GEOCHEMICAL AND CLAY-MINERAL STUDY OF HEALING MUD FROM WUDALIANCHI, NE CHINA

Over the centuries, people have used healing mud (peloids) to draw toxins out of the body, boost the immune system, cure psoriasis, acne, depression, and hair loss. The beauty industry has used mud-clay masks, body wraps, soaps, and baths. The useful properties of mud were established empirically. The most popular healing-mud spars are known in the Dead Sea in Israel, Baden-Baden in Germany, Calistoga in California, Budapest in Hungary, Akhtala and Kumisi in Georgia, Paratunka in Kamchatka, Wudalianchi in China.Over the centuries, people have used healing mud (peloids) to draw toxins out of the body, boost the immune system, cure psoriasis, acne, depression, and hair loss. The beauty industry has used mud-clay masks, body wraps, soaps, and baths. The useful properties of mud were established empirically. The most popular healing-mud spars are known in the Dead Sea in Israel, Baden-Baden in Germany, Calistoga in California, Budapest in Hungary, Akhtala and Kumisi in Georgia, Paratunka in Kamchatka, Wudalianchi in China

Metagenomic Insights Into the Contribution of Phages to Antibiotic Resistance in Water Samples Related to Swine Feedlot Wastewater Treatment

In this study, we examined the types of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) possessed by bacteria and bacteriophages in swine feedlot wastewater before and after treatment using a metagenomics approach. We found that the relative abundance of ARGs in bacterial DNA in all water samples was significantly higher than that in phages DNA (>10.6-fold), and wastewater treatment did not significantly change the relative abundance of bacterial- or phage-associated ARGs. We further detected the distribution and diversity of the different types of ARGs according to the class of antibiotics to which they confer resistance, the tetracycline resistance genes were the most abundant resistance genes and phages were more likely to harbor ATP-binding cassette transporter family and ribosomal protection genes. Moreover, the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 was also detected in the phage population. When assessing the contribution of phages in spreading different groups of ARGs, β-lactamase resistance genes had a relatively high spreading ability even though the abundance was low. These findings possibly indicated that phages not only could serve as important reservoir of ARG but also carry particular ARGs in swine feedlot wastewater, and this phenomenon is independent of the environment

Improving water use efficiency in grain production of winter wheat and summer maize in the North China Plain: a review

Reducing irrigation water use by improving water use efficiency (WUE) in grain production is critical for the development of sustainable agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP). This article summarizes the research progresses in WUE improvement carried out at the Luancheng station located in the Northern part of NCP for the past three decades. Progresses in four aspects of yield and WUE improvement are presented, including yield and WUE improvement associated with cultivar selection, irrigation management for improving yield and WUE under limited water supply, managing root system for efficient soil water use and reducing soil evaporation by straw mulch. The results showed that annual average increase of 0.014 kg·m-3 for winter wheat and 0.02 kg·m-3 in WUE were observed for the past three decades, and this increase was largely associated with the improvement in harvest index related to cultivar renewal and an increase in chemical fertilizer use and soil fertility. The results also indicated that deficit irrigation for winter wheat could significantly reduce the irrigation water use, whereas the seasonal yield showed a smaller reduction rate and WUE was significantly improved. Straw mulching of summer maize using the straw from winter wheat could reduce seasonal soil evaporation by 30–40 mm. With new cultivars and improved management practices it was possible to further increase grain production without much increase in water use. Future strategies to further improve WUE are also discussed

Gender Differences in the Effects of BMI on School Bullying and Victimization in China: Comparing Normal Weight, Underweight and Overweight Secondary School Students

Weight-related school bullying and victimization have become important public health issues among adolescents around the world. This study aims to examine gender differences in the effects of Body Mass Index (BMI) on school bullying and victimization among secondary school students. This study conducted a survey among 2849 adolescents—1393 girls (48.9%) and 1456 boys (51.1%). The students were between 12 and 18 years of age and were recruited from ten secondary schools in 2019 in Suqian City in China. The study showed that overweight boys were more likely to bully others and be bullied by peers compared to normal weight boys. In contrast, overweight girls reported less bullying than normal-weight girls. No significant relationship was found between overweight and victimization among female students. The implications for comprehensive sexuality education practices are also discussed

An isotope study of the Shule River Basin, Northwest China: Sources and groundwater residence time, sulfate sources and climate change

Isotopes (δ18O and δD, δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4, tritium and 14C) were employed to reveal moisture sources in precipitation and sources of surface water and groundwater, as well as groundwater residence times and sulfate sources in the Shule River Basin (SRB). Groundwater originates in the Qilian Mountains as high-altitude precipitation and meltwater from ice archives. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) is δD = 7.8δ18O + 18.1. Precipitation from westerly circulation has a characteristic annual cycle of δ18O and δD, high (δ18O > −5‰) in summer and low (δ18O < −10‰) at other times. This pattern was interrupted by an incursion of the Indian summer monsoon in August 2018, resulting in abnormally low δ18O and δD values. Surface water in the upper SRB yields an evaporation trend of slope near 5, with an origin near δ18O = −10‰ on the LMWL. Other catchments of similar altitude in the Qilian Mountains have evaporation trends with different origin points, indicating different input fractions of meltwater from ancient ice for each catchment. Groundwater δ18O and δD data plot along mixing trends, different in each sub-basin, between three water types: (1) recent Shule River runoff; (2) water like that archived in the Dunde ice sheet, representing precipitation over the last 12 ka; and (3) evaporated water that cannot be explained as precipitation from the last 12 ka. Type (3) water originated as water with δ18O values between −14 and −20‰ on the LMWL, and may represent incursion of monsoonal circulation prior to 12 ka. Tritium and 14C data identify post-bomb recharge, but 14C is of limited use in dating older groundwater mixtures. Sulfate isotopes (δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4) in dissolved sulfate from groundwater and surface water indicate mixing of sulfur derived from evaporite and sulfide, but do not identify sulfate pollution from fertilizer. Future climate change may lead to water shortage as ancient ice is consumed by melting.24 month embargo; available online: 16 June 2022This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Effect of outer membrane vesicles of Lactobacillus pentosus on Tau phosphorylation and CDK5-Calpain pathway in mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as a neurodegenerative disorder causing cognitive decline, posing a significant health concern for the elderly population in China. This study explored the effects of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from the gut microbiota of AD patients on learning and memory abilities and Tau protein phosphorylation in mice. In contrast to the OMVs from healthy controls and the PBS treatment group, mice treated with AD-OMVs exhibited notable declines in learning and memory capabilities, as evidenced by results from the Morris water maze, Y-maze, and novel object recognition tests. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot assessments unveiled elevated levels of hyperphosphorylated Tau in the cortex and hippocampus of mice treated with AD-OMVs. However, there were no alterations observed in the total Tau levels. In addition, AD-OMVs treated mice showed increased neuroinflammation indicated by elevated astrocytes and microglia. Molecular mechanism studies demonstrated that AD-OMVs could activate GSK3β, CDK5-Calpain and NF-κB pathways in mice hippocampus. These studies suggest AD patient gut microbiota derived OMVs can promote host Tau phosphorylation and improved neuroinflammation

Water sources of major plant species along a strong climatic gradient in the inland Heihe River Basin

Aim Knowledge on vegetation water sources is crucial to understand the ecohydrological processes and ecological management of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The identification and quantification of plant water uptake from precipitation, soil and groundwater remain challenging along large climatic gradient. Methods Stable oxygen isotope compositions of xylem water, soil water and groundwater were analyzed to assess seasonal and spatial patterns of water uptake of 11 major plant species along the Heihe River Basin. Conclusions In the upper reaches, soil water recharged by precipitation was the main plant water source, and plants extracted water from the shallow soil water in wet season while used more deep soil water in dry season. In the middle reaches of desert-oasis ecotone, the water sources of shrubs shifted between soil moisture and groundwater depending on variations of precipitation and groundwater level, while shrubs at Gobi relied on deep soil water and shallow soil water after rainfall. In the lower reaches, the driest part of the region, groundwater and deep soil water were main water sources for the riparian plants. Groundwater was stable water source for shrubs growing on the planted shrubland, and soil water was stable water sources for shrubs growing at Gobi. Our results also revealed that water use strategies of the same species were plastic under different groundwater level and precipitation. This study identified water use patterns of different plant species along a climatic gradient and provided scientific implication for water management of different ecosystems of the arid and semi-arid ecosystems