Dietary xylo‑oligosaccharides and arabinoxylans improved growth efficiency by reducing gut epithelial cell turnover in broiler chickens

Background One of the main roles of the intestinal mucosa is to protect against environmental hazards.Supple-mentation of xylo-oligosaccharides(XOS)is known to selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria and improve gut health and function in chickens.XOS may have an impact on the integrity of the intestinal epithelia where cell turnover is critical to maintain the compatibility between the digestive and barrier functions.The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of XOS and an arabinoxylan-rich fraction(AXRF)supplementation on gut func-tion and epithelial integrity in broiler chickens.Methods A total of 128 broiler chickens(Ross 308)were assigned into one of two different dietary treatments for a period of 42 d:1)control diet consisting of a corn/soybean meal-based diet;or 2)a control diet supplemented with 0.5%XOS and 1%AXRF.Each treatment was randomly distributed across 8 pens(n=8)with 8 chickens each.Feed intake and body weight were recorded weekly.On d 42,one male chicken per pen was selected based on aver-age weight and euthanized,jejunum samples were collected for proteomics analysis.Results Dietary XOS/AXRF supplementation improved feed efficiency(P<0.05)from d 1 to 42 compared to the con-trol group.Proteomic analysis was used to understand the mechanism of improved efficiency uncovering 346 dif-ferentially abundant proteins(DAP)(Padj<0.00001)in supplemented chickens compared to the non-supplemented group.In the jejunum,the DAP translated into decreased ATP production indicating lower energy expenditure by the tissue(e.g.,inhibition of glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways).In addition,DAP were associated with decreased epithelial cell differentiation,and migration by reducing the actin polymerization pathway.Put-ting the two main pathways together,XOS/AXRF supplementation may decrease around 19%the energy required for the maintenance of the gastrointestinal tract.Conclusions Dietary XOS/AXRF supplementation improved growth efficiency by reducing epithelial cell migration and differentiation(hence,turnover),actin polymerization,and consequently energy requirement for maintenance of the jejunum of broiler chickens.

Hydrogen evolution reaction activity enhancement from active site turnover mechanism

Although heteroatom doping is an effective way to improve the catalytic activity of transition metal phosphides(TMPs),the mechanism of activity enhancement needs to be further refined.To this end,we synthesized a Co-doped Ni_(2)P catalyst as a research model and found that the introduction of heterogeneous Co reconstructed the charge distribution around the P site,which effectively enhanced the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)activity of the pure Ni_(2)P.Based on in-situ Raman real-time monitoring technology,we monitored for the first time that Co doping triggered a switch of the active site(from the original Co-active site to the P-active site),which promoted the adsorption of H_(2)O to enhance the HER activity.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations indicated that the P site of Co-Ni_(2)P expressed the highest activity and the Ni site of pure Ni_(2)P expressed the highest activity,which further confirms the in-situ Raman monitoring results.The active site turnover mechanism discovered in this study will undoubtedly provide more rational and targeted ideas for future catalyst design.

Effects of improved amino acid balance diet on lysine mammary utilization, whole body protein turnover and muscle protein breakdown on lactating sows

Background The study objective was to test the hypothesis that low crude protein(CP)diet with crystalline amino acids(CAA)supplementation improves Lys utilization efficiency for milk production and reduces protein turnover and muscle protein breakdown.Eighteen lactating multiparous Yorkshire sows were allotted to 1 of 2 isocaloric diets(10.80 MJ/kg net energy):control(CON;19.24%CP)and reduced CP with“optimal”AA profile(OPT;14.00%CP).Sow body weight and backfat were recorded on d 1 and 21 of lactation and piglets were weighed on d 1,14,18,and 21 of lactation.Between d 14 and 18,a subset of 9 sows(CON=4,OPT=5)was infused with a mixed solution of 3-[methyl-2H3]histidine(bolus injection)and[13C]bicarbonate(priming dose)first,then a constant 2-h[13C]bicarbonate infusion followed by a 6-h primed constant[1-13C]lysine infusion.Serial blood and milk sampling were performed to determine plasma and milk Lys enrichment,Lys oxidation rate,whole body protein turnover,and muscle protein breakdown.Results Over the 21-d lactation period,compared to CON,sows fed OPT had greater litter growth rate(P<0.05).Compared to CON,sows fed OPT had greater efficiency of Lys(P<0.05),Lys mammary flux(P<0.01)and whole-body protein turnover efficiency(P<0.05).Compared to CON,sows fed OPT tended to have lower whole body protein breakdown rate(P=0.069).Muscle protein breakdown rate did not differ between OPT and CON(P=0.197).Conclusion Feeding an improved AA balance diet increased efficiency of Lys and reduced whole-body protein turnover and protein breakdown.These results imply that the lower maternal N retention observed in lactating sows fed improved AA balance diets in previous studies may be a result of greater partitioning of AA towards milk rather than greater body protein breakdown.

Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient

Beta diversity,the variation of community composition among sites,bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta diversity into turnover and nestedness components from functional and phylogenetic perspectives.Mountains as the most natural experiment system provide good opportunities for exploring beta diversity patterns and the underlying ecological processes.Here,we simultaneously consider distance-decay models and multiple di-mensions of beta diversity to examine spatial variations of bird communities,and to evaluate the relative importance of niche-based and neutral community assembly mechanisms along a 3600-m elevational gradient in the central Himalayas,China.Our results showed that species turnover dominates taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.We observed strongest evidence of spatial distance decays in taxonomic similarities of birds,followed by its phylogenetic and functional analogues.Turnover component was highest in taxonomic beta diversity,while nestedness component was highest in functional beta diversity.Further,all correlations of assemblage similarity with climatic distance were higher than that with spatial distances.Standardized values of overall taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity and their turnover components increase with increasing elevational distance,while the standardized values of taxonomic and phylogenetic nestedness decreased with increasing elevational distance.Our results highlighted the niche-based deterministic processes in shaping elevational bird diversity patterns that were determined by the relative roles of decreasing trend of environmental filtering and increasing trend of limiting similarity along elevation distances.

Association of bone turnover biomarkers with severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

BACKGROUND Intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis is associated with cerebral infarction.Vascular calcification and atherosclerosis are the main causes of stenosis and major risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Bone turnover biomarkers(BTMs)are associated with vascular calcification,atherosclerosis,glucose,and lipid metabolism.AIM To investigate the association of circulating BTM levels with severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis in patients with T2DM.METHODS For this cross-sectional study including 257 T2DM patients,levels of the BTMs serum osteocalcin(OC),C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen(CTX),and procollagen type I N-peptide were measured by electrical chemiluminescent immunoassay,and artery stenosis was assessed by color Doppler and transcranial Doppler.Patients were grouped according to the existence and location(intracranial vs.extracranial)of artery stenosis.Correlations between BTM levels,previous stroke,stenosis location,and glucose and lipid metabolism were analyzed.RESULTS T2DM patients with severe artery stenosis had a higher frequency of previous stroke and levels of all three tested BTMs(all P<0.05)than patients without.Some differences in OC and CTX levels were observed according to the location of artery stenosis.Significant associations were also observed between BTM levels and some glucose and lipid homeostasis parameters.On multivariate logistic regression analysis,all BTMs were significant predictors of artery stenosis in T2DM patients with and without adjustment for confounding factors(all P<0.001),and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated the ability of BTM levels to predict artery stenosis in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION BTM levels were found to be independent risk factors for severe intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis and were differentially associated with glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with T2DM.Therefore,BTMs may be promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for artery stenosis.

Novel Early-Warning Model for Customer Churn of Credit Card Based on GSAIBAS-Cat Boost

As the banking industry gradually steps into the digital era of Bank 4.0,business competition is becoming increasingly fierce,and banks are also facing the problem of massive customer churn.To better maintain their customer resources,it is crucial for banks to accurately predict customers with a tendency to churn.Aiming at the typical binary classification problem like customer churn,this paper establishes an early-warning model for credit card customer churn.That is a dual search algorithm named GSAIBAS by incorporating Golden Sine Algorithm(GSA)and an Improved Beetle Antennae Search(IBAS)is proposed to optimize the parameters of the CatBoost algorithm,which forms the GSAIBAS-CatBoost model.Especially,considering that the BAS algorithm has simple parameters and is easy to fall into local optimum,the Sigmoid nonlinear convergence factor and the lane flight equation are introduced to adjust the fixed step size of beetle.Then this improved BAS algorithm with variable step size is fused with the GSA to form a GSAIBAS algorithm which can achieve dual optimization.Moreover,an empirical analysis is made according to the data set of credit card customers from Analyttica official platform.The empirical results show that the values of Area Under Curve(AUC)and recall of the proposedmodel in this paper reach 96.15%and 95.56%,respectively,which are significantly better than the other 9 common machine learning models.Compared with several existing optimization algorithms,GSAIBAS algorithm has higher precision in the parameter optimization for CatBoost.Combined with two other customer churn data sets on Kaggle data platform,it is further verified that the model proposed in this paper is also valid and feasible.

Applying zeta diversity to understand species turnover patterns of small mammals in the Mountains of Southwest China

DEAR EDITOR,Mountainous regions are generally characterized by high species turnover,yet studies applying novel conceptual frameworks to analyze the spatial structure and organization of montane biota along elevational gradients remain scarce.Based on the zeta diversity framework—a novel turnover metric that focuses on average number of species shared across sites—and a comprehensive presence-absence dataset of small mammals collected from 22 elevational gradients in the Mountains of Southwest China(MSC).

The Impact of Saudi Nurses’ Happiness on Their Turnover Intentions

Highly happy nurses are more productive, engaged and loyal. If nurses are satisfied, then their intention to leave is low. Aim: to investigate the impact of Saudi nurses’ happiness on their intention to turnover in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research Hypothesis: H0. There is no relationship between the nurses’ happiness on their intention to turnover among Saudi nurses. H1. The happy Saudi nurses will have a lower turnover intention among Saudi nurses in the Medina region. Design: Quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study designs have been used. Setting: Big public hospital in Medina from June to October 2022. Sample: A quota, convenience sample of 281 Saudi nurses. Tools: A. Oxford happiness inventory to measure the nurses’ happiness. B. Turnover Intention Scale to evaluate the Saudi nurses’ intention to leave their current job. Results: More than half of the nurses had moderate happiness, but more than 75% of the Saudi nurses had a desire to leave. The relationship between happiness and turnover intentions is negative. Conclusion: Magnet-like work environments in Saudi Arabia are critical to recruit and retain nurses with critical nursing shortages. Recommendations: Encourage governmental policy-makers to formulate national policies and KPIs in order to make them happy and retain them. .

An Analysis of Amazon’s High Turnover Rate

Amazon’s internal and external environments were analyzed using PEST and SWOT models.Taking into account of relevant literature on strategic human resource management(SHRM)and models like the Harvard model and the human resource management/industrial relation(HRM/IR)model,the reasons for Amazon’s employee high turnover rate were analyzed.In this paper,several solutions to this issue are indicated,including improving incentive policies and organizing training.At the end of this paper,my personal experiences and the lessons learned throughout the course are summarized.

Construction of Early-warning Model for Plant Diseases and Pests Based on Improved Neural Network

By studying principles and methods related to early-warning model of plant diseases and using PSO method, parameter optimization was conducted to backward propagation neural network, and a pre-warning model for plant diseases based on particle swarm and neural network algorithm was established. The test results showed that the construction of early-warning model is effective and feasible, which will provide a via- ble model structure to establish the effective early-warning platform.

Variation patterns of fine root biomass, production and turnover in Chinese forests

China's forests cover 208.3 million ha and span a wide range of climates and a large variety of forest types, including tropical, temperate, and boreal forests. However, the variation patterns of fine root (< 2 mm in diameter) biomass, production, and turnover from the south to the north are unclear. This study summarizes fine root biomass (FRB), production (FRP) and turnover rate (FRT) in China's forests as reported by 140 case studies published from 1983 to 2014. The results showed that the mean values of FRB, FRP and FRT in China's forests were 278 g m(-2), 366 g m(-2) a(-1), and 1.19 a(-1), respectively. Compared with other studies at the regional or global scales, FRB in China's forests was lower, FRP was similar to estimates at the global scale, but FRT was much higher. FRB, FRP, and FRT in China's forests increased with increasing mean annual precipitation (MAP), indicating that fine root variables were likely related to MAP, rather than mean annual temperature or latitude. This is possibly due to the small variation in temperature but greater variation in precipitation during the growing season. These findings suggest that spatiotemporal variation in precipitation has a more profound impact on fine root dynamics in China's forests, and this will impact carbon and nutrient cycles driven by root turnover in the future.

Trends of soil organic matter turnover in the salt marsh of the Yangtze River estuary

Characteristics and tidal flat trends of soil organic matter （SOM） turnover were studied for the Chongmingdongtan Salt Marsh in the Yangtze River estuary, based on analyses of stable carbon isotope composition （δ^13C）, grain sizes and contents of particulate organic carbon （POC）, total nitrogen （TN） and inorganic carbon （TIC） for three cores excavated from high tidal flat, middle tidal flat and bare flat. Results demonstrate that correlations between soil POC contents and δ^13C values of the salt marsh cores were similar to those between soil organic carbon （SOC） contents and δ^13C values of the upper soil layers of mountainous soil profiles with different altitudes. SOM of salt marsh was generally younger than 100 years, and originated mainly from topsoil erosions in catchments of the Yangtze River. Correlations of TN content with C/N ratio, POC content with TIC content and POC content with δ^13C values for the cores suggest that turnover degrees of SOM from the salt marsh are overall low, and trends of SOM turnover are clear from the bare flat to the high tidal flat. Bare flat samples show characteristics of original sediments, with minor SOM turnover. Turnover processes of SOM have occurred and are discernable in the high and middle tidal flats, and the mixing degrees of SOM compartments with different turnover rates increase with evolution of the muddy tidal flat. The exclusive strata structure of alternate muddy laminae and silty laminae originated from dynamic depositional processes on muddy tidal flat was a great obstacle to vertical migration of dissolved materials, and SOM turnover was then constrained. The muddy tidal flat processes exerted direct influences on sequestration and turnover of SOM in the salt marsh, and had great constraints on the spatial and temporal characteristics of SOM turnover of the Chongmingdongtan Salt Marsh in the Yangtze River estuary.

A cross-sectional study on nurse turnover intention and influencing factors in Jiangsu Province, China

Background:Nurses'turnover has been a major concern globally,which is strongly influenced by nurses'intent to leave.However,only a few large sample studies on the predictive factors associated with nurses'turnover intention were conducted in Jiangsu Province.This study mainly aims to examine the level and factors that influence nurses to leave their work in Jiangsu Province of Eastern China.Methods:A cross-sectional survey of 1978 nurses was conducted at 48 hospitals in 14 key cities throughout Jiangsu Province.The turnover intention in nurses was measured by the scale of intent to leave the profession.The work environment of nurses was measured by the Chinese version of the Practice Environment Scale.A multiple linear regression model was applied to analyse the factors associated with turnover intention.Results:The resignation rate of nurses in the hospitals of Jiangsu Province ranged from 0.64%to 12.71%in 2016.The mean scores were 15.50±3.44 for turnover intention,and 3.06±0.51 for work environment.Involvement in hospital affairs,resource adequacy,age,professional title,year(s)working,employment type and education level were the predictors of nurse intent to leave(P<0.05).Conclusion:The work environment of nurses in hospitals must be improved in staffing and resource and nurses'involvement in hospital affairs.The current study corroborates that nurses have high turnover intention.Thus,effective measures are needed to improve nurse accomplishment,professional status,participation in hospital affairs and career planning to reduce their turnover intention.

Pool Sizes and Turnover of Soil Organic Carbon of Farmland Soil in Karst Area of Guilin

The three-pool and first-order model separates the mineralizable organic carbon into active,slow,and passive carbon pools.This paper used the model and decomposition curves of the soil organic carbon to fit the active pool and its decomposition rate,slow pool and its decomposition rate.The results showed that the size of the active pool from different profiles accounted for 2.09%-3.08% of the total soil organic carbon and the mean residue time was 3.57-17.21 days.And the size of the slow pool accounted for 3.19%-43.55% and the mean residue time was 1.12-4.94 years.Acid hydrolysis（6M HCl） was used to fractionate the passive organic carbon,which accounted for 50.83%-94.44% of the total soil organic carbon.

An experimental analysis on the turnover time of railway freight transportation based on the impact strength of factors

Based on the factors impact strength model(FISM), we studied on calculation formulas of influence strength and key elements of FISM, and analyzed the turnover time of railway freight transportation of China. The results show that wagon transfer time is the most critical factor among the three subjective factors of wagons turnover time. The FISM based analysis of wagon transfer time show that the wagon turnover time is significantly correlated with transit time with resorting. Among the seven factors of detention time of transit time with resorting, the time of waiting to departing, converging, and waiting to break-up are key factors, while the time of make-up, break-up, arrival and departure are general factors. We carried out one empirical research based on the data of Baoji East Railway Station in 2015. The results of empirical research and FISM are consistent completely.

China agricultural outlook for 2015–2024 based on China Agricultural Monitoring and Early-warning System(CAMES)

The primary goal of Chinese agricultural development is to guarantee national food security and supply of major agricultural products. Hence, the scientiifc work on agricultural monitoring and early warning as wel as agricultural outlook must be strengthened. In this study, we develop the China Agricultural Monitoring and Early-warning System (CAMES) on the basis of a comparative study of domestic and international agricultural outlook models. The system is a dynamic and multi-market partial equilibrium model that integrates biological mechanisms with economic mechanisms. This system, which includes 11 categories of 953 kinds of agricultural products, could dynamical y project agricultural market supply and demand, assess food security, and conduct scenario analysis at different spatial levels, time scale levels, and macro-micro levels. Based on the CAMES, the production, consumption, and trade of the major agricultural products in China over the next decade are projected. The fol owing conclusions are drawn:i) The production of major agricultural products wil continue to grow steadily, mainly because of the increase in yield. i ) The growth of agricultural consumption wil be slightly higher than that of agricultural production. Meanwhile, a high self-sufifciency rate is expected for cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize, with the rate being stable at around 97%. i i) Agricultural trade wil continue to thrive. The growth of soybean and milk im-ports wil slow down, but the growth of traditional agricultural exports such as vegetables and fruits is expected to continue.

The impact of work support and organizational career growth on nurse turnover intention in China

Objective:The paper aimed to explore the impact of work support and potential for career advancement on the nurse turnover intention in order to find an effective approach to curb high turnover.Methods:A cross-sectional survey of 526 nurses from eight teaching hospitals in Tianjin,China,was conducted to test the hypothesized multilevel model.The organizational career growth scale,work support scale,and the nurse turnover intention scale were used to measure the effect of organizational career growth and work support on nurse turnover intention.Finally,SPSS 17.0 and AMOS 17.0 software were used to analyse the relationship of these variables.Results:The score of the three scales nurse turnover,organizational career growth,and work support were 1.98±0.60,2.40±0.50,and 4.06±0.98,respectively.The total and direct effects of work support on turnover intention were
0.361(p<0.01)and
0.147(p<0.01),respectively.The indirect effect was
0.169 with a 95%bootstrap confidence interval of
0.257 to
0.102.Conclusion:The study showed a lack of work support negatively and directly associated with nurse turnover intention.Additional opportunities for career growth within the organization may strengthen the effect of work support and consequently increase the retention of qualified nursing staff.

Deformation early-warning index for heightened gravity dam during impoundment period

The mechanical parameters of materials in a dam body and dam foundation tend to change when dams are reinforced in aging processes.It is important to use an early-warning index to reflect the safety status of dams,particularly of heightened projects in the impoundment period.Herein,a new method for monitoring the safety status of heightened dams is proposed based on the deformation monitoring data of a dam structure,a statistical model,and finite-element numerical simulation.First,a fast optimization inversion method for estimation of dam mechanical parameters was developed,which used the water pressure component extracted from a statistical model,an improved inversion objective function,and a genetic optimization iterative algorithm.Then,a finite element model of a heightened concrete gravity dam was established,and the deformation behavior of the dam with rising water levels in the impoundment period was simulated.Subsequently,mechanical parameters of aged dam parts were calculated using the fast optimization inversion method with simulated deformation and the water pressure deformation component obtained by the statistical model under the same conditions of water pressure change.Finally,a new earlywarning index of dam deformation was constructed by means of the forward-simulated deformation and other components of the statistical model.The early-warning index is useful for forecasting dam deformation under different water levels,especially high water levels.

Data Processing Model of Coalmine Gas Early-Warning System

The data processing mode is vital to the performance of an entire coalmine gas early-warning system, especially in real-time performance. Our objective was to present the structural features of coalmine gas data, so that the data could be processed at different priority levels in C language. Two different data processing models, one with priority and the other without priority, were built based on queuing theory. Their theoretical formulas were determined via a M/M/I model in order to calculate average occupation time of each measuring point in an early-warning program. We validated the model with the gas early-warning system of the Huaibei Coalmine Group Corp. The results indicate that the average occupation time for gas data processing by using the queuing system model with priority is nearly 1/30 of that of the model without priority.

Effects of Soil Texture and CaCO_3 on Turnover of Organic Material in Chao Soils

Decomposition experiments of 14C-labelled sickle alfalfa in chao soils of different texture and these soils after removal of CaCO3 were carried out under field and laboratory conditions respectively. The amount of residual 14C in, or 14CO2 evolved from, the soils at intervals after the beginning of decomposition were measured and the distribution of native and labelled C between particle size fractions isolated from these soils was edtermined. Results showed that contents of both labelled (14C) and non-labelled (12C) carbon decreased with increasing particle size. The enrichment factor for 14C was higher than that for 12C in the clay fraction, the reverse being true for the silt enrichment factors. The effect of soil texture on the decomposition of plant material could not be observed in chao soils when the clay content was lower than 270g kg-1, while it became obvious once CaCO3 was removed from these soils. The decomposition rate of plant material in the soil from which the native CaCO3 was removed was correlated significantly to both the clay content of the soil and the application rate of CaCO3. A preliminary correction equation describing the effect of clay and CaCO3 on the decomposition of organic material in chao soil was derived from the results obtained.