bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Accounting of the German Statutory Pension Scheme: Balance Sheet, Cross‐Sectional Internal Rate of Return and Implicit Tax Rate
Authors: Metzger Christoph 
Published: May 2019

AbstractWe present a framework for accounting of the German statutory pension scheme and calculate a balance sheet for the period 2005–14. Estimating a funding ratio of about 90 per cent, we present some policy recommendations in order to restore balancing of assets and liabilities. Extending and applying the methodology proposed by Settergren and Mikula (2005), we additionally estimate the aggregate cross‐sectional internal rate of return of the German pension scheme over this period. We are able to show that these internal rates of return are mainly financed by increasing contributions and by increasing unfunded liabilities. Additionally, our analysis reveals that from an expenditure perspective, the major part of the internal rate of return results from changing longevity rather than other changes. We also estimate the implicit tax rates from a cross‐sectional perspective and find that they can mainly be interpreted as an ‘implicit wealth tax’ on pension wealth. Finally, we analyse the impact of demographic change on the balance sheet employing a population projection. While the pure demographic effect leads to a decreasing funding ratio during population ageing, the automatic balancing mechanisms of the German pension scheme lead to a significant overfunding in the long run from the accounting perspective adopted in the Swedish pension system.
The associations between query‐based and directed health information exchange with potentially avoidable use of health care services
Authors: Vest Joshua R. , Unruh Mark Aaron , Shapiro Jason S. , Casalino Lawrence P. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo quantify the impact of two approaches (directed and query‐based) to health information exchange (HIE) on potentially avoidable use of health care services.Data Sources/Study SettingData on ambulatory care providers’ adoption of HIE were merged with Medicare fee‐for‐service claims from 2008 to 2014. Providers were from 13 counties in New York served by the Rochester Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO).Study DesignLinear regression models with provider and year fixed effects were used to estimate changes in the probability of utilization outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries attributed to providers adopting directed and/or query‐based HIE compared with beneficiaries attributed to providers who had not adopted HIE.Data CollectionProviders’ HIE adoption status was determined through Rochester RHIO registration records. RHIO and claims data were linked via National Provider Identifiers.Principal FindingsQuery‐based HIE adoption was associated with a 0.2 percentage point reduction in the probability of an ambulatory care sensitive hospitalization and a 1.1 percentage point decrease in the likelihood of an unplanned readmission. Directed HIE adoption was not associated with any outcome.ConclusionsThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR certification criteria includes requirements for directed HIE, but not query‐based HIE. Pending further research, certification criteria should place equal weight on facilitating query‐based and directed exchange.
Diversity and seasonal variation of ground and understory spiders from a tropical mountain cloud forest
Authors: Campuzano Emmanuel F. , Ibarra‐Núñez Guillermo , Machkour‐M´Rabet Salima , Morón‐Ríos Alejandro , Jiménez María Luisa 
Published: May 2019

AbstractWe made intensive samplings to study the seasonal response of spiders across different forest strata (ground and understory) in a tropical mountain cloud forest from Mexico. We sampled spiders from ten plots in six sampling events during the dry and rainy season, to analyze their abundance, structure (distribution of abundance among species), diversity and the response of the five dominant species at each stratum. Results demonstrated that seasonal patterns of spider communities differed among strata, revealing a complex spatiotemporal dynamic. Abundance, structure, diversity of ground spiders, as well as the responses of four dominant species at this stratum, showed low seasonal variations. In contrast, a strong seasonal variation was observed for the understory assemblage, with lowest abundance and highest diversity in the rainy season, and different assemblage structures for each season. Seasonal patterns of each assemblage seem linked to the responses of their dominant species. We found high co‐occurrence among most of the ground dominant species with similar habitat use and with multivoltine patterns, contrasting with low co‐occurrence among most of the understory dominant species with similar habitat use and univoltine patterns. Our results showed that the spiders’ assemblages of tropical mountain cloud forest (opposed to what is found in temperate and boreal forests) increase their species richness with the height, and that their responses to seasonal change differ between strata. Management programs of these habitats should consider the spatial and temporal variations found here, as a better understanding of their ecological dynamics is required to support their sustainable management.
Pramipexole in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression. A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Tundo A. , de Filippis R. , De Crescenzo F. 
Published: May 2019

ObjectiveSeveral depressed patients do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Our aim was to systematically review the effectiveness and safety of pramipexole in unipolar and bipolar depression.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and observational studies on pramipexole for patients with major depressive episodes, following PRISMA guidelines. Our primary outcome measure was treatment response at endpoint. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO: CRD42018108699.ResultsWe found five RCTs, three open‐label trials and five observational studies, with 504 participants (57% women; mean age, 45.3 years; mean sample size, 39; median duration of treatment, 8 weeks; mean follow‐up duration, 45 weeks; mean maximum dose, 1.62 mg). We found an overall short‐term response rate of 52.2% and remission rate of 36.1%, and an overall long‐term response rate of 62.1% and remission rate of 39.6%. In RCTs, patients treated with pramipexole had a superior response rate compared with placebo (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.11–2.82) and similar to SSRIs (RR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.44–1.95). Acceptability and tolerability were good, with nausea being the most frequent side‐effect.ConclusionOur study found some evidence for an effect of pramipexole for the treatment of major depressive episodes.
Cost‐effectiveness of electronic‐ and clinician‐delivered screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment for women in reproductive health centers
Authors: Olmstead Todd A. , Yonkers Kimberly A. , Ondersma Steven J. , Forray Ariadna , Gilstad‐Hayden Kathryn , Martino Steve 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimsTo determine the cost‐effectiveness of electronic‐ and clinician‐delivered SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) for reducing primary substance use among women treated in reproductive health centers.DesignCost‐effectiveness analysis based on a randomized controlled trial.SettingNew Haven, CT, USA.ParticipantsA convenience sample of 439 women seeking routine care in reproductive health centers who used cigarettes, risky amounts of alcohol, illicit drugs or misused prescription medication.InterventionsParticipants were randomized to enhanced usual care (EUC,n = 151), electronic‐delivered SBIRT (e‐SBIRT,n = 143) or clinician‐delivered SBIRT (SBIRT,n = 145).MeasurementsThe primary outcome was days of primary substance abstinence during the 6‐month follow‐up period. To account for the possibility that patients might substitute a different drug for their primary substance during the 6‐month follow‐up period, we also considered the number of days of abstinence from all substances. Incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios and cost‐effectiveness acceptability curves determined the relative cost‐effectiveness of the three conditions from both the clinic and patient perspectives.FindingsFrom a health‐care provider perspective, e‐SBIRT is likely (with probability greater than 0.5) to be cost‐effective for any willingness‐to‐pay value for an additional day of primary‐substance abstinence and an additional day of all‐substance abstinence. From a patient perspective, EUC is most likely to be the cost‐effective intervention when the willingness to pay for an additional day of abstinence (both primary‐substance and all‐substance) is less than $0.18 and e‐SBIRT is most likely to be the cost‐effective intervention when the willingness to pay for an additional day of abstinence (both primary‐substance and all‐substance) is greater than $0.18.Conclusionse‐SBIRT could be a cost‐effective approach, from both health‐care provider and patient perspectives, for use in reproductive health centers to help women reduce substance misuse.
Hemiparasites drive heterogeneity in litter arthropods: Implications for woodland insectivorous birds
Authors: Mellado Ana , Hobby Annie , Lázaro‐González Alba , Watson David M. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractProviding fruit, nectar, leaves and litter, mistletoes represent important resources for many organisms, linking above‐ground patterns with below‐ground processes. Here, we explore how mistletoe litter affects arthropod availability, especially those taxa preferentially consumed by ground‐feeding insectivorous birds, a group that has undergone widespread declines. We estimated the influence of mistletoe on arthropod occurrence by sampling arthropod communities beneath infected and uninfected trees with pit‐fall traps. Then, we experimentally isolated direct effects of mistletoe litter on arthropods with a litterbag study. Soil arthropod communities beneath infected trees had consistently greater abundance and biomass – total arthropods and the subset of arthropods preferentially consumed by ground‐foraging insectivores – compared to otherwise comparable uninfected trees. Arthropods showed a weak response to litter addition, with maximum abundances recorded from bags with low mistletoe litter, significantly lower abundances associated with higher mistletoe fractions and pure tree litter (after 5 months). Our findings confirm that mistletoe occurrence has a significant positive impact on arthropod availability, especially on those preferred by ground‐foraging bird insectivores. However, only a minor part of this impact is due to the direct, short‐term effects of mistletoe litter, which suggests that additional mistletoe‐mediated effects (e.g. local changes in structural or microclimatic factors, cumulative effects over multiple years) play significant roles. By altering arthropod assemblages within leaf litter and increasing the heterogeneity of resource availability on forest floors, mistletoe plays an important role in improving habitat quality for declining insectivores.
Does pre‐operative MRI predict the risk of local recurrence in primary myxofibrosarcoma of the extremities?
Authors: Sambri Andrea , Spinnato Paolo , Bazzocchi Alberto , Tuzzato Gian Marco , Donati Davide , Bianchi Giuseppe 
Published: May 2019

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this retrospective study is to analyze and classify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of primary myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) of the extremities and their correlation with patients’ prognosis (local recurrence [LR] and sarcoma‐specific survival [OS]).MethodsNinety‐four patients with primary MFS of the extremities were included. All MRI were performed with 1.5 Tesla magnet using a standard protocol. The presence of a “tail pattern” was recorded. Myxoid tumor component and contrast enhancement of the tumor were evaluated and graded with semiquantitative method using a newly proposed classification.ResultsA tail‐like pattern was observed in 32% MFS; most of the tumors presented with high myxoid features and high grade of gadolinium (Gd) enhancement. Type 3 myxoid characteristics (P = 0.003) were most often observed in FNCLCC grade 3 tumors. Estimated LR‐free survival rate was 70.3% at 3 and 58.4% at 5 years. A higher LR‐rate was observed in those tumors presenting a tail‐like pattern at MRI (P = 0.039), in those with myxoid features type 2 and 3 (0.047) and in those with Gd enhancement grade 2 or 3 (P = 0.029). A worse OS was observed in Gd enhancement grade 3 (P = 0.013) and in deep tumors (P = 0.031).ConclusionsMFS features on preoperative MRI can be useful in order to identify risk classes of LR and OS. These data may suggest that patients with a tail‐like pattern, high Gd enhancement and high myxoid features should be followed up more carefully after surgery.
Effects of rearing systems on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, lymphoid organ indices, and serum biochemistry of Wannan Yellow chickens
Authors: Jin Sihua , Fan Xinfeng , Yang Lei , He Tingting , Xu Yuan , Chen Xingyong , Liu Ping , Geng Zhaoyu 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThis study was conducted to investigate the effects of free‐range system (FRS) and conventional cage‐rearing system (CRS) on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, lymphoid organ indices, and serum biochemistry of Wannan Yellow chickens. At 56 days of age, a total of 640 male chickens were randomly allocated to FRS and CRS groups, each of which included 4 replicates with 80 chickens in each replicate. The experiment lasted from 56 to 112 days of age. The results showed that CRS chickens exhibited better final body weight, average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio, whereas FRS chickens showed better breast and leg yields, shear force, meat color, lower drip loss, and decreased abdominal fat deposition. Moreover, the absolute thymus weight and thymus to body weight ratio of FRS birds were significantly higher than those of CRS birds (p < 0.05). Additionally, FRS chickens had significantly reduced glucose, total protein, triglyceride, and cholesterol contents, but enhanced levels of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the FRS has advantages in breast and leg yields, meat quality, and some serum biochemical parameters of Wannan Yellow chickens, whereas it has negative effects on growth performance.
Cumulative disturbances to assess forest degradation using spectral unmixing in the northeastern Amazon
Authors: Hasan Ali Fadhil , Laurent François , Messner François , Bourgoin Clément , Blanc Lilian 
Published: May 2019

AbstractQuestionTropical forests are subject to disturbances by logging, gathering of fuelwood, and fires. Can degradation trajectories (i.e. cumulative disturbances events over a period of timer) be identified using remote‐sensing Landsat time series?LocationParagominas (Pará, Brazil), a municipality covering 19,395 km² in the north‐eastern Amazon.MethodsWe used Landsat annual imagery from 2000 to 2015 and spectral mixture analysis to derive time series of the fraction of soil (S), active photosynthetic vegetation (PV), and non‐photosynthetic vegetation (senescent) (NPV) indicators.ResultsThe NPV values over a 16‐year period revealed five different degradation trajectories (i.e., cumulative disturbances in space and over time): undisturbed forest, selectively logged forest (with a management plan), overlogged forest (no management plan), overlogged forest (charcoal production) and burned forest. The variance of NPV calculated per pixel over the same period is useful to map forest degradation over Paragominas municipality, highlighting the role of disturbance factors (logging, fuelwood gathering and fire).ConclusionsThe fractional cover of NPV obtained from spectral mixture analysis can be used to differentiate degradation trajectories and to map forest degradation.
Personal Income Tax Reform in China in 2018 and Its Impact on Income Distribution
Authors: Zhan Peng , Li Shi , Xu Xiaojing 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIn the context of personal income tax (PIT) reform in China in 2018, this paper examines some of the major issues of concern regarding the reform and income distribution. Using the China Personal Income Tax Micro‐simulation model, the paper compares the differences between the 2011 and 2018 PIT systems, and finds that residents relying on different income sources may face a large degree of real tax rate change. Once the tax system is altered to PIT 2018, the coverage of PIT for wage earners will decrease from 46.9 to 23.4 percent, the income redistributive effect will drop from 1.95 to 1.22 percent and the PIT's role in fiscal revenue will also be negatively affected. Nevertheless, if individual income continues to grow, the share of PIT in fiscal revenue is expected to return to the 2018 level in 2022, but its income redistribution function is difficult to recover in the short term. The paper finds that the effect of PIT on income distribution depends on the tax structure. Gradual transition to an “entirely comprehensive” tax system when conditions are appropriate will achieve better income redistribution results at a lower average tax rate.
Do Political Connections Promote Innovation in Environmentally Polluting Enterprises?
Authors: Zhang Jianhua , Li Xiaoqing , Fung Hung‐Gay , Qiao Penghua 
Published: May 2019

AbstractWe use an unbalanced panel data analysis to examine the effect of political connections (PCs) in state‐owned enterprises (SOE) and non‐SOEs on the innovation of Chinese environmentally polluting enterprises listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2007 to 2016. Our sample consists of 792 firms and 4587 firm‐year observations. There are several interesting findings. First, SOEs that are politically linked to the central government promote more innovation in general and more environmental innovation than SOEs without these links. Second, privately‐owned enterprises (non‐SOEs) with PCs promote less environmental innovation than non‐SOEs without PCs. Third, environmental regulation does not affect the environmental innovation of SOEs but it drives non‐SOEs with PCs to become more environmentally innovative. Our results enable us to better understand how PCs and regulations affect environmental innovation.
Fiscal Decentralization or Centralization: Diverging Paths of Chinese Cities
Authors: Yang Shiming 
Published: May 2019

AbstractIf fiscal decentralization promotes growth, why do some regions decentralize more than others? This article identifies the growing divergence of fiscal centralization among Chinese cities and explains it in a public finance framework. It argues that fiscal decentralization and its economy‐liberalizing effect entail significant short‐term fiscal risk. The more a locality relies on uncompetitive business ownership for fiscal revenue, the less likely fiscal decentralization is to occur. This article compiles a dataset of 20 provincial capitals between 1999 and 2016 to test for the connection between a city's tax base and its fiscal centralization level. It then pairs two “most similar” cities to trace how fiscal security concerns drove their fiscal and economic policies apart. This article adds a micro‐level perspective to the literature on fiscal federalism. By pointing out the fiscal constraints confronting local governments, it offers a new angle to understand the different growth paths of Chinese cities.
Endogenous Institutions and Economic Outcomes
Authors: Guerriero Carmine 
Published: May 2019

To evaluate the relative importance of a culture of cooperation and inclusive political institutions, I divide Europe into 120 km×120 km grid cells, and exploit the exogenous variation in both institutions created by medieval history. I document strong first‐stage relationships between present‐day norms of respect and trust and the severity of consumption risk—i.e. climate volatility—over the period 1000–1600 and between the inclusiveness of present‐day regional political institutions and the factors that raised the returns on elite‐citizenry investments—i.e. terrain ruggedness and direct access to the coast. Building on these first stages, I show that only culture has a first‐order effect on income, even after controlling for country fixed effects, proxies for the alternative roles of the excluded instruments, factors modulating the roles of institutions, and intermediate outcomes. Two possible explanations for these results are that more inclusive regional political institutions might have impeded, in the early modern era, state‐building and market integration, and that in modern representative democracies, they are irrelevant in easing the monitoring of politicians by voters when the latter are not morally compelled to punish political malfeasance or the former have weak civic virtues. Macro and micro evidence supports these ideas.
Diagnosis and management of transverse root fractures
Authors: Abbott Paul V. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundRoot fractures are not a common injury, but a thorough understanding of their etiology, healing responses, diagnosis, management, and prognosis is essential.ReviewThe prognosis is largely related to the patient’s age; degree of displacement, if any, of the coronal fragment; and the location and orientation of the fracture. The more apical the fracture is located, the better the prognosis. Teeth with root fractures located supracrestally may have the worst prognosis, but their management and outcome depend on many factors, with the most influential factor being the ability to restore the tooth because the coronal fragment usually needs to be removed. In contrast, root fractures located in the apical and middle thirds and those subcrestally in the coronal third of the root have a good prognosis and usually require little, if any, treatment apart from immediate repositioning (if the coronal fragment has been displaced) and stabilization. Monitoring of root‐fractured teeth over time is essential to determine the healing response and to assess whether the pulp survives or not. In some cases, the pulp in the coronal fragment may necrose and become infected, thus requiring root canal treatment, but this should only be done to the fracture line. Pulp necrosis and infection typically occur within the first 3‐4 months if it is a direct result of the trauma. However, pulp necrosis and infection can also occur many years later, in which case it is likely to be a result of bacterial penetration via cracks or breakdown of restorations.ConclusionOverall, root fractures should be managed conservatively unless they are located supracrestally.