bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does access to improved grain storage technology increase farmers' welfare? Experimental evidence from maize farming in Ethiopia
Authors: Negede Betelhem M. , De Groote Hugo , Minten Bart , Voors Maarten 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSeasonal price variability for cereals is two to three times higher in Africa than on the international reference market. Seasonality is even more pronounced when access to appropriate storage and opportunities for price arbitrage are limited. As smallholder farmers typically sell their production after harvest, when prices are low, this leads to lower incomes as well as higher food insecurity during the lean season, when prices are high. One solution to reduce seasonal stress is the use of improved storage technologies. Using data from a randomised controlled trial, in a major maize‐growing region of Western Ethiopia, we study the impact of hermetic bags, a technology that protects stored grain against insect pests, so that the grain can be stored longer. Despite considerable price seasonality—maize prices in the lean season are 36% higher than after harvesting—we find no evidence that hermetic bags improve welfare, except that access to these bags allowed for a marginally longer storage period of maize intended for sale by 2 weeks. But this did not translate into measurable welfare gains as we found no changes in any of our welfare outcome indicators. This ‘near‐null’ effect is due to the fact that maize storage losses in our study region are relatively lower than previous studies suggested—around 10% of the quantity stored—likely because of the widespread use of an alternative to protect maize during storage, for example a cheap but highly toxic fumigant. These findings are important for policies that seek to promote improved storage technologies in these settings.
Antibiotic resistance mechanism and diagnosis of common foodborne pathogens based on genotypic and phenotypic biomarkers
Authors: Liao Xinyu , Deng Ruijie , Warriner Keith , Ding Tian 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe emergence of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria due to the overuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics has become a significant public health concern. The agri‐food chain, which serves as a vital link between the environment, food, and human, contributes to the large‐scale dissemination of antibiotic resistance, posing a concern to both food safety and human health. Identification and evaluation of antibiotic resistance of foodborne bacteria is a crucial priority to avoid antibiotic abuse and ensure food safety. However, the conventional approach for detecting antibiotic resistance heavily relies on culture‐based methods, which are laborious and time‐consuming. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop accurate and rapid tools for diagnosing antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens. This review aims to provide an overview of the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance at both phenotypic and genetic levels, with a focus on identifying potential biomarkers for diagnosing antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, an overview of advances in the strategies based on the potential biomarkers (antibiotic resistance genes, antibiotic resistance‐associated mutations, antibiotic resistance phenotypes) for antibiotic resistance analysis of foodborne pathogens is systematically exhibited. This work aims to provide guidance for the advancement of efficient and accurate diagnostic techniques for antibiotic resistance analysis in the food industry.
Unbiased evaluation of rapamycin's specificity as an mTOR inhibitor
Authors: Artoni Filippo , Grützmacher Nina , Demetriades Constantinos 
Published: May 2023

AbstractRapamycin is a macrolide antibiotic that functions as an immunosuppressive and anti‐cancer agent, and displays robust anti‐ageing effects in multiple organisms including humans. Importantly, rapamycin analogues (rapalogs) are of clinical importance against certain cancer types and neurodevelopmental diseases. Although rapamycin is widely perceived as an allosteric inhibitor of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), the master regulator of cellular and organismal physiology, its specificity has not been thoroughly evaluated so far. In fact, previous studies in cells and in mice hinted that rapamycin may be also acting independently from mTOR to influence various cellular processes. Here, we generated a gene‐edited cell line that expresses a rapamycin‐resistant mTOR mutant (mTORRR) and assessed the effects of rapamycin treatment on the transcriptome and proteome of control or mTORRR‐expressing cells. Our data reveal a striking specificity of rapamycin towards mTOR, demonstrated by virtually no changes in mRNA or protein levels in rapamycin‐treated mTORRR cells, even following prolonged drug treatment. Overall, this study provides the first unbiased and conclusive assessment of rapamycin's specificity, with potential implications for ageing research and human therapeutics.
Outpatient psychiatric service use is associated with a reduced risk of 1‐year readmission and mortality following alcohol‐related hospitalizations: A historical cohort study
Authors: Friesen Erik Loewen , Yu Winnie , Kurdyak Paul 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIntroductionAlcohol‐related hospitalizations are common and associated with high rates of short‐term readmission and mortality. Providing rapid access to physician‐based mental health and addiction (MHA) services post‐discharge may help to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes in this population. This study used population‐based data to evaluate the prevalence of outpatient MHA service use following alcohol‐related hospitalizations and its association with downstream harms.MethodsThis was a population‐based historical cohort study of individuals who experienced an alcohol‐related hospitalization between 2016 and 2018 in Ontario, Canada. The primary exposure was whether an individual received follow‐up outpatient MHA services from either a psychiatrist or primary care physician within 30 days of discharge from the index hospitalization. The outcomes of interest were alcohol‐related hospital readmission and all‐cause mortality in the year following discharge from the index alcohol‐related hospitalization. Information on health service use and mortality was captured using comprehensive health administrative databases. The associations between receiving outpatient MHA services and the time to each outcome were assessed using multivariable time‐to‐event regression.ResultsA total of 43,343 individuals were included. 19.8% of the cohort received outpatient MHA services within 30 days of discharge. Overall, 19.1% of the cohort was readmitted to hospital and 11.5% of the cohort died in the year following discharge. Receiving outpatient MHA services was associated with a reduced hazard of alcohol‐related hospital readmission (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88–0.99) and all‐cause mortality (aHR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.66–0.83) after adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates.ConclusionsShort‐term outcomes following alcohol‐related hospitalizations are poor. Facilitating rapid access to follow‐up MHA services may help to reduce the risk of recurrent harm and death in this population.
The economic disparity between Hispanic and non‐Hispanic White households: An analysis of middle‐class achievement
Authors: Zan Hua , Fan Jessie X. , Lozada Benvin 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe utilize data from the 2010–2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys to examine middle‐class achievement of English‐speaking and non‐English‐speaking Hispanic households compared to non‐Hispanic white households in the United States. Using an innovative expenditure‐based middle‐class measure, our findings show that non‐English‐speaking Hispanics lag English‐speaking Hispanics, and English‐speaking Hispanics lag whites, in middle‐class attainment. We also identify significant structural differences among the three groups, particularly in how education, marriage, and employment affect middle‐class achievement. Non‐English‐speaking Hispanics have a lower rate of return on education compared to both whites and English‐speaking Hispanics. Non‐English‐speaking Hispanics experience lower marriage and employment premiums compared to their English‐speaking Hispanic counterparts, and English‐speaking Hispanics experience lower marriage and employment premiums compared to whites. This study contributes to the literature by introducing the innovative expenditure‐based middle‐class measure and emphasizing the importance of considering within‐group differences among Hispanics to reduce the Hispanic‐white economic disparity.
Student views on recognition and payment options for gamete donation in New Zealand
Authors: Cornthwaite Kelsey , Goedeke Sonja , Shepherd Daniel , Rodino Iolanda 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundDemand for donor gametes in New Zealand significantly outweighs the number of willing donors. Payment for donation has been suggested as a viable solution to increase the supply and attract more donors in acknowledging the time, effort and inconvenience associated with donation.AimsInternationally, university students are a commonly targeted group for paid gamete donation. This study aims to explore the views of university students in New Zealand to gauge their support and concerns relating to a range of options to recognise donors, including payment.MethodsTwo hundred and three tertiary students completed a questionnaire exploring their views on various forms of recognition for donation and concerns relating to payment.ResultsParticipants indicated the greatest support for reimbursement for expenses directly related to the donation process. Payment constituting explicit financial advantage was regarded least favourably. Participants held concerns that payment would attract people donating for the ‘wrong’ reasons and lead to donors concealing relevant histories. Further concerns included payment increasing costs for recipients and causing disparities in access to gametes.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that within a New Zealand context a culture of gift‐giving and altruism are strongly held principles towards reproductive donation, including among the student population. This highlights the need to consider alternative strategies to commercial models to overcome donor shortages which are in line with the cultural and legislative context of New Zealand.
“It would taste better with sugar”—Navigating deprivation and confidence in everyday life on a tea plantation in Assam
Authors: Wolf Anna‐Lena 
Published: May 2023

SummaryThis story focuses on an ordinary working day on a tea plantation in Assam from the perspective of Jiya—a tea plucker on Dolani Tea Estate. It illustrates how Jiya navigates fundamental deprivations in her everyday life structured by the company's relentless siren without losing track of the scope for confident action. The photos, the plantation, the protagonist, and the incidents described in the story are based on real places, persons, and observations I encountered during thirteen months of fieldwork on Assam tea plantations between 2014 and 2017. However, the compilation of multiple observations into one day is a work of fiction. All names of persons and places in the story are pseudonyms. Quotations in the text are my own translations from Hindi into English.
Retinal damage extends beyond the border of the detached retina in fovea‐on retinal detachment
Authors: Ng Hei Jan , Vermeer Koenraad A. , La Heij Ellen C. , Kuip Caroline P. , van Meurs Jan C. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the preoperative and postoperative change in retinal sensitivity in relation to the distance to the retinal detachment (RD) in patients with fovea‐on RD.MethodsWe prospectively evaluated 13 patients with fovea‐on RD and a healthy control eye. Preoperatively, OCT scans of the RD border and the macula were obtained. The RD border was highlighted on the SLO image. Microperimetry was used to assess the retinal sensitivity at the macula, the RD border and the retina around the RD border. At 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months postoperatively, follow‐up examinations of OCT and microperimetry were performed in the study eye. Microperimetry was performed once in control eyes. Microperimetry data were overlaid on the SLO image. The shortest distance to the RD border was calculated for each sensitivity measurement. The change in retinal sensitivity was calculated as control‐study. The relation between the change in retinal sensitivity and the distance to the RD border was assessed using a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curve.ResultsPreoperatively, the greatest loss in retinal sensitivity was 21 dB at 3° inside the RD which decreased linearly, through the RD border, and reached a plateau of 2 dB at 4°. For 6 weeks and 3 months postoperatively, the greatest retinal sensitivity loss remained at 3° inside the RD but was 4 dB and sensitivity loss decreased linearly to a plateau of 0 dB at 5° outside the RD. At 6 months postoperatively, the greatest sensitivity loss was 2 dB at 3° inside the RD, and decreased linearly to a plateau of 0 dB at 2° outside the RD.ConclusionsRetinal damage extends beyond the detached retina. Retinal sensitivity loss of the attached retina decreased drastically as the distance to the RD increased. Postoperative recovery occurred for both attached and detached retina.
Engineering bacteria to modulate host metabolism
Authors: Ciocan Dragos , Elinav Eran 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe microbial community of the gut, collectively termed the gut microbiota, modulates both host metabolism and disease development in a variety of clinical contexts. The microbiota can have detrimental effects and be involved in disease development and progression, but it can also offer benefits to the host. This has led in the last years to the development of different therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiota. In this review, we will focus on one of these strategies that involve the use of engineered bacteria to modulate gut microbiota in the treatment of metabolic disorders. We will discuss the recent developments and challenges in the use of these bacterial strains with an emphasis on their use for the treatment of metabolic diseases.
The intersectional effects of motivational and affective factors on managers' performance
Authors: Junça‐Silva Ana , Mendes Simão 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDrawing from the effort‐recovery model, the authors analyzed the role of daily sleep quality as a driver for self‐regulatory resources and consequently of task and contextual performance. Specifically, the authors hypothesized that self‐regulatory resources would be a potential mechanism for enhancing workers' performance after a good night's sleep. Moreover, relying on the COR theory, the authors proposed health‐related indicators (mental health and vitality) as intensifiers of the previously proposed indirect effect. Daily diary data were collected from 97 managers over five consecutive working days (485 daily observations) and analyzed using multilevel analyses. Sleep quality was positively associated with managers' self‐regulatory resources and (task and contextual) performance at the person and day levels. Additionally, results provided support for most of the assumed indirect effects of sleep quality on both performance dimensions via self‐regulatory resources. At last, the findings evidenced that these indirect effects were moderated by health indicators in a way that lower scores on health intensified such positive effects. Organizations should create mechanisms that could promote their workers' awareness of the potential benefits of sleeping well at night as well as its impacts on both self‐regulatory resources and performance. The current intensification of workload together with working after hours may pose a risk to this important resource source for managers. These findings emphasize the day‐to‐day variation in self‐regulatory resources needed to perform and that workers' sleep quality has the potential to stimulate a resource‐building process for such benefits.
Deprescribing interventions for gabapentinoids in adults: A scoping review
Authors: Anderson Prue A. , McLachlan Andrew J. , Abdel Shaheed Christina , Gnjidic Danijela , Ivers Rowena , Mathieson Stephanie 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe emerging issue of rising gabapentinoid misuse is being recognized alongside the lack of current evidence supporting the safe and effective deprescribing of gabapentinoids. This scoping review aimed to assess the extent and nature of gabapentinoid deprescribing interventions in adults, either in reducing dosages, or prescribing of, gabapentinoids. Electronic databases were searched on 23 February 2022 without restrictions. Eligible studies included randomized, non‐randomized and observational studies that assessed an intervention aimed at reducing/ceasing the prescription/use of a gabapentinoid in adults for any indication in a clinical setting. The research outcomes investigated the type of intervention, prescribing rates, cessations, patient outcomes and adverse events. Extracted outcome data were categorized as either short (≤3 months), intermediate (>3 but <12 months) or long (≥12 months) term. A narrative synthesis was conducted. The four included studies were conducted in primary and acute care settings. Interventions were of dose‐reducing protocols, education and/or pharmacological‐based approaches. In the randomized trials, gabapentinoid use could be ceased in at least one third of participants. In the two observational trials, gabapentinoid prescribing rates decreased by 9%. Serious adverse events and adverse events specifically related to gabapentinoids were reported in one trial. No study included patient‐focused psychological interventions in the deprescribing process, nor provided any long‐term follow‐up. This review highlights the lack of existing evidence in this area. Due to limited available data, our review was unable to make any firm judgements on the most effective gabapentinoid deprescribing interventions in adults, highlighting the need for more research in this area.
Menstrual abnormalities after COVID‐19 vaccination in the Netherlands: A description of spontaneous and longitudinal patient‐reported data
Authors: Duijster Janneke W. , Schoep Mark E. , Nieboer Theodoor E. , Jajou Rana , Kant Agnes , van Hunsel Florence 
Published: May 2023

AimsDuring the COVID‐19 vaccination campaigns, the number of reports of menstrual abnormalities increased rapidly. Here, we describe the nature and potential risk factors associated with menstrual abnormalities based on spontaneously reporting data as well as data from a prospective cohort event monitoring (CEM) study as these are poorly studied.MethodsReports of menstrual abnormalities received by the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb in the spontaneous reporting system between February 2021 and April 2022 were summarized. In addition, logistic regression analysis was performed on the reported menstrual abnormalities in the CEM study to assess the association between person characteristics, prior SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and use of hormonal contraceptives and the occurrence of menstrual abnormalities after vaccination.ResultsWe analysed over 24 000 spontaneous reports of menstrual abnormalities and over 500 episodes (among 16 929 included women) of menstrual abnormalities in the CEM study. The CEM study showed an incidence of 41.4 per 1000 women aged ≤54 years. Amenorrhoea/oligomenorrhoea and heavy menstrual bleeding collectively accounted for about half of all abnormalities reported. Significant associations were observed for the age group 25–34 years (odds ratio 2.18; 95% confidence interval 1.45–3.41) and the Pfizer vaccine (odds ratio 3.04; 95% confidence interval 2.36–3.93). No association was observed for body mass index and presence of most comorbidities assessed.ConclusionThe cohort study showed a high incidence of menstrual disorders among women aged ≤54 years, and this observation was supported by the analysis of spontaneous reports. This suggests that a relation between COVID‐19 vaccination and menstrual abnormalities is plausible and should be further investigated.
Recent advances in antifungal drug development targeting lanosterol 14α‐demethylase (CYP51): A comprehensive review with structural and molecular insights
Authors: Singh Atamjit , Singh Karanvir , Sharma Aman , Kaur Kirandeep , Chadha Renu , Bedi Preet Mohinder Singh 
Published: May 2023

AbstractFungal infections are posing serious threat to healthcare system due to emerging resistance among available antifungal agents. Among available antifungal agents in clinical practice, azoles (diazole, 1,2,4‐triazole and tetrazole) remained most effective and widely prescribed antifungal agents. Now their associated side effects and emerging resistance pattern raised a need of new and potent antifungal agents. Lanosterol 14α‐demethylase (CYP51) is responsible for the oxidative removal of 14α‐methyl group of sterol precursors lanosterol and 24(28)‐methylene‐24,25‐dihydrolanosterol in ergosterol biosynthesis hence an essential component of fungal life cycle and prominent target for antifungal drug development. This review will shed light on various azole‐ as well as non‐azoles‐based derivatives as potential antifungal agents that target fungal CYP51. Review will provide deep insight about structure activity relationship, pharmacological outcomes, and interactions of derivatives with CYP51 at molecular level. It will help medicinal chemists working on antifungal development in designing more rational, potent, and safer antifungal agents by targeting fungal CYP51 for tackling emerging antifungal drug resistance.
The Association between Inflammation, Testosterone and SHBG in men: A cross‐sectional Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Osmancevic Amar , Daka Bledar , Michos Erin D. , Trimpou Penelope , Allison Matthew 
Published: May 2023

AbstractContextEarlier studies have investigated the role of obesity‐related inflammation and endogenous sex hormones in men. The role of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) with testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels in men is still debated.ObjectiveTo investigate the independent association between levels of high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and IL‐6 with endogenous sex hormones in men.DesignCross‐sectional observational study using data from the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.Patients or Other ParticipantsA community‐based sample of 3212 men aged 45–84 years was included. After exclusions, 3041 men remained for the analyses.Main Outcome Measure(s)Serum concentrations of testosterone, SHBG, hsCRP, IL‐6, and sTNFR were measured from the baseline exam. Multivariable linear regressions were used to examine the association of inflammatory markers with sex hormones.ResultsAn inverse association was found between levels of hsCRP and levels of testosterone and SHBG, even after adjustment for confounders and IL‐6 (Total Testosterone; B = −0.14, Bioavailable Testosterone; B = −0.06, and SHBG; B = −0.66). Similar results were found for IL‐6, although a positive association was found for SHBG (B = 0.95). Notably, an inverse association was found for IL‐6 with bioavailable testosterone in African Americans and Hispanic Americans aged 45–54 years. No associations were found for sTNFR and endogenous sex hormones.ConclusionOur results indicate that inflammatory markers have independent associations with levels of testosterone (total and bioavailable) and furthermore, appear to associate differently with SHBG levels.