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Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization coverage to end the global pandemic, yet few studies have investigated COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in lower-income countries, where large-scale vaccination is just beginning. We analyze COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 15 survey samples covering 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America, Russia (an upper-middle-income country) and the United States, including a total of 44,260 individuals. We find considerably higher willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine in our LMIC samples (mean 80.3%; median 78%; range 30.1 percentage points) compared with the United States (mean 64.6%) and Russia (mean 30.4%). Vaccine acceptance in LMICs is primarily explained by an interest in personal protection against COVID-19, while concern about side effects is the most common reason for hesitancy. Health workers are the most trusted sources of guidance about COVID-19 vaccines. Evidence from this sample of LMICs suggests that prioritizing vaccine distribution to the Global South should yield high returns in advancing global immunization coverage. Vaccination campaigns should focus on translating the high levels of stated acceptance into actual uptake. Messages highlighting vaccine efficacy and safety, delivered by healthcare workers, could be effective for addressing any remaining hesitancy in the analyzed LMICs.

Tick‐borne zoonoses are an emerging health issue. The expansion of ticks is mainly driven by climatic changes but also by new approaches to the management of the natural environment, increasing the abundance of vertebrate host species and thus the potential exposure to tick bites for both humans and companion animals. In this context, a holistic approach to studying ticks’ ecology is required. In the present work, we shed light on the link between environmental tick abundance (global and specific of Ixodes ricinus nymphs, as the highest zoonotic threat) and the temporal occupancy of wildlife host species retrieved from camera traps (namely, wild ruminants, mesocarnivores and wild boar). We modelled this relationship by integrating abiotic factors relevant to tick survival, such as the vegetation cover and saturation deficit, and estimated the accuracy of prediction. To collect these data, we deployed camera traps in a peri‐urban Natural Park in Northwest Italy to monitor wildlife for 1 whole year while collecting ticks in front of camera traps by dragging transects every 2 weeks. Overall, wildlife temporal occupancy showed an additive impact on tick abundance for species that are preferential hosts (deer and mesocarnivores) and a detractive impact for wild boar, which also presented a lower tick burden, particularly with regard to the tick species collected in the environment (mainly I. ricinus and Haemaphysalis punctata ). Accuracy of prediction was higher for I. ricinus nymphs rather than the global model. Temporal fluctuations in the tick population were also highlighted. Wildlife temporal occupancy was not constant and varied between seasons according to feeding habits. In conclusion, we highlighted the utility of camera trap data to investigate tick ecology and acarological risk. This information is crucial in informing monitoring and prevention strategies to decrease the risk of tick bites in humans and thus zoonotic risk of tick‐borne diseases.

Vaccinating against COVID-19 is the main hope to end the current pandemic. We develop and test experimentally three phone-based cumulative interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Mozambique. First, the provision of a simple positive message informing about these vaccines. Second, the activation of social memory on the country’s success in eradicating wild polio. Finally, the inoculation against fake news by developing among participants a critical view towards misleading information. We find that the combination of the three interventions increases COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and trust in institutions.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are central to health systems. Still, they are typically unpaid volunteers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper follows all the CHWs in the capital city of Guinea-Bissau and tests the impact of different types of non-financial incentives on health indicators. We analyze two randomized interventions for CHWs: (i) an honorific award aimed at raising their social status; (ii) a video treatment aimed at increasing their perceived task significance. While employing administrative and survey data, we find that the social status intervention, differently from the task significance one, causes clear improvements in household health, particularly for young children.

Lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4, LMO) is a promising cathode material for Li‐ion batteries owing to its high energy density, low cost, and environmental benignity. However, its practical use is limited by severe capacity fading, primarily caused by the Jahn–Teller distortion associated with Mn3+ and the dissolution of Mn into the electrolyte. In this study, we explore a multidoping strategy to overcome these drawbacks by synthesizing multicomponent oxides of formula LiCrxFeyMn2−x−y−zTizO4 via a facile sol–gel method. Three compositions with varying transition metal ratios were investigated to evaluate the effects of cationic substitution on electrochemical behavior and structural stability. The best performance was achieved for compositions containing all four transition metals (Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ti). Ex situ and operando X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy revealed excellent structural stability, with no evidence of phase separation or Jahn–Teller‐induced distortion even after 60 cycles. Manganese was identified as the sole electrochemically active element, undergoing a reversible Mn4+/Mn3+ redox process through an intercalation/deintercalation mechanism. These results demonstrate that multidoping effectively enhances the structural and electrochemical stability of spinel‐type cathodes, providing a viable pathway toward the design of Co‐free and Ni‐free electrodes for next‐generation Li‐ion batteries. Multidoping of spinel LiMn2O4 with Cr, Fe, and Ti effectively suppresses Jahn–Teller distortion, enhancing structural stability and cycling performance in Li‐ion batteries. Operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and ex situ X‐ray diffraction confirm a stable spinel framework and indicate Mn as the only electrochemically active element.

Lithium manganese oxide (LiMn 2 O 4 , LMO) is a promising cathode material for Li‐ion batteries owing to its high energy density, low cost, and environmental benignity. However, its practical use is limited by severe capacity fading, primarily caused by the Jahn–Teller distortion associated with Mn 3+ and the dissolution of Mn into the electrolyte. In this study, we explore a multidoping strategy to overcome these drawbacks by synthesizing multicomponent oxides of formula LiCr x Fe y Mn 2− x − y−z Ti z O 4 via a facile sol–gel method. Three compositions with varying transition metal ratios were investigated to evaluate the effects of cationic substitution on electrochemical behavior and structural stability. The best performance was achieved for compositions containing all four transition metals (Cr, Fe, Mn, and Ti). Ex situ and operando X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy revealed excellent structural stability, with no evidence of phase separation or Jahn–Teller‐induced distortion even after 60 cycles. Manganese was identified as the sole electrochemically active element, undergoing a reversible Mn 4+ /Mn 3+ redox process through an intercalation/deintercalation mechanism. These results demonstrate that multidoping effectively enhances the structural and electrochemical stability of spinel‐type cathodes, providing a viable pathway toward the design of Co‐free and Ni‐free electrodes for next‐generation Li‐ion batteries.