Explore the vast range of titles available.

Arsenic is found in significant quantities within the alluvial aquifers. Bangladesh heavily relies on the alluvial aquifers of the Bengal Basin as a source of irrigation and drinking water. Due to the flat topography, arsenic within an aquifer is not easily flushed out of the system. Additionally, continuous, unregulated pumping causes arsenic from deeper aquifers to migrate to shallower levels. This study simulates groundwater and contaminant transport in the alluvial aquifers of the Bengal Basin by comparison between two scenarios prior to human intervention with different sea levels, employing a combination of MODFLOW, MODPATH and MT3DMS. The simulations demonstrate that the hydraulic gradient and flow rates were higher during periods of considerably lower sea levels than they are at present. Additionally, it would require 5,600 years for the Holocene aquifer and 3,300 years for the Last Glacial Period aquifer to flush arsenic to the Bangladesh standard concentrations in drinking water in a 100-m-thick contaminated aquifer. This implies that if the sea level continues to rise with climate change, it will be difficult to remove arsenic from the alluvial aquifers in the Bengal Basin by natural flushing, which means artificial interventions need to be done for the interest of nation's health.

In the commercial realm, the annual publication volume (PUB) significantly influences the business models of article processing charge (APC)-based open access (OA) journals, though it may negatively impact journal reputation. Despite this, the interactions among APC, PUB, and the Journal Citation Indicator (JCI)—a key marker of journal reputation—have not been thoroughly examined. The objective of this study is to reveal the interactions among APC, PUB, and JCI, determine if there are differences between the interactions inside and outside of China, and uncover the possible mechanisms enabling dominant publishers to set APC prices without compromising their market position. Through cross-correlation and linear regression analyses, our findings reveal distinct APC business models between China and the rest of the international OA journal landscape. Specifically, while both cases demonstrate a proportional relationship between APC and JCI, China exhibits an inverse relationship between APC and PUB, contrasting with the global trend. This suggests that the business model in China sets an “optimized” PUB for Chinese APC-based OA journals, which would pose challenges for journal management and the expansion of the domestic APC-based OA market volume. In the rest of the international context, by contrast, the business model supports a proactive annual increase in APC list prices driven by the proportional relationships between APC and PUB. These insights underscore the need for more nuanced APC business models that can adapt to regional variations in funder requirements and policy expectations.

Bifidobacterium is a non-spore-forming, Gram-positive, anaerobic probiotic actinobacterium and commonly found in the gut of infants and the uterine region of pregnant mothers. Like all probiotics, Bifidobacteria confer health benefits on the host when administered in adequate amounts, showing multifaceted probiotic effects. Examples include B. bifidum, B. breve, and B. longum , common Bifidobacterium strains employed to prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders, including intestinal infections and cancers. Herein, we review the latest development in probiotic Bifidobacteria research, including studies on the therapeutic impact of Bifidobacterial species on human health and recent efforts in engineering Bifidobacterium . This review article would provide readers with a wholesome understanding of Bifidobacteria and its potentials to improve human health.

This meta-analysis aims to compare corneal injuries and function after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and conventional phacoemulsification surgery (CPS). A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) and high-quality prospective comparative cohort studies comparing FLACS with CPS. Endothelial cell loss percentage (ECL%), central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), endothelial cell loss (ECL), percentage of the hexagonal cell (6A), and coefficient of variance (CoV) were used as an indicator of corneal injury and function. Totally 42 trials (23 RCTs and 19 prospective cohort studies), including 3916 eyes, underwent FLACS, and a total of 3736 eyes underwent CPS. ECL% is significantly lower in the FLACS group at 1–3 days (P = 0.005), 1 week (P = 0.004), 1 month (P<0.0001), 3 months (P = 0.001), and 6 months (P = 0.004) after surgery compared to CPS. ECD and ECL appeared no statistically significant difference between the two groups, except for the significant reduction of ECD at 3 months in the CPS group (P = 0.002). CCT was significantly lower in the FLACS group at 1 week (P = 0.05) and 1 month (P = 0.002) early postoperatively. While at 1–3 days (P = 0.50), 3 months (P = 0.18), and 6 months (P = 0.11), there was no difference between the FLACS group and the CPS group. No significant difference was found in the percentage of hexagonal cells and the coefficient of variance. FLACS, compared with CPS, reduces corneal injury in the early postoperative period. Corneal edema recovered faster in the FLACS group in the early postoperative period. In addition, FLACS may be a better option for patients with corneal dysfunction.

With the gradual warming of the global climate, the possibility and risk of large-scale sliding and collapse disasters of glaciers, large ice sheets, and thicker ice sheets have increased. Using the discrete element numerical method to analyze glacier stability is of great importance for polar disaster prediction. A contact model, which can accurately reflect the mechanical properties of polycrystalline ice, is key to conducting a discrete element numerical simulation of glacier stability. Based on the results of conventional triaxial compression tests on polycrystalline ice, we proposed an elastoplastic contact model. A custom contact model subroutine (dynamic link library [DLL]) for the two-dimensional particle flow code (PFC 2D ) was generated using C++. A self-defined contact model subroutine (DLL) was used to simulate the biaxial shear of the flexible film at different temperatures. The numerical simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results. The proposed contact model accurately reflected the deformation characteristics of polycrystalline ice. Finally, a discrete element numerical simulation of glacier ice collapse was conducted. An elastoplastic contact model of polycrystalline ice was established to provide a numerical basis for glacier stability analysis and multi-field coupling research.

> Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in blood plasma is an emerging tool for clinical cancer genotyping and longitudinal disease monitoring 1 . However, owing to past emphasis on targeted and low-resolution profiling approaches, our understanding of the distinct populations that comprise bulk ctDNA is incomplete 2 – 12 . Here we perform deep whole-genome sequencing of serial plasma and synchronous metastases in patients with aggressive prostate cancer. We comprehensively assess all classes of genomic alterations and show that ctDNA contains multiple dominant populations, the evolutionary histories of which frequently indicate whole-genome doubling and shifts in mutational processes. Although tissue and ctDNA showed concordant clonally expanded cancer driver alterations, most individual metastases contributed only a minor share of total ctDNA. By comparing serial ctDNA before and after clinical progression on potent inhibitors of the androgen receptor (AR) pathway, we reveal population restructuring converging solely on AR augmentation as the dominant genomic driver of acquired treatment resistance. Finally, we leverage nucleosome footprints in ctDNA to infer mRNA expression in synchronously biopsied metastases, including treatment-induced changes in AR transcription factor signalling activity. Our results provide insights into cancer biology and show that liquid biopsy can be used as a tool for comprehensive multi-omic discovery. Deep whole-genome sequencing of serial blood samples and matched metastatic tissue reveals that circulating tumour DNA profiling enables detailed study of treatment-driven subclone dynamics, epigenomics and genome-wide somatic evolution in metastatic human cancers.

Background Myopia is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and young adults . Multiple epidemiological studies have confirmed a high prevalence of myopia in Asian countries. However, fewer longitudinal studies have been performed to evaluate the secular changes in the prevalence of myopia, especially high myopia in China. In the present study, we investigated trends in the prevalence of myopia among high school students in Fenghua city, eastern China, from 2001 to 2015. Methods This was a population-based, retrospective study. Data were collected among 43,858 third-year high school students. Noncycloplegic autorefraction was used to determine refractive error, which was defined as low myopia, moderate myopia, high myopia and very high myopia according to the spherical equivalent from the worse eye of each participant. The prevalence of myopia was calculated and the annual percentage change (APC) was used to quantify the time trends. All analyses were conducted using the SPSS, Stata and Graphpad Prism software. Results From 2001 to 2015, the prevalence of overall myopia increased from 79.5% to 87.7% (APC =0.59%), with a significant increase of moderate myopia (38.8% to 45.7%, APC = 0.78%), high myopia (7.9% to 16.6%, APC = 5.48%) and very high myopia (0.08% to 0.92%, APC = 14.59%), while the prevalence of low myopia decreased from 32.7% to 24.4% (APC = − 1.73%). High myopia and very high myopia contributed the major part of the increasing trend of myopia prevalence (contribution rate 27.00% and 69.07%, respectively). Conclusions During the 15-year period, there was a remarkable increase in the prevalence of high and very high myopia among high school students, which might become a serious public health problem in China for the next few decades.

Background The caregiver burden frequently experienced by family members tending to advanced cancer patients significantly impacts their psychological well-being and quality of life (QoL). Although family resilience might function as a mitigating factor in this relationship, its specific role remains to be elucidated. This study aims to probe the mediating effect of psychological distress on the relationship between caregiver burden and QoL, as well as the moderating effect of family resilience. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2020 and March 2021 in five tertiary hospitals in China. Data were collected on caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological distress (including anxiety and depression), and QoL. Moderated mediation analysis was performed. Results Data analysis included 290 caregivers. It confirmed the mediating role of psychological distress in the caregiver burden-QoL relationship ( P  < 0.001). Both overall family resilience and the specific dimension of family communication and problem-solving (FCPS) demonstrated significant moderating effects on the “psychological distress/anxiety—QoL” paths ( P  < 0.05). The utilization of social and economic resources (USER) significantly moderated the association between depression and QoL ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions The study corroborates psychological distress's mediation between caregiver burden and QoL and family resilience's moderation between psychological distress and QoL. It underscores the need for minimizing psychological distress and bolstering family resilience among caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Accordingly, interventions should be tailored, inclusive of psychological assistance and promotion of family resilience, particularly focusing on FCPS and USER, to augment the caregivers' well-being and QoL.

The mechanical behaviors of rock joints plays a vital role in controlling the stability of layered rock slopes. Most existing constitutive models for jointed rock masses assume a constant initial roughness, ignoring its evolution during shearing and leading to inaccurate descriptions of shear deformation. To address this limitation, a new constitutive model for jointed rock masses is proposed, which explicitly considers the dynamic evolution of joint surface roughness based on the stress–displacement characteristics obtained from direct shear tests. The proposed model quantitatively links shear displacement with joint roughness degradation, providing a more accurate representation of shear stiffness evolution under loading. The proposed joint model was implemented into the numerical software and validated using laboratory shear test data under different normal stresses, showing close agreement in both peak and residual strength. Furthermore, slope stability simulations demonstrated that this model can realistically reproduce the progressive failure process and yield higher accuracy in predicting safety factors than the traditional Mohr–Coulomb joint model. The results confirm that incorporating roughness evolution enhances the reliability of numerical analysis for the deformation and failure of layered rock slopes.

To compare the outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) with those of conventional phacoemulsification surgery (CPS) for age-related cataracts. A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) and comparative cohort studies comparing FLACS with CPS. Endothelial cell loss percentage (ECL%), central corneal thickness (CCT), corrected and uncorrected distant visual acuity (CDVA and UDVA), and mean absolute error (MAE) of refraction were used as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), mean effective phacoemulsification time (EPT), phacoemulsification power and circularity of the capsulorhexis. Nine RCTs and fifteen cohort studies including 4,903 eyes (2,861 in the FLACS group and 2,072 in the CPS group) were identified. There were significant differences between the two groups in ECL% at one week, about one month and three months postoperatively, in CCT at one day, about one month postoperatively and at the final follow-up, in CDVA at one week postoperatively, and in UDVA at the final follow-up. Significant differences were also observed in MAE, EPT, phacoemulsification power, and the circularity of capsulorhexis. However, no significant differences were observed in CDVA at one week postoperatively or in surgically induced astigmatism. Compared to CPS, FLACS is a safer and more effective method for reducing endothelial cell loss and postoperative central corneal thickening as well as achieving better and faster visual rehabilitation and refractive outcomes. However, there is no difference in final CDVA and surgically induced astigmatism between the two groups.