bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge, attitude and practice of Ethiopian pediatricians concerning childhood eye diseases
Authors: Regassa Tolosa Tufa , Daba Kumale Tolesa , Fabian Ido Didi , Mengasha Aemero Abateneh 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Eye examination and vision assessment are vital for the detection of conditions that result in blindness. Childhood blindness seriously impacts the development, education, and future employment opportunities of affected children. Pediatricians’ knowledge of eye diseases is critical for the prevention of blindness through early diagnosis, allowing proper treatment and identification of conditions requiring referral to an ophthalmologist to preserve or restore vision. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Ethiopian pediatricians concerning childhood eye diseases.

Methods
We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study of pediatricians working in various hospitals and clinics in Ethiopia. Participants were selected via a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using both closed and open-ended semi-structured questionnaires. Responses were entered into EpiData 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 21.0 software for analysis.

Results
A total of 79 pediatricians participated in the study. Our findings showed that the attitude of all but 2 participants towards improving the management of childhood eye diseases was positive, even though this was not reflected in actual knowledge or practice. Even though attitudes were positive, knowledge was often poor and practice inadequate owing to barriers such as inadequate undergraduate training, lack of ophthalmology options during pediatric residency, and unavailability of ophthalmic equipment.

Conclusions
Participants’ attitudes towards improving treatment for childhood eye diseases are positive, but their insufficient knowledge of eye diseases makes their practice poor in this respect.
Combined effects of landscape composition and pesticide use on herbivore and pollinator functions in smallholder farms
Authors: Struelens Quentin , Mina Diego , Dangles Olivier 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background
Landscape composition has the potential to foster regulating ecosystem services such as pollination and biocontrol in temperate regions. However, most landscape studies do not take pesticide use into account even though it is the main control strategy worldwide and has negative impacts on beneficial insects. Moreover, few studies have explored these combined effects in smallholder cropping system with diverse landscapes and small cultivated fields.

Methods
We assessed the effect of semi-natural cover and pesticide use on pollinator and herbivore abundances and functions in 9 fields in the Ecuadorian Andes through participatory experiments with smallholder farmers. We performed a path analysis to quantify the effects of landscape and pesticide use on herbivory, pollination and ultimately yield.

Results
Pesticide use significantly reduced pollinator abundance but had no significant effect on pest abundance. Similarly, we found non-significant effects of landscape composition on either herbivory and pollination. The study also provides new information on understudied Andean lupine’s pests and pollinators, whose application for small farmers is discussed. Finally, we hypothesize that peculiarities of tropical smallholder cropping systems and landscapes could explain the non-significant landscape effects on insect-based processes, which calls for more research in places outside the well-studied temperate region.

Conclusions
Landscape composition did not show any significant effect on pest and pollinator while pesticide use decreased the abundance pollinators, but with no significant effect on yield. This study also provides information about Andean lupine reproduction and overcompensation mechanisms that could be of interest for local farmers and researchers of this understudied crop.
The Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Knockout Mouse as a Tool to Probe the In Vivo Actions of Gonadotropic Hormones/Receptors in Females
Authors: Jonas Kim Carol , Rivero Müller Adolfo , Oduwole Olayiwola , Peltoketo Hellevi , Huhtaniemi Ilpo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMouse models with altered gonadotropin functions have provided invaluable insight into the functions of these hormones/receptors. Here we describe the repurposing of the infertile and hypogonadal luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) knockout mouse model (LuRKO), to address outstanding questions in reproductive physiology. Using crossbreeding strategies and physiological and histological analyses, we first addressed the physiological relevance of forced LHR homomerization in female mice using BAC expression of 2 ligand-binding and signaling deficient mutant LHR, respectively, that have previously shown to undergo functional complementation and rescue the hypogonadal phenotype of male LuRKO mice. In female LuRKO mice, coexpression of signaling and binding deficient LHR mutants failed to rescue the hypogonadal and anovulatory phenotype. This was apparently due to the low-level expression of the 2 mutant LHR and potential lack of luteinizing hormone (LH)/LHR-dependent pleiotropic signaling that has previously been shown at high receptor densities to be essential for ovulation. Next, we utilized a mouse model overexpressing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) with increased circulating “LH/hCG”-like bioactivity to ~40 fold higher than WT females, to determine if high circulating hCG in the LuRKO background could reveal putative LHR-independent actions. No effects were found, thus, suggesting that LH/hCG mediate their gonadal and non-gonadal effects solely via LHR. Finally, targeted expression of a constitutively active follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) progressed antral follicles to preovulatory follicles and displayed phenotypic markers of enhanced estrogenic activity but failed to induce ovulation in LuRKO mice. This study highlights the critical importance and precise control of functional LHR and FSHR for mediating ovarian functions and of the potential repurposing of existing genetically modified mouse models in answering outstanding questions in reproductive physiology.
Black-White Differences in Pregnancy Desire During the Transition to Adulthood
Authors: Barber Jennifer S. , Guzzo Karen Benjamin , Budnick Jamie , Kusunoki Yasamin , Hayford Sarah R. , Miller Warren 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis article explores race differences in the desire to avoid pregnancy or become pregnant using survey data from a random sample of 914 young women (ages 18–22) living in a Michigan county and semi-structured interviews with a subsample of 60 of the women. In the survey data, desire for pregnancy, indifference, and ambivalence are very rare but are more prevalent among Black women than White women. In the semi-structured interviews, although few women described fatalistic beliefs or lack of planning for future pregnancies, Black and White women did so equally often. Women more often described fatalistic beliefs and lack of planning when retrospectively describing their past than when prospectively describing their future. Using the survey data to compare prospective desires for a future pregnancy with women's recollections of those desires after they conceived, more Black women shifted positive than shifted negative, and Black women were more likely to shift positive than White women—that is, Black women do not differentially retrospectively overreport prospectively desired pregnancies as having been undesired before conception. Young women's consistent (over repeated interviews) prospective expression of strong desire to avoid pregnancy and correspondingly weak desire for pregnancy, along with the similarity of Black and White women's pregnancy plans, lead us to conclude that a “planning paradigm”—in which young women are encouraged and supported in implementing their pregnancy desires—is probably appropriate for the vast majority of young women and, most importantly, is similarly appropriate for Black and White young women.
Salivary biomarkers associated with the progression of disease in people living with HIV: A scoping review
Authors: Prasad Priyanka , D’Souza Viola , Mithra Prasanna , Radhakrishnan Raghu 
Published: February 2021

Background: Biomarkers are measurable indicators of normal biological processes, which provide an objective assessment of the physiologic state of living systems. Saliva contains several biomarkers that serve as a diagnostic tool in health and disease. Evaluation of a multitude of salivary components could potentially predict the clinical outcome. This is especially critical in a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Scrupulous evaluation of relevant biomarkers could facilitate the early detection of HIV, determine the stage of infection and monitor the disease progression. Currently, there is a paucity of validated biomarkers in saliva predicting the disease progression in people living with HIV. In this scoping review, we aim to provide an overview of the available evidence on salivary markers associated with the progression of disease in people living with HIV. Methods: The authors shall develop a tailored search strategy for each database using relevant keywords. We will search for eligible studies indexed in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and gray literature. We will restrict the search to studies published in the English language. Following deduplication, all search results will be exported to the EPPI reviewer web, where two independent reviewers using a data extraction tool developed and pretested by the review authors will screen eligible studies. The result of this review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and reporting guidelines. Discussion: The proposed scoping review protocol will enable the identification and assessment of salivary biomarkers, which can predict disease progression in patients with HIV infection. The synthesis of evidence from this review will assist in improving our current understanding of biomarkers used to evaluate the progression of HIV infection.
Embedded optical fiber link interferometer sensors for snapshot surface inspection using the synthetic wavelength technique
Authors: Hassan Mothana A. , Al-Nedawe Basman M. , Fakhri Makram A. 
Published: February 2021

Free-space optical measurement systems can have a direct impact on evaluation systems operational in propagation paths. During propagation via optical fibers, light suffers scattering or interference, causing some output signal loss with an uncertainty outcome. Therefore, this study aims to explore the instant decisions related to the use of single- and multi-mode fiber optics and how they affect the gathering of data from high-speed optical measurement instrument links. The study also seeks to address a number of design methodology aspects and the empirical outcomes related to a surface topography measurement sensor based on fiber optics capable of surface roughness or step-height measurement. The study suggests that the Fourier transform profilometry method (FTP) can overcome the disadvantages of optical metrology sensors (e.g., bulkiness, challenging set-up, high costs, and low speed). However, despite eliminating vertical height problems, the Fourier transform profilometry (FTP) did have some shortcomings for every outcome related to core variables, including the dispersive optical fiber link sensor. The synthetic wavelength method enabled the dispersive optical fiber link sensor to calculate the vertical step height of the selected sample (1 µm). There was improved step-height repeatability, with satisfactory from 20 to 18 nm outcome improvement range. Additional investigations are necessary to establish the compatibility of single- or multi-mode optical fiber sensors with particular instruments, especially those currently preferred for embedded metrology applications.
Mid-infrared polarization rotator based on a Si3N4-CaF2 hybrid plasmonic waveguide with asymmetric metal claddings
Authors: Wang Fang , Chen Yake , Ma Tao , Liu Heng , Wang Xu , Jin Chan 
Published: February 2021

In this paper, a

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hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW) with an asymmetric metal cladding is designed for the mid-infrared polarization rotator (PR). The mode characteristics and polarization rotation performances of the

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HPW-based PR are simulated by using the finite element method. Operating at the wavelength of 3.5 µm, the polarization conversion efficiency between two polarization modes (PM 1 and PM 2) is larger than 99% at a

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HPW length of 104 µm. The

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HPW-based PR maintains good polarization rotation performances within fabrication tolerances from

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to 10 nm. The polarization rotator based on the

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HPW paves the way to achieve integrated waveplates, driving many important optical functions from free space onto a chip.
Modeling, optimization, and validation of an extended-depth-of-field optical coherence tomography probe based on a mirror tunnel
Authors: Okoro Chukwuemeka , Cunningham Charles R. , Baillargeon Aaron R. , Wartak Andreas , Tearney Guillermo J. 
Published: February 2021

The diagnostic capability of high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be enhanced by using extended depth-of-field (EDOF) imaging that retains high transverse resolution over long depths. A recently developed mirror-tunnel optical probe design (single-mode fiber to multimode fiber to lens structure) that generates coaxially focused modes has been previously shown to enable EDOF for endoscopic OCT applications. Here, we present ray-tracing optical modeling of this optical configuration, which has the potential to guide performance improvement through optimization. The Huygens wave propagation of the field was traced through probe components with initial lengths. The irradiance along the

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plane was analyzed, yielding an average full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 9 µm over a 640 µm DOF (defined as the axial range over which the beam’s transverse FWHM is maintained). A custom merit function was then defined, based on the focal region illumination intensity profile that yielded the maximum possible depth having a constrained FWHM size. An orthogonal gradient descent optimization algorithm was then applied using this merit function, using the multimode fiber, spacer, and lens lengths as variables. Optimization resulted in a modeled mean 6 µm FWHM spot diameter over an EDOF of 1 mm. Following optimization, a probe was fabricated, and was validated using a custom-built near-field scanning pinhole beam profiler. The experimental results (6 µm mean FWHM over 800 µm EDOF) showed reasonable correspondence to the simulated predictions, demonstrating the potential utility of optical modeling and optimization for improving EDOF performance in mirror-tunnel endoscopic OCT probes.
Extraplexus versus intraplexus ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block for ambulatory arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Harbell Monica W. , Kolodzie Kerstin , Behrends Matthias , Ma C. Benjamin , Kinjo Sakura , Yap Edward , Braehler Matthias R. , Aleshi Pedram 
Published: February 2021

Background
This randomized study compared the efficacy and safety of extraplexus and intraplexus injection of local anesthetic for interscalene brachial plexus block.

Methods
208 ASA I-II patients scheduled for elective shoulder arthroscopy under general anesthesia and ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block were randomly allocated to receive an injection of 25mL ropivacaine 0.5% either between C5-C6 nerve roots (intraplexus), or anterior and posterior to the brachial plexus into the plane between the perineural sheath and scalene muscles (extraplexus). The primary outcome was time to loss of shoulder abduction. Secondary outcomes included block duration, perioperative opioid consumption, pain scores, block performance time, number of needle passes, onset of sensory blockade, paresthesia, recovery room length of stay, patient satisfaction, incidence of Horner’s syndrome, dyspnea, hoarseness, and post-operative nausea and vomiting.

Results
Time to loss of shoulder abduction was faster in the intraplexus group (log-rank p-value<0.0005; median [interquartile range]: 4 min [2–6] vs. 6 min [4–10]; p-value <0.0005). Although the intraplexus group required fewer needle passes (2 vs. 3, p<0.0005), it resulted in more transient paresthesia (35.9% vs. 14.5%, p = 0.0004) with no difference in any other secondary outcome.

Conclusion
The intraplexus approach to the interscalene brachial plexus block results in a faster onset of motor block, as well as sensory block. Both intraplexus and extraplexus approaches to interscalene brachial plexus block provide effective analgesia. Given the increased incidence of paresthesia with an intraplexus approach, an extraplexus approach to interscalene brachial plexus block is likely a more appropriate choice.
A machine learning approach to identify distinct subgroups of veterans at risk for hospitalization or death using administrative and electronic health record data
Authors: Parikh Ravi B. , Linn Kristin A. , Yan Jiali , Maciejewski Matthew L. , Rosland Ann-Marie , Volpp Kevin G. , Groeneveld Peter W. , Navathe Amol S. 
Published: February 2021

Background
Identifying individuals at risk for future hospitalization or death has been a major priority of population health management strategies. High-risk individuals are a heterogeneous group, and existing studies describing heterogeneity in high-risk individuals have been limited by data focused on clinical comorbidities and not socioeconomic or behavioral factors. We used machine learning clustering methods and linked comorbidity-based, sociodemographic, and psychobehavioral data to identify subgroups of high-risk Veterans and study long-term outcomes, hypothesizing that factors other than comorbidities would characterize several subgroups.

Methods and findings
In this cross-sectional study, we used data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse, a national repository of VA administrative claims and electronic health data. To identify high-risk Veterans, we used the Care Assessment Needs (CAN) score, a routinely-used VA model that predicts a patient’s percentile risk of hospitalization or death at one year. Our study population consisted of 110,000 Veterans who were randomly sampled from 1,920,436 Veterans with a CAN score≥75th percentile in 2014. We categorized patient-level data into 119 independent variables based on demographics, comorbidities, pharmacy, vital signs, laboratories, and prior utilization. We used a previously validated density-based clustering algorithm to identify 30 subgroups of high-risk Veterans ranging in size from 50 to 2,446 patients. Mean CAN score ranged from 72.4 to 90.3 among subgroups. Two-year mortality ranged from 0.9% to 45.6% and was highest in the home-based care and metastatic cancer subgroups. Mean inpatient days ranged from 1.4 to 30.5 and were highest in the post-surgery and blood loss anemia subgroups. Mean emergency room visits ranged from 1.0 to 4.3 and were highest in the chronic sedative use and polysubstance use with amphetamine predominance subgroups. Five subgroups were distinguished by psychobehavioral factors and four subgroups were distinguished by sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions
High-risk Veterans are a heterogeneous population consisting of multiple distinct subgroups–many of which are not defined by clinical comorbidities–with distinct utilization and outcome patterns. To our knowledge, this represents the largest application of ML clustering methods to subgroup a high-risk population. Further study is needed to determine whether distinct subgroups may benefit from individualized interventions.
Policy Role in Innovation Network: Case of Indonesian food processing firms
Authors: Aminullah Erman , Hermawati Wati , Fizzanty Trina , Laili Nur 
Published: February 2021

<p>The objective of the study is to reveal factors that are internal and external to firms that affect the use of network relations for innovation, with a focus on mapping the policy role in innovation networks. The study was undertaken through case analysis in four different firms. The study found that the number of actors in network relations affects upgrading of value of a good or service. The upgrading is activated by learning events, which are related to organizational changes, namely, refocusing on the core business, restructuring the internal organization, undertaking management change, and applying responsive management practices. The specific policy role in stimulating the network effect for innovation are: (i) government facilities for the ease of doing business by continuing to reduce bureaucratic processes to regulate standard requirements, (ii) strengthening government agencies–industry relations by establishing promotion of representatives of Indonesian food products overseas, (iii) government brokerage and matching services for global trading by arranging trade fairs, business seminars, or supporting modern information technologies, and (iv) government relaxation on import restriction to maintain a stable supply of raw materials for food processing. The substantive contribution of this scientific study is the provision of the concept of policy role in innovation networks viewed from the sectoral system of innovation.<strong></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong><em>innovation network, policy role, organizational change, upgrading, sectoral system of innovation</em></p>
Analysis of IP Valuation on Technology Food Processing as Strategy Business in New Product Development
Authors: Nasution Syukri Yusuf , Isnasari Yovita 
Published: February 2021

<p class="Abstract"><em>Valuation IP of IDS000001555 analysed the economic impact and to measure the financial benefits of the asset if implemented in a business. This patent is about technology that used to produce of Mangosteen peel nano-tea. This technology is to product nano particle with ball-mill method. This research used qualitative and quantitative methods with description analysis. By using the qualitative method, this research focused on scoring of the IP in a several aspects, while the quantitative method conducted by income approach used the Discounted Cash Flow method. The qualitative method showed the technology IDS000001555 had a high opportunity and low risk value. This patent also has the best marketing strategy by a licensing agreement. However, the quantitative method showed the technology IDS000001555 had 6.1% for royalty rate with value of NPV (Net Present Value) Rp 605,227,434. It was estimated that this patent will generate the turnover of about Rp 617,000,000 for 10 years of useful economic life.</em></p><p><em>Keywords: valuation IP, economic impact, qualitative and quantitative methods, royalty rate, turnover</em></p><p class="Abstract"><br /><br /></p>