Bertholletia excelsa) Using 14C Dating and Tree-Ring Analysis
Authors: Caetano Andrade Victor L , Clement Charles R , Herrera-Ramírez David , Larsen Thomas , Durgante Flavia , Boivin Nicole , Schöngart Jochen , Trumbore Susan , Roberts Patrick 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe Brazil Nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa, Lecythidaceae) is a species of considerable historical, economic and ecological importance in South America. Radiocarbon dating indicates some individuals can live from hundreds to more than 1000 years, which means they have the potential to reconstruct deep time growth patterns and their relationship to anthropogenic management or climate change from pre-colonial to present times. However, age estimates vary considerably amongst trees dated with different methods (i.e. tree-ring analysis, radiocarbon-dating, and repeated diameter measurements). Here we analyze living Brazil Nut trees growing in four distinct regions across the Brazilian Amazon using two dating methods: tree-ring counting and radiocarbon dating. Our results show that the congruence between the two methods varies amongst regions, and the highest congruence is found at the site of Tefé, Amazonas. This region features archaeological sites with anthropogenic Terra Preta soils, and is known for its long-term human forest management. This management likely enhanced light and nutrient availability, which possibly enabled the trees to grow at higher rates and form annual rings. Our findings highlight the need for better understanding of the growth of Brazil Nut trees for ecological research, but also the potential of dendrochronology for exploring climate change and human-forest interactions in the Amazon Basin.
Peat mine as a threat to the diversity of aquatic beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in the protected area Nature 2000 in Poland
Authors: Kuczyńska Katarzyna , Czerniawski Robert , Krepski Tomasz 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPeatlands, shaped by centuries of human activities, now face a primary threat from mining activities. Vulnerable to drainage and hydrological instability, peatland areas encounter challenges that compromise their ecological integrity. This study hypothesised that permanent water reservoirs within mines could serve as refugia for water beetles from adjacent areas prone to drying in the summer. Employing standard methods, including entomological scraping and water traps, samples were collected. Results revealed that, in most cases, water beetles exhibited a preference for the Nature 2000 area untouched by mining. Despite unfavourable conditions, the Nature 2000 area showcased a more diverse water beetle fauna. Remarkably, the selected Nature 2000 area, despite its identified degradation based on flora, remained a biodiversity hotspot for peatland water beetle fauna. The study underscores the significance of assessing insects, particularly beetles, as rapid responders to environmental changes. This evaluation holds crucial implications for peatland restoration planning and decision-making regarding mining investments in proximity to peatland areas.
A situational and stakeholder analysis of health technology assessment in Zimbabwe
Authors: Dzingirai Blessing , Dambiko Prudence , Matyanga Celia , Manyau Pinky , Tagwireyi Dexter , Postma Maarten J. , Mafirakureva Nyashadzaishe , van Hulst Marinus 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Systematic priority setting is necessary for achieving high-quality healthcare using limited resources in low- and middle-income countries. Health technology assessment (HTA) is a tool that can be used for systematic priority setting. The objective of this study was to conduct a stakeholder and situational analysis of HTA in Zimbabwe.

Methods
We identified and analyzed stakeholders using the International Decision Support Initiative checklist. The identified stakeholders were invited to an HTA workshop convened at the University of Zimbabwe. We used an existing HTA situational analysis questionnaire to ask for participants’ views on the need, demand, and supply of HTA. A follow-up survey was done among representatives of stakeholder organizations that failed to attend the workshop. We reviewed two health policy documents relevant to the HTA. Qualitative data from the survey and document review were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results
Forty-eight organizations were identified as stakeholders for HTA in Zimbabwe. A total of 41 respondents from these stakeholder organizations participated in the survey. Respondents highlighted that the HTA was needed for transparent decision making. The demand for HTA-related evidence was high except for the health economic and ethics dimensions, perhaps reflecting a lack of awareness. Ministry of Health was listed as a major supplier of HTA data.

Conclusions
There is no formal HTA agency in the Zimbabwe healthcare system. Various institutions make decisions on prioritization, procurement, and coverage of health services. The activities undertaken by these organizations provide context for the institutionalization of HTA in Zimbabwe.
Comparative epidemiology of bacteraemia in two ageing populations: Singapore and Denmark
Authors: Sim Patrick Jian Wei , Li Zongbin , Aung Aung Hein , Coia John Eugenio , Chen Ming , Nielsen Stig Lønberg , Jensen Thøger Gorm , Møller Jens Kjølseth , Dessau Ram Benny , Póvoa Pedro , Gradel Kim Oren , Chow Angela ,   for the SG-DK Bacteraemia study group
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Burden of bacteraemia is rising due to increased average life expectancy in developed countries. This study aimed to compare the epidemiology and outcomes of bacteraemia in two similarly ageing populations with different ethnicities in Singapore and Denmark. Historical cohorts from the second largest acute-care hospital in Singapore and in the hospitals of two Danish regions included patients aged 15 and above who were admitted from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2016 with at least 1 day of hospital stay and a pathogenic organism identified. Among 13 144 and 39 073 bacteraemia patients from Singapore and Denmark, similar 30-day mortality rates (16.5%; 20.3%), length of hospital stay (median 14 (IQR: 9–28) days; 11 (6–21)), and admission rate to ICU (15.5%; 15.6%) were observed, respectively. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus ranked among the top four in both countries. However, Singaporeans had a higher proportion of patients with diabetes (46.8%) and renal disease (29.5%) than the Danes (28.0% and 13.7%, respectively), whilst the Danes had a higher proportion of patients with chronic pulmonary disease (18.0%) and malignancy (35.3%) than Singaporeans (9.7% and 16.2%, respectively). Our study showed that top four causative organisms and clinical outcomes were similar between the two cohorts despite pre-existing comorbidities differed.
Trilingual parallel processing: Do the dominant languages grab all the attention?
Authors: Pathak Lekhnath Sharma , Vulchanova Mila , Pathak Poshak , Mishra Ramesh Kumar 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Twenty-five L1 Nepali speaking participants living in Trondheim, Norway who spoke English as L2 and Norwegian as L3 (late adult learners) participated in this study. Participants’ L2 proficiency was established as advanced in LexTALE. We administered language comprehension and production tasks in a trilingual design. In a mouse tracking trilingual parallel activation experiment, participants performed a language comprehension task in which they listened to the spoken word in their L1, L2 and L3 and clicked on the matching target picture. Mouse trajectories of their response pattern were recorded and analyzed. The language production task included a phonological and a semantic verbal fluency task (VFT), which also served as an executive control task. VFT showed their dominance in L1 and L2 compared to L3. This study contributes novel knowledge on trilingual parallel activation and suggests that in the presence of a non-dominant L3, a dominant L1 and a dominant L2 are processed faster than the non-dominant language in phonologically competing conditions.
Using Financial Contracts to Facilitate Informal Leases Within a Western United States Water Market Based on Prior Appropriation
Authors: Zeff Harrison , Hadjimichael Antonia , Reed Patrick M. , Characklis Gregory W. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe ability to reallocate water to higher‐value uses during drought is an increasingly important “soft‐path” tool for managing water resources in an uncertain future. In most of the Western United States, state‐level water market institutions that enable reallocation also impose substantial transaction costs on market participants related to regulatory approval and litigation. These transaction costs can be prohibitive for many participants in terms of both costs and lengthy approval periods, limiting transfers and reducing allocation efficiency, particularly during drought crises periods. This manuscript describes a mechanism to reduce transaction costs by adapting an existing form of informal leases to facilitate quicker and less expensive transfers among market participants. Instead of navigating the formal approval process to lease a water right, informal leases are financial contracts for conservation that enable more junior holders of existing rights to divert water during drought, thereby allowing the formal transfer approval process to be bypassed. The informal leasing approach is tested in the Upper Colorado River Basin, where drought and institutional barriers to transfers lead to frequent shortages for urban rights holders along Colorado's Front Range. Informal leases are facilitated via option contracts that include adaptive triggers and that define volumes of additional, compensatory, releases designed to mitigate impacts to instream flows and third parties. Results suggest that more rapid reallocation of water via informal leases could have resulted in up to $222 million in additional benefits for urban rights holders during the historical period 1950–2013.
Stress Variations in Southern Tonga Slab Derived From Deep‐Focus Earthquakes
Authors: Hrubcová Pavla , Rastjoo Ghazaal , Vavryčuk Václav 
Published: April 2024

AbstractTonga is a convergent plate boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates and is the fastest and the most seismically active deep subduction system in the world. We focused on southern Tonga (south of latitude 22°S) and the mantle transition zone (depths of 410–670 km), where seismic activity forms two subparallel bands of events in the east and west. We performed stress analysis by inverting focal mechanisms of earthquakes available in the Global Centroid Moment Tensor catalog and revealed two distinct stress regimes in the slab. While the stress orientation in the eastern slab segment conforms to the down‐dip compressional stress along the entire slab, the stress orientation in the western slab segment is different, having the maximum compression in the vertical direction. This suggests that the western segment can represent a stagnant slab with flattening and bending, as proposed by modeling studies. Its connection with the younger actively subducting slab is supported by the horizontal westward shift at 520 km depth. The stress analysis also indicates substantially different fault orientations in both segments. In the actively dipping slab, the majority of activated faults are predominantly sub‐horizontal. However, they are significantly inclined from vertical in the stagnant slab segment. A higher scatter in fault orientations in the stagnant slab suggests deformation, fragmentation and rheological complexity resulting from bending and flattening.
Nutritional interventions to prevent retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Hellström Ann , Kermorvant-Duchemin Elsa , Johnson Mark , Sáenz de Pipaón Miguel , Smith Lois E. , Hård Anna-Lena ,   on behalf of ESPR Nutrition council members, Fusch Christoph , Iacobelli Silvia , Johnson Mark J. , Lapillonne Alexandre , Moltu Sissel J. , Sáenz de Pipaón Miguel , Zachariassen Gitte 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Very preterm infants are at high risk of growth failure. Poor weight gain is a prominent risk factor for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and optimizing nutrition could potentially promote growth and reduce ROP. Most infants at risk of ROP need parenteral nutrition initially and studies of enhanced parenteral provision of lipids and amino acids have suggested a beneficial effect on ROP. Higher amino acid intake was associated with lower incidence of hyperglycemia, a risk factor for ROP. For very preterm infants, providing unpasteurized fortified raw maternal breast milk appears to have a dose-dependent preventive effect on ROP. These infants become deficient in arachidonic acid (ArA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) after birth when the maternal supply is lost. Earlier studies have investigated the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on ROP with mixed results. In a recent study, early enteral supplementation of ArA 100 mg/kg/d and DHA 50 mg/kg/d until term equivalent age reduced the incidence of severe ROP by 50%.

Impact

Previous reviews of nutritional interventions to prevent morbidities in preterm infants have mainly addressed bronchopulmonary dysplasia, brain lesions and neurodevelopmental outcome. This review focusses on ROP.

Neonatal enteral supplementation with arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, at levels similar to the fetal accretion rate, has been found to reduce severe ROP by 50% in randomized controlled trials.