bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testing the impact of financial inclusion on income convergence: Empirical evidence from Nigeria
Authors: Ibrahim Saifullahi Sani , Aliero Haruna Mohammad 
Published: March 2020

AbstractFinancial inclusion, as a key pillar for inclusive development, has long been considered as an important instrument for reducing poverty and income inequality. However, the income convergence effect of financial inclusion remains only partially explored. Using longitudinal data covering three survey waves on Nigerian households, this study explores the potential of financial inclusion as an instrument for reducing income disparity. After controlling for the endogeneity issues, the results of instrumental variable linear and quantile regressions consistently show a strong nexus between financial inclusion and per capita income. This positive effect is experienced by all households regardless of income distribution. The decomposition results reveal that ab initio, financial inclusion resulted in income divergence leading to widening inequality across the households with various income distributions. However, the income convergence started from the middle to the higher income household categories, with the lowest income lagging behind in the second wave. The lowest income households eventually converged in the data of the third wave. In this sense, it can be argued that financial inclusion could play an important role in the reduction of income inequality.
Estimation of the East African Community's trade benefits from promoting intra‐regional trade
Authors: Umulisa Yvonne 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIn the literature on economic integration, the optimum currency area (OCA) theory says that there should be a high degree of trade between potential members of a monetary union for them to benefit from the use of a single currency. This study uses an augmented gravity model of trade to estimate the East African Community's (EAC) trade effects, as this community decided to participate in a monetary union by 2024. The study uses the fixed effect filter (FEF) estimator, which follows a two‐step approach and outperforms the standard fixed effects (FE) estimator. The results indicate that EAC has the potential to increase trade among partner states by 122% more than expected from the normal trade levels. The study, therefore, supports the ongoing East African Monetary Union process. However, to improve the likelihood of creating a more sustainable monetary union, the study recommends these countries to primarily focus on the full implementation of the customs union and common market steps. The main contribution of this study is that it provides robust estimates of the EAC's effects on intra‐regional trade using more recent data and updated econometric techniques.
The (Re)Making of Polycentricity in China's Planning Discourse: The Case of Tianjin
Authors: Wang Weikai , Wang Ya Ping , Kintrea Keith 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPolycentricity is promoted as an ideal urban form to achieve sustainable and balanced development, and it has been widely adopted by planners in China, especially in large cities. However, the rhetoric about polycentricity has rarely been interrogated in planning research in terms of scales, contextuality, power and rationality. To fill this gap, we carried out a Foucauldian discourse analysis in our research to interpret the nature of polycentric practice in City Master Plans, using Tianjin as a case study. Through an analysis of how the discourse of polycentricity is being deployed in planning documents, we develop two principal arguments in this article. First, the conceptual substance of polycentricity evolved alongside the urban transition process in China, and its discursive practice involved multiple scales and spatial elements. Secondly, rather than being mere technocratic practice, the production and legitimation of distinct discourses of polycentricity is an articulation of multi‐scalar power involving various stakeholders, which is disguised and justified by the planning profession.
Maternal risk factors and adverse birth outcomes associated with HELLP syndrome: a population‐based study
Authors: Lisonkova S , Razaz N , Sabr Y , Muraca GM , Boutin A , Mayer C , Joseph KS , Kramer MS 
Published: March 2020

ObjectivesWe assessed the incidence, risk factors and adverse birth outcomes associated with elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome.DesignA retrospective population‐based cohort study.SettingCanada (excluding Quebec), 2012/2013–2015/2016.PopulationMothers with a singleton hospital live birth or stillbirth at ≥24 weeks’ gestation (n = 1 078 323).MethodsHELLP syndrome was identified using ICD‐10‐CA diagnostic code from delivery hospitalisation data. We used logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for HELLP syndrome by obtaining adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), and to assess the associations with adverse outcomes.Main outcome measuresAdverse maternal (e.g. eclampsia) and fetal/neonatal outcomes (e.g. intraventricular haemorrhage, perinatal death).ResultsThe incidence of HELLP syndrome was 2.5 per 1000 singleton deliveries (n = 2663). Risk factors included: age ≥35 years, rural residence, nulliparity, parity ≥4, pre‐pregnancy and gestational hypertension and diabetes, assisted reproduction, chronic cardiac conditions, systemic lupus erythematosus, obesity, chronic hepatic conditions, placental disorders (e.g. fetomaternal transfusion) and congenital anomalies. PROM and age <25 years were inversely associated with HELLP syndrome (P‐values <0.05). Women with the syndrome had a 10‐fold higher maternal mortality (95% CI 1.6–84.3) and elevated severe maternal morbidity (9.6 versus 121.7 per 1000; AOR 12.5, 95% CI 11.1–14.1); and higher perinatal mortality (4.3 versus 21.0 per 1000; AOR 4.5, 95% CI 3.5–5.9) and perinatal mortality/severe neonatal morbidity (21.2 versus 202.4 per 1000; AOR 10.7, 95% CI 9.7–11.8).ConclusionHELLP syndrome is associated with specific pre‐pregnancy and pregnancy risk factors, higher rates of maternal death, and substantially higher severe maternal morbidity, perinatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity.Tweetable abstractHELLP syndrome is associated with higher maternal death rate, and substantially higher severe maternal and neonatal morbidity, and perinatal mortality.
Real world study for the concordance between IBM Watson for Oncology and clinical practice in advanced non‐small cell lung cancer patients at a lung cancer center in China
Authors: Yao Shuyang , Wang Ruotian , Qian Kun , Zhang Yi 
Published: March 2020

BackgroundIBM Watson for Oncology (WFO) provides physicians with evidence‐based treatment options. This study was designed to explore the concordance of the suggested therapeutic regimen for advanced non‐small cell lung (NSCLC) cancer patients between the updated version of WFO and physicians in our department, in order to reflect the differences of cancer treatment between China and the United States.MethodsRetrospective data from 165 patients with advanced NSCLC from September 2014 to March 2018 were entered manually into WFO. WFO recommendations were provided in three categories: recommended, for consideration, and not recommended. Concordance was analyzed by comparing the treatment decisions proposed by WFO with the real treatment. Potential influenced factors were also analyzed.ResultsOverall, the treatment recommendations were concordant in 73.3% (121/165) of cases. When two alternative drugs such as icotinib and nedaplatin were included as “for consideration,” the total consistency could be elevated from 73.3% to 90.3%(149/165). The logistic regression analysis showed that gender (P = 0.096), ECOG (P = 0.0.502), smoking (P = 0.455), and pathology (P = 0.633) had no effect on consistency, but stages (P = 0.019), including stage ≤III (77.8%, 21/27) and stage IV (93.5%, 129/138) had significant effects on consistency.ConclusionsIn China, most of the treatment recommendations of WFO are consistent with the real world treatment. Factors such as patient preferences, prices, drug approval and medical insurance are also taken into consideration, and they ultimately affect the inconsistency. To be comprehensively and rapidly applied in China, localization needs to be accelerated by WFO.
Surgical effect and prognostic factors of myasthenia gravis with thymomas
Authors: Tian Wenxin , Li Xiao , Tong Hongfeng , Weng Wenhan , Yang Fan , Jiang Guanchao , Wang Jun 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundTo evaluate the surgical effect and prognostic factors of extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with thymomas.MethodsPatients with MG with thymomas who underwent extended thymectomy at Peking University People's Hospital and Beijing Hospital between January 2010 and December 2018 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were followed up by telephone or outpatient record review . Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 19.0.ResultsA total of 194 patients were included in this study. According to the Osserman classification, there were 56 type I, 52 type IIa, 67 type IIb, 14 type III, and five type IV. Video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomies were performed in 137 patients, and transthymectomies in 57 patients. The average operation time was 136.6 ± 46.5 minutes, average blood loss was 129.3 ± 287.4 mL, and average postoperative stay was 8.3 ± 7.4 days. A total of 170 patients (87.6%) were successfully followed up. The median follow‐up period was 45 months, and the five‐year overall survival (OS) rate was 81.9%. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that age, Masaoka stage, and recurrence were prognostic factors of OS. Tumor recurrence tended to occur in patients with Masaoka stage III + IV, and age was a protective factor. A total of 20 patients experienced postoperative myasthenic crisis (POMC). Univariate analysis indicated that presence of bulbar symptoms, surgical procedure, and blood loss were risk factors for POMC, but multivariate analysis only indicated the presence of bulbar symptoms as an independent risk factor. A total of 162 patients were evaluated for post intervention MG status. A total of 55 patients achieved complete stable remission; the overall effective rate was 84.5%. Older patients and those with B‐type thymomas had a lower probability of achieving complete stable remission. Efficacy was similar in patients who underwent VATS or the transsternal procedure.ConclusionsAge, Masaoka stage, and recurrence were prognostic factors of OS. Presence of bulbar symptoms was an independent risk factor for POMC. Age and World Health Organization classification influence the postoperative effect of MG.Key pointsSignificant findings of the studyAge, Masaoka stage, and recurrence were prognostic factors of OS for MG with thymomas. The presence of bulbar symptoms was an independent risk factor for POMC. Age and World Health Organization classification may influence the postoperative effect of MG.What this study addsOur study had a relatively large sample size of MG patients with thymomas only. We emphasize the analysis of the postoperative effect of MG and overall survival for these patients, which is a complement to previous studies.
New Practices of Cultural Truth Making: Evidence Work in Negotiations with State Authorities
Authors: Virtanen Pirjo Kristiina , Honkasalo Marja-Liisa 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThis article looks at negotiations with state authorities and the evidentiary criteria they create in culturally contrasting contexts when phenomena deal with elements that for the dominant society are conceptualized as “supernatural.” We draw from the level of experiences of other‐than‐human beings, especially spirits and “ungraspable” presences, associal practicesin and of themselves as well as acts of mobilizing those which are meaningful for knowledge production in Indigenous Amazonia and North European contexts. Our two cases show how in state territorial protection debates and health services, visibility, quantification, measurability, Euro‐American dominant, mainly binary, and bounded concepts are employed to create the grounds of validity. Yet, for actual individual or collective experiences, new types of evidence work can emerge in collaborations. Thus, this article sheds light on the needs for contextual and communicative actions to overcome contrasting onto‐epistemologies in the context of the state.
Assessment of accuracy of Australian health service death data: implications for the audits of surgical mortality
Authors: McCahy Philip , Tayyaba Iqra , Andrew Madison , Lim Cheryl Mei Ting , Pornkul Panuwat , Lay Joshua , Chin Calvin Wing Hang , Nguyen Phi , Vinluan Jessele 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality (VASM) investigates all surgically related deaths in Victoria, Australia, as a surgical educational activity aimed to make surgery safer. Whilst data collected within the audit are regularly reviewed for accuracy, there has never been a review of the data provided from health services.MethodsTwo‐year death data provided by one Victorian health service were reviewed. Hospital notes for 4 months of each year were analysed to assess patients dying under surgical care. These data were compared to referrals to the VASM over the same period.ResultsOf the 3907 patient deaths recorded, 35.1% were reviewed. During their final admission, 178 (13%) patients underwent a procedure (93 medical and 85 surgical). Only 29.2% of these were recorded in the health service data set. Eighteen patients died under the care of a surgeon without a procedure, meaning that 103 deaths should have been reported to the VASM of which only 55.3% (57/103) were reported.ConclusionThere were major errors in the health service database resulting in under‐reporting of deaths to the VASM which could have education and policy repercussions. For improvements to the safety and quality of health services, it is critical that all deaths are accurately recorded by health services and reported to the relevant bodies with internal verification processes.
Bimonthly, treat‐and‐extend and as‐needed ranibizumab in naïve neovascular age‐related macular degeneration patients: 12‐month outcomes of a randomized study
Authors: López Gálvez María Isabel , Arias Barquet Lluís , S. Figueroa Marta. , García‐Layana Alfredo , Ruiz Moreno José M. ,   The In‐Eye Study Group
Published: March 2020

AbstractPurposeTo assess the noninferiority of the treat‐and‐extend (T&E) and fixed bimonthly regimens of 0.5 mg intravitreal ranibizumab as compared with the pro re nata (PRN) in naïve patients with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD).MethodsPhase IV, randomized, 12‐month, multicentre trial. Patients aged ≥50 years with nAMD and visual impairment [best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between 23 and 78 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters] were eligible. Patients (one eye per patient) were randomized to bimonthly, n = 103, T&E, n = 99 or PRN, n = 104. Noninferiority was established at five letters ETDRS.ResultsThe mean (95% CI) difference in BCVA at 12 months was 7.2 (4.2–10.2), 6.4 (2.9–9.8), and 8.0 (51.1–11.0) in the bimonthly, T&E and PRN, respectively. The bimonthly or T&E regimens were not inferior to the PRN scheme. All regimens were associated with a significant reduction of central subfield thickness and volume. The mean (95% CI) number of injections in the bimonthly regimen (7.6, 7.5–7.7) was similar as compared with the PRN regimen (7.4, 6.7–8.0) (p = 0.159) but lower than in the T&E regimen (9.3, 8.9–9.7) (p < 0.001).ConclusionAt 12 months, bimonthly and T&E ranibizumab were noninferior to PRN in naïve nAMD.
Performance of municipally owned corporations: Determinants and mechanisms
Authors: Voorn Bart , van Genugten Marieke , Van Thiel Sandra 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPractitioners often expect service delivery by municipally owned corporations (MOCs) to differ substantially from delivery by municipal bureaucracy. However, research into the circumstances under which municipal corporatization is effective is scarce. We investigate determinants of MOCs’ performance based on a questionnaire sent to all Dutch MOCs, finding no evidence that many expected predictors of performance matter for performance. Key factors driving MOCs’ performance relate to size, resource access, and the interaction between their multiple principals. We suggest that in studying local corporatization, researchers should look less at traditional principal–agent conflict and more at intermunicipal coordination.
Effect of a second treatment of prostaglandin F2α during the Ovsynch program on fixed‐time artificial insemination conception rates and luteolysis in split‐calving, pasture‐fed dairy cows
Authors: Rheinberger JM , Colson DD , Beggs DS , Mansell PD , Stevenson MA , Rheinberger RJ , Pyman MF 
Published: March 2020

ObjectiveTo compare fixed‐time artificial insemination (FTAI) conception rates and serum progesterone concentrations at the time of FTAI for cows treated with the original Ovsynch program (OV) with those treated with a modified Ovsynch (MO) program.DesignThis was a randomised clinical trial.MethodsThe study used five split‐calving, pasture‐based dairy herds in Southwest Victoria, Australia. Controls (n = 851) received the OV program: day 0 gonadotropin‐releasing hormone, day 7 prostaglandin F2α (PGF), day 9 gonadotropin‐releasing hormone and FTAI at day 10. The treatment group (n = 852) received a MO program with an additional prostaglandin injection on day 8. Subsets of cows from each group were sampled for blood progesterone at the time of FTAI.ResultsThe treatment group demonstrated FTAI conception rates that were 7% (95% confidence interval 2%–12%) greater than the control group. After adjusting for the effect of age, days in milk at Mating Start Date and herd, the odds of conception using FTAI was 1.36 (95% confidence interval 1.12–1.66) times greater for treatment group cows compared with control group cows. The variability of serum progesterone concentrations at the time of FTAI was significantly less for treatment group cows compared with control group cows.ConclusionFor Holstein‐Friesian and Holstein‐Friesian cross‐bred cows managed in pasture‐based dairy herds in southern Australia, a MO protocol, including a second injection of prostaglandin F2α on day 8, increased FTAI conception rates compared with cows receiving the OV protocol.
A study investigating the perfusion of colorectal anastomoses using fluorescence angiography: results of the FLAG randomized trial
Authors: Alekseev M. , Rybakov E. , Shelygin Y. , Chernyshov S. , Zarodnyuk I. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAimOur aim was to evaluate the efficacy of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography (FA) in reducing the incidence of anastomotic leakage (AL) following colorectal anastomosis.MethodA single‐centre randomized trial was undertaken between 2018 and 2019. Those patients who underwent a stapled colorectal anastomosis were randomized 1:1 for ICG FA versus visual clinical assessment of blood perfusion of the anastomosed colon and rectal stump (non‐ICG FA group). The primary end‐point was to assess whether ICG FA was associated with a reduction in the incidence of AL. Secondary outcomes were the rate of postoperative complications and change in the level of bowel resection.ResultsA total of 380 patients undergoing sigmoid and rectal resection were enrolled. After randomization, three patients were excluded. The results of 377 cases were available for analysis; 187 had ICG FA and 190 were in the non‐ICG FA group. ICG FA identified impaired blood perfusion of the colon in 36 (19%) cases. An AL (grade A, B or C) developed in 48 patients: 17 (9.1%) in the ICG FA group and 31 (16.3%) in the non‐ICG FA group (P = 0.04). ICG FA did not decrease the rate of AL of high anastomoses (9–15 cm from the anal verge), at 1.3% vs 4.6% in the non‐ICG FA group (P = 0.37). In contrast, a decrease in AL rate was found for low (4–8 cm) colorectal anastomoses (14.4% in ICG FA vs 25.7% in the non‐ICG FA group; P = 0.04).ConclusionICG FA is associated with a reduction in AL following low anterior resection.
Multiobjective optimal power flow using interior search algorithm: A case study on a real‐time electrical network
Authors: Chandrasekaran Shilaja 
Published: March 2020

AbstractOptimal power flow (OPF) is a vital concern in an electrical network. In consequence of the intricacy of the power systems, the conventional formulations are not adequate for current situation. Hence, in this study, the multiobjective OPF (MOOPF) problem has been modeled to diminish the production cost, environmental emission, and losses and to enhance the voltage stability and voltage profile simultaneously. This study proposes the application of interior search algorithm (ISA) for resolving MOOPF problem. The simulations have been carried out on three various test systems such as IEEE 30‐bus system, IEEE 57‐bus system, and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited, as a real part of 62 bus Indian utility system (IUS) to infer the efficacy of ISA in solving the OPF problems. The simulation results have been compared with other techniques. The comparison shows that ISA is used in resolving MOOPF problems.
Optimisation of energetic and reproductive gains explains behavioural responses to environmental variation across seasons and years
Authors: Studd E. K. , Menzies A. K. , Siracusa E. R. , Dantzer B. , Lane J. E. , McAdam A. G. , Boutin S. , Humphries M. M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAnimals switch between inactive and active states, simultaneously impacting their energy intake, energy expenditure and predation risk, and collectively defining how they engage with environmental variation and trophic interactions. We assess daily activity responses to long‐term variation in temperature, resources and mating opportunities to examine whether individuals choose to be active or inactive according to an optimisation of the relative energetic and reproductive gains each state offers. We show that this simplified behavioural decision approach predicts most activity variation (R2 = 0.83) expressed by free‐ranging red squirrels over 4 years, as quantified through accelerometer recordings (489 deployments; 5066 squirrel‐days). Recognising activity as a determinant of energetic status, the predictability of activity variation aggregated at a daily scale, and the clear signal that behaviour is environmentally forced through optimisation of gain, provides an integrated approach to examine behavioural variation as an intermediary between environmental variation and energetic, life‐history and ecological outcomes.