bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating the impact of prepaid meters on communal water points in Malawi: A case study of Lilongwe peri‐urban areas
Authors: Chiumya Don , Gumbo Jabulani Ray 
Published: August 2023

AbstractIn the peri‐urban areas of Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, water is mostly obtained from communal points. Increased indebtedness resulted in the disconnection of more water points. This prompted the Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) to implement a new prepaid metering system to provide access to water 24 h a day and increase revenue collection. This study investigated the impact of prepaid meters on communal water points. Specifically, the impact of prepaid meters on water affordability, users' perceptions of the new system, the influence of prepaid meters on revenue collection, and the reliability of the new system were examined. A mixed‐methods approach was employed in this study. In total, 111 households were sampled. A questionnaire and focus group discussion were used to collect data. The results of the study indicated a high level of satisfaction with the new system, as 98.2% (109) of the sampled households expressed their contentment. Chi‐square was employed to check the relationship between household income and preference of the system in terms of accessibility and affordability. The p value of the chi‐square test was 0.956, indicating no significant relationship between household income and the preferred metering system. Hence, the prepaid system has proved affordable as low‐ and high‐income people are satisfied with the system, while 1.8% (2) are dissatisfied because they resist drawing water on credit. The LWB reported that the new system increased revenue collection and guaranteed residents' access to clean water. Additionally, 68.5% (76) of the households had functional hand‐washing facilities that ensured hygiene practices. The system suffers from low pressure at the water point during cloudy weather. The study recommends that the LWB consider resizing the system to ensure water access during cloudy days. In conclusion, clean water leads to good health for citizens. Generally, citizens in good health are more productive in developing a nation.
The Economics of Blockchain Within Africa
Authors: Thegeya Aaron 
Published: August 2023

AbstractBlockchain technology offers the potential to transform economic activity and improve living standards in Africa by overcoming information asymmetry problems, property rights and governance barriers. Blockchain innovations have the ability to boost levels of productivity and unlock capital flows to underserved sectors, in addition to leveraging the increasing returns of information as an input to production in order to spur economic growth. This background paper discusses the recent advances in blockchain technology within Africa, and investigates the underlying economic principles of blockchain networks, both universally and in an African context. It reviews the enabling infrastructure and supporting technology, including digital identity. Finally, it gives policy recommendations to increase the uptake of blockchain technology on the continent.Keywords: blockchain, data governance, Africa.
Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment: Qualitative Analysis of SMEs from Cambodia and Vietnam
Authors: Samy Yiagadeesen , Adedeji Adeniran , Iraoya Augustine , Dutta Madhurjya Kumar , Fakmawii Jasmine Lal , Hao Wen 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThis chapter explores opportunities for, and barriers against, an inclusive trade environment for women from SMEs in export-oriented sectors in Cambodia and Vietnam. Despite trade's substantial contribution to increasing women’s labor force participation in these two nations, opportunities to diversify jobs, skills, businesses, and markets remain important gaps to address. Not only are women entrepreneurs overrepresented in micro and small enterprises, they are also crowded in a few specific industries where market saturation often limits their ability to scale up and compete in international markets. Similarly, women workers engaged in trade are concentrated in low-paying, low-skilled jobs, while often trapped in low value-added manufacturing sectors. Drawing on qualitative analysis, this chapter uncovers the underlying reasons behind these limitations and then puts forward a range of policy recommendations, including ways to promote women’s inclusion in male-dominated sectors and removing barriers to entry in the global market. Some of these include gender-mainstreaming trade-related policies, trade finance, industry-specific business training designs, and vocational skill training programs that shift from traditional gender-stereotyped training courses to technological and digital training for women and girls.
The Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the UK: A View from the Frontline
Authors: Misra Tania Nayar 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe author charts the experience of working on the frontline public health response during the pandemic. The UK’s initial public health response to the pandemic comprised a delayed lockdown, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), insufficient testing capacity, and ambivalence about mask wearing. The pandemic’s first wave ravaged the health and care sectors. Subsequently, with experience and tight testing regimes, management of COVID-19 in the care sector was improved enormously. Hospitals reduced their workload to a bare minimum initially, followed by designing separate pathways to facilitate elective work, underpinned by testing and infection control. In addition to the elderly and frail, those on the fringes of society—for example, homeless, refugees, asylum seekers, and prison populations experienced high rates of infection and mortality. Nation-wide restrictions on movement were propped by an economic support program. The new school year in 2020 began amid rising cases, as people struggled to interpret confusing policies. Workplaces did not emerge from remote working till mid-2021 and remain a hub of infection transmission. The tussle between maintaining economic activity and education versus preventing the spread of cases continues, while the focus of the public health response moves to high vaccination coverage, rapid testing, and responding robustly to emerging variants of concern.
Social and Behavior Change Preparedness for COVID-19 Prevention: Evidence and Experience from Ethiopia
Authors: Kapadia-Kundu Nandita , Tamene Habtamu , Lakew Yihunie , Velu Sanjanthi , Stauffer Paula , Heliso Simon , Alemu Betemariam 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe chapter focuses on three crucial elements of social and behavior change (SBC) preparedness within the realm of risk communication. The first section of the chapter describes how to implement a systematic first response to a new epidemic or outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO)/The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) framework provides a comprehensive structure to operationalize the immediate national level response for SBC. Ethiopia’s first response was well coordinated and planned, and importantly, started before the detection of the first COVID-19 case in the country. The second section of the chapter provides pooled estimates of COVID-19 prevention behaviors in the country which show a pattern of uneven adoption. The need to develop strategic SBC approaches for both behavior change and behavior maintenance is highlighted. Finally, the third section of the chapter deals with the mental health context during the pandemic in Ethiopia. We propose an integration of community-based mental health support with SBC preparedness activities.The chapter conducts a meta-analysis of peer reviewed literature on three COVID-19 preventive behaviors and on the huge mental burden borne by Ethiopians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines for practice provided in the chapter are globally applicable. We hope that Ethiopia’s collective experience results in better success in the global fight against COVID-19.
COVID-19 and the Indian Economy: Constructing Roadmaps to an Inclusive Recovery
Authors: Nikore Mitali , Mehta Charmi , Kanikar Akshay 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has driven the highest share of economies into recession in modern times and is expected to bring about the largest contraction in global GDP per capita since World War II. The uncertainty it has spawned is driving governments and institutions into a conundrum, as they are tasked with charting out a course for recovery is immense. While India’s GDP contracted 7.3% in FY 2020–21, COVID-19 deepened and exposed the fault lines of the economy. The authors highlight the phase of slowdown in India prior to the pandemic and how COVID-19-related lockdowns reinforced the slowdown. They demonstrate historical trends for a set of indicators for three sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, and services and display the extent of damage that the pandemic induced economic slowdown caused while also identifying underlying factors that existed pre-COVID. Finally, the authors present a macro-economic outlook covering trends and linkages across demand drivers, employment, and investment. They conclude with a roadmap for inclusive growth advocating strategies that seek to advance equality of access, sustainability of resources, and state capacity for governance.
COVID-19 Vaccination: A Necessitated Drive Becoming an Unsolved Puzzle
Authors: Pathak Drishya 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe scientific community has achieved a remarkable feat by developing COVID-19 vaccines in a record duration of 12 months. The fastest vaccine developed and deployed previously was within a time-frame of four years, to prevent mumps in the 1960s. The speedy approach to prevent SARS-CoV-2 has changed the future of vaccine science with several vaccines showing excellent results in large trials. The COVID-19 vaccination strategy is of crucial importance for controlling the pandemic. As the vaccination mandate was faster than information dissemination, and even faster than the clinical trial results in some regions, numerous challenges emerged during the implementation of the vaccination strategy. The author discusses the objectives of the vaccination drive that include: reduction of overall COVID-19 severity and mortality; re-opening of society; disease elimination; reduction of pressure on the healthcare system; and equitable distribution of vaccines across all regions of the globe. While reflecting on these objectives, the author discusses the importance of transparency in vaccination surveillance data and the way forward.
Crosstalk between glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors boosts glucocorticoid-induced killing of multiple myeloma cells
Authors: Clarisse Dorien , Prekovic Stefan , Vlummens Philip , Staessens Eleni , Van Wesemael Karlien , Thommis Jonathan , Fijalkowska Daria , Acke Guillaume , Zwart Wilbert , Beck Ilse M. , Offner Fritz , De Bosscher Karolien 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a crucial drug target in multiple myeloma as its activation with glucocorticoids effectively triggers myeloma cell death. However, as high-dose glucocorticoids are also associated with deleterious side effects, novel approaches are urgently needed to improve GR action in myeloma. Here, we reveal a functional crosstalk between GR and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) that plays a role in improved myeloma cell killing. We show that the GR agonist dexamethasone (Dex) downregulates MR levels in a GR-dependent way in myeloma cells. Co-treatment of Dex with the MR antagonist spironolactone (Spi) enhances Dex-induced cell killing in primary, newly diagnosed GC-sensitive myeloma cells. In a relapsed GC-resistant setting, Spi alone induces distinct myeloma cell killing. On a mechanistic level, we find that a GR–MR crosstalk likely arises from an endogenous interaction between GR and MR in myeloma cells. Quantitative dimerization assays show that Spi reduces Dex-induced GR–MR heterodimerization and completely abolishes Dex-induced MR–MR homodimerization, while leaving GR–GR homodimerization intact. Unbiased transcriptomics analyses reveal that c-myc and many of its target genes are downregulated most by combined Dex-Spi treatment. Proteomics analyses further identify that several metabolic hallmarks are modulated most by this combination treatment. Finally, we identified a subset of Dex-Spi downregulated genes and proteins that may predict prognosis in the CoMMpass myeloma patient cohort. Our study demonstrates that GR–MR crosstalk is therapeutically relevant in myeloma as it provides novel strategies for glucocorticoid-based dose-reduction.
The effects of limited exhaustibility of knowledge and geographical distance on the quality of R&D collaborations: The European evidence 2000–2012
Authors: Pialli Guido 
Published: August 2023

AbstractMuch evidence exists of the increasing levels of research cooperation and globalization in the knowledge generation process. This paper aims to assess the determinants of the quality of research collaborations, using a sample of joint patent applications to the European Patent Office between 2000 and 2012. The results of the empirical analysis show that the limited exhaustibility of knowledge and the geographical distance among research partners are crucial determinants of research quality. Specifically, the non-exhaustible character of knowledge and cross-border knowledge creation enhance patent quality. Moreover, the distance among research partners exerts a curvilinear effect, as the quality of innovation increases when partners are either in spatial proximity or distant among each other.
Sprague Dawley rats from different vendors vary in the modulation of prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI) by dopamine, acetylcholine, and glutamate drugs
Authors: Caine S.B. , Plant S. , Furbish K. , Yerton M. , Smaragdi E. , Niclou B. , Lorusso J.M. , Chang J.Y. , Bitter C. , Basu A. , Miller S. , Huang C.-Y. , Komson R. , Liu D. , Behar S. , Thomsen M. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Rationale
Rodent vendors are often utilized interchangeably, assuming that the phenotype of a given strain remains standardized between colonies. Several studies, however, have found significant behavioral and physiological differences between Sprague Dawley (SD) rats from separate vendors. Prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI), a form of sensorimotor gating in which a low-intensity leading stimulus reduces the startle response to a subsequent stimulus, may also vary by vendor. Differences in PPI between rat strains are well known, but divergence between colonies within the SD strain lacks thorough examination.

Objectives
We explored intrastrain variation in PPI by testing SD rats from two vendors: Envigo and Charles River (CR).

Methods
We selected drugs acting on four major neurotransmitter systems that have been repeatedly shown to modulate PPI: dopamine (apomorphine; 0.5, 1.5, 3.0 mg/kg), acetylcholine (scopolamine; 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg), glutamate (dizocilpine; 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 mg/kg), and serotonin (2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, DOI; 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg). We determined PPI and startle amplitude for each drug in male and female Envigo and CR SD rats.

Results
SD rats from Envigo showed dose-dependent decreases in PPI after apomorphine, scopolamine, or dizocilpine administration, without significant effects on startle amplitude. SD rats from CR were less sensitive to modulation of PPI and/or more sensitive to modulation of startle amplitude, across the three drugs.

Conclusions
SD rats showed vendor differences in sensitivity to pharmacological modulation of PPI and startle. We encourage researchers to sample rats from separate vendors before experimentation to identify the most suited source of subjects for their specific endpoints.
Development and validation of two analytical strategies for the determination of glucosides of acidic herbicides in cereals and oilseed matrices
Authors: Aloisi Ivan , Mol Hans 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe aim of the present research was the development and validation of a selective and reliable method for the indirect and direct determination of acidic herbicide glucosides. Enzymatic deconjugation was investigated as a mild alternative to harsh alkaline hydrolysis. Various enzymatic options for deconjugation were exploited. One out of nine tested specific enzymes proved to be practical and repeatable for different matrices and concentration ranges, leading to the complete deconjugation of the glucosides. The method was validated according to the SANTE/11312/2021 guideline for cereals and oilseeds and for a rice-based infant formula. Additionally, for four acidic herbicide glucosides available on the market, a quantitative method for direct determination of the intact glucosides was optimized and validated. In both methods, the average recoveries were within 70–120%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) achieved were 10 µg kg−1 and 2.5 µg kg−1 for the intact glucosides and the free acids in cereal and oilseeds. For the rice-based infant formula, the LOQ was 1 µg kg−1 (3 µg kg−1 for dichlorprop). To confirm its applicability, the deconjugation approach was tested for fifteen samples (cereals, oilseeds, and citrus) with incurred residues. Comparisons were made between the method without deconjugation, and two methods with deconjugation, the here proposed enzymatic deconjugation and the more commonly used alkaline hydrolysis. The inclusion of enzymatic deconjugation during sample preparation led to an increase up to 2.7-fold compared to analysis without deconjugation. Enzymatic deconjugation resulted in comparable results to alkaline hydrolysis for 13 out of 15 samples.
Graphical Abstract
Rivaroxaban attenuates neutrophil maturation in the bone marrow niche
Authors: Schneckmann R. , Döring M. , Gerfer S. , Gorressen S. , Heitmeier S. , Helten C. , Polzin A. , Jung C. , Kelm M. , Fender A. C. , Flögel U. , Grandoch M. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractPharmacological inhibition of factor Xa by rivaroxaban has been shown to mediate cardioprotection and is frequently used in patients with, e.g., atrial fibrillation. Rivaroxaban's anti-inflammatory actions are well known, but the underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. To date, no study has focused on the effects of rivaroxaban on the bone marrow (BM), despite growing evidence that the BM and its activation are of major importance in the development/progression of cardiovascular disease. Thus, we examined the impact of rivaroxaban on BM composition under homeostatic conditions and in response to a major cardiovascular event. Rivaroxaban treatment of mice for 7 days markedly diminished mature leukocytes in the BM. While apoptosis of BM-derived mature myeloid leukocytes was unaffected, lineage-negative BM cells exhibited a differentiation arrest at the level of granulocyte–monocyte progenitors, specifically affecting neutrophil maturation via downregulation of the transcription factors Spi1 and Csfr1. To assess whether this persists also in situations of increased leukocyte demand, mice were subjected to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R): 7 d pretreatment with rivaroxaban led to reduced cardiac inflammation 72 h after I/R and lowered circulating leukocyte numbers. However, BM myelopoiesis showed a rescue of the leukocyte differentiation arrest, indicating that rivaroxaban's inhibitory effects are restricted to homeostatic conditions and are mainly abolished during emergency hematopoiesis. In translation, ST-elevation MI patients treated with rivaroxaban also exhibited reduced circulating leukocyte numbers. In conclusion, we demonstrate that rivaroxaban attenuates neutrophil maturation in the BM, which may offer a therapeutic option to limit overshooting of the immune response after I/R.
Neuronal tau pathology worsens late-phase white matter degeneration after traumatic brain injury in transgenic mice
Authors: Yu Fengshan , Iacono Diego , Perl Daniel P. , Lai Chen , Gill Jessica , Le Tuan Q. , Lee Patricia , Sukumar Gauthaman , Armstrong Regina C. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) causes diffuse axonal injury which can produce chronic white matter pathology and subsequent post-traumatic neurodegeneration with poor patient outcomes. Tau modulates axon cytoskeletal functions and undergoes phosphorylation and mis-localization in neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of tau pathology on neurodegeneration after TBI are unclear. We used mice with neuronal expression of human mutant tau to examine effects of pathological tau on white matter pathology after TBI. Adult male and female hTau.P301S (Tg2541) transgenic and wild-type (Wt) mice received either moderate single TBI (s-TBI) or repetitive mild TBI (r-mTBI; once daily × 5), or sham procedures. Acutely, s-TBI produced more extensive axon damage in the corpus callosum (CC) as compared to r-mTBI. After s-TBI, significant CC thinning was present at 6 weeks and 4 months post-injury in Wt and transgenic mice, with homozygous tau expression producing additional pathology of late demyelination. In contrast, r-mTBI did not produce significant CC thinning except at the chronic time point of 4 months in homozygous mice, which exhibited significant CC atrophy (− 29.7%) with increased microgliosis. Serum neurofilament light quantification detected traumatic axonal injury at 1 day post-TBI in Wt and homozygous mice. At 4 months, high tau and neurofilament in homozygous mice implicated tau in chronic axon pathology. These findings did not have sex differences detected. Conclusions: Neuronal tau pathology differentially exacerbated CC pathology based on injury severity and chronicity. Ongoing CC atrophy from s-TBI became accompanied by late demyelination. Pathological tau significantly worsened CC atrophy during the chronic phase after r-mTBI.
Long-term health-related quality of life in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer receiving first-line systemic therapy
Authors: Pape Marieke , Vissers Pauline A. J. , Slingerland Marije , Haj Mohammad Nadia , van Rossum Peter S. N. , Verhoeven Rob H. A. , van Laarhoven Hanneke W. M. ,   on behalf of the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Group (DUCG)
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the effect of systemic therapy on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer in daily clinical practice. This study assessed the HRQoL of patients with esophagogastric cancer during first-line systemic therapy, at disease progression, and after progression in a real-world context.

Methods
Patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer (2014–2021) receiving first-line systemic therapy registered in the Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Oesophageal-gastric cancer (POCOP) were included (n = 335). HRQoL was measured with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OG25. Outcomes of mixed-effects models were presented as adjusted mean changes.

Results
Results of the mixed-effect models showed the largest significant improvements during systemic therapy for odynophagia (− 18.9, p < 0.001), anxiety (− 18.7, p < 0.001), and dysphagia (− 13.8, p < 0.001) compared to baseline. After progression, global health status (− 6.3, p = 0.002) and cognitive (− 6.2, p = 0.001) and social functioning (− 9.7, p < 0.001) significantly worsened. At and after progression, physical (− 9.0, p < 0.001 and − 8.8, p < 0.001) and role functioning (− 15.2, p = 0.003 and − 14.7, p < 0.001) worsened, respectively. Trouble with taste worsened during systemic therapy (11.5, p < 0.001), at progression (12.0, p = 0.004), and after progression (15.3, p < 0.001).

Conclusion
In general, HRQoL outcomes in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer improved during first-line therapy. Deterioration in outcomes was mainly observed at and after progression.

Implications for cancer survivors
Identification of HRQoL aspects is important in shared decision-making and to inform patients on the impact of systemic therapy on their HRQoL.