bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
European financial systems through the crisis: Patterns and convergence
Authors: Colozza Tommaso , Barucci Emilio 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe investigate the financial crisis as a cut‐off point in EU financial systems’ evolution and assess its effects on cross‐country convergence patterns. Before the crisis, we observe a rise in the centrality of the financial sector, driven by an upward convergent pattern of bank credit. This inflated leverage ratios across all economic sectors, and a catch‐up phenomenon is retrieved in the leveraging of the real sector. The crisis caused a general deleveraging across all economic sectors, with a downward convergence pattern characterizing the financial sector, and triggered an upward convergent pattern in the level of insurance products in households’ portfolios.
Phylogenomics of Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) reveals pervasive morphological convergence and the shortcomings of previous classifications
Authors: Santos Bernardo F. , Wahl David B. , Rousse Pascal , Bennett Andrew M. R. , Kula Robert , Brady Seán G. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe evolutionary history of Ichneumoninae, the largest subfamily of ichneumonid wasps, is investigated using genomic ultraconserved elements (UCEs). The dataset includes 147 species in 130 genera of Ichneumoninae and 155 outgroup taxa from 19 subfamilies. Matrices with varying degrees of completeness were analysed with different partition schemes and the resulting topologies were found to be mostly congruent. All analyses recovered Ichneumoninae as a monophyletic group, sister to all other Ichneumoniformes except Agriotypinae. Almost no support was found for previous tribal classification schemes, except that the tribes Phaeogenini and Platylabini are largely monophyletic. A new tribal classification is proposed based on the relationships recovered, consisting of seven tribes: Alomyini Förster, Phaeogenini Förster, Notosemini Townes, Eurylabini Heinrich, Platylabini Berthoumieu, Ichneumonini Latreille and a new monogeneric tribe, Abzariini Santos & Wahl. As documented in other lineages of Ichneumonidae, pervasive morphological convergence poses a challenge to the establishment of higher‐level groups that are both monophyletic and diagnosable. Extremely short branches at the base of the Ichneumoninae clade suggest that the group may have undergone a rapid radiation when it first diverged, potentially associated with its specialization on lepidopteran hosts. Multiple changes in the morphology of the female abdomen suggest that morphological convergence is associated with multiple transitions in the use of pupal versus larval hosts across the subfamily. The results demonstrate the power of phylogenomic approaches to resolve evolutionary relationships in hyper‐diverse and poorly studied insect groups and to provide a framework for testing evolutionary hypotheses.
Optical maps refine the bread wheat Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring genome assembly
Authors: Zhu Tingting , Wang Le , Rimbert Hélène , Rodriguez Juan C. , Deal Karin R. , De Oliveira Romain , Choulet Frédéric , Keeble‐Gagnère Gabriel , Tibbits Josquin , Rogers Jane , Eversole Kellye , Appels Rudi , Gu Yong Q. , Mascher Martin , Dvorak Jan , Luo Ming‐Cheng 
Published: April 2021

SummaryUntil recently, achieving a reference‐quality genome sequence for bread wheat was long thought beyond the limits of genome sequencing and assembly technology, primarily due to the large genome size and > 80% repetitive sequence content. The release of the chromosome scale 14.5‐Gb IWGSC RefSeq v1.0 genome sequence of bread wheat cv. Chinese Spring (CS) was, therefore, a milestone. Here, we used a direct label and stain (DLS) optical map of the CS genome together with a prior nick, label, repair and stain (NLRS) optical map, and sequence contigs assembled with Pacific Biosciences long reads, to refine the v1.0 assembly. Inconsistencies between the sequence and maps were reconciled and gaps were closed. Gap filling and anchoring of 279 unplaced scaffolds increased the total length of pseudomolecules by 168 Mb (excluding Ns). Positions and orientations were corrected for 233 and 354 scaffolds, respectively, representing 10% of the genome sequence. The accuracy of the remaining 90% of the assembly was validated. As a result of the increased contiguity, the numbers of transposable elements (TEs) and intact TEs have increased in IWGSC RefSeq v2.1 compared with v1.0. In total, 98% of the gene models identified in v1.0 were mapped onto this new assembly through development of a dedicated approach implemented in the MAGAAT pipeline. The numbers of high‐confidence genes on pseudomolecules have increased from 105 319 to 105 534. The reconciled assembly enhances the utility of the sequence for genetic mapping, comparative genomics, gene annotation and isolation, and more general studies on the biology of wheat.
In vivoelectrophysiological mechanisms underlying cervical epidural stimulation in adult rats
Authors: Sharma Pawan , Shah Prithvi K. 
Published: April 2021

Key pointsTo electrophysiologically determine the predominant neural structures activated with cervical epidural stimulation (ES), well‐established electrophysiological protocols (single‐pulse, paired‐pulse and multiple frequency stimulation) were delivered at rest, during motor activity and under anaesthesia in adult rats.Cervical ES resulted in spinal evoked motor responses with three different waveforms – early response (ER), middle response (MR) and late response (LR).ERs remained unmodulated by repeated stimulation protocols. In contrast, MRs and LRs were modulated by repeated stimulation protocols and volitional motor activity.ERs are consequential to the direct activation of motor efferents; MRs are secondary to type‐I sensory afferent activation and LRs result from the engagement of wider spinal interneuronal circuitry with potential influence from supraspinal pathways.Evidence from this work is fundamental in enhancing our understanding of cervical ES, and critical in refining the design of neuromodulation‐based rehabilitative strategies and in the construction of neuroprosthetics.AbstractEpidural stimulation (ES) of the lumbar spinal cord has demonstrated significant improvements in various physiological functions after a traumatic spinal cord injury in humans. Electrophysiological evidence from rodent, human and computational studies collectively suggest that the functional recovery following lumbar ES is mediated via direct activation of sensory afferent fibres. However, the mechanisms underlying cervical ES have not been comprehensively studied, which greatly limits our understanding of its effectiveness in restoring upper limb function. In this work, we determined the predominant neural structures that are activated with cervical ES usingin vivocervical spinal evoked motor responses (SEMRs). Standard electrophysiological protocols (single‐pulse, paired‐pulse and multiple frequency stimulation) were implemented in 11 awake and anaesthetized rats in four experimental stages. Three distinct types of cervical SEMRs were identified based on latency of their appearance: early response (ER), middle response (MR) and late response (LR). ERs remained unmodulated by repeated stimulation protocols. MRs and LRs were modulated by repeated stimulation protocols and volitional motor activity. Except for LRs being completely abolished under urethane, ketamine or urethane anaesthesia did not affect the appearance of cervical SEMRs. Our data, backed by literature, suggest that ERs are secondary to the direct activation of motor efferents, MRs are elicited by activation of type‐I sensory afferents and LRs result from the engagement of interneuronal circuitry with potential influence from supraspinal pathways. The gathered information paves the way to designing motor rehabilitation strategies that can utilize cervical ES to recover upper limb function following neurological deficits.
Study on Wear Dynamic Reliability of Gear System Based on Markov Diffusive Process
Authors: Pei Jiaxing , Han Xu , Tao Yourui , Feng Shizhe 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Wear is one of the most common failure forms of gear transmission system. In this paper, a dynamic wear reliability evaluation method for gear system, which subjects to stochastic external load, is proposed on the basis of the Markov diffusive process. The stochastic load is considered as the combination of constant load and random noise. The failure is defined as the wear depth of the maximum wear point of gear under the constant load that exceeds a specific threshold. The maximum wear point and relative sliding velocity are obtained by deterministic wear analysis. The stochastic noise is assumed as Gaussian white noise; hence, the wear depth can be described as Markov diffusive process, and the transition probability is governed by Fokker–Planck–Kolmogorov (FPK) equation. With the transition probability function, the wear life and dynamic reliability of gear systems with different noise spectral densities are predicted. The results reveal that the wear depth obeys normal distribution and becomes more and more scattered with noise spectral density increases. The wear life does not obey normal distribution, and the effect of noise spectral density on mean life is neglectable while on a standard deviation of life is considerable.
A Review on Mechanisms and Testing of Wear in Slurry Pumps, Pipeline Circuits, and Hydraulic Turbines
Authors: Singh Jashanpreet 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis paper presents an overview about particulate wear that occurs in various components of slurry pumps, pipeline systems, and hydraulic turbines due to the mechanical action caused by the flow of solid–liquid mixtures. Three most common wear problems, namely, erosion, erosion–corrosion, and abrasion occur in different industries like thermal and hydro power plants, mining, chemical, and marine industries. Therefore, the efficiency of these industries and power plants highly depends on the wear damages. So, it becomes necessary to govern the wear phenomenon. In this paper, the various properties of particles and target are discussed on which the particulate wear depends. Present overview explains the experimental methods of measuring the particulate wear at in situ and ex situ conditions by using the different types of testers, rigs, and pilot plant test loops. Moreover, the empirical and analytical correlations or models for the prediction of particulate wear in pumps, piping circuits, and hydraulic turbines are also discussed in present literature review. By studying the all possible advantages and disadvantages, the gaps in knowledge of wear prediction methods and models are highlighted. At the end, a “think-model” for the prediction as well as reduction of wear in the various components is presented on the basis of different experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based simulation work. Further investigations can be carried out to develop the more accurate and flexible models that can be used to predict the particulate wear in a wide range of applications.
On the Performance of Isotropic Hyperelastic Constitutive Models for Rubber-Like Materials: A State of the Art Review
Authors: Dal Hüsnü , Açıkgöz Kemal , Badienia Yashar 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Besides the well-known landmark models for the hyperelastic response of rubberlike materials, many new hyperelastic constitutive models have emerged over the last decade. Despite many reviews on constitutive modeling or elastomers, it is still a challenging endeavor for engineers to decide for a constitutive model for the specific rubber compound and application. In this work, we have reviewed 44 hyperelastic constitutive models for elastomers and assessed their strength and weaknesses under uniaxial, pure shear, and (equi)biaxial deformations. To this end, we first present a novel parameter identification methodology based on various multi-objective optimization strategies for the selection of the best constitutive models from a given set of uniaxial tension, pure shear, and (equi)biaxial tension experiments. We utilize a hybrid multi-objective optimization procedure using a genetic algorithm to generate multiple initial points for gradient-based search algorithm, Fmincon utility in matlab. The novelty of the approach is (i) simultaneous fitting with variable weight factors for uniaxial, equibiaxial, and pure shear data, and (ii) the sorting of the models based on objective normalized quality of fit metric. For the models incapable of simultaneously fitting the three distinct deformation data, the validity range is assessed through a threshold value for the quality of fit measure. Accordingly, 44 hyperelastic models are sorted with respect to their simultaneous fitting performance to the experimental dataset of Treloar and Kawabata. Based on the number of material parameters, and their fitting performance to experimental data, a detailed discussion is carried out.
Identifying the causal effect of child marriage on unmet needs for modern contraception and unintended pregnancy in Nepal: a cross-sectional study using propensity score matching
Authors: Sekine Kazutaka , Carandang Rogie Royce , Ong Ken Ing Cherng , Tamang Anand , Jimba Masamine 
Published: April 2021

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate whether child marriage had causal effects on unmet needs for modern contraception, and unintended pregnancy, by estimating the marginal (population-averaged) treatment effect of child marriage.DesignThis study used secondary data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Applying one-to-one nearest-neighbour matching with replacement within a calliper range of ±0.01, 15–49 years old women married before the age of 18 were matched with similar women who were married at 18 or above to reduce selection bias.SettingNationally representative population survey data.ParticipantsThe sample consisted of 7833 women aged 15–49 years who were married for more than 5 years.Outcome measuresUnmet needs for modern contraception and unintended pregnancy.ResultsThe matching method achieved adequate overlap in the propensity score distributions and balance in measured covariates between treatment and control groups with the same propensity score. Propensity score matching analysis showed that the risk of unmet needs for modern contraception, and unintended pregnancy among women married as children were a 14.3 percentage point (95 % CI 10.3 to 18.2) and a 10.1 percentage point (95 % CI 3.7 to 16.4) higher, respectively, than among women married as adults. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the estimated effects were robust to unmeasured covariates.ConclusionsChild marriage appears to increase the risk of unmet needs for modern contraception and unintended pregnancy. These findings call for social development and public health programmes that promote delayed entry into marriage and childbearing to improve reproductive health and rights.
Economic costs of terminal care for selected non-communicable diseases from a healthcare perspective: a review of mortality records from a tertiary hospital in Nigeria
Authors: Olumide Adesola Oluwafunmilola , Shmueli Amir , Omotade Olayemi O , Adebayo Emmanuel S , Alonge Temitope O , Ogun Gabriel O 
Published: April 2021

IntroductionWHO revealed that morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the increase and NCDs accounted for approximately 29% of all deaths in Nigeria in 2016. This study was conducted to estimate the economic cost of selected NCDs—lung cancer, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. These diseases are known to be associated with key modifiable health risk behaviours (smoking and alcohol use), which are prevalent in Nigeria and often commence during the adolescent years.MethodsData were obtained between 2016 and 2017, from mortality records of patients managed for the selected diseases in the University College Hospital, a major referral centre in Nigeria. Information on costs of treatment, clinic visits, admission and transportation was obtained. Average costs of terminal in-patient care and transportation costs (in 2020 prices) were computed per patient. Costs were converted to the US dollar equivalent using the current official rate of US$1: ₦360.50.ResultsTwenty-two (out of 90 cases recorded) could be retrieved and all the patients had been diagnosed in the terminal stages of the disease. The average direct costs were ₦510 152.62 (US$1415.13) for an average of 49.2 days of terminal care for lung cancer; ₦308 950.27 (US$857.00) and ₦238 121.83 (US$660.53) for an average of 16.6 and 21.7 days of terminal care for patients managed for liver cancer and liver cirrhosis, respectively.ConclusionThe economic costs of each of the diseases were very high. Findings emphasise the need for aggressive efforts to promote primary prevention, improve early diagnosis and provide affordable treatment in view of the fact that the monthly minimum wage is less than US$85.00 and treatment costs are borne out-of-pocket by the generality of the population in Nigeria.
Existential distress in patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers: study protocol of a longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Philipp Rebecca , Kalender Anna , Härter Martin , Bokemeyer Carsten , Oechsle Karin , Koch Uwe , Vehling Sigrun 
Published: April 2021

IntroductionAt the end of life, patients with advanced cancer and their informal caregivers may confront multiple existential concerns. Despite the strong potential to alleviate existential distress through psychosocial interventions, existential distress and its impact on healthcare outcomes have not yet been studied systematically. We aim to investigate the frequency, longitudinal trajectory and predictive impact of existential distress on end-of-life outcomes. We further aim to determine patients’ and caregivers’ specific need for and utilisation of psychosocial support for existential distress.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study will consecutively recruit 500 patients with advanced cancer and 500 caregivers from oncological outpatient and inpatient clinics. Participants will complete self-report questionnaires (sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics, existential distress, end-of-life outcomes, resources and support needs) at five points of assessment (at baseline and after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months). At baseline and 6-month follow-up, we will conduct structured diagnostic interviews to assess mental disorders. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics to determine the prevalence of existential distress, mental disorders and end-of-life outcomes; multiple linear and logistic regression analyses to calculate the predictive impact of existential distress on end-of-life outcomes; and growth mixture models to analyse longitudinal trajectories of existential distress.DiscussionThis study will provide comprehensive knowledge about patients’ and caregivers’ existential concerns. The longitudinal empirical data will allow for conclusions concerning the frequency and course of existential distress throughout 1 year. This important extension of existing cross-sectional research will contribute to further develop targeted psychosocial interventions. Profiles of existential distress may be applied by clinicians from multiple professions and help to address existential concerns effectively.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the institutional research ethics committee (reference number LPEK-0177). Results will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Other forms of dissemination will include sharing results on the psychometric properties of the structured demoralisation interview with international research groups and communication with healthcare professionals providing psychosocial treatment for patients and caregivers. Following scientific standards, our progress will be regularly updated on ClinicalTrials.gov.Trial registration numberNCT04600206.
Impact and cost-effectiveness of potential interventions against infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 131 low-income and middle-income countries using a static cohort model
Authors: Baral Ranju , Higgins Deborah , Regan Katie , Pecenka Clint 
Published: April 2021

ObjectivesInterventions to prevent childhood respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease are limited and costly. New interventions are in advanced stages of development and could be available soon. This study aims to evaluate the potential impact and cost-effectiveness of two interventions to prevent childhood RSV—a maternal vaccine and a monoclonal antibody (mAb).DesignUsing a static population-based cohort model, we evaluate impact and cost-effectiveness of RSV interventions, from a health systems perspective. The assumed baseline efficacy and duration of protection were higher for the mAb (60%–70% efficacy, protection 6 months) compared with the maternal vaccine (40%–60% efficacy, protection 3 months). Both interventions were evaluated at US$3 and US$5 per dose for Gavi and non-Gavi countries, respectively. A range of input values were considered to explore uncertainty.Settings131 low-income and middle-income countries.ParticipantsPregnant women and live birth cohorts.InterventionsMaternal vaccine given to pregnant women and mAb given to young infants.Primary and secondary outcome measuresDisability-adjusted life years averted, severe case averted, deaths averted, incremental cost effectiveness ratios.ResultsUnder baseline assumptions, maternal vaccine and mAbs were projected to avert 25% and 55% of RSV-related deaths among infants younger than 6 months of age, respectively. The average incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per disability-adjusted life year averted was US$1342 (range US$800–US$1866) for maternal RSV vaccine and US$431 (range US$167–US$692) for mAbs. At a 50% gross domestic product per capita threshold, maternal vaccine and mAbs were cost-effective in 60 and 118 countries, respectively.ConclusionsBoth interventions are projected to be impactful and cost-effective in many countries, a finding that would be enhanced if country-specific Gavi cofinancing to eligible countries were included. mAbs, with assumed higher efficacy and duration of protection, are expected to be more cost-effective than RSV maternal vaccines at similar prices. Final product characteristics will influence this finding.