bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Nkrumah Factor: The Strategic Alignment of Early Postcolonial Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria
Authors: Wyss Marco 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
In stark contrast to the Nigerian Civil War, when the Ivorian President Félix Houphouët-Boigny supported the secessionist Biafran Republic against the Federal Military Government, early postcolonial relations between Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria were close. This ‘entente cordiale’ was underpinned by the friendship of Houphouët-Boigny and the Nigerian Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who were both anti-communist, pro-western, capitalist, and in favour of African co-operation instead of integration. Yet it was Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah who, through his criticism and alleged subversive machinations against Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, gave the two countries their common purpose. Focusing, unlike previous scholarship, on the military and strategic responses of Abidjan and Lagos to Accra, and based on multi-archival research, this article argues that the Nkrumah factor brought about a strategic alignment between Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. It also shows, however, that despite a common threat assessment, domestic politics had a decisive and diverging impact on the foreign and security policies of the two states, and that regional and colonial legacies turned out to have a more significant impact on early postcolonial Africa than did the Cold War. The article sheds light on African agency, while simultaneously going beyond and, more significantly, offering an alternative perspective to the Cold War-driven historiography of early postcolonial Africa, and its tendency to focus on external rather than African actors.
Early puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormones do not alter final height in transgender adolescents
Authors: Ciancia Silvia , Klink Daniel , Craen Margarita , Cools Martine 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundEarly puberty suppression (ePS; Tanner stages 2 and 3) through gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas) and gender-affirming hormones (GAHs) interferes with growth and may impact final height (FH).AimTo investigate the impact of ePS and GAH on FH in trans boys and trans girls.MethodsRetrospective study, including 10 trans boys and 22 trans girls at FH. Bone age (BA) was determined at the start of ePS and at the start of GAH according to Greulich and Pyle; predicted adult height (PAH) was calculated according to Bayley and Pinneau's tables; target height (TH) was calculated as adjusted mean of maternal and paternal height. Target height, PAH, and BA were determined according to sex registered at birth (SRAB) and experienced gender (EG).ResultsThe age at the start of PS was 12.37 ± 0.74 years in trans boys and 13.10 ± 1.12 years in trans girls. Total height gain since the start of ePS in trans boys was 14.62 ± 4.08 cm, with 70% achieved before the start of GAH. In trans girls, it was 20.68 ± 7.66 cm, with 61% achieved before GAH. Target height for SRAB was the most accurate predictor for FH in both trans boys and girls: the difference with FH was 1.57 cm ± 3.1 (P = .168) and −0.98 cm ± 4.17 (P = .319), respectively. Also the difference between FH and PAH at the start of PS for SRAB was nonsignificant in both trans boys and girls (2.62 cm ± 3.79, P = .056 and −2.35 cm ± 5.2, P = .051, respectively).ConclusionEarly puberty suppression and GAH do not impact FH, supporting the safety of the treatment; however, trans adolescents achieve a FH in line with SRAB, rather than EG.
Cardiac magnetic resonance biomarkers as surrogate endpoints in cardiovascular trials for myocardial diseases
Authors: Benz Dominik C , Gräni Christoph , Antiochos Panagiotis , Heydari Bobak , Gissler Mark Colin , Ge Yin , Cuddy Sarah A M , Dorbala Sharmila , Kwong Raymond Y 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Cardiac magnetic resonance offers multiple facets in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of patients with myocardial diseases. Particularly, its feature to precisely monitor disease activity lends itself to quantify response to novel therapeutics. This review critically appraises the value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers as surrogate endpoints for prospective clinical trials. The primary focus is to comprehensively outline the value of established cardiac magnetic resonance parameters in myocardial diseases. These include heart failure, cardiac amyloidosis, iron overload cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardio-oncology, and inflammatory cardiomyopathies like myocarditis and sarcoidosis.
The relationship between time spent on social media and adolescent alcohol use: a longitudinal analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Authors: Purba Amrit Kaur , Henderson Marion , Baxter Andrew , Katikireddi S Vittal , Pearce Anna 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Background
To estimate the effect of social media use in 14 year olds on risk of and inequalities in alcohol use and binge drinking at 17 years.

Methods
Using the UK-representative Millennium Cohort Study, the relationship between time spent on social media (assessed using questionnaires [n = 8987] and time-use-diaries [n = 2520]) with frequency of alcohol use in the past month and binge drinking was estimated using adjusted odds ratios (AORs) or adjusted relative risk ratios (ARRRs). Associations within low and high parental education groups were compared to examine effect modification. Analyses accounted for pre-specified confounders, baseline outcome measures (to address reverse causality), sample design, attrition and item-missingness (through multiple imputation).

Results
Questionnaire-reported time spent on social media was associated with increased risk of alcohol use and binge drinking in a dose–response manner. Compared to 1-&lt; 30 min/day social media users, 30 min-&lt;1 h/day users were more likely to report alcohol use ≥6 times/month (ARRR 1.62 [95% confidence interval 1.20 to 2.20]) and binge drinking (AOR 1.51 [1.22 to 1.87]), as were 1–&lt;2 h/day users (ARRR 2.61 [1.90 to 3.58]; AOR 2.06 [1.69 to 2.52]) and ≥2 h/day users (ARRR 4.80 [3.65 to 6.32]; AOR 3.07 [2.54 to 3.70]). Social media measured by time-use-diary was associated with higher risks, although not always demonstrating a dose–response relationship. The effect of social media use (vs no-use) on binge drinking was larger in the higher (vs lower) parental education groups. Analyses repeated in complete case samples, and with adjustment for baseline outcome measures revealed consistent findings.

Conclusions
Findings suggest social media use may increase risk of alcohol use and binge drinking. Regulatory action protecting adolescents from harmful alcohol-related social media content is necessary.
Conserving a threatened North American walnut: a chromosome-scale reference genome for butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Authors: Guzman-Torres Cristopher R , Trybulec Emily , LeVasseur Hannah , Akella Harshita , Amee Maurice , Strickland Emily , Pauloski Nicole , Williams Martin , Romero-Severson Jeanne , Hoban Sean , Woeste Keith , Pike Carolyn C , Fetter Karl C , Webster Cynthia N , Neitzey Michelle L , O’Neill Rachel J , Wegrzyn Jill L 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
With the advent of affordable and more accurate third-generation sequencing technologies, and the associated bioinformatic tools, it is now possible to sequence, assemble, and annotate more species of conservation concern than ever before. Juglans cinerea, commonly known as butternut or white walnut, is a member of the walnut family, native to the Eastern United States and Southeastern Canada. The species is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to decline from an invasive fungus known as Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (Oc-j) that causes butternut canker. Oc-j creates visible sores on the trunks of the tree which essentially starves and slowly kills the tree. Natural resistance to this pathogen is rare. Conserving butternut is of utmost priority due to its critical ecosystem role and cultural significance. As part of an integrated undergraduate and graduate student training program in biodiversity and conservation genomics, the first reference genome for Juglans cinerea is described here. This chromosome-scale 539 Mb assembly was generated from over 100 × coverage of Oxford Nanopore long reads and scaffolded with the Juglans mandshurica genome. Scaffolding with a closely related species oriented and ordered the sequences in a manner more representative of the structure of the genome without altering the sequence. Comparisons with sequenced Juglandaceae revealed high levels of synteny and further supported J. cinerea's recent phylogenetic placement. Comparative assessment of gene family evolution revealed a significant number of contracting families, including several associated with biotic stress response.
‘Avoid it without the appearance of running away’: Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine and the use of other conflicts, 1970–86
Authors: Aveyard Stuart C 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
This article considers connections between the Northern Ireland and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, particularly claims that the Irish Republican Army and the Palestine Liberation Organization shared arms and expertise. It shows that British official investigations dismissed these allegations. The article argues that the two conflicts were linked by self-interested parties to support a politicized discourse of international terrorism, to assert perceived hierarchies of legitimacy and to advocate particular courses of action. It finds that the connection between Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was more imagined than real, but no less meaningful for that being the case.
Hepatitis C Elimination in Moldova Is Feasible and Cost-Saving: A Modeling Study
Authors: Aaron Alec , Zhong Huaiyang , Hiebert Lindsey , Zhuo Yueran , Adee Madeline , Paraschiv Angela , Stratulat Silvia , Ward John W , Chhatwal Jagpreet 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Background
Moldova, an upper-middle-income country in Eastern Europe, is facing a high burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Our objective was to assist the National Agency of Public Health of Moldova in planning to achieve the World Health Organization’s HCV elimination goals by 2030.

Methods
This study adapted a previously developed microsimulation model to simulate the HCV epidemic in Moldova from 2004 to 2050. Model outcomes included temporal trends in HCV infection, prevalence, mortality, and total cost of care, including screening and treatment. We evaluated scenarios that could eliminate HCV by 2030.

Results
Multiple strategies could lead to HCV elimination in Moldova by 2030. A realistic scenario of a 20% annual screening and 80% treatment rate would require 2.75 million individuals to be screened and 65 000 treated by 2030. Compared to 2015, this program will reduce HCV incidence by 98% and HCV-related deaths by 72% in 2030. Between 2022 and 2030, this strategy would cost $17.5 million for HCV screening and treatment. However, by 2050, the health system would save &gt;$85 million compared to no investment in elimination efforts.

Conclusions
HCV elimination in Moldova is feasible and can be cost saving, but requires resources to scale HCV screening and treatment.
An Assessment of National Strategic Action Plans for Viral Hepatitis Elimination, 2016–2021
Authors: Njuguna Henry N , Hiebert Lindsey , Harris Angelique , Morgan Rebecca L , Gupta Neil , Ward John W 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) setting goals for global hepatitis elimination. To inform new or revised viral hepatitis national strategic action plans (NSAPs) for 2022–2030, NSAPs developed during 2016–2021 were assessed for alignment with the WHO GHSS. Country NSAPs were assessed to determine if they included components in the 2016 GHSS. Of 55 country NSAPs, 19 (35%) did not include hepatitis B and C virus elimination goals, only 18 (33%) included targets for needles and syringes for persons who inject drugs, and 21 (38%) had a national budget or financing plan for hepatitis activities. Gaps identified indicate need for technical support in NSAP development.
Efficacy and safety of ceftazidime/avibactam in patients with infections caused by β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative pathogens: a pooled analysis from the Phase 3 clinical trial programme
Authors: Torres Antoni , Wible Michele , Tawadrous Margaret , Irani Paurus , Stone Gregory G , Quintana Alvaro , Debabov Dmitri , Burroughs Margaret , Bradford Patricia A , Kollef Marin 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Objectives
This post hoc pooled analysis evaluated clinical and microbiological outcomes and safety in patients with infections caused by β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative pathogens across five Phase 3, randomized, controlled, multicentre trials of ceftazidime/avibactam in adults with complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI), complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI)/pyelonephritis and nosocomial pneumonia (NP), including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Methods
In each trial, RECLAIM/RECLAIM 3 (cIAI), REPRISE (cIAI/cUTI), RECAPTURE (cUTI) and REPROVE (NP, including VAP) patients were randomized 1:1 to IV ceftazidime/avibactam (plus metronidazole for patients with cIAI) or comparators (carbapenems in &gt;97% patients) for 5–21 days. Clinical and microbiological responses at the test-of-cure visit were assessed for patients with ESBLs, and/or plasmidic and/or overexpression of chromosomal AmpC, and/or serine carbapenemases without MBLs identified in baseline Gram-negative isolates by phenotypic screening and molecular characterization in the pooled microbiological modified ITT (mMITT) population.

Results
In total, 813 patients (ceftazidime/avibactam, n = 389; comparator, n = 424) had ≥1 β-lactamase-producing baseline pathogen identified, amongst whom 792 patients (ceftazidime/avibactam, n = 379; comparator, n = 413) had no MBLs. The most frequent β-lactamase-producing pathogens across treatment groups were Escherichia coli (n = 381), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 261) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 53). Clinical cure rates in the pooled non-MBL β-lactamase-producing mMITT population were 88.1% (334/379) for ceftazidime/avibactam and 88.1% (364/413) for comparators; favourable microbiological response rates were 76.5% (290/379) and 68.8% (284/413), respectively. The safety profile of ceftazidime/avibactam was consistent with previous observations.

Conclusions
This analysis provides supportive evidence of the efficacy and safety of ceftazidime/avibactam in patients with infections caused by ESBLs, AmpC and serine carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative pathogens.

Trial registration
NCT01499290; NCT01726023; NCT01644643; NCT01595438/NCT01599806; NCT01808092.
Stability Study and Handling Recommendations for Multiresidue Pesticide Mixes under Diverse Storage Conditions for LC–MS/MS and GC–MS/MS
Authors: Wiest Landon A , Hepner Jana R , Fisher Jason E , Risha Karen M , Lidgett John H , Ballarotto Valerie N , Konschnik Joseph D 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Background
In response to the growing global need for pesticide residue testing, laboratories must develop versatile analytical methods and workflows to produce scientifically sound results. One of the many challenges faced by food chemists is acquiring suitable pesticide certified reference materials (CRMs) to calibrate analytical equipment, monitor method performance, and confirm the identity and concentration of hundreds of pesticide residues in food samples. CRM producers invest considerable resources to ensure the stability of their products.

Objective
To present proper CRM handling and storage practices as guidance to ensure stability based on the results of several multiresidue pesticide stability studies.

Methods
The open ampoule and combined multiresidue mix studies were conducted under controlled conditions. New ampoules containing multiresidue pesticide CRM mixtures were opened and compared to previously opened ampoules at multiple intervals while stored under freezing and refrigerated temperatures. Both LC- and GC-amenable pesticides (&gt;200 residues) were combined and stored under typical laboratory conditions. Studies were performed with and without celery matrix.

Results
The open ampoule study showed high levels of stability for all mixtures. All GC residues remained stable over the duration of the experiment. A week after opening LC multiresidue pesticide mixtures showed minor degradation. After combination of the multiresidue pesticide mixtures, degradation occurred rapidly for both the GC and LC mixtures.

Conclusion
Multiresidue pesticide mixtures are stable as ampullated until they are opened. Once the contents of a kit were opened and combined, decreasing stability was observed over time. This was true for both the LC and GC kits. Working mixtures of CRMs for instrument calibration should be made daily.

Highlights
This article shows a novel approach for measuring stability of CRM mixes. In-depth analysis of multiresidue pesticide mixtures and the stability that can be expected before and after mixing under typical storage conditions is described.
The selected genes NR6A1, RSAD2-CMPK2, and COL3A1 contribute to body size variation in Meishan pigs through different patterns
Authors: Liu Chenxi , Hou Liming , Zhao Qingbo , Zhou Wuduo , Liu Kaiyue , Liu Qian , Zhou Tengbin , Xu Binbin , Li Pinghua , Huang Ruihua 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
The high-fertility Meishan pig is currently categorized into medium sized (MMS) and small sized (SMS) based on body size. To identify causal genes responsible for the variation in body size within the two categories, we sequenced individuals representing the entire consanguinity of the existing Meishan pig. This enabled us to conduct genome selective signal analysis. Our findings revealed the genomes of MMS and SMS are stratified, with selective sweep regions formed by differential genomic intervals between the two categories enriched in multiple pig body size related quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Furthermore, the missense mutation c.575T &gt; C of candidate causal gene NR6A1, accounting for the variation in lumbar vertebrae number in pigs, was positively selected in MMS only, leading to an increase in body length of MMS at 6 months of age. To precisely identify causal genes accounting for body size variation through multi-omics, we collected femoral cartilage and liver transcription data from MMS and SMS respectively, and re-sequencing data from pig breeds exhibiting varying body sizes. We found that two selected regions where the RSAD2-CMPK2 and COL3A1 genes are located, respectively, showed different haplotypes in pig breeds of varying body size, and was associated with body or carcass length in hybridized Suhuai pig. Additionally, the above three hub genes, were significantly greater expressed in SMS femoral cartilage and liver tissues compared to MMS. These three genes could strengthen the pathways related to bone resorption and metabolism in SMS, potentially hindering bone and skeletal development and resulting in a smaller body size in SMS. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic mechanism of body size variation in Meishan pig population.
High-throughput quantification of emerging “nitazene” benzimidazole opioid analogs by microextraction and UHPLC–MS-MS
Authors: Schüller Maria , Lucic Ivana , Øiestad Åse Marit Leere , Pedersen-Bjergaard Stig , Øiestad Elisabeth Leere 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Benzimidazole opioids, often referred to as nitazenes, represent a subgroup of new psychoactive substances with a recent increase in fatal overdoses in the USA and Europe. With a variety of analogs emerging on the illicit drug market, forensic laboratories are challenged to identify these potent drugs. We here present a simple quantitative approach for the determination of nine nitazene analogs, namely, clonitazene, etodesnitazene, etonitazene, etonitazepyne, flunitazene, isotonitazene, metodesnitazene, metonitazene and protonitazene in whole blood using liquid-phase microextraction and electromembrane extraction in a 96-well format and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Green and efficient sample preparation was accomplished by liquid-phase microextraction in a 96-well format and resulted in high extraction yields for all analytes (&gt;81%). Here, blood diluted with buffer (1:1, %v) was extracted from a donor compartment across a thin organic liquid membrane and into an aqueous acceptor solution. The acceptor solution was collected and directly injected into the analysis platform. Chromatographic separation was accomplished with a biphenyl column, allowing for a baseline separation of the structural isomers isotonitazene and protonitazene before detection by multiple reaction monitoring. Validation was performed according to Scientific Working Group of Forensic Toxicology guidelines. The calibration range was from 0.5 to 50 nM (except for protonitazene and clonitazene from 0.1 nM) with good linearity and limits of detection down to 0.01 nM. An AGREEprep assessment was performed to evaluate sample preparation greenness, with a final score of 0.71. Nitazenes represent a current threat to public health, and analytical methods that cover a wide range of these analogs are limited. Here, the described method may assist in the detection of nitazenes in whole blood and prevent these substances from being missed in postmortem investigations.
A Larger ‘We’; Identity, Spirituality and Social Change in Pluralistic Societies
Authors: Sharp Dustin N 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Over the last decade, in the United States in particular, there has been an increasingly acute awareness of historic and ongoing social, racial, gender, and other disparities, and the frequent deployment of categories (for example BIPOC, LGBTQQIA2SP+, Latinx) and concepts (for example ‘cultural appropriation’, ‘white privilege’, ‘intersectionality’) that centre thinking and conversations around various axes of difference. For some critics, the hyper-focus on questions of difference is dismissed as ‘wokeness’, and its seeming ascendency across elite spaces—academic, cultural, and corporate—is viewed with alarm, particularly insofar as its advocates are seen to champion a type of illiberalism. Others have raised concerns that hyper-identitarianism may diminish possibilities for worker and class solidarity, or that it represents only an attenuated form of social justice. This article adds to this conversation by asking whether the energetic foregrounding of difference typical of ‘wokeness’ does not also pose a spiritual conundrum. To explore this question, it outlines what is here called the ‘connective worldview’, which draws from deep ecology, spiritual practices, and mystical insights common to many religious traditions to understand humans and their identities as interdependent, ephemeral and, ultimately, subject to transcendence. The article contrasts this with the ‘particularistic worldview’, which tends to set both individual and group identities in sharp relief, emphasizing the need to honour and manage difference. It argues that an ‘integrated’ perspective—one that strikes a balance between both worldviews—will be key for activists looking to foment social change while forging a larger ‘we’ in diverse, pluralistic societies.