Environmental impact assessments of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the most hyperconcentrated laden river, Yellow River, China

The Yellow River is the most hyperconcentrated sediment-laden river in the world. Throughout recorded history, the Lower Yellow River (LYR) experienced many catastrophic flood and drought events. To regulate the LYR, a reservoir was constructed at Xiaolangdi that became operational in the early 2000s. An annual water-sediment regulation scheme (WSRS) was then implemented, aimed at flood control, sediment reduction, regulated water supply, and power generation. This study examines the eco-environmental and socioenvironmental impacts of Xiaolangdi Reservoir. In retrospect, it is found that the reservoir construction phase incurred huge financial cost and required large-scale human resettlement. Subsequent reservoir operations affected the local geological environment, downstream riverbed erosion, evolution of the Yellow River delta, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity. Lessons from the impact assessment of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir are summarized as follows: (1) The construction of large reservoirs is not merely an engineering challenge but must also be viewed in terms of resource exploitation, environmental protection, and social development; (2) long-term systems for monitoring large reservoirs should be established, and decision makers involved at national policy and planning levels must be prepared to react quickly to the changing impact of large reservoirs; and (3) the key to solving sedimentation in the LYR is not Xiaolangdi Reservoir but instead soil conservation in the middle reaches of the Yellow River basin. Proper assessment of the impacts of large reservoirs will help promote development strategies that enhance the long-term sustainability of dam projects

Nano α-FeOOH Modified Carbon Paste Electrode for Arsenic Determination in Natural Waters

A novel method for determination of inorganic arsenic in natural water, based on nano ferric hydroxides (FeOOH) preconcentration and electrochemistry detection has been developed. As the nano α-FeOOH could successfully act as the adsorbent and electrode matrix modifier, the method presents great potential in practical routine analysis of inorganic arsenic. With optimization of the experimental conditions, nano α-FeOOH modified carbon paste electrode (α-FeOOH@CPE) was obtained by mixing 0.03 g of nano α-FeOOH and 0.02 g graphite powder in n-eicosane as an adhesive and then embedding them in a Teflon tube. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and high resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to check and confirm the presence of nano α-FeOOH on the carbon paste electrodes. According to the results, α-FeOOH@CPE showed a considerably higher response to As(III) in comparison with the bare CPE, indicating the α-FeOOH has well selective enrichment for As(III). The developed modified electrode showed a linear range of 1.0 × 10-8 ~ 2.0 × 10-5 mol·L-1 and detection limit of 5.0 nmol·L-1 (S/N = 3). The newly prepared carbon paste electrode was successfully applied for As(III) determination in Yangzonghai Lake water with RSD of less than 3.6 % (n = 3) and recovery in the range of 100.7 ~ 115.0 %. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.4.18499</p

Roles of KChIP1 in the regulation of GABA-mediated transmission and behavioral anxiety

K+ channel interacting protein 1 (KChIP1) is a neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) protein that interacts with multiple intracellular molecules. Its physiological function, however, remains largely unknown. We report that KChIP1 is predominantly expressed at GABAergic synapses of a subset of parvalbumin-positive neurons in the brain. Forced expression of KChIP1 in cultured hippocampal neurons increased the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), reduced paired pulse facilitation of autaptic IPSCs, and decreases potassium current density. Furthermore, genetic ablation of KChIP1 potentiated potassium current density in neurons and caused a robust enhancement of anxiety-like behavior in mice. Our study suggests that KChIP1 is a synaptic protein that regulates behavioral anxiety by modulating inhibitory synaptic transmission, and drugs that act on KChIP1 may help to treat patients with mood disorders including anxiety

Exploring the clinical efficacy and mechanism of high-position colon dialysis combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine retention enema in real-world patients with stage 3–5 chronic kidney disease (non-dialysis) based on the theory of the Gut–Kidney axis

Background: With societal and economic development, the annual incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing. Current treatments for CKD are limited, and once patients progress to the uraemic stage, it places a significant economic burden on families and society. Based on the “gut–kidney axis” theory and real-world research, this study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and potential mechanism of high-position colon dialysis combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) retention enema in treating stage 3–5 chronic kidney disease (non-dialysis). Additionally, it seeks to identify new therapeutic targets and approaches for CKD treatment.Methods: The TCM decoction was analyzed using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Orbitrap-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS). Participants meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into a control group (n = 153) and a treatment group (n = 159) based on their preferences and physicians’ recommendations. Both groups adhered to a high-quality low-protein, low-salt, low-phosphorus, and low-fat diet supplemented with essential amino acids, and were monitored for blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipids. The treatment group received high-position colon dialysis combined with TCM retention enemas (administered at least 12 times every other day).Results: Thirteen compounds were identified from the herbs by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS. The CKD3–5 treatment group exhibited improvements in blood biochemistry and other laboratory indices, with significant enhancements in renal function-related indices for CKD4 and CKD5 stages (p &lt; 0.05). Following treatment, indoxyl sulfate (IS), endotoxin, and D-lactic acid levels decreased to a certain extent in both groups, with a statistically significant difference observed within the treatment group (p &lt; 0.05). The treatment group displayed a significant reduction in aerobic bacterial colonies, an increase in anaerobic bacterial colonies, a decrease in Escherichia coli colonies, and an increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus colonies (p &lt; 0.05). No significant changes in colony numbers were observed in the control group.Conclusion: High-position colon dialysis combined with TCM retention enema may serve as an adjuvant treatment for CKD4-5 (non-dialysis), and its mechanism may be related to the reduction of uraemic toxins, improvement of intestinal mucosal barrier function, and regulation of intestinal microecology.Clinical Trial Registration:https://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR2200062852

Failure Mode Analysis and Dynamic Response of a Coal Mine Refuge Chamber with a Gas Explosion

A gas and coal dust explosion is potential hazard in majority coal mines. A coal mine mobile refuge chamber is a new class of device for miners those who are unable to escape after an accident which can provide basic survival conditions. In this paper, in order to study the propagation law of an underground methane/air mixture explosive wave, and check the failure mode of a coal mine mobile refuge chamber, a full-sized underground tunnel model and a refuge chamber model have been established in ANSYS/LS-DYNA (LSTC, R7.0.0, Livermore, CA, USA, 2014). The simulation results show that the reflected wave pressure on the front surface of the refuge chamber was about twice as high than the incident wave. The pressure on various locations of the chamber was also analyzed. When the peak pressure of the explosive shockwave reached 0.64 MPa, the maximum displacement and stress occur at the center of the front door and the joint of stiffeners and the front plate, respectively. Most parts of the coal mine mobile refuge chamber were in a plastic failure state and the refuge chamber could be defined as damaged. The front door, the front plate, the connecting flange, and the stiffeners on each side were the primary key components. In the end, suggestions were proposed for the refuge chamber

Edible Gelatin Diagnosis Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Partial Least Square Assisted Support Vector Machine

Edible gelatin has been widely used as a food additive in the food industry, and illegal adulteration with industrial gelatin will cause serious harm to human health. The present work used laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) coupled with the partial least square&ndash;support vector machine (PLS-SVM) method for the fast and accurate estimation of edible gelatin adulteration. Gelatin samples with 11 different adulteration ratios were prepared by mixing pure edible gelatin with industrial gelatin, and the LIBS spectra were recorded to analyze their elemental composition differences. The PLS, SVM, and PLS-SVM models were separately built for the prediction of gelatin adulteration ratios, and the hybrid PLS-SVM model yielded a better performance than only the PLS and SVM models. Besides, four different variable selection methods, including competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), Monte Carlo uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE), random frog (RF), and principal component analysis (PCA), were adopted to combine with the SVM model for comparative study; the results further demonstrated that the PLS-SVM model was superior to the other SVM models. This study reveals that the hybrid PLS-SVM model, with the advantages of low computational time and high prediction accuracy, can be employed as a preferred method for the accurate estimation of edible gelatin adulteration