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Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is an important indicator of the degree of organic pollution in water bodies. Traditional methods for BOD5 determination, although widely used, are complicated and dependent on accurate chemical measurements of dissolved oxygen. The aim of this study was to propose a facile method for predicting biochemical oxygen demand by fluorescence signals using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis in combination with a machine learning algorithm. The water samples were incubated for five days using the national standard method, during which the dissolved oxygen contents and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy data were measured at eight-hour intervals. The maximum fluorescence intensity of three fluorescence components was decomposed and extracted by parallel factor analysis. The relationship between the maximum fluorescence of the three fluorescence components and the BOD5 values was established using a random forest model. The results showed that there was a good correlation between the fluorescence components and BOD values. The BOD5 values were effectively predicted by the random forest model with a high goodness of fit (R2 = 0.878) and low mean square error (MSE = 0.28). Although this method did not shorten the incubation time, successful BOD5 prediction was realized by the non-contact measurement of fluorescence signals. This avoids the complicated operation of DO determination, improves detection efficiency, and provides a convenient solution for analyzing large quantities of water samples and monitoring facile water quality.

Environmental shifts and dietary habits could directly affect the gut microbiota of animals. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiota of golden snub-nosed monkeys under two different conditions: captive and wild. Our study adopted a non-invasive sampling method, using full-length 16S rRNA Pacbio SMAT sequencing technology to compare the gut microbiota of wild and captive golden snub-nosed monkeys. The results showed that the captive populations had higher alpha diversity than the wild populations, and there were also significant differences in beta diversity. The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed 39 distinctly different taxonomic units. At the phylum level, the most dominant bacteria under captive and wild conditions were Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. This study revealed that the different fiber intake between wild and captive populations might be the main reason for the difference in the gut microbiota. We found that captive golden snub-nosed monkeys had less beneficial bacteria and more potentially pathogenic bacteria than wild ones. Functional predictions showed that the most significant functional pathway at the second level between the captive and wild monkeys was carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, our results indicate that diet changes caused by captivity could be the main reason impacting the gut microbiota of captive golden snub-nosed monkeys. We further highlight the potential impact of diet changes on the health of captive golden snub-nosed monkeys and offer some suggestions for the feeding of captive golden snub-nosed monkeys.

Background Despite evidence that severe and poorly controlled asthma are associated with more clinical unmet needs and intensive utilization of healthcare resources, limited data is available on severe asthma expenditure in China. The study aimed to assess Medical Resource Utilization (MRU) costs of asthma and explore the cost drivers in order to better understand the economic burden of the Chinese population suffered from asthma. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using Chinese sampled national claim database. Patients aged 6 years and above with primary diagnosis of asthma and asthma-related medical visit/hospitalization during 2015 were included. Medication was used as a proxy per the GINA and China guideline to identify asthma severity (i.e. mild, moderate, and severe). multiple linear regression model was conducted to identify MRU costs drivers. Results 7,254 patients diagnosed with asthma were included: 4,529 (62.4%), 2,200 (30.3%), and 525 (7.2%) had mild, moderate, and severe asthma, respectively. On average, each severe patient spent 6,782 Chinese Yuan (CNY) on asthma treatment and had 57.0% hospitalization rate during the year, 3.9- and 4.4-fold of the average of overall population (P < 0.001 for both). The proportion of patients experiencing exacerbation significantly higher in the severe asthma population (66.5%; P < 0.001) compared to mild (30.0%) and moderate (16.8%) groups. In subgroup with 1,660 samples had annual consecutive data, severe patients had annual cost of CNY 8,314 and 52.2% hospitalization rate. 13% of severe patients who had frequent severe exacerbation (≥ 2 events) experienced the highest annual average cost CNY 23,037, P < 0.001) whereas children aged from 6 to 14 with a lower annual cost of CNY 1,094.2, 1,660.2 and 3,020.2 for mild, moderate, and severe patients respectively. The multiple model identified degree of severity, control status, complications, age, and live region as independent drivers of MRU costs. Conclusions Chinese asthma patients bear heavy economic burden. Severe asthma associated with higher MRU (mainly from hospitalization) and costs compared with mild to moderate asthma in China. More efforts should be devoted to the control of the disease severity and complication as the main drivers of asthma cost.

Since scandium has a significant refining effect on aluminum alloys, the research on aluminum-scandium alloys has continued for decades. The development of Scalmalloy which has scandium element broadens the applications for additive manufacturing (AM) for scandium–aluminum alloys. In this research, Scalmalloy is processed by the laser-melting deposition (LMD) method. A fully equiaxed grain microstructure is identified and its formation related to the characteristics of LMD-processing method is discussed. The morphology and distribution of Al 3 Sc and Al 3 Zr after processing is observed and discussed, and the elemental distribution is analysed. The high mechanical properties are reached and their relation to the microstructure of the Scalmalloy processed is investigated. With compiled results and observations, this study provides a better understanding of microstructure formation and the mechanical performance of Scalmalloy fabricated by the LMD method which offers a good basis for any further research in the application of LMD for high-performance aluminum alloy. Graphical abstract

In the area of “returning farmland to forest” on the Loess Plateau in China, it is difficult to cultivate artificially planted trees into forests. In the current study, abandoned cultivated land after 10 years of natural restoration served as controls (CK), while the treatments included afforestation periods of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years. Soil samples were collected from various depths: 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80, to 80–100 cm. The findings revealed that with increasing years of artificial afforestation, soil pH gradually increased, and soil moisture content rose in the 0–20 cm layer while declining in deeper layers (20–100 cm) in the Maxian Mountain region of the Loess Plateau. Moreover, the total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content initially increased and then decreased with the duration of artificial afforestation, reaching peak values after 8 years. Contents of organic matter, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the same soil layer increased with each year of afforestation. However, upon reaching 10 years of artificial afforestation, the effective nutrient content in the 60–80 and 80–100 cm soil layers exhibited a decrease. The values of Integrated Fertility Index (IFI) in different afforestation years were ranked as follows: 8 years > 6 years > 10 years > 4 years > 2 year, but all of them were significantly smaller than those of natural restoration plot CK ( P  < 0.05). Overall, soil fertility in the Maxian Mountain area of the Loess Plateau increases with each additional year of artificial afforestation. However, when the artificial afforestation period is 10 years, soil fertility decreases and marking a shift from enhancement to decline beyond this duration.

Levels of dietary carbohydrates and lipids have important effects on the growth, health, and glycolipid metabolizing capacity of the hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂). This experiment evaluated the effect of carbohydrate to lipid ratios (CHO:L ratio) on growth, serum biochemical indices, intestinal morphology and activity of digestive enzymes, and the ability to metabolize carbohydrates and lipids in the hybrid grouper. Six iso-nitrogenous (500 g/kg) and iso-energetic (190 MJ/kg) feeds with CHO:L ratios of 0.82, 1.03, 1.28, 1.58, 1.94, and 2.27 were formulated. The 720 groupers with an initial body weight of 7.76 ± 0.08 g were sorted into 24 fiberglass buckets of 30 fish each. Feed was delivered twice daily at 8:00 and 16:00 to apparent satiety for 56 days. The results showed that the growth performance of the groupers was not significantly affected by the diet. Based on the specific growth rate (SGR), the optimal CHO:L ratio was 1.72 for the groupers by the second-order polynomial regression model. The intestinal trypsin and lipase, and the hepatic trypsin activities of the groupers showed a maximum in the 1.58 group. The intestinal muscle thickness in the 1.94 group and the villus length in the 1.58 group were significantly greater than in the 0.82, 1.03, 1.28, and 2.27 groups. The glycogen synthase, pyruvate kinase, and hexokinase activities of the liver were significantly higher in the 1.58 group than in the 0.82 and 2.27 groups. The hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase, adipose triglyceride lipase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and carnitine palmitoyl transferase of the liver showed significantly higher activities in the 1.58 group than those in the 0.82 and 1.03 groups. These results showed that based on the SGR of the groupers, the best CHO:L ratio was 1.72. An appropriate dietary CHO:L ratio can reduce the lipid deposition of the fish body, liver, and muscle, as well as improve the intestinal morphology and activities of liver carbohydrate and lipid metabolism enzymes.

Objectives No head-to-head trials had been performed to estimate the relative effectiveness of poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) and androgen receptor signaling inhibitor (ARSi) in the first-line treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We aimed to perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of various systemic treatment agents for patients with mCRPC. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted for abstracts and full-text articles from the database’s inception through April 27, 2023. The study concentrated on assessing radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) for both overall and homologous recombination repair mutation (HRRm) population, with overall survival (OS) as the secondary measure. Under the Bayesian framework, the overall effect was pooled using the fixed-effects model in base case analysis. Scenario analysis using restricted mean survival time (RMST) methods was performed to test the robustness of the results. Results Nine studies with 6,830 patients and 8 unique treatment options were included. Network meta-analysis demonstrated that talazoparib in combination with enzalutamide (TALA + ENZA; overall population, hazard ratio [HR], 0.20; 95% credible interval [CrI]: 0.16–0.26; RMST, 3.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.46–4.60; HRRm population, HR, 0.15; 95% CrI: 0.09–0.23; RMST, 4.14; 95% CI 2.84–5.39) was superior to other treatments in the first-line setting in terms of rPFS. The results of Bayesian framework and RMST models showed consistent efficacy ranks. When extrapolated to overall survival benefit, within the Bayesian framework, olaparib plus abiraterone acetate and prednisone (OLAP + AAP) achieved the highest OS benefit for the overall population, which was not statistically significant when compared to TALA + ENZA. However, TALA + ENZA achieved the highest OS benefit at 3 years by applying RMST. Conclusions We suggest that talazoparib in combination with enzalutamide is probably a preferred treatment agent for the overall population and HRRm patients with mCRPC. Given the limitations of network framework and the modeling assumptions undertaken to finalize the analyses, results should be cautiously interpreted.

Neutrophils are primary effector cells of the innate immune system. Emerging evidence has consistently shown that activated neutrophils produce and release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that play roles in immunity and non-infectious diseases. NETs are composed of DNA and proteins and serve as a structural platform for pathogen sequestration and degradation. In contrast to their protective role during pathogenic infection, NETs are pathologically involved in cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this review, we introduce the formation, release, and clearance of NETs and the regulatory mechanisms of NETs formation, followed by an overview of the clinical evidence for the involvement of NETs in CVD. Because atherosclerosis is a fundamental part of the pathogenesis of CVD, we chose to focus on the mechanisms by which NETs promote endothelial cell damage and collaborate with macrophages and platelets to accelerate plaque progression and thrombosis. Finally, we present options for clinical intervention to inhibit NETs production and release in the treatment of CVD. In conclusion, this review integrates the latest findings and provides new insights into NETs, which represent a novel biomarker and therapeutic target in clinical practice.

Eye tracking provides valuable insight for analyzing visual attention and underlying thinking progress through the observation of eye movements. Here, a transparent, flexible and ultra-persistent electrostatic sensing interface is proposed for realizing active eye tracking (AET) system based on the electrostatic induction effect. Through a triple-layer structure combined with a dielectric bilayer and a rough-surface Ag nanowire (Ag NW) electrode layer, the inherent capacitance and interfacial trapping density of the electrostatic interface has been strongly enhanced, contributing to an unprecedented charge storage capability. The electrostatic charge density of the interface reached 1671.10 μC·m −2 with a charge-keeping rate of 96.91% after 1000 non-contact operation cycles, which can finally realize oculogyric detection with an angular resolution of 5°. Thus, the AET system enables real-time decoding eye movements for customer preference recording and eye-controlled human-computer interaction, supporting its limitless potentiality in commercial purpose, virtual reality, human computer interactions and medical monitoring. Eye tracking systems are crucial for eye health-monitoring and human-machine engineering. Here, Shi et. al. report a transparent and flexible active eye tracking system based on an electrostatic induction effect, enabling visual preference analysis and eye-controlled human-computer interaction.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease, may be associated with poliomyelitis-like paralysis. In this report from China, a vaccine was shown to significantly decrease EV71-associated illness in children. Epidemics of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children have emerged recently in Asia and have been caused primarily by enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16, 1 which typically show two peak epidemic incidences each year, in May and October. 2 – 5 An important clinical concern regarding hand, foot, and mouth disease is central nervous system injury, which occurs during the disease course in some severe cases and may result in a poor outcome. 6 – 11 Infection with the EV71 C4 genotype accounts for 40.1 to 55.4% of cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease, with considerable associated mortality, including thousands of deaths . . .