bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A study of voice quality in obese Egyptian children
Authors: Abdel Hamid Asmaa , Soliman Hend , Abdelhalim Rasha 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background
Obesity is considered a health problem that affects many systems of the body among which the respiration and voice. The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of obesity in children on quality of their voice. Thirty obese children were included in this cross-sectional study and compared to 30 age- and sex-matched healthy children as a control group. Voice of cases and controls were assessed subjectively by auditory perceptual assessment and objectively by studying acoustic parameters using Computerized Speech Lab. Flexible laryngoscopy was done for cases with dysphonia.

Results
Dysphonia perceived in 60% of cases, voice analysis revealed increased jitter and noise to harmonic ratio with significant difference than controls.

Conclusion
The voice of children with morbid obesity reveals significant modifications pertaining to vocal characteristics in comparison to non-obese persons, so voice hygiene and voice therapy could be added to their therapy program as prophylactic or therapeutic management of voice disorder.
Radar imaging of fractures and voids behind the walls of an underground mine
Authors: Abbasi Baghbadorani Amin , Hole John A. , Baggett Jonathan , Ripepi Nino 
Published: May 2021

Two- and three-dimensional rock-penetrating-radar data were acquired on the wall of a pillar in an underground limestone mine. The objective was to test the ability of radar to image fractures and karst voids and to characterize their geometry, aperture, and fluid content, with the goal of mitigating mining hazards. Strong radar reflections in the field data correlate with fractures and a cave exposed on the pillar walls. Large pillar wall topography was included in the steep-dip Kirchhoff migration algorithm because standard elevation corrections are inaccurate. The depth-migrated 250 MHz radar images illuminate fractures, karst voids, and the far wall of the pillar up to approximately 25 m depth into the rock, with a spatial resolution of <0.5 m. Higher frequency radar improved the image resolution and aided in the interpretation, but at the cost of shallower depth of penetration and extra acquisition effort. Due to the strong contrast in physical properties between the rock and the fracture fluid, fractures with apertures as thin as a 50th of a radar wavelength were imaged. Water-filled fractures with mm-scale aperture and air-filled fractures with cm-scale apertures produce strong reflections at 250 MHz. A strong variation in the reflection amplitude along each fracture is interpreted to represent the variable fracture aperture and the nonplanar fracture structure. Fracture apertures were quantitatively measured, but distinguishing water from air-filled fractures was not possible due to the complex radar wavelet and fracture geometry. Two conjugate fracture sets were imaged. One of these fracture sets dominates the rock mass stability and water inrush challenges throughout the mine. All of the detected voids and a large cave are at the intersection of two fractures, indicating preferential water flow and dissolution along conjugate fracture intersections. Detecting, locating, and characterizing fractures and voids prior to excavation can enable miners to mitigate potential collapse and flood hazards before they occur.
Development and Evaluation of a Real-World Outcomes-Based Tool to Support Informed Clinical Decision Making in the Palliative Treatment of Patients With Metastatic NSCLC
Authors: Cramer-van der Welle Christine M. , Kastelijn Elisabeth A. , Plouvier Bram C. , van Uden-Kraan Cornelia F. , Schramel Franz M. N. H. , Groen Harry J. M. , van de Garde Ewoudt M. W. 
Published: May 2021

PURPOSE To develop and evaluate a tool for patients with stage IV non–small-cell lung cancer and their thoracic oncologists (TOs) that provides insight into real-world effectiveness of systemic treatments to support informed clinical decision making in the palliative setting. METHODS A participatory design approach was used to acquire insights from patients and TOs into preferences regarding the content and design of the web-based tool. Implementation was investigated by means of an adoption and usage rate. The appreciation of the tool was evaluated through a telephone survey with patients and a questionnaire for TOs. RESULTS From clinical data of 2,989 patients with stage IV non–small-cell lung cancer diagnosed in one of the Santeon hospitals, an interface was developed to show treatments plus both real-world outcomes and clinical trial results after selecting patient characteristics (patients like me). This prototype of the tool was finalized after discussion in a focus group with four TOs and semi-structured interviews with six patients. The tool was implemented and used by TOs in three of six Santeon hospitals (50% adoption rate). The tool was used in 48 patients (29% usage rate), of which 17 participated in the telephone survey. Ten TOs responded to the questionnaire. The responses varied from positive reactions on the clear overview of treatment outcomes to statements that the tool rarely changed treatment decisions. Overall, the majority of patients and TOs scored the tool as of added value (71% and 83%, respectively). CONCLUSION Our real-world data tool in metastatic lung cancer was appreciated in clinical practice by both patients and TOs. However, the efficacy of the implementation can be improved.
Individualized Molecular Profiling for Allocation to Clinical Trials Singapore Study—An Asian Tertiary Cancer Center Experience
Authors: Seet Amanda O. L. , Tan Aaron C. , Tan Tira J. , Ng Matthew C. H. , Tai David W. M. , Lam Justina Y. C. , Tan Gek San , Gogna Apoorva , Too Chow Wei , Tan Bien Soo , Takano Angela , Lim Alvin , Lim Tse Hui , Lim Soon Thye , Dent Rebecca Alexandra , Ang Mei Kim , Yap Yoon-Sim , Tan Iain B. H. , Choo Su Pin , Toh Chee Keong , Lim Elaine H. , Farid Mohamad , Skanderup Anders Jacobsen , Iyer N. Gopalakrishna , Lim Wan Teck , Tan Eng Huat , Lim Tony K. H. , Tan Daniel S. W. 
Published: May 2021

PURPOSE Precision oncology has transformed the management of advanced cancers through implementation of advanced molecular profiling technologies to identify increasingly defined subsets of patients and match them to appropriate therapy. We report outcomes of a prospective molecular profiling study in a high-volume Asian tertiary cancer center. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced cancer were enrolled onto a prospective protocol for genomic profiling, the Individualized Molecular Profiling for Allocation to Clinical Trials Singapore study, at the National Cancer Center Singapore. Primary objective was to identify molecular biomarkers in patient's tumors for allocation to clinical trials. The study commenced in February 2012 and is ongoing, with the results of all patients who underwent multiplex next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing until December 2018 presented here. The results were discussed at a molecular tumor board where recommendations for allocation to biomarker-directed trials or targeted therapies were made. RESULTS One thousand fifteen patients were enrolled with a median age of 58 years (range 20-83 years). Most common tumor types were lung adenocarcinoma (26%), colorectal cancer (15%), and breast cancer (12%). A total of 1,064 NGS assays were performed, on fresh tumor tissue for 369 (35%) and archival tumor tissue for 687 (65%) assays. TP53 (39%) alterations were most common, followed by EGFR (21%), KRAS (14%), and PIK3CA (10%). Of 405 NGS assays with potentially actionable alterations, 111 (27%) were allocated to a clinical trial after molecular tumor board and 20 (4.9%) were enrolled on a molecularly matched clinical trial. Gene fusions were detected in 23 of 311 (7%) patients tested, including rare fusions in new tumor types and known fusions in rare tumors. CONCLUSION Individualized Molecular Profiling for Allocation to Clinical Trials Singapore demonstrates the feasibility of a prospective broad molecular profiling program in an Asian tertiary cancer center, with the ability to develop and adapt to a dynamic landscape of precision oncology.
Supervised topic modeling for predicting molecular substructure from mass spectrometry
Authors: Reder Gabriel K. , Young Adamo , Altosaar Jaan , Rajniak Jakub , Elhadad Noémie , Fischbach Michael , Holmes Susan 
Published: May 2021

Small-molecule metabolites are principal actors in myriad phenomena across biochemistry and serve as an important source of biomarkers and drug candidates. Given a sample of unknown composition, identifying the metabolites present is difficult given the large number of small molecules both known and yet to be discovered. Even for biofluids such as human blood, building reliable ways of identifying biomarkers is challenging. A workhorse method for characterizing individual molecules in such untargeted metabolomics studies is tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). MS/MS spectra provide rich information about chemical composition. However, structural characterization from spectra corresponding to unknown molecules remains a bottleneck in metabolomics. Current methods often rely on matching to pre-existing databases in one form or another. Here we develop a preprocessing scheme and supervised topic modeling approach to identify modular groups of spectrum fragments and neutral losses corresponding to chemical substructures using labeled latent Dirichlet allocation (LLDA) to map spectrum features to known chemical structures. These structures appear in new unknown spectra and can be predicted. We find that LLDA is an interpretable and reliable method for structure prediction from MS/MS spectra. Specifically, the LLDA approach has the following advantages: (a) molecular topics are interpretable; (b) A practitioner can select any set of chemical structure labels relevant to their problem; (c ) LLDA performs well and can exceed the performance of other methods in predicting substructures in novel contexts.
The effect of women’s bargaining power within couples on contraceptive use in Cameroon
Authors: Tchakounté Tchuimi Dimitri , Kamga Benjamin Fomba 
Published: May 2021

Background: The prevalence of contraception among married women, evaluated at 23%, is low in Cameroon. Maternal death rates, estimated at 782 deaths per 100,000 live births, are very worrying. The National Strategic Plan for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (2015-2020) and the Health Sector Strategy (2016-2027) focuses on increasing modern contraceptive prevalence as a means to reduce maternal death. This paper identifies women’s bargaining power as a factor that may stimulate contraceptive use. The objective of this study is to analyze the association between women's bargaining power within couples and modern contraceptive use. Methods: The data used come from the fifth Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2018. Women’s bargaining power within couple is measured by a Woman Bargaining Power Composite Index (WBPCI) built through a multiple correspondence analysis. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between WBPCI and modern contraceptive use. Results: The results of the descriptive statistics show that women's bargaining power is higher among women who use contraception than for those who do not. The results of the logistic regression model show that an increase of WBPCI was significantly associated with higher chances of using a modern contraceptive method (OR = 1.352; 95% CI: 1.257, 1.454; p <0.01). The education of women is also a key determinant since educated women were at least two times more likely to use a modern contraceptive method than uneducated women. Conclusions: To reduce high maternal death rates in Cameroon, public health policies should not only focus on the health system itself, but should also focus on social policies to empower women in the household.
A systematic review of intracavernosal injection of mesenchymal stem cells for diabetic erectile dysfunction
Authors: Irdam Gampo Alam , Febriyani  , Rasyid Nur , Taher Akmal 
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND As current erectile dysfunction (ED) treatments are limited, other treatment such as stem cells should be explored. Hence, this study aimed to review the sources, method of administration, and therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for diabetic ED treatment.
METHODS All relevant articles regarding the use of MSCs for diabetic ED were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar databases from December 15, 2019 to January 1, 2020 published in the past 10 years. The keywords were “mesenchymal stem cells” and “diabetic ED”. The selection and critical appraisal of the studies were discussed. Diabetic ED was evaluated for functional and structural outcome. Functional outcome in animal studies was assessed by intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressure (ICP/MAP) ratio, meanwhile the structural outcome was done microscopically. In human study, the assessments were done using international index of erectile function score (IIEF-5) to erection hardness score and penile Doppler ultrasonography.
RESULTS There were 10 animal studies and 3 human studies. The studies used MSCs from adipose (n = 6), bone marrow (n = 4), placenta (n = 1), umbilical cord (n = 1), and muscle tissue (n = 1). The MSCs were administrated through intracavernosal injection in all studies. In all animal studies, functional outcome was improved, shown in higher ICP/MAP ratio. Microscopically, there were an increase of cavernosal endothelial cells, vascular endothelial growth factor, nitric oxide synthase, and smooth muscle cells. In human studies, IIEF-5 and erection hardness score were improved. Peak systolic velocity was also higher.
CONCLUSIONS MSCs may be a promising therapy for diabetic ED; however, long-term safety concerns still need further investigations.
Intercomparison of indoor and outdoor spectral irradiance measurements between INTI and INMETRO
Authors: Ferreira da Silva Thiago , Babaro Juan Pablo , Zinzallari Alberto , Jesiotr Valeria 
Published: May 2021

We report methodology and results for indoor and outdoor
intercomparison of spectral irradiance measurements by Argentinian and
Brazilian national metrology institutes traced to metrological
standards following independent traceability chains. A group of
standard lamps, measured between 250 and 1100 nm using characterized
spectroradiometers and calibrated reference standards, resulted in a
bilateral degree of equivalence (DoE) better than 0.5% in visible,
0.75% in infrared, and 3.7% in ultraviolet (UV), all within
calibration uncertainties. Simultaneous measurement of UV solar
spectral irradiance with both spectroradiometers traced to the same
reference lamp resulted in DoE better than 5.4% and 5.9% (within
uncertainties) for global and diffuse incidence in the UVA range.
Total UV solar irradiance computed from integration over spectral
measurements agrees within the criterion of normalized error smaller
than one.
Enhancing parameter design for full-aperture rapid planar polishing based on fuzzy optimization
Authors: Cao Mingchen , Zhao Huiying , Xie Ruiqing , Zhao Shijie , Zhao Lingyu , Bai Jinfeng 
Published: May 2021

Full-aperture rapid planar polishing (RPP) has been widely used in optics manufacturing for high-power laser systems. A new, to the best of our knowledge, fuzzy optimization method was presented to assess the precision and productivity of RPP. Unlike the traditional method that can only set one objective, the proposed method can combine different objectives for RPP into one overall indicator. The material removal rate, material removal uniformity, and synthetical fuzzy indicator of RPP (SFIRPP) were selected as the objectives to prove the validity of fuzzy optimization. The rotational speed of optics, polishing pressure, and swing speed were set as the optimized parameters. The orthogonal design was introduced to simplify the operations of experiments. A semi-gamma distribution was used to fit the curve of SFIRPP. The experimental results indicated that the optimized parameters under SFIRPP obtained better manufacturing precision and productivity for flat optics simultaneously. The proposed fuzzy optimization provides the potential for enhancing the optimal parameters of RPP.
Real-life implementation of a G6PD deficiency screening qualitative test into routine vivax malaria diagnostic units in the Brazilian Amazon (SAFEPRIM study)
Authors: Brito-Sousa Jose Diego , Murta Felipe , Vitor-Silva Sheila , Sampaio Vanderson S. , Mendes Maxwell O. , Brito Marcelo A. M. , Batista Talita S. B. , Santos Alicia P. C. , Marques Leonardo L. G. , Barbosa Laila R. A. , Melo Marly M. , Baia-da-Silva Djane C. , Silva-Neto Alexandre V. , Santos Thalie C. , Souza Brenda K. A. , Figueiredo Erick F. G. , Silva Emanuelle L. , Rodovalho Sheila , Nakagawa Theresa H. , Arcanjo Ana Ruth , Siqueira André M. , Melo Gisely C. , Recht Judith , Domingo Gonzalo J. , Bassat Quique , Bancone Germana , Monteiro Wuelton M. , Lacerda Marcus V. G. 
Published: May 2021

Background
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency greatly hinders Plasmodium vivax malaria radical cure and further elimination due to 8-aminoquinolines-associated hemolysis. Although the deleterious health effects of primaquine in G6PD deficient individuals have been known for over 50 years, G6PD testing is not routinely performed before primaquine treatment in most P. vivax endemic areas.

Method/Principal findings
The qualitative CareStart G6PD screening test was implemented in 12 malaria treatment units (MTUs) in the municipality of Rio Preto da Eva, Western Brazilian Amazon, a malaria endemic area, between February 2019 and early January 2020. Training materials were developed and validated; evaluations were conducted on the effectiveness of training health care professionals (HCPs) to perform the test, the interpretation and reliability of routine testing performed by HCPs, and perceptions of HCPs and patients. Most HCPs were unaware of G6PD deficiency and primaquine-related adverse effects. Most of 110 HCPs trained (86/110, 78%) were able to correctly perform the G6PD test after a single 4-hour training session. The test performed by HCPs during implementation showed 100.0% (4/4) sensitivity and 68.1% (62/91) specificity in identifying G6PD deficient patients as compared to a point-of-care quantitative test (Standard G6PD).

Conclusions/Significance
G6PD screening using the qualitative CareStart G6PD test performed by HCPs in MTUs of an endemic area showed high sensitivity and concerning low specificity. The amount of false G6PD deficiency detected led to substantial loss of opportunities for radical cure.
Effect of an inverted seated position with upper arm blood flow restriction on measures of elbow flexors neuromuscular performance
Authors: Ahmadi Hamid , Herat Nehara , Alizadeh Shahab , Button Duane C. , Granacher Urs , Behm David G. 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The objective of the investigation was to determine the concomitant effects of upper arm blood flow restriction (BFR) and inversion on elbow flexors neuromuscular responses.

Methods
Randomly allocated, 13 volunteers performed four conditions in a within-subject design: rest (control, 1-min upright position without BFR), control (1-min upright with BFR), 1-min inverted (without BFR), and 1-min inverted with BFR. Evoked and voluntary contractile properties, before, during and after a 30-s maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) exercise intervention were examined as well as pain scale.

Results
Inversion induced significant pre-exercise intervention decreases in elbow flexors MVC (21.1%, ηp2 = 0.48, p = 0.02) and resting evoked twitch forces (29.4%, ηp2 = 0.34, p = 0.03). The 30-s MVC induced significantly greater pre- to post-test decreases in potentiated twitch force (ηp2 = 0.61, p = 0.0009) during inversion (↓75%) than upright (↓65.3%) conditions. Overall, BFR decreased MVC force 4.8% (ηp2 = 0.37, p = 0.05). For upright position, BFR induced 21.0% reductions in M-wave amplitude (ηp2 = 0.44, p = 0.04). There were no significant differences for electromyographic activity or voluntary activation as measured with the interpolated twitch technique. For all conditions, there was a significant increase in pain scale between the 40–60 s intervals and post-30-s MVC (upright<inversion, and without BFR<BFR).

Conclusion
The concomitant application of inversion with elbow flexors BFR only amplified neuromuscular performance impairments to a small degree. Individuals who execute forceful contractions when inverted or with BFR should be cognizant that force output may be impaired.
Evaluating clinical characteristics studies produced early in the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review
Authors: Manoharan Lakshmi , Cattrall Jonathan W. S. , Harris Carlyn , Newell Katherine , Thomson Blake , Pritchard Mark G. , Bannister Peter G. , Sigfrid Louise , Solomon Tom , Horby Peter W. , Carson Gail , Olliaro Piero 
Published: May 2021

ObjectivesClinical characterisation studies have been essential in helping inform research, diagnosis and clinical management efforts, particularly early in a pandemic. This systematic review summarises the early literature on clinical characteristics of patients admitted to hospital, and evaluates the quality of evidence produced during the initial stages of the pandemic.MethodsMEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health databases were searched for studies published from January 1st2020 to April 28th2020. Studies which reported on at least 100 hospitalised patients with Covid-19 of any age were included. Data on clinical characteristics were independently extracted by two review authors. Study design specific critical appraisal tools were used to evaluate included studies: the Newcastle Ottawa scale for cohort and cross sectional studies, Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for case series and the Cochrane collaboration tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials.ResultsThe search yielded 78 studies presenting data on 77,443 people. Most studies (82%) were conducted in China. No studies included patients from low- and middle-income countries. The overall quality of included studies was low to moderate, and the majority of studies did not include a control group. Fever and cough were the most commonly reported symptoms early in the pandemic. Laboratory and imaging findings were diverse with lymphocytopenia and ground glass opacities the most common findings respectively. Clinical data in children and vulnerable populations were limited.ConclusionsThe early Covid-19 literature had moderate to high risk of bias and presented several methodological issues. Early clinical characterisation studies should aim to include different at-risk populations, including patients in non-hospital settings. Pandemic preparedness requires collection tools to ensure observational studies are methodologically robust and will help produce high-quality data early on in the pandemic to guide clinical practice and public health policy.Review registrationAvailable athttps://osf.io/mpafn