bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Method to Measure the Body’s Local Temperature: What Materials Should Be Used to Fix The iButton on the Skin
Authors: Xi Tianyu , Qin Huan , Lv Xiaowei , Wang Qiaochu 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
iButton, a wireless temperature system, is currently the most popular and inexpensive miniature temperature datalogger commercially available [1]. However, there is no any previous study to evaluate the effect of iButtons’ fixed material on the accuracy of thermal measure. This article carried an experiment to test the impacts of four different fixed materials on iButtons: transparent adhesive tape, Aluminum foil paper, black and white bandages. The result shows that transparent adhesive tape can reduce the influence of wind speed while Aluminum foil paper can prevent solar radiation effectively. As for bandages, the temperature of the black bandages group is higher than the white bandages group which indicated that black material can absorb more solar radiation. However, the function of bandages to reduce the impact of ambient heat is not obvious in this test, though it is existed.
Ultra-scaled MoS2 transistors and circuits fabricated without nanolithography
Authors: Ashokbhai Patel Kishan , Grady Ryan W , Smithe Kirby K H , Pop Eric , Sordan Roman 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The future scaling of semiconductor devices can be continued only by the development of novel nanofabrication techniques and atomically thin transistor channels. Here we demonstrate ultra-scaled MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs) realized by a shadow evaporation method which does not require nanofabrication. The method enables large-scale fabrication of MoS2 FETs with fully gated  ∼10 nm long channels. The realized ultra-scaled MoS2 FETs exhibit very small hysteresis of current–voltage characteristics, high drain currents up to  ∼560 A m−1, very good drain current saturation for such ultra-short devices, subthreshold swing of ∼120 mV dec−1, and drain current on/off ratio of ∼106 in air ambient. The fabricated ultra-scaled MoS2 FETs are also used to realize logic gates in n-type depletion-load technology. The inverters exhibit a voltage gain of  ∼50 at a power supply voltage of only 1.5 V and are capable of in/out signal matching.
Resource allocation trade-offs in a mast-seeding conifer: Piñon pine prioritizes reproduction over defense
Authors: Redmond Miranda D , Davis Thomas Seth , Ferrenberg Scott M , Wion Andreas P 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The cost of plant reproduction or defense at the expense of other fitness traits is a central component of life history theory. Yet the three central resource allocation pathways of growth, reproduction, and defense have rarely been assessed simultaneously nor across individual to landscape scales. This information is critical towards identifying the physiological, environmental, and genetic mechanisms underpinning resource allocation. This study assessed trade-offs in resource allocation between tree growth, defense, and reproduction across scales among piñon pine (Pinusedulis), a widespread mast-seeding conifer of the southwestern USA. Time series (2004-2016) of tree growth (radial and primary shoot growth), defense (resin duct production; a key constitutive defense for this species), and cone production among individual trees from populations across a broad environmental gradient were used to investigate these trade-offs in resource allocation across three scales: individual, population, and landscape. We found evidence for a defense-reproduction trade-off among individuals whereby total resin duct area in annual xylem rings was lower during years of above average cone production. Despite variability in cone and resin duct production across trees within a population and across populations, there was no association between these fitness traits at either of those scales. There was no evidence of trade-offs between cone production and growth at any scales measured, whereas resin duct production and growth were positively related at all scales. Our study suggests that a strategic trade-off occurs whereby investment into defense is temporarily curtailed to favor reproduction, despite increased risk of exposure to natural enemies and the ability of piñon pine to simultaneously allocate carbon to growth and defense. Our study provides new insights into physiological expressions of growth, defense, and reproduction over time in this long-lived masting conifer and indicates the presence of trade-offs with direct importance for individual fitness and population dynamics under global change.
Professional Burnout in United States Plastic Surgery Residents: Is It a Legitimate Concern?
Authors: Coombs Demetrius M , Lanni Michael A , Fosnot Joshua , Patel Ashit , Korentager Richard , Lin Ines C , Djohan Risal 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
Physician burnout is intimately associated with institutional losses, substance abuse, depression, suicidal ideation, medical errors, and lower patient satisfaction scores.

Objectives
By directly sampling all US plastic and reconstructive surgery residents, this study examined burnout, medical errors, and program-related factors.

Methods
Cross-sectional study of data collected from current US plastic and reconstructive surgery residents at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited programs during the 2018 to 2019 academic year. Previously validated survey instruments included the Stanford Professional Fulfillment and Maslach Burnout Indices. Additional data included demographics, relationship status, program-specific factors, and admission of medical errors.

Results
A total of 146 subjects responded. Residents from each postgraduate year (PGY) in the first 6 years were well represented. Overall burnout rate was 57.5%, and on average, all residents experienced work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement. No relation was found between burnout and age, gender, race, relationship status, or PGY. Burnout was significantly associated with respondents who feel they matched into the wrong program, would not recommend their program to students, do not feel involved in program decisions, reported increasing hours worked in the week prior, feel that they take too much call, reported making a major medical error that could have harmed a patient, or reported making a lab error.

Conclusions
This study directly examined burnout, self-reported medical errors, and program suitability in US plastic and reconstructive residents based on validated scales and suggests that burnout and some medical errors may be related to program-specific, modifiable factors, not limited to, but including, involvement in program-related decisions and call structure.
In utero exposure to persistent and nonpersistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and anogenital distance. A systematic review of epidemiological studies†
Authors: Nelson William , Liu Ding-Yuan , Yang Yin , Zhong Zhao-Hui , Wang Ying-Xiong , Ding Yu-bin 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Anti-androgenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can cross the placenta to modify early offspring sexual dimorphic markers. These changes are linked to anogenital distance (AGD), which is an androgen-sensitive anthropometric parameter used as a biomarker of perineal growth and caudal migration of the genital tubercle. This review aimed to summarize strength of evidence for associations of in utero exposure to EDCs with AGD and to identify gaps and limitations in the literature so as to inform future research. We performed an electronic search of English literature in September 2019 in medical literature analysis and retrieval system online (MEDLINE), Web of Science and Toxline. We included epidemiological studies that examined in utero exposure to persistent and nonpersistent EDCs and considered AGD in offspring as an outcome. Our review contained 16 investigations examining exposure to persistent EDCs (nine studies) and nonpersistent EDCs (seven studies). Some individual studies reported an inverse association between exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), dioxins, perfluoroalkyl substances, and organochlorides and AGD in both male and female offspring. Meta-analysis of three studies found a small reduction of AGD in female offspring exposed to BPA. The number of studies per chemical is small, and number of subjects examined is limited; so, replication of these results is needed. To achieve more specificity and better replication of results, future studies should establish the association of nonpersistent EDCs using multiple urine samples, evaluate the cumulative impact of exposure to a mixture of anti-androgenic chemicals, and offer adequate consideration of more maternal- and children-related confounding factors.
Model-free approach to quantifying the proportion of treatment effect explained by a surrogate marker
Authors: Wang Xuan , Parast Layla , Tian Lu , Cai Tianxi 
Published: October 2019

Summary
In randomized clinical trials, the primary outcome, $Y$, often requires long-term follow-up and/or is costly to measure. For such settings, it is desirable to use a surrogate marker, $S$, to infer the treatment effect on $Y$, $\Delta$. Identifying such an $S$ and quantifying the proportion of treatment effect on $Y$ explained by the effect on $S$ are thus of great importance. Most existing methods for quantifying the proportion of treatment effect are model based and may yield biased estimates under model misspecification. Recently proposed nonparametric methods require strong assumptions to ensure that the proportion of treatment effect is in the range $[0,1]$. Additionally, optimal use of $S$ to approximate $\Delta$ is especially important when $S$ relates to $Y$ nonlinearly. In this paper we identify an optimal transformation of $S$, $g_{\tiny {\rm{opt}}}(\cdot)$, such that the proportion of treatment effect explained can be inferred based on $g_{\tiny {\rm{opt}}}(S)$. In addition, we provide two novel model-free definitions of proportion of treatment effect explained and simple conditions for ensuring that it lies within $[0,1]$. We provide nonparametric estimation procedures and establish asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods perform well in finite samples. We illustrate the proposed procedures using a randomized study of HIV patients.
Use of Procalcitonin and a Respiratory Polymerase Chain Reaction Panel to Reduce Antibiotic Use via an Electronic Medical Record Alert
Authors: Moradi Tony , Bennett Nicholas , Shemanski Shelby , Kennedy Kevin , Schlachter Andrew , Boyd Sarah 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
Respiratory tract infections are often viral and but are frequently treated with antibiotics, providing a significant opportunity for antibiotic de-escalation in patients. We sought to determine whether an automated electronic medical record best practice alert (BPA) based on procalcitonin and respiratory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results could help reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in patients with likely viral respiratory illness.

Methods
This multisite, pre–post, quasi-experimental study included patients 18 years and older with a procalcitonin level &lt;0.25 ng/mL and a virus identified on respiratory PCR within 48 hours of each other, and 1 or more systemic antibiotics ordered. In the study group, a BPA alerted providers of the diagnostic results suggesting viral infection and prompted them to reassess the need for antibiotics. The primary outcome measured was total antibiotic-days of therapy.

Results
The BPA reduced inpatient antibiotic-days of therapy by a mean of 2.2 days compared with patients who met criteria but did not have the alert fire (8.0 vs 5.8 days, respectively, P &lt; .001). The BPA also reduced the percentage of patients prescribed antibiotics on discharge (20% vs 47.8%, P &lt; .001), whereas there was no difference in need for antibiotic escalation after initial discontinuation (7.6% vs 4.3%, P = .198).

Conclusions
The automated antimicrobial stewardship BPA effectively reduced antibiotic use and discharge prescribing rates when diagnostics suggested viral respiratory tract infection, without a higher rate for reinitiation of antibiotics after discontinuation.
An analysis of business English coursebooks from an ELF perspective
Authors: Si Jinghui 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
This study analysed a series of business English coursebooks published and used in the Chinese context from an English as a lingua franca (ELF) perspective. The analysis was conducted from four aspects: language ownership, language exposure, language activities, and cultural representations. These address four key issues in the debate over the practicality of ELF-informed materials. The findings show an orientation towards native English speakers as representatives of English users, a dominance of native-speaker Standard English in language exposure, a lack of ELF-informed activities, and a limited representation of Chinese culture. This article concludes that the coursebooks merely introduce ELF as a cultural and linguistic phenomenon. Despite some attempts to present the role of ELF in the global business community, there is a paucity of ELF exposure and ELF-informed activities. The implications of these findings for the selection and evaluation of ELF-informed materials are discussed.
Selection and Validation of Suitable Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis in Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae)
Authors: Luo Jing , Wang Aoli , Cheng Yanxia , Rong Haoling , Guo Libin , Peng Yu , Xu Letian 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) is a destructive pest to &gt;280 plants. Major economic significance and pesticide resistance issues have created a need for integrated pest management (e.g., RNAi, entomopathogen-based bioinsecticides) for A. lucorum. To better develop these control strategies, large-scale genetic studies involving gene-expression analysis are required and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most commonly used method. However, there have been no reports on appropriate reference genes in A. lucorum. Here, we evaluated nine widely utilized reference genes including EF1γ, RPL32, RPL27, SDH, TBP, ACT, ACT2, GAPDH, and βTUB for their expression stabilities in A. lucorum under five different conditions i.e., life stage, tissue, sex, dsRNA injection, and entomopathogen infection. Based on the gene stability ranking calculated by RefFinder, which integrates four algorithms (geNorm, delta Ct method, NormFinder, and BestKeeper), we recommend RPL27 and RPL32 as the most appropriate reference genes for molecular studies in different life stages and tissues; GAPDH and EF1γ for different sexes and entomopathogen infection studies; and RPL27 and EF1γ for RNAi studies. The results of this study will help improve the accuracy and reliability for normalizing the RT-qPCR data for further molecular analysis in A. lucorum.
Spatial Mixing between Calling Males of Two Closely Related, Sympatric Crickets Suggests Beneficial Heterospecific Interactions in a NonAdaptive Radiation
Authors: Xu Mingzi , Shaw Kerry L 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSympatry among closely related species occurs in both adaptive and nonadaptive radiations. Among closely related, sympatric species of a nonadaptive radiation, the lack of ecological differentiation brings species into continual contact where individuals are exposed to the risk of reproductive interference. Selection thus should cause divergence in multiple components mediating the reproductive boundary. Besides differentiation of reproductive signals per se, spatial segregation is a commonly proposed mechanism that can mitigate reproductive interference. Studying a pair of broadly sympatric, closely related cricket species from a nonadaptive radiation in Hawaii, we 1) quantified acoustic divergence of male songs and 2) tested alternative hypotheses of spatial distribution of calling males of the 2 species. Acoustic analyses of the recorded songs showed that, while the 2 species differed substantially in pulse rate, no spectral or fine temporal segregation of the pulse structure was evident, indicating the potential for acoustic masking. Moreover, we found that calling males of the 2 species are highly mixed both vertically and horizontally and showed the same preference for calling sites. More surprisingly, calling males were found to form mixed-species calling clusters where heterospecific males are closer to each other than conspecific males. Such an individual spacing pattern suggests low heterospecific aggression and/or high conspecific competition. Because females prefer higher sound intensity, heterospecific males may benefit, rather than interfere, with each other in attracting females. These findings offer a potential mechanism enabling species coexistence in sympatry.
Fifty Shades of the Harlequin Ladybird and a Sexually Transmitted Fungus
Authors: Fiedler Lukáš , Nedvěd Oldřich 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe ectoparasitic fungus Hesperomyces virescens was studied on its invasive host, the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis, in the Czech Republic. A primary aim was to examine the relationship between fungal infection and elytral coloration of the ladybird. Furthermore, the role of host sex and mating status of females were analyzed. Beetles (n = 1,102) were sampled during autumn migration, and then sexed, weighed, and screened for infection. Females were dissected for detection of sperm in their spermathecae. Ladybirds were sorted according to color form and absorbance spectrophotometry was used to quantify carotenoid contents in their elytra. In individuals of the nonmelanic succinea form, the degree of melanization was measured using digital photographs and putative age groups were estimated based on background color of elytra. Sexual differences in infection patterns indicated transmission during copulation: males were infected mostly on elytra and venter, and females had infection almost exclusively on elytra. Mated females had higher infection rate than virgins. There was no influence of genetic color form on the fungal infection. Putative age groups (visual sorting to yellow, orange, and red) correlated with fungal infection. Infected individuals had elevated elytral carotenoid levels in comparison to uninfected individuals, which could be explained by host age. Infection-free succinea beetles were extensively melanized because they emerged later in the season at lower temperatures which induced melanization. Overall, we highlight that H. axyridis is a multivoltine species whose age, if not taken into account in ecophysiological studies, might present a considerable confounding factor.
Stemming the Tide of Opioid Addiction—Dramatic Reductions in Postoperative Opioid Requirements Through Preoperative Education and a Standardized Analgesic Regimen
Authors: Sheldon Rowan R , Weiss Jessica B , Do Woo S , Forte Dominic M , Carter Preston L , Eckert Matthew J , Sohn Vance Y 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Introduction
Surgery is a known gateway to opioid use that may result in long-term morbidity. Given the paucity of evidence regarding the appropriate amount of postoperative opioid analgesia and variable prescribing education, we investigated prescribing habits before and after institution of a multimodal postoperative pain management protocol.

Materials and Methods
Laparoscopic appendectomies, laparoscopic cholecystectomies, inguinal hernia repairs, and umbilical hernia repairs performed at a tertiary military medical center from 01 October 2016 until 30 September 2017 were examined. Prescriptions provided at discharge, oral morphine equivalents (OME), repeat prescriptions, and demographic data were obtained. A pain management regimen emphasizing nonopioid analgesics was then formulated and implemented with patient education about expected postoperative outcomes. After implementation, procedures performed from 01 November 2017 until 28 February 2018 were then examined and analyzed. Additionally, a patient satisfaction survey was provided focusing on efficacy of postoperative pain control.

Results
Preprotocol, 559 patients met inclusion criteria. About 97.5% were provided an opioid prescription, but prescriptions varied widely (256 OME, standard deviation [SD] 109). Acetaminophen was prescribed often (89.5%), but nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescriptions were rare (14.7%). About 6.1% of patients required repeat opioid prescriptions. After implementation, 181 patients met inclusion criteria. Initial opioid prescriptions decreased 69.8% (77 OME, SD 35; P &lt; 0.001), while repeat opioid prescriptions remained statistically unchanged (2.79%; P = 0.122). Acetaminophen prescribing rose to 96.7% (P = 0.002), and NSAID utilization increased to 71.0% (P &lt; 0.001). Postoperative survey data were obtained in 75 patients (41.9%). About 68% stated that they did not use all of the opioids prescribed and 81% endorsed excellent or good pain control throughout their postoperative course.

Conclusions
Appropriate preoperative counseling and utilization of nonopioid analgesics can dramatically reduce opioid use while maintaining high patient satisfaction. Patient-reported data suggest that even greater reductions may be possible.
Mental Health Diagnoses in Veterans Referred for Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatric Care at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Authors: Atkinson David M , Doane Bridget M , Thuras Paul D , Leskela Mitch R , Shiroma Paulo R 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Introduction
Nearly half of the U.S. veterans are over 65 years of age. Older veterans are at higher risk for mental health (MH) conditions, which are associated with increased mortality and health care costs. Given the deficit of specialty-trained geriatric providers, we are conducting a Quality Improvement initiative to improve MH services for older veterans at Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Our first step is to understand the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of veterans referred for geriatric MH specialty treatment.

Materials and Method
We conducted a retrospective chart review of demographics and psychiatric diagnoses in veterans seen for outpatient geriatric MH intake between May 1, 2011 and April 30, 2016. We used chi-square and Spearman’s rho tests to examine age, diagnoses, and service-time era variables.

Results
1,059 veterans were evaluated, average age of 73.5 years. Depressive (47%), neurocognitive (42%), and anxiety disorders (22%) were the most common MH conditions. Vietnam veterans showed higher prevalence of depressive (56%), post-traumatic stress (11%), and alcohol use (10%) disorders. World War II veterans showed higher prevalence of neurocognitive disorders (71%). Neurocognitive disorder prevalence was significantly correlated with age.

Conclusions
Prevalence and comorbidity of major MH conditions is high in veterans referred for geriatric MH services. Future work will examine challenges faced by non-specialty providers in caring for older veterans, with the goal of developing targeted educational and clinical interventions to better address aging veterans’ MH needs.