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Additional acronyms and abbreviations relevant to the engineering environment

Additional acronyms and abbreviations relevant to the engineering environment

To evaluate the prevalence of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and US workers in 2014 relative to 2011. From August 28, 2014, to October 6, 2014, we surveyed both US physicians and a probability-based sample of the general US population using the methods and measures used in our 2011 study. Burnout was measured using validated metrics, and satisfaction with work-life balance was assessed using standard tools. Of the 35,922 physicians who received an invitation to participate, 6880 (19.2%) completed surveys. When assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, 54.4% (n=3680) of the physicians reported at least 1 symptom of burnout in 2014 compared with 45.5% (n=3310) in 2011 (P<.001). Satisfaction with work-life balance also declined in physicians between 2011 and 2014 (48.5% vs 40.9%; P<.001). Substantial differences in rates of burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance were observed by specialty. In contrast to the trends in physicians, minimal changes in burnout or satisfaction with work-life balance were observed between 2011 and 2014 in probability-based samples of working US adults, resulting in an increasing disparity in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians relative to the general US working population. After pooled multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, relationship status, and hours worked per week, physicians remained at an increased risk of burnout (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.80-2.16; P<.001) and were less likely to be satisfied with work-life balance (odds ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.62-0.75; P<.001). Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in US physicians worsened from 2011 to 2014. More than half of US physicians are now experiencing professional burnout.

Supply-chain governance is needed to avoid deforestation Brazil's Soy Moratorium (SoyM) was the first voluntary zero-deforestation agreement implemented in the tropics and set the stage for supply-chain governance of other commodities, such as beef and palm oil [supplementary material (SM)]. In response to pressure from retailers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), major soybean traders signed the SoyM, agreeing not to purchase soy grown on lands deforested after July 2006 in the Brazilian Amazon. The soy industry recently extended the SoyM to May 2016, by which time they assert that Brazil's environmental governance, such as the increased enforcement and national implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry of private properties (Portuguese acronym CAR) mandated by the Forest Code (FC) ( 1 ), will be robust enough to justify ending the agreement ( 2 ). We argue that a longer-term commitment is needed to help maintain deforestation-free soy supply chains, as full compliance and enforcement of these regulations is likely years away. Ending the SoyM prematurely would risk a return to deforestation for soy expansion at a time when companies are committing to zero-deforestation supply chains ( 3 ).

The article published on 16 May 2021 is interesting and impressive, particularly on the Figure displaying several acronyms in trend. Although the most popular eight acronyms in 2019 and 2020 are individually highlighted and labeled, how to determine the points in 2019 and 2020 is required for classifications. The analysis for the evolution of keywords is common and necessary in the bibliographic study. None of the studies addressed the determination of the bursting point for a given keyword over the years. We aim to illustrate the way to determine the inflection point on a given ogive curve and apply the temporal bar graph (TBG) to interpret the trend of a specific keyword (or acronym). The prediction model is based on item response theory, commonly used in educational and psychometric fields. The eight acronyms presented in the previous study were demonstrated using the TBG. We found that the TBG includes more valuable information than the traditional trend charts. The inflection point denoted the topic burst indicates the turning point suddenly from increasing to decreasing. The TBG combined with the inflection point to represent the trend of a given keyword can make the data in trend easier and clearer to understand than any graph used in ever before bibliometric analyses.

Some acronyms are useful and are widely understood, but many of the acronyms used in scientific papers hinder understanding and contribute to the increasing fragmentation of science. Here we report the results of an analysis of more than 24 million article titles and 18 million article abstracts published between 1950 and 2019. There was at least one acronym in 19% of the titles and 73% of the abstracts. Acronym use has also increased over time, but the re-use of acronyms has declined. We found that from more than one million unique acronyms in our data, just over 2,000 (0.2%) were used regularly, and most acronyms (79%) appeared fewer than 10 times. Acronyms are not the biggest current problem in science communication, but reducing their use is a simple change that would help readers and potentially increase the value of science.

This paper presents a first attempt to formally characterize the prosodic properties of Spanish acronyms. Based on the examination of a dataset and the results of a written questionnaire and perception test administered to native speakers, the stress patterns and prosodic size of Spanish acronyms are investigated. We show that stress in acronyms follows the regular stress patterns of the language. We further claim that acronyms are restricted to an upper limit of three syllables, which we explain by resorting to layered feet. Additionally, we show that an interesting minimality requirement applies exclusively to acronyms, one that must be expressed not in terms of syllable weight, but rather in terms of the number of segments.

Formaldehyde (HCHO) has been measured from space for more than 2 decades. Owing to its short atmospheric lifetime, satellite HCHO data are used widely as a proxy of volatile organic compounds (VOCs; please refer to Appendix A for abbreviations and acronyms), providing constraints on underlying emissions and chemistry. However, satellite HCHO products from different satellite sensors using different algorithms have received little validation so far. The accuracy and consistency of HCHO retrievals remain largely unclear. Here we develop a validation platform for satellite HCHO retrievals using in situ observations from 12 aircraft campaigns with a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) as the intercomparison method. Application to the NASA operational OMI HCHO product indicates negative biases (−44.5 % to −21.7 %) under high-HCHO conditions, while it indicates high biases (+66.1 % to +112.1 %) under low-HCHO conditions. Under both conditions, HCHO a priori vertical profiles are likely not the main driver of the biases. By providing quick assessment of systematic biases in satellite products over large domains, the platform facilitates, in an iterative process, optimization of retrieval settings and the minimization of retrieval biases. It is also complementary to localized validation efforts based on ground observations and aircraft spirals.

Objective To evaluate Bosniak Classification v2019 definitions in pathologically confirmed cystic renal masses. Materials and methods Seventy-three cystic (≤ 25% solid) masses with histological confirmation (57 malignant, 16 benign) imaged by CT ( N = 28) or CT+MRI ( N = 56) between 2009 and 2019 were independently evaluated by three blinded radiologists using Bosniak v2019 and original classifications. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus with a fourth blinded radiologist. Overall class and v2019 features were compared to pathology. Results Inter-observer agreement was slightly improved comparing v2019 to Original Bosniak Classification (kappa = 0.26–0.47 versus 0.24–0.34 respectively). v2019 proportion of IIF and III masses (20.5% [15/73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 12.0–31.6%], 38.6% [28/73, 95% CI 27.2–50.5%]) differed from the original classification (6.8% [5/73, 95% CI 2.3–15.3%], 61.6% [45/73, 95% CI 49.5–72.8%]) with overlapping proportion of malignancy in each class. Mean septa number (7 ± 4 [range 1–10]) was not associated with malignancy ( p = 0.89). Mean wall and septa thicknesses were 3 ± 3 (1–14) and 3 ± 2 (1–10) mm and higher in malignancies ( p = 0.03 and 0.20 respectively). Areas under the receiver-operator-characteristic curve for wall and septa thickness were 0.66 (95% CI 0.54–0.79) and 0.61 (95% CI 0.45–0.78) with an optimal cut point of ≥ 3 mm (sensitivity 33.3%, specificity 86.7% and sensitivity 53%, specificity 73% respectively). Proportion of malignancy occurring in masses with the v2019 features “irregularity” (76.9% [10/13], 95% CI 46.2–94.9%) and “nodule” (89.7% [26/29], 95% CI 72.7–97.8%) overlapped. Angle of “nodule” ( p = 0.27) was not associated with malignancy. Conclusion Bosniak v2019 definitions for wall/septa thickness and protrusions are associated with malignancy. Overall, Bosniak v2019 categorizes a higher proportion of malignant masses in Class IIF with slight improvement in inter-observer agreement. Key Points • Considering Bosniak v2019 Class IIF cystic masses with many (≥ 4) smooth and thin septa, there was no association between the number of septa and malignancy (p = 0.89) in this study. • Increased cyst wall and septa thickness are associated with malignancy and a lower threshold of ≥ 3 mm maximized overall diagnostic accuracy compared to ≥ 4 mm threshold proposed for Bosniak v2019 Class 3. • An overlapping proportion of malignant masses is noted in Bosniak v2019 Class 3 masses with “irregularity” (76.9% [10/13], 95% CI 46.2–94.9%) compared to Bosniak v2019 Class 4 masses with “nodule” (89.7% [26/29], 95% CI 72.7–97.8%).