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The article takes stock of the social protection measures implemented through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to respond to the livelihoods impact of COVID-19 in India. The paper reports the share of households that received food, cash transfers and both forms of assistance under the PMGKY program at the national and state level. While a few surveys have reported coverage and benefit receipt information related to PMGKY, the current analysis draws on one of India's largest panel survey of households from CMIE to better quantify the coverage and targeting parameters. Results find that nearly 80 percent of all households received at least one social protection benefit from government programs. Approximately 40 percent of all poor households reported receiving both food and cash assistance. While subsequent versions of the paper shall attempt to unpack quantum of assistance, the first round of results on receipt of any transfers suggest that relief measures have been pro-poor and broad-based in outreach. However, there are state level variations in benefit delivery. Urban areas have lagged in coverage and cash transfers reached fewer shares of households relative to food distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Furthermore, analysis highlights the need to bolster benefit levels for any future relief measures. Drawing on lessons from PMGKY implementation, the article concludes with suggestions on designing a decentralized and adaptive social protection system in India to protect the poor and vulnerable against impacts from the second wave of the pandemic and any future crises.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionised cancer therapeutics. Translational research evaluating the role of biomarkers is essential to identify the ideal target population for these drugs. From a regulatory perspective, the identification of biomarkers and diagnostic assays is strongly encouraged by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The aim of this article is to analyse the role of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression as a predictive biomarker in relation to the data submitted for the initial assessment of atezolizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting human PD-L1. On 20 July 2017, atezolizumab was granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union (EU) for adult patients with (i) locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemotherapy and (ii) locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) after chemotherapy or cisplatin-ineligibility. Initially, these indications were not restricted by the level of PD-L1 expression, but preliminary data from an ongoing phase III trial in patients with UC led to a restriction in the UC indication to cisplatin-ineligible patients whose tumours have ≥5% PD-L1 expression. Still, the role of PD-L1 expression as predictive biomarker for atezolizumab therapy remains inconclusive and further research is needed. Data in this paper came from the scientific review leading to the initial regulatory approval of atezolizumab in the EU and its complementary application for indication (EMEA/H/C/004143/II/0010). The full scientific assessment report and product information are available on the EMA website (www.ema.europa.eu).

Background: One of the fundamental goals of macroeconomic policy in many nations, both developed and developing, is to foster economic development while keeping inflation low. There has been a debate as to whether inflation impacts negatively on economic growth or rather promotes economic growth. The study is motivated by this controversy and used time-series data from 1995 to 2019 in Ghana to examine the relationship between inflation and economic growth, establish the long-run effect and also test whether there exists a causal effect between inflation and economic growth. Method: The review utilized Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression examination to inspect the impact of inflation on economic growth and while long run co-integration relationship was additionally decide utilizing Fully Modified (FM-OLS) regression analysis. Granger causality was investigated to see if there is a causal impact among inflation and economic growth. Model diagnoses were performed to discover the strength of the discoveries where autocorrelation, multicollinearity, normality test and heteroscedasticity were tested. Results: The review uncovered that, inflation has a negative measurably irrelevant impact on economic growth at 5% basic level. The concentrate likewise uncovered that there was co-integration relationship between inflation and economic growth during the time of viable 1995-2019. There was no causal impact among inflation and economic growth, in this way neither inflation nor economic growth Granger-Causes the other. The study suggest that inflation targeting ought to be the best financial approach measure for economic growth by keeping up with the rate at 8+/-2%.

Though the United Nations (UN) has mandated the use of force, in most missions, innocent civilians continue to be attacked and killed. Focused on the "UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic", (MINUSCA), the study investigated the effectiveness of the use of force (UoF) in the Protection of Civilians (PoC). The study was anchored on Liberalism theory. This was a library-based research that relied on secondary data. Data was obtained from books, e-books, journals, UN publications and websites. The collected data was analysed thematically. The findings show that the UoF in the PoC has positive impact on the execution of the MINUSCA mandate since early 2017 and has helped to reduce levels of armed violence. Although UoF was perceived as being effective in CAR, it was faced with some challenges. This was due to the fact that it was seen as directly targeting one party to the conflict; an act which is perceived to be against the principles of PKOs. The UoF must be supported by proper conflict analysis prior to the signing of a peace agreement, troops with a capability and training matching the task, and committed to the use of force. Missions with PoC mandate must be matched by an appropriate military capability beyond the normal infantry battalion capability. Troops deployed to PKOs should not be deployed on the basis of just the will of the member state, but the troops must have the capacity and capability to undertake the UN mandate.

Immunomodulatory therapies have fueled interest in targeting microglial cells as part of the innate immune response after infection or injury. In this context, the colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) and its receptor (CSF-1R) have gained attention in various neurological conditions to deplete and reprogram the microglia/macrophages compartment. Published data in physiological conditions support the use of small-molecule inhibitors to study microglia/macrophages dynamics under inflammatory conditions and as a therapeutic strategy in pathologies where those cells support disease progression. However, preclinical and clinical data highlighted that the complexity of the spatiotemporal inflammatory response could limit their efficiency due to compensatory mechanisms, ultimately leading to therapy resistance. We review the current state-of-art in the field of CSF-1R inhibition in glioma and stroke and provide an overview of the fundamentals, ongoing research, potential developments of this promising therapeutic strategy and further application toward molecular imaging. ; Funding: This work was partly funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme under grant agreement n°675417 (PET3D) and the Herbert-Worch-Stiftung. Additionally, this work was supported by a Collaboration Grant of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn between CIO UKB and Johanniter Hospital. Acknowledgement: This review was supported by the Immune-Image consortium. The Immune-Image project receives funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 831514 (Immune-Image). The JU receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.

Targeted nanomaterials for cancer theranostics have been the subject of an expanding volume of research studies in recent years. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are particularly attractive for such applications due to possibilities to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) of different morphologies, pore diameters and pore arrangements, large surface areas and various options for surface functionalization. Functionalization of MSNs with different organic and inorganic molecules, polymers, surface-attachment of other NPs, loading and entrapping cargo molecules with on-desire release capabilities, lead to seemingly endless prospects for designing advanced nanoconstructs exerting multiple functions, such as simultaneous cancer-targeting, imaging and therapy. Describing composition and multifunctional capabilities of these advanced nanoassemblies for targeted therapy (passive, ligand-functionalized MSNs, stimuli-responsive therapy), including one or more modalities for imaging of tumors, is the subject of this review article, along with an overview of developments within a novel and attractive research trend, comprising the use of MSNs for CRISPR/Cas9 systems delivery and gene editing in cancer. Such advanced nanconstructs exhibit high potential for applications in image-guided therapies and the development of personalized cancer treatment. ; The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant No: 451-03-9/2021-14/200358), the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, PROMIS (PRECAST Grant No: 6060755) and European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 952259 (NANOFACTS) and grant agreement No. 758887 (REACT) for financial support.

Purpose: Polypharmacy, medication errors and adverse drug events are frequent among nursing home residents. Errors can occur at any step of the medication use process. We aimed to review interventions aiming at optimization of any step of medication use in nursing homes. Methods: We narratively reviewed quantitative as well as qualitative studies, observational and experimental studies that described interventions, their effects as well as barriers and enablers to implementation. We prioritized recent studies with relevant findings for the European setting. Results: Many interventions led to improvements in medication use. However, because of outcome heterogeneity, comparison between interventions was difficult. Prescribing was the most studied aspect of medication use. At the micro-level, medication review, multidisciplinary work, and more recently, patient-centered care components dominated. At the macro-level, guidelines and legislation, mainly for specific medication classes (e.g., antipsychotics) were employed. Utilization of technology also helped improve medication administration. Several barriers and enablers were reported, at individual, organizational, and system levels. Conclusion: Overall, existing interventions are effective in optimizing medication use. However there is a need for further European well-designed and large-scale evaluations of under-researched intervention components (e.g., health information technology, patient-centered approaches), specific medication classes (e.g., antithrombotic agents), and interventions targeting medication use aspects other than prescribing (e.g., monitoring). Further development and uptake of core outcome sets is required. Finally, qualitative studies on barriers and enablers for intervention implementation would enable theory-driven intervention design.

As the global environmental crisis grows in scale and complexity, conservation professionals and policymakers are increasingly called upon to make decisions despite high levels of uncertainty, limited resources, and insufficient data. Global efforts to protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction require substantial international cooperation and negotiation, both of which are characterized by unpredictability and high levels of uncertainty. Here we build on recent studies to adapt forecasting techniques from the fields of hazard prediction, risk assessment, and intelligence analysis to forecast the likelihood of marine protected area (MPA) designation in the Southern Ocean. We used two questionnaires, feedback, and a discussion round in a Delphi-style format expert elicitation to obtain forecasts, and collected data on specific biophysical, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and scientific factors to assess how they shape and influence these forecasts. We found that areas further north along the Western Antarctic Peninsula were considered to be less likely to be designated than areas further south, and that geopolitical factors, such as global politics or events, and socioeconomic factors, such as the presence of fisheries, were the key determinants of whether an area was predicted to be more or less likely to be designated as an MPA. Forecasting techniques can be used to inform protected area design, negotiation, and implementation in highly politicized situations where data is lacking by aiding with spatial prioritization, targeting scarce resources, and predicting the success of various spatial arrangements, interventions, or courses of action.

The 2008 financial crisis, described as the worst U.S. economic disaster since the Great Depression, resulted in the criminal prosecution of just one, singular bank: Abacus Federal Savings Bank. This small, family-run community bank based in NYC's Chinatown, catering primarily to Chinese immigrants, never invested in the mortgage-backed securities nor originated the subprime mortgages that were at the root of the financial crisis. Moreover, institutions such as Abacus provide critical services to underbanked populations and support the economic prosperity of minority communities. Yet, the Manhattan District Attorney aggressively prosecuted Abacus Bank with a 184-count indictment. Ultimately, after a four-month jury trial and 10 million dollars in defensive litigation costs, Abacus Bank, a bank deemed "small enough to jail" as opposed to "too big to fail," remains the only U.S. bank indicted for mortgage fraud related to the 2008 crisis. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance pushed the boundaries in his aggressive pursuit of a lowest hanging fruit minority bank. This analysis addresses why Abacus Bank did not attempt to allege selective prosecution to quash the DA's case and also never brought a suit against the government in connection with the aggressive prosecution tactics used by the DA. The Abacus Bank trial still serves as a lesson for prosecutors to understand and use as future guidance in how they should remain aware of cultural context and implicit biases when exercising their discretion in targeting businesses that cater to underserved minority communities.

Buildings account for over 40% of the world's energy consumption and are therefore a key contributor to a country's energy as well as carbon budget. Understanding how buildings use energy is critical to understanding how related policies may impact energy use. Data enables decision making, and good quality data arms consumers with the tools to compare their energy performance to their peers, allowing them to differentiate their buildings in the real estate market on the basis of their energy footprint. Good quality data are also essential for policy makers to prioritize their energy saving strategies and track implementation. The United States' Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is an example of a successful data framework that is highly useful for governmental and nongovernmental initiatives related to benchmarking energy forecasting, rating systems and metrics, and more. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India developed the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and launched the Star Labeling program for a few energy-intensive building segments as a significant first step. However, a data driven policy framework for systematically targeting energy efficiency in both new construction and existing buildings has largely been missing. There is no quantifiable mechanism currently in place to track the impact of code adoption through regular reporting/survey of energy consumption in the commercial building stock. In this paper we present findings from our study that explored use cases and approaches for establishing a commercial buildings data framework for India.

The 2008 financial crisis, described as the worst U.S. economic disaster since the Great Depression, resulted in the criminal prosecution of just one, singular bank: Abacus Federal Savings Bank. This small, family-run community bank based in NYC's Chinatown, catering primarily to Chinese immigrants, never invested in the mortgage-backed securities nor originated the subprime mortgages that were at the root of the financial crisis. Moreover, institutions such as Abacus provide critical services to underbanked populations and support the economic prosperity of minority communities. Yet, the Manhattan District Attorney aggressively prosecuted Abacus Bank with a 184-count indictment. Ultimately, after a four-month jury trial and 10 million dollars in defensive litigation costs, Abacus Bank, a bank deemed "small enough to jail" as opposed to "too big to fail," remains the only U.S. bank indicted for mortgage fraud related to the 2008 crisis. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance pushed the boundaries in his aggressive pursuit of a lowest hanging fruit minority bank. This analysis addresses why Abacus Bank did not attempt to allege selective prosecution to quash the DA's case and also never brought a suit against the government in connection with the aggressive prosecution tactics used by the DA. The Abacus Bank trial still serves as a lesson for prosecutors to understand and use as future guidance in how they should remain aware of cultural context and implicit biases when exercising their discretion in targeting businesses that cater to underserved minority communities.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories represent the link between national and international political actions on climate change, and climate and environmental sciences. Inventory agencies need to include, in national GHG inventories, emission and removal estimates based on scientific data following specific reporting guidance under the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, using the methodologies defined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines. Often however, research communities and inventory agencies have approached the problem of climate change from different angles and by using terminologies, metrics, rules and approaches that do not always match. This is particularly true dealing with "Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry" (LULUCF), the most challenging among the inventory sectors to deal with, mainly because of high level of complexity of its carbon dynamics and the difficulties in disaggregating the fluxes between those caused by natural and anthropogenic processes. In this paper, we facilitate the understanding by research communities of the current (UNFCCC) and future (under the Paris Agreement) reporting requirements, and we identify the main issues and topics that should be considered when targeting improvement of the GHG inventory. In relation to these topics, we describe where and how the research community can contribute to producing useful inputs, data, methods and solutions for inventory agencies and policy makers, on the basis of available literature. However, a greater effort by both communities is desirable for closer cooperation and collaboration, for data sharing and the understanding of respective and common aims. ; publishedVersion

Substance use is increasingly becoming a global problem and a constant health crisis that affects each region of the world. Substance use tends to induce certain disorders and this makes users prone to psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety and psychosis among others. Successful treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) must take into account other underlying factors that either protect or predispose the patients to SUD. Religiosity has been suggested as one of the most important protective factors against drug use, preventing individuals from using drugs even if they live in precarious environments. However, previous studies in Kenya have not investigated the links between religiosity and substance use disorder in the country prompting the need for the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design targeting 6 government accredited rehabilitation centers in Kenya. A sample size of 120 participants were selected through convenience sampling. The Socio-Demographic Questionnaire and substance use assessment tools consisting of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were used for data collection. Quantitative data generated was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics involving frequency distributions, percentages and chi-square respectively. The study found that religion was a significant risk factor rather than a protective factor among persons with SUD in Kenya including some who had already undergone treatment. The study recommends that the religious message in the rehabilitation programs should seek to reinforce behaviour through engendering factual understanding of one's behaviours and their spiritual realities.

Providing access to high quality books for all types of readers is a premise for cultural democracy. Many people, however, have challenges reading mainstream books. There might be diverse reasons why people find reading challenging. Some examples are reading impairments, reduced vision, cognitive impairments, learning a new language, or due to stress, fatigue or illness. To ensure everyone access to literature, it is therefore vital to produce books that can (and will) be read by a wide range of users. This case study addresses the following research questions: Do adapted books represent accessible or universal design? Can adapted books be perceived as motivating to read for all types of readers? Are "special books" necessary to ensure that all users have access to high quality literature? In Norway, the association Books for Everyone develops adapted, printed fictional books to accommodate various types of reading challenges. This paper examines the production of these books and uses this collection to investigate the research questions. The main finding is that most of the books by Books for Everyone can be considered examples of universal design, rather than "special books" directed at a very narrow user group. Moreover, there seems to be a limited need for "special books", except for books targeting readers with severe cognitive or sensory impairments. By applying the universal design approach, fictional literature can potentially make books more accessible for all types of readers. ; publishedVersion

We identify a sizable wealth redistribution channel which creates a monetary policy trade-off whereby short-term economic stimulus is followed by persistently lower output over the medium term. This trade-off is stronger in economies with more nominal household debt but weakened by a more aggressive monetary policy stance and under price-level targeting. Given this trade-off, low-for-long episodes can lead to persistently depressed output. The mediumterm implications of the wealth redistribution channel rely on the presence of labor supply heterogeneity, which we show both analytically and in the context of an estimated New Keynesian general equilibrium model with household heterogeneity.In traditional over-the-counter (OTC) markets, investors trade bilaterally through intermediaries referred to as dealers. An important regulatory question is whether to centralize OTC markets by shifting trades onto centralized platforms. We address this question in the context of the liquid Canadian government bond market. We document that dealers charge markups even in this market and show that there is a price gap between large investors who have access to a centralized platform and small investors who do not. We specify a model to quantify how much of this price gap is due to platform access and assess welfare effects. The model predicts that not all investors would use the platform even if platform access were universal. Nevertheless, the price gap would close by 32%-47%. Welfare would increase by 9%-30% because more trades are conducted by dealers who have high values to trade.