bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increasing access to health workers in rural and remote areas: what do stakeholders’ value and find feasible and acceptable?
Authors: Ajuebor Onyema , Boniol Mathieu , McIsaac Michelle , Onyedike Chukwuemeka , Akl Elie A. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
The primary aim of this study is to assess stakeholders’ views of the acceptability and feasibility of policy options and outcome indicators presented in the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) global policy recommendations on increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention.

Methods
A survey on the acceptability, feasibility of recruitment and retention policy options, and the importance of their outcome indicators was developed. It followed a cross-sectional approach targeting health workers in rural and remote settings as well as policy- and decision-makers involved in the development of recruitment and retention policies for such areas. Respondents were asked their perception of the importance of the policy outcomes of interest, as well as the acceptability and feasibility of the 2010 WHO guidelines’ policy options using a 9-point Likert scale.

Results
In total, 336 participants completed the survey. Almost a third worked in government; most participants worked in community settings and were involved in the administration and management of rural health workers. Almost all 19 outcomes of interests assessed were valued as important or critical. For the 16 guideline policy options, most were perceived to be "definitely acceptable" and "definitely feasible", although the policy options were generally considered to be more acceptable than feasible.

Conclusion
The findings of this study provide insight into the revision and update of the 2010 WHO guideline on increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas. Stakeholders’ views of the acceptability, feasibility of policy options and the importance of outcomes of interest are important for the development of relevant and effective policies to improve access to health workers in rural and remote areas.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric operations: a retrospective study of Chinese children
Authors: Wei Yi , Yu Chengjun , Zhao Tian Xin , Lin Tao , Dawei H. E. , Wu Sheng-de , Wei Guang-hui 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pediatric operations, and establish preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative protocols to improve the pediatric operations.

Methods
We here compare the number of patients who underwent surgery in Chongqing Medical University Affiliated Children’s Hospital during the pandemic (January 23–March 11), after the pandemic (March 12–April 30), after our measures were put in place (May 1–May 21), and the equivalent period in 2019.

Result
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 62.68% fewer patients underwent surgery than during the homologous period of time 1 year earlier (P < 0.01). After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of orchidopexy cases increased significantly from 175.14 to 504.57 per week (P < 0.01). The large number of patients that accrued in our hospital may have increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In response, hospitals and clinics have made protocols and reorganized healthcare facilities (e.g., performing nucleic acid tests (NAT), adding adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)) from May 1, 2020. After the measures were implemented, the number of operations performed remained stable and comparable to the pre-pandemic period. COVID-19 RNA detection was performed in 5104 cases and there were no new confirmed cases in our hospital.

Conclusion
This outbreak of COVID-19 has affected not only individuals with COVID-19 but also patients seeking surgical operations. Understanding the present situation helps clinicians provide a high level of treatment to all children.
Point prevalence mapping reveals hotspot for onchocerciasis transmission in the Ndikinimeki Health District, Centre Region, Cameroon
Authors: Aza’ah René Afor , Sumo Laurentine , Ntonifor Ngum Helen , Bopda Jean , Bamou Rolph H. , Nana-Djeunga Hugues C. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Ivermectin-based preventive chemotherapy (PC) is distributed annually to all at-risk populations eligible for ivermectin treatment to control and/or eliminate onchocerciasis. Information on the impact of mass ivermectin administration on onchocerciasis transmission is scanty, and it is tricky to appreciate the progress towards elimination and engage corrective measures. To fill that gap in the Centre Region in Cameroon, the current onchocerciasis endemicity level in the Ndikinimeki Health District after about two decades of mass treatments was assessed.

Methods
A cluster-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Ndikinimeki Health District and all volunteers aged ≥ 5 years were (i) interviewed on their compliance to ivermectin over the past five years and (ii) underwent clinical (nodule palpation and visual search for onchocercal lesions) and parasitological examinations (skin snip) for onchocerciasis.

Results
The overall Onchocerca volvulus prevalence was 7.0% (95% CI: 5.2–9.3%). The prevalence of the disease was significantly higher in the communities Kiboum 1 and Kiboum 2 compared to the other communities (highest prevalence in Makénéné Town Water: 8.5%; 95% CI: 2.3–20.4%) (χ2 = 51.314, df = 11, P = 0.0001). The proportion of systematic non-compliers to ivermectin was 23.3% (95% CI: 19.9–27.1%) among individuals interviewed. In the sentinel sites (Kiboum communities), onchocerciasis prevalence decreased from 95.2% (95% CI: 88.3–98.1%) to 23.7% (95% CI: 14.7–36.0%).

Conclusions
This study has revealed that the Ndikinimeki Health District is hypo-endemic for onchocerciasis after about two decades of preventive chemotherapy. However, transmission is ongoing, with potential hotspots in the Kiboum 1 and Kiboum 2 communities, which are known as first-line communities (closest to the breeding sites of the vector). Alternative or complementary strategies to annual ivermectin appear compulsory to accelerate the momentum towards onchocerciasis elimination.
Microbiota characterization in Blastocystis-colonized and Blastocystis-free school-age children from Colombia
Authors: Castañeda Sergio , Muñoz Marina , Villamizar Ximena , Hernández Paula C. , Vásquez Luis Reinel , Tito Raúl Yhossef , Ramírez Juan David 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Blastocystis is a protist that lives in the intestinal tract of a variety of hosts, including humans. It is still unclear how Blastocystis causes disease, which presents an ongoing challenge for researchers. Despite the controversial findings on the association between Blastocystis and clinical digestive manifestations, there is currently no consensus as to whether this protozoan actually behaves as a pathogen in humans. Furthermore, the relationship between Blastocystis and the intestinal microbiota composition is not yet clear. For that reason, the aim of this study was to identify if colonization by Blastocystis is related to changes in the diversity and relative abundance of bacterial communities, compared with those of Blastocystis-free individuals in a group of Colombian children.

Methods
We took stool samples from 57 school-aged children attending a daycare institution in Popayán (Southwest Colombia). Whole DNA was extracted and examined by 16S-rRNA amplicon-based sequencing. Blastocystis was detected by real time PCR and other intestinal parasites were detected by microscopy. We evaluated if Blastocystis was associated with host variables and the diversity and abundance of microbial communities.

Results
The composition of the intestinal bacterial community was not significantly different between Blastocystis-free and Blastocystis-colonized children. Despite this, we observed a higher microbial richness in the intestines of children colonized by Blastocystis, which could, therefore, be considered a benefit to intestinal health. The phylum Firmicutes was the predominant taxonomic unit in both groups analyzed. In Blastocystis-free individuals, there was a higher proportion of Bacteroidetes; similarly, in children colonized by Blastocystis, there was a higher relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria; however, no statistically significant differences were found between the comparison groups.

Conclusions
The presence of Blastocystis showed a decrease in Bacteroides, and an increase in the relative abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium. It was also evident that the presence of Blastocystis was unrelated to dysbiosis at the intestinal level; on the contrary, its presence did not show statistically differences in the intestinal microbiota composition. Nevertheless, we believe that Blastocystis plays a role in the ecology of the intestinal microbiota through its interaction with other microbial components.
‘What do you mean by ethical compass?’ Bachelor students’ ideas about being a moral professional
Authors: Van Stekelenburg Lieke H. , Smerecnik Chris , Sanderse Wouter , De Ruyter Doret J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThis article aims to explore the moral ideas and experiences that students at Dutch universities of applied sciences (UAS) have of being a professional with an ‘ethical compass.’ Semi-structured interviews were held with 36 fourth-year Bachelor students divided over four institutions and three different programmes: Initial Teacher Education, Business Services and Information and Communication Technology. Findings show that students say they strive to be(come) moral professionals, but that they have difficulties recognising and articulating the moral aspects of their professional roles. They seem to lack a moral vocabulary and the moral knowledge to verbalise their aspirations and to provide arguments to explicate or legitimise their moral behaviour. While most students were critical of the support they received from their universities, they indicated that various other role models and (work) experiences did have a strong and positive influence on their moral development. In this article, we reflect on the findings in relation to international empirical research on students’ moral development and highlight the characteristics of UAS students.
Convergence of artificial intelligence and high performance computing on NSF-supported cyberinfrastructure
Authors: Huerta E. A. , Khan Asad , Davis Edward , Bushell Colleen , Gropp William D. , Katz Daniel S. , Kindratenko Volodymyr , Koric Seid , Kramer William T. C. , McGinty Brendan , McHenry Kenton , Saxton Aaron 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSignificant investments to upgrade and construct large-scale scientific facilities demand commensurate investments in R&D to design algorithms and computing approaches to enable scientific and engineering breakthroughs in the big data era. Innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications have powered transformational solutions for big data challenges in industry and technology that now drive a multi-billion dollar industry, and which play an ever increasing role shaping human social patterns. As AI continues to evolve into a computing paradigm endowed with statistical and mathematical rigor, it has become apparent that single-GPU solutions for training, validation, and testing are no longer sufficient for computational grand challenges brought about by scientific facilities that produce data at a rate and volume that outstrip the computing capabilities of available cyberinfrastructure platforms. This realization has been driving the confluence of AI and high performance computing (HPC) to reduce time-to-insight, and to enable a systematic study of domain-inspired AI architectures and optimization schemes to enable data-driven discovery. In this article we present a summary of recent developments in this field, and describe specific advances that authors in this article are spearheading to accelerate and streamline the use of HPC platforms to design and apply accelerated AI algorithms in academia and industry.
Regulation of intracellular transition metal ion level with a pH-sensitive inorganic nanocluster to improve therapeutic angiogenesis by enriching conditioned medium retrieved from human adipose derived stem cells
Authors: Kim Yeong Hwan , Jung Euiyoung , Im Gwang-Bum , Kim Yu-Jin , Kim Sung-Won , Jeong Gun-Jae , Jang Young Charles , Park Kyung Min , Kim Dong-Ik , Yu Taekyung , Bhang Suk Ho 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCell therapy based on human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) is a known potential therapeutic approach to induce angiogenesis in ischemic diseases. However, the therapeutic efficacy of direct hADSC injection is limited by a low cell viability and poor cell engraftment after administration. To improve the outcomes of this kind of approach, various types of nanoparticles have been utilized to improve the therapeutic efficacy of hADSC transplantation. Despite their advantages, the adverse effects of nanoparticles, such as genetic damage and potential oncogenesis based on non-degradable property of nanoparticles prohibit the application of nanoparticles toward the clinical applications. Herein, we designed a transition metal based inorganic nanocluster able of pH-selective degradation (ps-TNC), with the aim of enhancing an hADSC based treatment of mouse hindlimb ischemia. Our ps-TNC was designed to undergo degradation at low pH conditions, thus releasing metal ions only after endocytosis, in the endosome. To eliminate the limitations of both conventional hADSC injection and non-degradable property of nanoparticles, we have collected conditioned medium (CM) from the ps-TNC treated hADSCs and administrated it to the ischemic lesions. We found that intracellular increment of transition metal ion upregulated the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, which can induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expressions. Based on the molecular mechanism, the secretion of VEGF and bFGF by ps-TNC treated hADSCs showed a significant improvement compared to that of untreated cells. Injecting the CM collected from ps-TNC treated hADSCs into the mouse hindlimb ischemia model (ps-TNC-CM group) showed significantly improved angiogenesis in the lesions, with improved limb salvage and decreased muscle degeneration compared to the group injected with CM collected from normal hADSCs (CM group). This study suggests a novel strategy, combining a known angiogenesis molecular mechanism with both an improvement on conventional stem cell therapy and the circumvention of some limitations still present in modern approaches based on nanoparticles.
Creep of calcareous sand in Tunisia: effect of particle breakage at low stress level
Authors: Choo Hyunwook , Kwon Minhyuk , Touiti Lamia , Jung Young-Hoon 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
One of the critical mechanisms determining creep in granular materials is the breakage of soil particles. This study aims at evaluating the time-dependent creep deformation of calcareous sand at low effective stress conditions.

Methods
K0 creep tests were performed for both calcareous and silica sands at low stresses of 65 and 120 kPa, and the results of creep tests were compared with the results of constant rate of strain (CRS) tests at high stress levels up to 12 MPa. For a quantitative evaluation of the effect of the particle breakage on the creep deformation of calcareous sand, the relative breakage ($$B_{r}$$

B
r

) was determined based on the results of sieve analyses.

Results
The results demonstrate that Tunisia calcareous sand experiences significant particle breakage during creep and the consequent creep deformation at low stress level. The determined $$B_{r}$$

B
r

after creep at low stress level is comparable with that after the CRS test at high stress level.

Conclusions
High potential of particle breakage inherited by characteristic minerology of the calcareous Tunisia sand significantly influences the creep deformation at low stress level.
Regenerative therapy for spinal cord injury using iPSC technology
Authors: Nagoshi Narihito , Okano Hideyuki , Nakamura Masaya 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that causes permanent neurologic impairments. Cell transplantation therapy using neural precursor cells (NPCs) is a promising intervention aiming to replace damaged neural tissue and restore certain functions. Because the protocol to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) was first established, we have attempted to apply this technology for regenerative therapy in SCI. Our group reported beneficial effects of iPSC-derived NPC transplantation and addressed safety issues on tumorigenicity after grafting. These findings will soon be tested at the clinical trial stage, the protocol of which has already been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. Current transplantation therapies treat patients at the subacute phase after injury, highlighting the need for effective treatments for chronic SCI. We recently demonstrated the modest efficacy of gamma secretase inhibitor treatment of iPSC-NPCs before transplantation at the chronic phase. However, more comprehensive strategies involving combinatory therapies are essential to enhance current spinal cord regeneration treatments.
China’s global engagement to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic
Authors: Song Wei 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe world is confronted by the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is a common threat to the whole of humanity. In the process of fighting COVID-19 domestically, China had attached great importance to international cooperation, such as the sharing of information on the pandemic with the international community, providing bilateral and multilateral assistance to other affected countries, etc. However, due to the severity of this pandemic, global solidarity is necessary to conquer it, and to improve global public health governance.
Activity of phytochemical constituents of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Andrographis paniculata against coronavirus (COVID-19): an in silico approach
Authors: Rajagopal Kalirajan , Varakumar Potlapati , Baliwada Aparma , Byran Gowramma 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
In early 2020, many scientists are rushing to discover novel drugs and vaccines against the coronavirus, and treatments for COVID-19, because coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a life-threatening viral disease, affected first in China and quickly spread throughout the world. In this article, in silico studies have been performed to explore the binding modes of chemical constituents for natural remedies like Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Andrographis paniculata against COVID-19 (PDB ID 5R82) targeting coronavirus using Schrodinger suit 2019-4. The molecular docking studies are performed by the Glide module, in silico ADMET screening was performed by the QikProp module, and binding energy of ligands was calculated using the Prime MM-GB/SA module.

Results
The chemical constituents from turmeric like cyclocurcumin and curcumin and from Andrographis paniculata like andrographolide and dihydroxy dimethoxy flavone are significantly binding with the active site of SARS CoV-2 main protease with Glide score more than − 6 when compared to the currently used drugs hydroxychloroquine (− 5.47) and nelfinavir (− 5.93). When compared to remdesivir (− 6.38), cyclocurcumin from turmeric is significantly more active. The docking results of the compounds exhibited similar mode of interactions with SARS CoV-2. Main protease and the residues THR24, THR25, THR26, LEU27, SER46, MET49, HIE41, GLN189, ARG188, ASP187, MET165, HIE164, PHE181, and THR54 play a crucial role in binding with ligands.

Conclusion
Based on in silico investigations, the chemical constituents from turmeric like cyclocurcumin and curcumin and from Andrographis paniculata like andrographolide and dihydroxy dimethoxy flavone, significantly binding with the active site of SARS CoV-2 main protease, may produce significant activity and be useful for further development.
How Is Geriatric Assessment Used in Clinical Practice for Older Adults With Cancer? A Survey of Cancer Providers by the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Authors: Dale William , Williams Grant R. , R. MacKenzie Amy , Soto-Perez-de-Celis Enrique , Maggiore Ronald J. , Merrill Janette K. , Katta Sweatha , Smith Kimberly T. , Klepin Heidi D. 
Published: October 2020

PURPOSE: For patients with cancer who are older than 65 years, the 2018 ASCO Guideline recommends geriatric assessment (GA) be performed. However, there are limited data on providers’ practices using GA. Therefore, ASCO’s Geriatric Oncology Task Force conducted a survey of providers to assess practice patterns and barriers to GA. METHODS: Cancer providers treating adult patients including those ≥ 65 years completed an online survey. Questions included those asking about awareness of ASCO’s Geriatric Oncology Guideline (2018), use of validated GA tools, and perceived barriers to using GA. Descriptive statistics and statistical comparisons between those aware of the Guideline and those who were not were conducted. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: Participants (N = 1,277) responded between April 5 and June 5, 2019. Approximately half (53%) reported awareness of the Guideline. The most frequently used GA tools, among those aware of the Guideline and those who were not, assessed functional status (69% v 50%; P < .001) and falls (62% v 45%; P < .001). Remaining tools were used < 50% of the time, including tools assessing weight loss, comorbidities, cognition, life expectancy, chemotherapy toxicity, mood, and noncancer mortality risk. GA use was two to four times higher among those who are aware of the Guideline. The most frequent barriers for those who reported being Guideline aware were lack of resources, specifically time (81.7%) and staff (77.0%). In comparison, those who were unaware of the Guideline most often reported the following barriers: lack of knowledge or training (78.4%), lack of awareness about tools (75.2%), and uncertainty about use of tools (75.0%). CONCLUSION: Among providers caring for older adults, 52% were aware of the ASCO Guideline. Some domains were assessed frequently (eg, function, falls), whereas other domains were assessed rarely (eg, mood, cognition). Guideline awareness was associated with two to four times increased use of GA and differing perceived barriers. Interventions facilitating Guideline-consistent implementation will require various strategies to change behavior.