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C14H12Br2N2O, triclinic, P1‾$P\overline{1}$ (no. 2), a = 7.3470(3) Å, b = 9.4435(4) Å, c = 10.4335(4) Å, α = 78.943(2)°, β = 85.455(2)°, γ = 86.384(2)°, V = 707.37(5) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0313, wRref(F2) = 0.0927, T = 100 K.

Vegetatively propagated crops suffer from yield loss and reduced stand density and longevity caused by the build‐up of certain pests and pathogens between successive plantings via infected planting material. Here, six seedborne phytosanitary problems of banana are reviewed to evaluate whether a seed degeneration framework is a useful tool to identify approaches to achieve healthier planting materials. Phytoparasitic nematodes and weevils generate gradual declines in yields and in sucker health. Fusarium wilt and banana bunchy top virus cause progressive mat collapse across the field. Symptomless suckers from any mat in infested fields represent a risk of transmitting the disease to a new field. Xanthomonas and ralstonia wilts, due to incomplete systemicity, are intermediate in their threat to yield loss and frequency of transmission in suckers. Losses to banana streak virus are triggered by abiotic stress, although sucker transmission of episomal banana streak virus also contributes. A qualitative equation described here for seed degeneration covers a cycle beginning with the quality and risk factors of the planting material used to plant a new field and ends with the quality and risk factors of the suckers extracted from the field to plant a new field. This review of five planting material multiplication methods commonly used in banana contrasts their differing usefulness to address seed degeneration in the small farm context. It is proposed that initiatives to offset banana seed degeneration should integrate the role of off‐farm actors into decentralized initiatives rather than attempt to duplicate national seed certification frameworks from other true seed or vegetatively propagated crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the desired structures of organic molecules for targeted applications is vital. Folding caused by weak intermolecular forces plays an important part in their 3D structure. Powerful tools which enable us to do this are currently under investigation by researchers across the globe. On this account, quinoline was chosen as a model scaffold because of its rigid 3D structure. Addition of fluorine was found to result in increased flexibility of the structure with a decrease in the number of intermolecular interactions. This resulted in improvement of their photophysics and blue emission. A total of 19 novel fluoroquinoline molecules were synthesised in order to carry out this study. Of these, grown crystals of 10 compounds were successfully achieved and used. In addition, characterisation techniques such as NMR, HRMS, UV-vis and computational techniques were used to explore the 3D structure of these molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C24H20Cl2N4O2Zn, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 9.9265(6) Å, b = 15.368(1) Å, c = 16.636(1) Å, α = 102.760(1)°, β = 90.385(2)°, γ = 94.112(3)°, V = 2311.4(3) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0260, wRref(F2) = 0.0653, T = 100(2) K.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how leadership skills and stakeholder management acting together to influence the execution of fibre optic infrastructure. The study adopted the pragmatism research paradigm, with a cross-sectional survey design. Census was used to select 187 respondents from a target population of 187 functional members of staff in fibre optic infrastructure departments of two mobile telecommunication and four internet service companies in Nairobi County, Kenya. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data while an interview guide and document review guide were used to collect qualitative data. Inferential statistical analysis was performed using multiple regression. It was demonstrated that leadership skills and stakeholder management act together to have a significant positive influence on the execution of fibre optic infrastructure. Therefore, there is a need for companies to ensure that stakeholders are involved in all phases of a project from inception to closure. Mobile telecommunication and internet service providing companies should also develop training programs to improve the leadership skills of project leaders and make use of conflict management strategies and communication skills to ensure appropriate management of change. It was suggested that similar and comparable studies should be conducted in other countries across the world.

C19H13ClN4O6, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 4.8032(1) Å, b = 19.5545(5) Å, c = 19.6915(6) Å, β = 90.640(1)°, V = 1849.39(8) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0369, wRref(F2) = 0.1011, T = 100(2) K.

C22H23ClN2F7OPRu, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 7.30480(10) Å, b = 12.9540(3) Å, c = 28.7076(6) Å, β = 96.6990(10)°, V = 2697.95(9) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0196, wRref(F2) = 0.0479, T = 100(2) K.

C19H26IN2F6Ru, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 9.240(2) Å, b = 10.019(3) Å, c = 12.689(3) Å, α = 78.921°, β = 81.596(10)°, γ = 83.654°, V = 1136.30(5) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0174, wRref(F2) = 0.0440, T = 173 K.

C20H14N2O2, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 17.8410(5) Å, b = 15.3081(4) Å, c = 11.3881(3) Å, β = 104.280(1)°, V = 3014.12(14) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0364, wRref(F2) = 0.0997, T = 100(2) K.

C5H12NNaO3S2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 28.8222(3) Å, b = 5.6782(3) Å, c = 12.3810(9) Å, β = 102.074(2)°, V = 1987.43(17) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0269, wRref(F2) = 0.0591, T = 100(2) K.

C22H22Cl4N2O4Ru, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 15.0181(3) Å, b = 10.3983(2) Å, c = 16.6496(3) Å, β = 112.459(1)°, V = 2402.84(8) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0180, wRref(F2) = 0.0474, T = 173(2) K.

C44H56Cu2N4O8, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 11.1061(10) Å, b = 20.5117(17) Å, c = 9.8185(9) Å, β = 101.302(2)°, V = 2193.27(15) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0283, wRref(F2) = 0.0753, T = 100 K.

C22H22Cl3N2BF4Ru, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 15.067(5) Å, b = 10.409(5) Å, c = 16.503(5) Å, β = 112.75(5)°, V = 2386.9(16) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0211, wRref(F2) = 0.0535, T = 173 K.

C23H26ClF6N2PRu, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 8.9950(6) Å, b = 11.1669(8) Å, c = 12.4128(9) Å, α = 80.520(2)°, β = 87.5360(10)°, γ = 86.3200(10)°, V = 1226.59(15) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0267, wRref(F2) = 0.0622, T = 173(2) K.

C15H9N5, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 8.9817(4) Å, b = 11.5791(19) Å, c = 12.065(2) Å, β = 102.289(4)°, V = 1226.03(3) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0533, wRref(F2) = 0.1512, T = 173(2) K.

C18H22N2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 8.1226(5) Å, b = 17.4745(10) Å, c = 11.1822(6) Å, β = 102.549(2)°, V = 1549.27(15) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0397, wRref(F2) = 0.1071, T = 100 K.

C18H22N2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 9.4660(4) Å, b = 9.4043(3) Å, c = 18.0824(7) Å, β = 96.070(2)°, V = 1600.69(11) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0426, wRref(F2) = 0.1167, T = 100 K.

Background: High-level resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine threatens the efficacy of WHO-recommended intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with single-dose sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to prevent malaria. Monthly IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, a 3-day regimen, is an emerging alternative, but this regimen poses potential implementation and adherence challenges. We aimed to assess adherence to a multiday IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine regimen and its delivery effectiveness in routine antenatal care settings in western Kenya., Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, three-armed, open-label, cluster-randomised trial in antenatal clinics in 18 health-care facilities (six facilities per group) in Kisumu County and Homa Bay County in western Kenya. Clusters were facilities offering routine antenatal care services provided by trained Ministry of Health staff with 100 or more antenatal clinic attendances per month between July, 2018, and June, 2019. Private or mission hospitals, dispensaries, referral hospitals, and trial sites were excluded. Individuals in their first trimester, living with HIV, or who were not attending a scheduled antenatal clinic visit were excluded. The 18 antenatal clinics were grouped into matched triplets stratified by location and clinics in each matched triplet were randomly assigned to one of the three study groups (1:1:1). Masking was not possible. Two groups were given IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (one group with a targeted information transfer intervention and one group without any additional interventions) and one group was given the standard of care (ie, IPTp with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine). The primary endpoint, adherence, was defined as the proportion of participants completing their most recent 3-day IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine regimen. This completion was verified by pill counts during home visits no more than 2 days after participants' 3-day regimens ended. The secondary endpoint, delivery effectiveness, was defined as the proportion of participants who received the correct number of IPTp tablets and correctly repeated dosing instructions (ie, correctly recalled the instructions they received about self-administered dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine doses and the number of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine tablets they had received) at their exit from the antenatal clinic. Individuals receiving treatment for malaria, visiting a clinic for registration only, or interviewed during IPTp drug stock-outs were excluded from analyses. We used generalised linear mixed models to compare endpoints among the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine groups. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04160026, and is complete., Findings: 15 facilities (five per group) completed the trial, with 1189 participants having exit interviews (377 in the IPTp with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine group, 408 in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine only group, and 404 in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine plus targeted information transfer intervention group) and 586 participants having home visits (267 in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine only group and 319 in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine plus targeted information transfer intervention group) from Sept 8 to Dec 10, 2020. Relative to the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine only group, adherence was 16% higher in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine plus targeted information transfer intervention group (266 [83%] of 319 participants vs 196 [73%] of 267 participants; adjusted relative risk [RR] 1·16, 95% CI 1·03-1·31; p=0·0140). Delivery effectiveness in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine plus targeted information transfer intervention group was not significantly different from that in the IPTp with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine group (352 [87%] of 403 participants vs 335 [89%] of 375 participants; adjusted RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·90-1·05; p=0·4810). However, delivery effectiveness in the IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine only group was significantly lower than in the IPTp with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine group (300 [74%] of 404 participants vs 335 [89%] of 375 participants; 0·84, 0·75-0·95; p=0·0030)., Interpretation: Targeted information transfer interventions to health-care providers and pregnant individuals boost antenatal care delivery adherence to a multiday regimen with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine., Funding: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership 2, UK Joint Global Health Trials Scheme of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Wellcome Trust; and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Rape occurs at high rates in South Sudan and Kakuma refugee camps, a region characterized by armed conflict, gender inequity, and economic crisis. To date, we know little about how to prevent rape in this region of the world. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine outcomes of Empowerment Transformation Training (ETT) (an adapted empowerment self-defense program; empowerment self-defense) among female participants in South Sudan and the Kakuma refugee camp., Methods: Schools were assigned to the treatment (ETT) condition (n = 7) or control (life skills) condition (n = 9) and used as the unit of analysis given the cluster-randomized design. Female participants anonymously completed a baseline (T1) and 12-month follow-up (T2) paper and pencil survey., Results: Annual rape victimization rates decreased from 10.7% to 5.5% in the ETT schools (risk ratio [RR] = 0.51); there was no change in the control schools (10.0%-9.0%). Empowerment Transformation Training (ETT) schools had increased confidence at T2 (T1: 42.4%; T2: 75.4%; RR = 1.79) and greater rates of confidence at T2 compared to control schools (54.3%; RR = 1.39). Knowledge of effective self-defense strategies (T2) was greater for ETT schools (47.4%) compared to control schools (30.1%) (RR = 1.57)., Discussion: The ETT program reduced rates of rape, increased confidence, disclosures of rape (among victims), and knowledge of effective self-defense strategies. Empowerment self-defense programs are a critical component to rape prevention across global communities, including those characterized by armed conflict, gender inequity, and economic crisis., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we synthesized and characterized ten chromenopyrimidine derivatives using analytical and spectroscopic methods. Studies on DNA and albumin binding affinity, as well as cytotoxicity tests on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells, of the chromenopyrimidines, were conducted. The natural logarithm of the relative stability constant of DNA- and BSA-chromenopyrimidine complexes [ln( K DNA / K BSA )] was used as a criterion for selecting compounds for cytotoxicity studies. We found that ln( K DNA / K BSA ) was inversely related to IC 50 values of the compounds in MCF-7 cells. The antiproliferative effects of the compounds were found to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, which is a desired mechanism of cell death. Correlations between the DNA and albumin binding affinities of chromenopyrimidines were established. We propose that this relationship approach can, for a given set of compounds, assist in predicting the cytotoxicity of potential drug candidates towards MCF-7 cells based on their experimentally determined CT-DNA and BSA binding affinities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Synthesis and catalytic studies of aryl carboxylate Zn (II) complexes is reported. Reaction of substituted ( E )- N -phenyl-1-(pyridin-4-yl)methanimine with a methanolic solution of Zn(CH 3 COO) 2 and substituted aryl carboxylate co-ligands gave heteroleptic Zn(II) complexes; [Zn(C 6 H 5 COO) 2 ( L1 )] 2 ( 1 ), [Zn(C 7 H 7 COO) 2 ( L1 )] 2 ( 2 ), [Zn (4-F-C 6 H 4 COO) 2 ( L1 )] 2 ( 3 ), [Zn(C 6 H 5 COO) 2 ( L2 )] 2 ( 4 ), [Zn(C 7 H 7 COO) 2 ( L2 )] 2 ( 5 ), [Zn (4-F-C 6 H 4 COO) 2 ( L2 )] 2 ( 6 ), [Zn(C 6 H 5 COO) 2 ( L3 )] 2 ( 7 ), [Zn(C 7 H 7 COO) 2 ( L3 )] 2 ( 8 ), [Zn (4-F-C 6 H 4 COO) 2 ( L3 )] 2 ( 9 ). The molecular structures of complexes 1 and 4 are dinuclear with the zinc atom in complex 1 adopting a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry in a bi-metallacycle while complex 4 is square pyramidal where all four benzoate ligands bridge the zinc metals in a paddle wheel arrangement. All complexes successfully initiated mass/bulk ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ϵ-caprolactone (ϵ-CL) and lactides (LAs) monomers with or without alcohol co-initiators at elevated temperatures. Complexes 1 , 4 and 6 containing the unsubstituted benzoate co-ligands were the most active in their triad; with complex 4 being the most active ( k app ) of 0.3450 h -1 . The physicochemical properties of the polymerization products of l -lactide and rac -lactide in toluene revealed melting temperatures (T m ) between 116.58 °C and 188.03 °C, and decomposition temperatures between 278.78 °C and 331.32 °C suggestive of an isotactic PLA with a metal capped end., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

The purpose of this study was to examine, via testimonial data, resistance strategies used to thwart a sexual assault among slum-dwelling Kenyan adolescent girls ( N   =  678) following their participation in an empowerment self-defense program ( IMpower ). The majority (58.2%) of perpetrators were strangers; there were no differences in resistance strategies used between strangers versus known perpetrators (83.8% used verbal strategies, 33.2% used resistance strategies, 16.7% ran away, and 7.9% used distraction). Associations between resistance strategies and perpetrator tactics, number of assailants, location of the assault, and the presence of a bystander were also examined., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

We have synthesized and characterized nine Ag(I) complexes of Schiff bases containing thiophene, furan, and pyridine moieties for in vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer activities, and DNA/bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies. Based on the analytical and spectral analyses, a linear geometry was proposed for all the Ag(I) complexes, except for one (with the furan moiety), which formed a distorted T-shaped geometry. UV-vis absorption studies on the interactions of calf thymus-DNA (CT-DNA) with the nine Ag(I) complexes pointed to an intercalative binding mode. With a binding constant K b of 3.75 × 10 5 M -1 , the complex bearing a benzothiazole moiety (1) interacted stronger with CT-DNA than the rest of the complexes. Fluorescence spectroscopic data revealed that the complexes had a modest binding affinity for BSA through static quenching. The complexes displayed good antioxidant properties, especially those with a benzothiazole moiety. Notable antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were observed for complexes with the furan and thiophene moieties. The in vitro anticancer studies of selected complexes against three cancer cell lines showed that the complexes were more effective against the inhibition of the growth of cervical cancer cells relative to cisplatin., (© 2022 The Authors. Archiv der Pharmazie published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft.)

A series of thiuram disulfides 1-6 which had been previously synthesized and characterized, [1] were studied for their potential therapeutic properties. Target-fishing analyses through HitPick and SwissTarget prediction identified COX1 and COX2, which are essential biomolecules in cancer-related inflammations, as the possible targets for compounds 1 and 4 among all the compounds tested. These two proteins have enjoyed interest as targets for treating some neoplastic cancer types such as breast, colorectal, skin, pancreatic, haematological and head cancers. The inhibitory potency of 1 and 4 as lead anticancer drug candidates with dual-target ability against COX1 and COX2 was examined through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and post-MD analyses such as binding energy calculation, RMSD, RMSF, and RoG. The two compounds had better docking scores and binding energies than the known inhibitors of COX1 and COX2. Insights from the RMSD, RMSF, and RoG suggested that both 1 and 4 showed observable influence on the structural stability of these targets throughout the simulation. The reported observations of the effects of 1 and 4 on the structures of COX1 and COX2 indicate their probable inhibitory properties against these target proteins and their potential as lead anticancer drug candidates., (© 2022 The Authors. Chemistry & Biodiversity published by Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Electrochemical, surface, and density functional theory (DFT)/Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies were used in investigating the characteristics of N , N '-(disulfanne-1,2-dicarbonothioyl)bis( N , N '-bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl)formimidamide) ( DS1 ), N , N '-(disulfanne-1,2-dicarbonothioyl)bis( N , N '-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)formimidamide) ( DS2 ), N , N '-(disulfanne-1,2-dicarbonothioyl)bis( N , N '-dimesitylformimidamide) ( DS3 ), and N , N '-(disulfanne-1,2-dicarbonothioyl)bis( N , N '-bis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)formimidamide) ( DS4 ) as inhibitors of acid corrosion of mild steel. The inhibitors were found to effectively reduce the rates of steel dissolution at the anode as well as cathodic hydrogen evolution. The order of inhibition efficiencies of studied compounds is DS1 (PDP/LPR/EIS: 98.60/97.98/96.94%) > DS2 (PDP/LPR/EIS: 98.36/96.86/96.90%) > DS3 (PDP/LPR/EIS: 94.66/87.44/94.30%) > DS4 (PDP/LPR/EIS: 83.57/77.02/75.17%) at 1.00 mM, and the overall efficiencies appeared to depend on the molecular and electronic structures of the compounds. The compounds offered high resistance to charge transfer across the electrode/electrolyte system by forming adsorbed film whose resistance increased with an increase in concentration. Findings suggested that the adsorption process involved combined chemisorption and physisorption. DFT calculations and MC simulations provided theoretical justifications for the experimental results., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

This preliminary study aims towards the establishment of regional diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for routine adult computed tomography (CT) examinations. The study was performed on 54 CT facilities from four African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Senegal) and the results compared with international DRLs. Data were collected from facilities using a structured questionnaire provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Dose descriptors (volume computed tomography dose index [CTDIvol] and dose length product [DLP]) evaluations were performed on CT head and body phantoms for head, chest and abdomen CT examination protocols using standard methods. The estimated dose indices were compared with console-displayed dose values. Experienced radiologists accepted the diagnostic image quality of the images as per departmental imaging requirements. Median CTDIvol and DLP data from each facility were compiled to estimate the typical dose in each country. National DRLs were established based on the 75th percentile of median values, whereas the regional DRLs were based on the median of the national DRLs. Comparison of measured CTDIvol with console values of all facilities in all four countries was within 20% as recommended. The established CTDIvol DRLs for head CT, chest CT and abdomen CT were 60.9 mGy, 15.2 mGy and 15.7 mGy, respectively. Similarly, that of DLP, DRLs were 1259 mGy.cm, 544 mGy.cm and 737 mGy.cm, respectively for head CT, chest CT and abdomen CT. The established DRLs from this study were comparable to DRLs from other countries with some variations. This study would serve as baseline for establishment of a more generalized regional adult CT DRLs for Africa., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

In this communication, we feature the synthesis and in-depth characterization of a series of silver(I) complexes obtained from the complexation of quinolin-4-yl Schiff base ligands ((E)-2-((quinolin-4-ylmethylene)amino)phenol L a , 2-(quinolin-4-yl)benzo[d]thiazole L b , (E)-N-(2-fluorophenyl)-1-(quinolin-4-yl)methanimine L c , (E)-N-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(quinolin-4-yl)methanimine L d , (E)-1-(quinolin-4-yl)-N-(p-tolyl)methanimine L e , (E)-1-(quinolin-4-yl)-N-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)methanimine L f ) and three different silver(I) anions (nitrate, perchlorate and triflate). Structurally, the complexes adopted different coordination geometries, which included distorted linear or distorted tetrahedral geometry. The complexes were evaluated in vitro for their potential antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In addition, their interactions with calf thymus-DNA (CT-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were evaluated. All the complexes had a wide spectrum of effective antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial and good antioxidant properties. The interactions of the complexes with CT-DNA and BSA were observed to occur either through intercalation or through a minor groove binder, while the interaction of the complexes with BSA reveals that some of the complexes can strongly quench the fluorescence of BSA through the static mechanism. The molecular docking studies of the complexes were also done to further elucidate the modes of interaction with CT-DNA and BSA., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation with social, economic, and health consequences for survivors, perpetrators, and society. Robust evidence on economic, social, and health impact, plus the cost of delivery of VAWG prevention, is critical to making the case for investment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where health sector resources are highly constrained. We report on the costs and health impact of VAWG prevention in 6 countries., Methods and Findings: We conducted a trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis of VAWG prevention interventions using primary data from 5 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in sub-Saharan Africa and 1 in South Asia. We evaluated 2 school-based interventions aimed at adolescents (11 to 14 years old) and 2 workshop-based (small group or one to one) interventions, 1 community-based intervention, and 1 combined small group and community-based programme all aimed at adult men and women (18+ years old). All interventions were delivered between 2015 and 2018 and were compared to a do-nothing scenario, except for one of the school-based interventions (government-mandated programme) and for the combined intervention (access to financial services in small groups). We computed the health burden from VAWG with disability-adjusted life year (DALY). We estimated per capita DALYs averted using statistical models that reflect each trial's design and any baseline imbalances. We report cost-effectiveness as cost per DALY averted and characterise uncertainty in the estimates with probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs), which show the probability of cost-effectiveness at different thresholds. We report a subgroup analysis of the small group component of the combined intervention and no other subgroup analysis. We also report an impact inventory to illustrate interventions' socioeconomic impact beyond health. We use a 3% discount rate for investment costs and a 1-year time horizon, assuming no effects post the intervention period. From a health sector perspective, the cost per DALY averted varies between US$222 (2018), for an established gender attitudes and harmful social norms change community-based intervention in Ghana, to US$17,548 (2018) for a livelihoods intervention in South Africa. Taking a societal perspective and including wider economic impact improves the cost-effectiveness of some interventions but reduces others. For example, interventions with positive economic impacts, often those with explicit economic goals, offset implementation costs and achieve more favourable cost-effectiveness ratios. Results are robust to sensitivity analyses. Our DALYs include a subset of the health consequences of VAWG exposure; we assume no mortality impact from any of the health consequences included in the DALYs calculations. In both cases, we may be underestimating overall health impact. We also do not report on participants' health costs., Conclusions: We demonstrate that investment in established community-based VAWG prevention interventions can improve population health in LMICs, even within highly constrained health budgets. However, several VAWG prevention interventions require further modification to achieve affordability and cost-effectiveness at scale. Broadening the range of social, health, and economic outcomes captured in future cost-effectiveness assessments remains critical to justifying the investment urgently required to prevent VAWG globally., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: CW was the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development (UKAid) at the time of writing. This work was conducted as part of her academic role as professor in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), caused by the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) is the most important and devastating in many tropical countries. BBTD epidemiology has been little studied, mixed landscape smallholder systems. The relative risks associated with this disease vary between geographical areas and landscapes. This work analyzed the management and vegetation conditions in smallholder gardens to assess the factors linked to landscape-level BBTV transmission and management. Mapping was done in this study area which is in a BBTD-endemic region, involving farmers actively managing the disease, but with household-level decision making. A spatial scanning statistic was used to detect and identify spatial groups at the 5% significance threshold, and a Poisson regression model was used to explore propagation vectors and the effect of surrounding vegetation and crop diversity. Spatial groups with high relative risk were identified in three communities, Dangbo, Houéyogbé, and Adjarra. Significant associations emerged between the BBTD prevalence and some crop diversity, seed systems, and BBTD management linked factors. The identified factors form important candidate management options for the detailed assessment of landscape-scale BBTD management in smallholder communities., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

A series of Cu(II) complexes were synthesized by using N-hydroxy-N,N'-diarylformamidine ligands: N-hydroxy-N,N'-(phenyl)formamidine (L1), N-hydroxy-N'-(4-methylphenyl)formamidine (L2), N-hydroxy-N,N'-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)formamidine (L3), N-hydroxy-N,N'-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)formamidine (L4). Reaction of ligands L1-L4 with hydrated copper acetate furnished mononuclear Cu(II) complexes 1-4 with general formula [Cu-(L) 2 ]. The molecular structures of complexes 3 and 4, as determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, showed both to have square planar geometry with a near C 2 symmetry. The antimicrobial potency of all four complexes was evaluated against three gram-(-) bacteria (S. typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli) and two gram-(+) bacteria (Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and S. aureus), with ciprofloxacin as the reference drug. All tested complexes were inactive against gram-(+) bacteria strains except for complex 1, which displayed excellent activity when compared to the reference. Molecular docking studies showed that hydrogen bonding, pi-sigma and van der Waals interactions are prominent complex-protein connections, with complex 2 displaying good binding affinities with the studied biological targets., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of fifteen silver (I) quinoline complexes Q1 - Q15 have been synthesized and studied for their biological activities. Q1 - Q15 were synthesized from the reactions of quinolinyl Schiff base derivatives L1 - L5 (obtained by condensing 2-quinolinecarboxaldehyde with various aniline derivatives) with AgNO 3 , AgClO 4 and AgCF 3 SO 3 . Q1 - Q15 were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and the structures of [Ag( L1 ) 2 ]NO 3 Q1 , [Ag( L1 ) 2 ]ClO 4 Q6 , [Ag( L2 ) 2 ]ClO 4 Q7 , [Ag( L2 ) 2 ]CF 3 SO 3 Q12 and [Ag( L4 ) 2 ]CF 3 SO 3 Q14 were unequivocally determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In vitro antimicrobial tests against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria revealed the influence of structure and anion on the complexes' moderate to excellent antibacterial activity. In vitro antioxidant activities of the complexes showed their good radical scavenging activity in ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Complexes with the fluorine substituent or the thiophene or benzothiazole moieties are more potent with IC 50 between 0.95 and 2.22 mg/mL than the standard used, ascorbic acid (2.68 mg/mL). The compounds showed a strong binding affinity with calf thymus-DNA via an intercalation mode and protein through a static quenching mechanism. Cytotoxicity activity was examined against three carcinoma cell lines (HELA, MDA-MB231, and SHSY5Y). [Ag( L2 ) 2 ]ClO 4 Q7 with a benzothiazole moiety and [Ag( L4 ) 2 ]ClO 4 Q9 with a methyl substituent had excellent cytotoxicity against HELA cells.

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of five ligands ((E)-2-((pyridin-2-ylmethylene)amino)phenol L1, 2-(pyridin-2-yl)benzo[d]thiazole L2, (E)-N-(2-fluorophenyl)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)methanimine L3, (E)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-(p-tolyl)methanimine L4 and (E)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)methanimine L5 along with fifteen silver(I) complexes of L1 - L5, with a general formula [AgL 2 ] + X - (L = Schiff base and X = NO 3 - , ClO 4 - or CF 3 SO 3 - ) is reported. The structures of complexes [Ag(L4) 2 ]NO 3 , [Ag(L5) 2 ]NO 3 , [Ag(L3) 2 ]ClO 4 , [Ag(L4) 2 ]ClO 4 and [Ag(L5) 2 ]CF 3 SO 3 were determined unequivocally by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Calf-thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT-DNA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies, antioxidant, and antibacterial studies were performed for all complexes. Complexes [Ag(L2) 2 ]NO 3 , [Ag(L5) 2 ]NO 3 , [Ag(L1) 2 ]ClO 4 and [Ag(L3) 2 ]ClO 4 whose ligands have an OH - and F - as substituents or with a thiophene or thiazole moiety showed better antibacterial activities with lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values compared to the standard ciprofloxacin, against most of the bacterial strains tested. Similarly, complexes [Ag(L1) 2 ]NO 3, [Ag(L2) 2 ]NO 3, [Ag(L3) 2 ]NO 3 and [Ag(L5) 2 ]NO 3 with the NO 3 - anion, [Ag(L1) 2 ]ClO 4 and [Ag(L2) 2 ]ClO 4 with ClO 4 - anion, and [Ag(L5) 2 ]CF 3 SO 3 with CF 3 SO 3 - anion showed higher activities for antioxidant studies. Complexes [Ag(L4) 2 ]ClO 4 and [Ag(L4) 2 ]CF 3 SO 3 with the Methyl substituent and CF 3 SO 3 - as the anion, displayed high antioxidant activities in FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) than the standard ascorbic acid. Spectroscopic studies of all the complexes revealed their moderate to high interaction with calf thymus DNA via an intercalation mode. In addition, the relatively moderate interaction of most of the complexes with BSA was through a static quenching mechanism., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) threatens women's health and safety globally, yet services remain underdeveloped and inaccessible. Technology-based resources exist, however, few have been adapted and tested in low-resource settings. We evaluate the efficacy of a community-partnered technology solution: culturally and linguistically adapted version of the myPlan app, a tailored safety decision-making and planning intervention, administrated by trained lay professionals., Methods: This randomised, controlled, participant-blinded superiority trial compares safety-related outcomes at baseline, immediate post intervention and 3-month follow-up among women at risk of and experiencing IPV in Nairobi, Kenya. Women were randomised (1:1 ratio) to: (1) myPlan Kenya (intervention); or (2) standard IPV referrals (control). Primary outcomes were safety preparedness, safety behaviour and IPV; secondary outcomes include resilience, mental health, service utilisation and self-blame., Results: Between April 2018 and October 2018, 352 participants (n=177 intervention, n=175 control) were enrolled and randomly assigned; 312 (88.6%, n=157 intervention, n=155 control) were retained at 3 months. Intervention participants demonstrated immediate postintervention improvement in safety preparedness relative to control participants (p=0.001). At 3 months, intervention participants reported increased helpfulness of safety strategies used relative to control participants (p=0.004); IPV reduced in both groups. Among women reporting the highest level of IPV severity, intervention participants had significant increase in resilience (p<0.01) compared with controls, and significantly decreased risk for lethal violence (p<0.01)., Conclusions: Facilitated delivery of a technology-based safety intervention appropriately adapted to the context demonstrates promise in improving women's IPV-related health and safety in a low-resource, urban setting., Trial Registration Number: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201804003321122)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading threat to women's health and safety globally. Women in abusive relationships make critical decisions about safety and harm reduction while weighing multiple competing priorities, such as safety of children, housing and employment. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), IPV prevention and response services are limited and women lack access to safety planning resources. In high-resource settings, an interactive safety decision aid app (myPlan) has been found valuable in reducing decisional conflict and empowering women to take action in accordance with their safety priorities. This paper describes 1) the community-participatory formative process used to adapt the myPlan app content, interface, and implementation for the Kenya context, and 2) the randomized clinical trial study protocol for efficacy evaluation of myPlan Kenya., Methods: A community-participatory formative process engaged service providers and stakeholders, as well as IPV survivors for adaptation, followed by an in-depth pilot and final refinements. A randomized clinical trial design will then be used to determine efficacy of the myPlan Kenya app compared to standard care among women reporting IPV or fear of partner and living in an urban settlement. myPlan Kenya app provides and solicits information on a) relationship health; b) safety priorities; and c) severity of relationship violence. Based on the woman's inputs, the evidence-based algorithm developed for myPlan Kenya generates a tailored safety plan. Outcome measures are assessed at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 3-month post-baseline. Difference-in-differences analysis compares primary (e.g. safety preparedness, safety behavior, IPV), and secondary outcomes (e.g. resilience, mental health, service utilization, self-blame) across timepoints by group., Discussion: Formative phase revealed high feasibility and acceptability of a technology-based intervention for safety planning in this LMIC setting. This phase generated essential refinements to myPlan Kenya app readability, content and implementation, including increased visualization of messaging, and implementation via community health volunteers (CHVs). The resulting trial will be the first to evaluate efficacy of a community-partnered technology-based IPV intervention in a LMIC. Our adaptation process and trial results will inform researchers and interventionists to integrate multiple data sources to adapt IPV intervention content and interface in settings where technology-based interventions for IPV are novel and literacy is limited., Trial Registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry approval received 25 April 2018 (PACTR201804003321122); retrospectively registered.

Diverse P,N-phosphine ligands reported to date have performed exceptionally well as auxiliary ligands in organometallic catalysis. Phosphines bearing 2-pyridyl moieties prominently feature in literature as compared to phosphines with five-membered N-heterocycles. This discussion seeks to paint a broad picture and consolidate different synthetic protocols and techniques for N-heterocyclic phosphine motifs. The introduction provides an account of P,N-phosphine ligands, and their structural and coordination benefits from combining heteroatoms with different basicity in one ligand. The body discusses the synthetic protocols which focus on P-C, P-N-bond formation, substrate and nucleophile types and different N-heterocycle construction strategies. Selected references are given in relation to the applications of the ligands., (Copyright © 2020, Munzeiwa et al.; licensee Beilstein-Institut.)

In efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, it is recommended that all pregnant women be counseled on signs of pregnancy related complications and neonatal illness. In resource limited settings, such counselling may be task-shifted to lay health workers. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey of community health workers/volunteers in North and East Kamagambo of the Rongo Sub- County of Migori County, Kenya, between January-April 2018. A survey tool was administered through face-to-face interviews to investigate the level of knowledge of obstetric and neonatal danger signs among community health workers in North Kamagambo after one year of participation in the Lwala program, as well as to evaluate baseline knowledge of community health volunteers in East Kamagambo at the beginning of Lwala's expansion and prior to their receiving training from Lwala. The North Kamagambo group identified more danger signs in each category. The percentage of participants with adequate knowledge in the pregnancy, postpartum, and neonatal categories was significantly higher in North Kamagambo than in East Kamagambo. Sixty percent of participants in North Kamagambo knew 3 or more danger signs in 3 or more categories, compared to 24% of participants in East Kamagambo. Location in North Kamagambo (OR 2.526, p=0.03) and a shorter time since most recent training (OR 2.291, p=0.025) were associated with increased knowledge. Our study revealed varying levels of knowledge among two populations of lay health workers. This study highlights the benefit of frequent trainings and placing greater emphasis on identified gaps in knowledge of the labor and postpartum periods.

Six ferrocenyl imidazole derivatives substituted with -Cl, -NO 2 and -CH 3 on the 2-position of the 1H-imidazole ring have been synthesized. Of the six compounds, the di-substituted ferrocenes, i.e. compounds 4 (1,1'-ferrocenylmethyl(2-chloroimidazole)), 5 (1,1'-ferrocenyl(2-nitroimidazole)), and 6 (1,1'-ferrocenylmethyl(2-methylimidazole)) are reported for the first time. The structure-property relationships of compounds 4 , 5 and 6 were investigated by means of UV-visible, FTIR, 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR spectroscopy and electrochemical studies. UV-visible analysis in acetonitrile showed that the π -π* band of compounds 2 (1-ferrocenylmethyl(2-nitroimidazole)) and 5 appeared at longer wavelength compared to 1 (1-ferrocenylmethyl(2-chloroimidazole)), 3 (1-ferrocenylmethyl(2-methylimidazole)), 4 and 6 . This phenomenon is due to the different electronics around the imidazole moieties. In cyclic voltammetry analysis, all compounds exhibited a quasi-reversible redox wave for the ferrocenyl and imidazole moieties. Density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations with the B3LYP/6-311+G(d) basis set were performed on compounds 1 - 6 , and the calculated HUMO-LUMO band gap energies correlated with those obtained from electrochemical and spectroscopic data. The X-ray crystallographic analysis highlighted the effect of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents on the conformation of the cyclopentadienyl rings attached to the ferrocenyl moiety., (© 2019 The Author(s).)