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In this paper, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor is proposed for simultaneously measuring the refractive index (RI) and temperature. In the design, the central air hole and external surface of the proposed PCF are coated with gold films, and an air hole is filled with the temperature-sensitive material (TSM). By introducing the inner and outer gold films and TSM, the RI and temperature can be measured simultaneously at different wavelength regions. The simulation results show that the average wavelength sensitivities of the proposed SPR-based PCF sensor can reach 4520 nm/RIU and 4.83 nm/°C in the RI range of 1.35~1.40 and a temperature range of 20~60 °C, respectively. Moreover, because of using the different wavelength regions for sensing, the RI and temperature detections of the proposed SPR-based PCF sensor can be achieved independently. It is believed that the proposed SPR-based PCF RI and temperature sensor has important applications in biomedicine and in environmental science.

In this paper, a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect for refractive index (RI) detection is proposed. We design a D-shaped polished PCF structure consisting of air holes arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The silver film is coated on the middle channel of the polished surface of the PCF. The finite element method is used to analyze the propagation characteristics of the proposed D-shaped SPR-PCF sensor. Simulation results show that the proposed D-shaped SPR-PCF sensor has a maximum wavelength sensitivity of 30,000 nm/RIU, an average wavelength sensitivity of 6785.71 nm/RIU, and a maximum resolution of 3.33×10−6RIU in the RI range of 1.22–1.36. Owing to the high wavelength sensitivity in the considered RI range, the proposed D-shaped SPR-PCF sensor is suitable for applications in water contamination detection, liquid concentration measurement, food safety monitoring, etc.

A novel photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect for a wider range of refractive index (RI) detection is proposed. The sensitivity of the proposed sensor could reach −4851 nm/RI unit (RIU) in the dynamic RI range from 1.25 to 1.49 for the y-pol mode as well as −4523 nm/RIU in the dynamic RI range from 1.25 to 1.45 for the x-pol mode, which makes it has potential application prospects in the chemistry, biology, and environment monitoring.

Observational studies play a vital role in nutrition journals, but no studies have assessed the reporting quality of observational studies after the publication of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)-nutritional epidemiology (STROBE-nut) statement in 2016. This study assessed the reporting quality of observational studies published in high-impact-factor nutrition journals by using the STROBE-nut statement and explored factors affecting the reporting quality.All observational studies published in those journals were retrieved using the PubMed database from inception to May 1, 2019. The reporting quality of the included articles was assessed as per the STROBE-nut statement checklist. Compliance with each item of the statement and the total STROBE-nut score were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential factors associated with reporting quality.Of the 964 observational studies identified, a random sample of 200 articles was considered for analysis. The median compliance with items was 74.0%. Seven items (12.07%) were reported in10.0% of articles, with STROBE 10 (3.00%), nut-12.2 (2.50%), and nut-14 (2.00%) having the lowest reporting rates. The mean STROBE-nut score was 40.35, which was suboptimal. STROBE-nut scores were higher for cohort studies (p=0.04) and when statisticians or epidemiologists were involved in the study (p=0.004).Observational studies published in nutrition journals were found to have suboptimal reporting quality. Nutrition journals should endorse the STROBEnut statement checklist for observational studies to improve reporting quality and provide readers with reliable evidence.

In this paper, a novel photonic crystal fiber (PCF) refractive index (RI) sensor with an ultra-wide detection range based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect is proposed. By selectively filling the air hole with the analyte and introducing the gold-coated air hole, the high performance RI sensing can be achieved. The simulation results show that the asymmetric structure of the PCF makes the x-polarization (x-pol) and y-polarization (y-pol) core modes have different sensing characteristics. The average wavelength sensitivity of the proposed SPR-PCF RI sensor can reach − 4523 nm/RIU in the RI range from 1.25 to 1.45 for the x-pol core mode as well as − 4851 nm/RIU in the RI range from 1.25 to 1.49 for the y-pol core mode. The maximum amplitude sensitivities of − 1239.19 RIU−1 and − 1633.54 RIU−1 for the x-pol and y-pol core modes are also achieved. Moreover, the proposed SPR-PCF RI sensor can obtain the maximum resolutions of 1.603 × 10−5 and 1.695 × 10−5 RIU and figure of merits of 226.92 and 105.76 RIU−1 for the x-pol and y-pol core modes, respectively. It is believed that the proposed SPR-PCF RI sensor has potential applications in the chemistry, biology, and environment monitoring.

Reporting guidelines and study registration can minimize bias and improve the reporting quality of biomedical research, but may not be fully utilized. The objective of this study was to investigate the policies of surgery journals as for reporting guidelines and study registration and explore associated journal characteristic variables. Study samples were obtained from the Expanded Science Citation Index of the 2018 Journal Citation Reports (surgery category). The online guides for authors were browsed to identify which journals endorsed reporting guidelines and study registration. The predictors related to the endorsement were explored by using Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis, respectively. One hundred and eighty-eight surgery journals were included in our study. One hundred and sixty-three journals (86.7%) endorsed reporting guidelines and 103 journals (54.8%) endorsed study registration. About reporting guidelines, ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) recommendations were the most frequently endorsed (n = 155, 82.4%) by journals, followed by CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement (n = 94, 50.0%). About study registration, randomized controlled trial registration was endorsed by 101 (53.7%) journals, whereas the systematic review registration was endorsed by only 9 journals (4.8%). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that not North America, higher JCR (Journal Citation Reports) rank journals were more likely to endorse reporting guidelines and study registration. Surgery journals frequently use reporting guidelines, but nearly half of journals did not require study registration. Implementing these two mechanisms can prevent bias, and their adoption should be strengthened by authors, reviewers and journal editors in surgery.

Background A journal’s impact factor (IF) and total citations are often used as indicators of its publication quality. Furthermore, journals that require authors to abide by reporting guidelines or conduct trial registration generally have a higher quality of reporting. In this study, we sought to explore the potential associations between the enforcement of reporting guidelines or trial registration and a surgical journal’s IF or total citations in order to find new approaches and ideas to improve journal publication quality. Methods We examined surgical journals from the 2018 Journal Citation Report’s Expanded Scientific Citation Index to quantify the use of reporting guidelines or study registration. We reviewed the “instructions for authors” from each journal and used multivariable linear regression analysis to determine which guidelines were associated with the journal IF and total citations. The dependent variable was the logarithm base 10 of the IF in 2018 or the logarithm base 10 of total citations in 2018 (the results were presented as geometric means, specifically the ratio of the “endorsed group” results to “not endorsed group” results). The independent variable was one of the requirements (endorsed and not endorsed). Models adjust for the publication region, language, start year, publisher and journal size (only used to adjust total citations). Results We included 188 surgical journals in our study. The results of multivariable linear regression analysis showed that journal IF was associated (P < 0.01) with the following requirements: randomized controlled trial (RCT) registration (geometric means ratio (GR) = 1.422, 95% CI [1.197–1.694]), Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement (1.318, [1.104–1.578]), Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement (1.390, [1.148–1.683]), Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement (1.556, [1.262–1.919]), Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) statement (1.585, [1.216–2.070]), and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) statement (2.113, [1.422–3.133]). We found associations between the endorsement of RCT registration (GR = 1.652, 95% CI [1.268–2.153]), CONSORT (1.570, [1.199–2.061]), PRISMA (1.698, [1.271–2.270]), STROBE (2.023, [1.476–2.773]), STARD (2.173, [1.452–3.243]), and MOOSE statements (2.249, [1.219–4.150]) and the number of total citations. Conclusion The presence of reporting guidelines and trial registration was associated with higher IF or more total citations in surgical journals. If more surgical journals incorporate these policies into their submission requirements, this may improve publication quality, thus increasing their IF and total citations.

Backgrounds Master of public health (MPH) plays an important role in Chinese medical education, and the dissertations is an important part of MPH education. In MPH dissertations, most are observational studies. Compared with randomized controlled trial (RCT), observational studies are more prone to information bias. So, the reporting of the observational studies should be transparent and standard. But, no research on evaluating the reporting quality of the MPH dissertation has been found.Methods A systematic literature search was performed in the Wanfang database from January 1, 2014 to May 31, 2019. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observation Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement was adopted to evaluate the reporting quality of the selected studies. Articles that met the following criteria were selected: (1) observational studies, including cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies; (2) original articles; (3) studies on humans, including both adults and children.Results The Median of compliance to individual STROBE items was 74.79%. The mean (standard deviation) of STROBE score was 14.29 (1.84). Five items/sub-items were 100% reported (“reported” and “partly reported” were combined): background, objectives, study design, report numbers of individuals at each stage, and key result. Fifteen items/sub-items were reported by 75% or more. Reporting of methods and results was often omitted: missing data (6.67%), sensitivity analyses (3.63%), flow diagram (15.15%), and absolute risk (0%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that cohort studies (OR=3.41, 95% CI=1.27-9.16), funding support (OR=4.37, 95% CI=1.27-9.16) and more published papers during postgraduate period (OR=3.46, 95% CI=1.40-8.60) were related to high reporting quality.Conclusion In short, the reporting quality of observational studies in MPH’s dissertations in China is suboptimal. However, it’s necessary to improve the reporting of method and results sections. We recommend that authors should be stricter to adhere STROBE statement when conducting observational studies.

BackgroundsObservational studies plays an important role in urology studies, But few studies have paid attention to the statistical reporting quality of observational studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and evaluate the reporting quality of statistical methods of the published observational studies in urology.MethodsThe five urology journals were selected according to the 5-year impact factor. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed for relevant articles. The quality of statistical reporting was assessed according to assessment criteria.ResultsA total of 193 articles were included in this study. The mean statistical reporting score of included articles was 0.42 (SD=0.15), accounting for 42% of total score. The items that must be reported with a reporting rate more than 50% were: alpha level (n=122, 65.2%), confidence intervals (n=134, 69.4%), name of statistical package (n=158, 84.5%) and exact P-values (n=161, 86.1%). The items with a reporting rate less than 50% were: outliers (n=2, 1.0%) and sample size (n=13, 6.7%). For multivariable regression models (liner, logistic and Cox), variables coding (n=27, 40.7%), validation analysis of assumptions (n=58, 40.3%), interaction test (n=43, 30.0%), collinearity diagnostics (n=5, 3.5%) and goodness of fit test (n=6, 5.9%) were reported. Number of authors more than 7(OR=2.06, 95%CI=1.04-4.08) and participation of statistician or epidemiologist (OR=1.73, 95%CI=1.18-3.39) were associated with the superior reporting quality.ConclusionThe statistical reporting quality of published observational studies in 5 high-impact factor urological journals was alarming. We encourage researchers to collaborate with statistician or epidemiologist. The authors, reviewers and editors should increase their knowledge of statistical methods, especially new and complex methods.

Additional file 1.

Backgrounds Master of public health (MPH) plays an important role in Chinese medical education, and the dissertations is an important part of MPH education. In MPH dissertations, most are observational studies. Compared with randomized controlled trial (RCT), observational studies are more prone to information bias. So, the reporting of the observational studies should be transparent and standard. But, no research on evaluating the reporting quality of the MPH dissertation has been found. Methods A systematic literature search was performed in the Wanfang database from January 1, 2014 to May 31, 2019. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observation Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement was adopted to evaluate the reporting quality of the selected studies. Results The median of compliance with STROBE statement of 165 articles was 67.82%. The mean (standard deviation) of STROBE score was 14.3 (1.91). Five items/sub-items were 100% reported: background, objectives, study design, report numbers of individuals at each stage, and key result. Fifteen items/sub-items were reported by 75% or more. Reporting of methods and results was often omitted: missing data (12.73%), sensitivity analyses (3.03%), flow diagram (15.15%), and absolute risk (0%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that funding support (OR=13.98, 95% CI=4.37-44.70) and more published papers during postgraduate period (OR=2.77, 95% CI=1.02-7.54) were related to high reporting quality. Conclusion In short, the reporting quality of observational studies in MPH’s dissertations in China is suboptimal. However, it’s necessary to improve the reporting of method and results sections. We recommend that authors should be stricter to adhere STROBE statement when conducting observational studies.

Geo-environment deterioration, which caused by Three Gorges reservoir area development program, is leading to frequent geological disasters and seriously hampering the sustainable development of the reservoir area. This article expounds the geo-environment’s compensation status quo and existing problems in the reservoir area at first. Then it explains that geo- environment were underestimated or even loss of status, and analyses its performance and the relationship between the geo-environmental compensation mechanisms improving and sustainable development of Three Gorges reservoir area. Finally, it points out that the Government need appropriate institutional arrangements immediately, and makes relevant policy recommendations to improve the geo-environment compensation mechanism for the sustainable development of the reservoir area to provide important protection system.

Enterprise information systems evaluation is the key as well as thorny point of the research on information systems. As enterprise information systems are complicated social technological systems, the evaluation of them is a complicated social process. The multiple subjects, multiple stages and multiple levels of enterprise information systems evaluation decide the complexity in evaluating them. The complexity in evaluating enterprise information system is analyzed in detail in the paper in a bid to provide a basic research frame for comprehensive evaluation of enterprise information systems.