bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global Ranking of COVID-19-Related Mortality by Country using a Novel Pandemic Efficiency Index (PEI)
Authors: Salihu Hamisu M. , Dongarwar Deepa , Aliyu Muktar H. , Azuine Romuladus E. 
Published: April 2020

The world is currently witnessing a dramatic disruption of everyday life owing to the rapid progression of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As the pandemic evolves, there is an urgent need to better understand its epidemiology, characterize its potential impact, and identify mitigatory strategies to avert pandemic-related mortality. There is a need for a tool or algorithm to evaluate the extent to which public health policy and/or economic preparedness measures are effectively averting COVID-19 related mortality. We present a simple and yet practical epidemiological tool, the Pandemic Efficiency Index (PEI), that can be utilized globally to test the relative efficiency of measures put in place to avert death resulting from COVID-19 infection. Using the PEI and current COVID-19-related mortality, we determined that so far Germany demonstrates the highest PEI (5.1) among countries with more than 5,000 recorded cases of the infection, indicating high quality measures instituted by the country to avert death during the pandemic. Italy and France currently have the lowest COVID-19-related PEIs. Epidemics and pandemics come and go, but local, national, and global abilities to determine the efficiency of their efforts in averting deaths is critical.
Key words: • COVID-19 • Pandemic Efficiency Index • PEI • Coronavirus • Mortality • Pandemic • Epidemic • Global health

Copyright © 2020 Salihu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Brief: Development of the Electronic Journal of Petroleum Engineering
Authors: Barnett A. A. , Russell J. E. 
Published: April 2020

Summary
A new electronic petroleum engineering journal with on-line submission, review, and distribution is being developed to provide an additional and needed outlet for technological developments. The primary objective of this journal is to provide a medium for rapid exchange of up-to-date advances in petroleum engineering. The Electronic Journal of Petroleum Engineering (E-JPE) will take substantially less time to publish because it will decrease the time required by traditional reviewing, printing, and distributing processes and will allow more widespread participation by international reviewers. E-JPE will be developed in phases to "debug" the process and to increase distribution and participation. Papers will not be subjected to the size constraints associated with some hard-copy publications and will not be limited to a fixed number of yearly volumes. Publication costs will be lower than for traditional hard-copy journals because printing and mailing are· eliminated. E-JPE can provide a more efficient avenue for exchange of ideas among authors, editors, and readers through electronic networking systems. The journal will put the petroleum engineering industry at the forefront of technical publishing and pave the way into the next century.

Introduction
For many years, SPE journals have been the primary outlet for petroleum engineering technology developed through fundamental research at universities and research laboratories. Over the last few years, SPE journals have expanded coverage of the international oil and gas community and increased their emphasis on case studies and practical applications of emerging technology. SPE has been forced to limit the number of full papers published annually (about 240) to control growing costs of maintaining traditional, peer-reviewed technical journals. These circumstances have limited academic and research community opportunities to publish developments arising from fundamental research. The Assn. of U.S. Petroleum Engineering Dept. Heads is developing E-JP E as a service to the profession and to provide an additional outlet for peer-reviewed publications for researchers and practitioners.
The IT in Your Future
Authors: Baksi William F. 
Published: April 2020

Published in Oil & Gas Executive, Volume 1, Number 1, 1998, pp. 24-29.
The challenges confronting every E&P operating company are the same: increasing productivity, managing risk, and making sound business decisions at every operational level. To succeed in a climate of increasing global competitiveness, E&P divisions of top upstream petroleum companies are challenging themselves to double productivity every 3 to 5 years. The challenge is not easy. Technology has played a dominant role in the productivity gains of the last decade, but technology alone will not be enough to reach the new goals. Increased levels of productivity, in both operational and financial performance, will require significant changes in process and culture as well as leveraging emerging technologies. The focus of change for top performers will be on how they capture, manage, and use information and knowledge.
This new focus on knowledge reflects a broad cultural shift in the constantly evolving upstream petroleum business. It manifests itself in what E&P companies consider core competencies and how they manage their people and operations. A corporate culture is pervasive and influences both decision process and operating style.
A historical review of the petroleum E&P business helps to put this in perspective. The following historical perspective is summarized from "The Emerging Knowledge Culture in Upstream Petroleum companies," (J. Kennell, September 1997 World Oil E&P Information Management Conference, Houston).
A broad overview of upstream petroleum business over the past 50 years shows three distinct cultural eras, with the industry just now entering a fourth cultural era:The post-World War II to 1972 period can be characterized as asset centered.The OPEC-sponsored boom era of 1973-85 was characterized by price euphoria.The post-boom era of 1986 through the middle to late 1990's was corporate-capabilities centered.The emerging culture for the top performing companies is characterized by knowledge management.
From World War II to 1972, each oil company depended on its own unique assets - its crown jewels, so to speak. Later, from 1973 to 1985, the industry was dominated by the "price euphoria" of the OPEC-driven era. Since 1986, oil companies centered on more sophisticated development of their core competencies.
Economics of Producing and Refining Russian Oil
Authors: Smith James L. 
Published: April 2020

Published in Oil & Gas Executive, Volume 1, Number 2, 1998, pages 40-44.
Although the raw resource potential in Russia is attractive, the upstream investment climate is chilly. This is largely a result of onerous taxation and export barriers that trap Russian crude in a domestic market where the internal oil price is lower than the world market.
Russia's decision to sell its oil abroad or at home is complicated by several factors. First is the differential tax treatment for exports [exemption from value-added tax (VAT), but higher export and transport tariffs]. Second is the creditworthiness of customers. These two factors tend to favor export sales to the world market. Bottlenecks in the pipeline system and export terminals, however, have effectively put a lid on sales abroad, trapping the residual quantities of Russian crude oil in the domestic market.

Impact of Taxation
Taxation that, for the most part, exceeds the industry's ability to pay, discourages investment in new and rehabilitated production facilities. Fig. 1 shows that, on the basis of the real economic cost of developing, producing, and shipping crude oil from each of Russia's main producing regions, investment would be profitable at current crude prices (about U.S. $14/bbl for Russian crude). However, the additional tax component pushes the tax-paid cost above the level that customers, domestic or international, are willing to pay (J.L. Smith, "Taxation and Investment in Russian Oil," J. Energy Finance and Development, 1997). Consequently, investment in new production facilities is a risky proposition that requires great faith that crude-oil markets will tighten, forcing prices to rise well above the current level. Fig. 2 gives the break-even price (minimum economic price) needed to generate a 15% after-tax return for several variants of the Russian tax regime. A wellhead price of U.S.$12.50/bbl would cover all costs apart from the impact of taxes. The break-even price is escalated by taxes, however, to U.S. $18.72/bbl for foreign joint ventures, which are assumed to operate under the most recent regulations and to export all their production (JV '97 in Fig. 2).
From Crisis Prone to Crisis Prepared
Authors: Ashley William C. 
Published: April 2020

Published in Oil & Gas Executive, Volume 1, Number 2, 1998, pages 52-56.
Managers tend to race headlong into the future while looking in the rearview mirror (how it was done in the past) and out the side windows (how the competition is doing it). Needless to say, this type of management is counterproductive. If managers spend their time solving problems and resolving crises, little time remains for innovation and competitive leaps. Foresight and anticipation are needed for managers to be more productive with the resources and assets they have at their disposal. Change and uncertainty are inevitable, but they need not be terminal. Success, and in some cases survival, will require more sophisticated intelligence systems. We will need greater collaboration between the communicators (public affairs, public relations), the operators (senior managers), and the planners (strategic planning).Additionally, the managerial mindset must refocus from looking at the organization as first and foremost a profit-maximizing, economic entity to an awareness of the strategic significance of staying tuned in to what is happening outside the organization, in the dynamic social, political, environmental, and technological arenas.
"For knowing afar off the evils that are brewing, they are easily cured. But, when for want of such knowledge, they are allowed to grow until everyone can recognize them, there is no longer any remedy to be found."—Machiavelli, The Prince (1513)
As Machiavelli counseled long ago, being proactive is wise and affords great advantage. Machiavelli did not, however, provide the strategic and tactical skills necessary for an organization to become more proactive and to gain strategic advantage and avoid crises. In our complex and rapidly changing world, becoming anticipatory and gaining strategic advantage requires sophisticated intelligence-gathering techniques, new decision-process models, and practical accountabilities. These tools allow an organization to capitalize on strategic outside intelligence, to avoid being blind-sided by external forces, to profit from new opportunities, and to turn emerging threats into opportunities. Failure to anticipate and to be proactive, on the other hand, can have destructive consequences. Motorola watched its stock drop 30% when a stakeholder group broke its story about neurological damage from cell phones. Audi (Volkswagen) watched the U.S. sales of its highly profitable Audi 5000plummet 84% after being associated in the media with "sudden acceleration incidents." Like Motorola, Audi stood by as if paralyzed by a media attack of its vehicle, which had 10 years of successful technology to support its safety. IBM, General Motors, Westinghouse, Sears, and the Columbia Broadcasting System also failed to anticipate dramatic external shifts in their respective industries and to avoid the crises they signaled.
Knowledge of Medical Communication-Skills Among Pre-clinical Undergraduate Medical Students: a pre-test post-test experimental study.
Authors: Timilsina Sameer , Ka Sirisa MD , Shrestha Barun , Deo Gopendra Prasad 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background

Effective physician-patient communication is integral to building confidence, improving compliance, satisfaction and avoiding mishaps and malpractice suits. Communication-skills (CS) training is an internationally accepted essential component of medical education. This study aims to assess the communication-skills knowledge of pre-clinical undergraduate medical students pre- and post- CS course. We expect an improvement in CS knowledge post-intervention.

Methods

Between March and September 2019, 100 first year pre-clinical undergraduate medical students at Chitwan Medical College were enrolled in CS course. Attitude towards learning CS using communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) and assessment on knowledge of CS was conducted pre- and post-intervention. The intervention included 10 team-based learning (TBL) sessions on selective study areas based on Calgary-Cambridge model. Additionally, students’ demographic profile was collected at the start of the intervention.

Results

Among 100 students, 70% were males and 30% females. Positive attitude towards learning CS improved by 5%. Statistically significant progress was noted in post-intervention mean scores implying CS to be teachable and learnable. (Wilcoxon Signed ranks test z=-6.178 p<0.001). Knowledge on medical CS improved in the study participants irrespective of sex, entry-type, past-educational institute or attitude. Students with pre-intervention negative attitude showed marked improvement in post-intervention knowledge score (z=-5.674 p<0.001).

Conclusion

The intervention was effective in increasing students’ knowledge of medical CS, but we did not assess the skills of the students. Continuation of this study is recommended to explore whether CS training could actually improve soft skills of medical students in our part of the world.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_0078607 suppresses ovarian cancer progression by regulating miR-518a-5p/Fas signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Nan , Jin Yue , Hu Qiubo , Cheng Shanshan , Wang Chao , Yang Zhiyou , Wang Yu 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background: Increasing researches have demonstrated the critical functions of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the progression of malignant tumors, including ovarian cancer. In this study, we aim to investigate abnormally expression of hsa_circ_0078607 and the role of hsa_circ_0078607 during ovarian cancer pathogenesis.Methods: RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of circ_0078607 in ovarian cancer tissues. To determine the functional roles of circ_0078607 in ovarian cancer, cell proliferation and cell invasion assays were performed. Bioinformatics and luciferase reporter analysis were used to predict the target of circ_0078607.Results: In the present study, we first found that circ_0078607 was downregulated in ovarian cancer. Forced circ_0078607 expression significantly suppressed proliferation and promotes apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Mechanically, bioinformatics and luciferase reporter analysis identified that miR-518a-5p as a direct target of circ_0078607, while Fas as a direct target of miR-518a-5p. MiR-518a-5p negatively regulates Fas in ovarian cancer cells, while overexpression of circ_0078607 could increase the expression of Fas inhibited by miR-518a-5p. Furthermore, overexpression of circ_0078607 could inhibit the proliferation and invasion of ovarian cancer cells caused by miR-518a-5p mimic.Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that circ_0078607 suppresses ovarian cancer progression by sponging oncogenic miR-518a-5p to induce Fas expression, which may provide new therapeutic approach for ovarian cancer.
Value of intraoperative frozen section analysis in re-excision margin evaluation in breast-conserving surgery for cancer: a single institution experience
Authors: Shen Jian Guo , Wang Lin Bo , Jiang Zi Nong , Yuan Xiao Ming , Zhao Wen He , Shen Jun 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background. Previous studies have demonstrated that in women with breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS), intraoperative frozen section analysis of lumpectomy margins results in a decrease in reoperation rates for margin control. However, the value of intraoperative frozen margin evaluation (FME) in re-excision margin analysis is not fully understood. We analyzed our breast cancer database to identify the value of intraoperative frozen section examination of specimens additionally resected prior to BCS. Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent attempted BCS for breast cancer with routine intraoperative FME at our institution between January 1998 and May 2016. The number of FMEs was analyzed. We additionally analyzed factors associated with positive re-excised margins to identify correlations with patient characteristics. Results. Of the 760 patients who underwent attempted BCS with routinely conducted intraoperative FME, frozen sections were obtained from the initial margin only in 82.5% (n=627), the initial margin as well as a one-time re-excision analysis in 15.8% (n=120), or the initial margin and two or more re-excision analyses in 1.7% (n-13). Based on the results of FME, 727 (95.6%) of the patients underwent BCS, while the remaining 33 (4.4%) converted to mastectomy. Among the patients who underwent BCS, 112 (15.4%) had an initial positive margin on a FME, underwent one-time margin re-excision and achieved a margin-free status, while 1.6% underwent a second margin resection due to a positive result on the first re-excised margin. In total, 72.7% of the conversions to mastectomy were due to a positive initial margin. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that patients with the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) histological type were more likely to have repeatedly positive re-excised margins during BCS. Conclusion. While routine intraoperative FME of re-excised margins provided only limited value in patients who underwent attempted BCS, this method may be beneficial in the subgroup of patients with the DCIS histological type.
Drug Repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 RDRP - a computational quest against CoVID- 19
Authors: Chakrabortya Hirak Jyoti , Paria Prasenjit , Gangopadhyay Aditi , Ganguli Sayak 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

The present CoVID-19 pandemic was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and is rapidly spreading worldwide. To date, it has affected 465,915 individuals in 200 countries, and has been responsible for 21,031 deaths. In the absence of definitive treatment strategies, there is a pressing demand for drug discovery against CoVID-19. Drug repurposing is a cost- effective and time-saving strategy which essentially involves the identification of novel targets for known drug candidates. This reduces the time and cost of drug discovery, as the pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles of the drugs are already known, which makes phase-I clinical trials redundant. Here, we employed a computational drug repurposing strategy for identifying drug hits against the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) protein of CoVID-19. Analysis of the human-virus protein-protein associations revealed that the viral RDRP (NSP12) is associated with multiple host proteins that partake in cellular processes, which indicated that NSP12 could be a potential target for drug discovery. This, combined with the fact that the RDRP protein is a potential antiviral target in several viral diseases, led us to consider the NSP12 as a potential drug target for CoVID-19. Owing to the absence of an experimentally-derived structure in the PDB, we constructed the NSP12 protein of CoVID-19 by homology modelling, and the potential druggable sites were analysed. The 13,533 entries in DrugBank were initially screened using the sequence of CoVID-19 NSP12. The 7 hits thus identified were subjected to a consensus docking and scoring strategy for identifying hits against the druggable site of CoVID-19 NSP12. Analysis of the docking scores and protein- ligand interactions revealed that two hits – N-alpha-[(benzyloxy)carbonyl]-n-[(1r)-4- hydroxy-1-methyl-2-oxobutyl]-l-phenylalaninamide and S-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-4h-1,2,4- triazol-3-yl] 5-(phenylethynyl) furan-2 -carbothioate, had stronger binding affinity than remdesivir, which is being presently tested in clinical trials for its antiviral activity against CoVID-19. This indicated that these two compounds might be effective against CoVID-19, however, further experimentation is necessary for obtaining substantial evidence. We believe that the results of this study could offer a novel avenue for drug development against CoVID- 19.
Water rights trading: a new approach to dealing with trans-boundary water conflicts in river basins
Authors: Tian Gui-liang , Liu Ji-ning , Li Xiao-yu , Li Ye-qin , Yin Hao 
Published: April 2020

AbstractClimate change and increasing demand of water aggravate the frequency and intensity of trans-boundary water conflicts, which are evolving into one of the most sensitive economic and social issues in trans-boundary areas. This paper analyzes the inefficiency of traditional regional negotiation models to deal with trans-boundary water conflicts, and argues that Coase's theory of property rights is more suitable for dealing with trans-boundary water conflicts. Based on the Bayesian evolutionary game model with incomplete information of property rights, we put forward the following two ways to promote the smooth progress of water rights trading and, furthermore, resolve water resources conflicts: first, to reduce the transaction costs of the upstream and downstream regions; second, to increase utilization efficiency of water resources in the upper reaches. Finally, taking the water conflict of Dayankeng Hydropower Station as a case simulation, we give answers to the three questions: (1) under what conditions, both sides of the conflicts will choose water rights trading; (2) what is the impact of transaction costs on water rights trading, which provided a new way to solve trans-boundary water conflicts; (3) what is the improvement of welfare effects of water conflict participants because of water rights trading.
Spatio-temporal evolution and influencing factors of water resource carrying capacity in Shiyang River Basin: based on the geographical detector method
Authors: Yang Liang-jie , Yang Xiao-rong , Wei Wei , Pan Jing-hu 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
In this article, the comprehensive evaluation of water resource carrying capacity (for short WRCC) in Shiyang River Basin is the objective. Based on the comprehensive evaluation model of regional WRCC, the spatial and temporal change characteristics of the WRCC in Shiyang River Basin in 2007, 2011 and 2016 have been analyzed. Moreover, the influence elements of water resource carrying capacity in Shiyang River Basin are detected by the geographical detector. The results show that: (1) In terms of the spatial dimension, water resources in Shiyang River Basin are not in accordance with the distribution of social and economic development and population distribution, presenting a prominent contradiction between supply and demand of water resources; (2) in terms of the temporal dimension, the pressure on water resources in Shiyang River Basin has gradually increased, and the area of overload, light overload and serious overload has been augmented; (3) the geographical detector indicates that the influences of the water resources system and coordinating system factors are declining, and the influences of the social economy system and ecological factor are obviously increasing. The influences of the interaction with any two factors are stronger than that of a single factor, and the synergistic influences of two factors are aggravated.