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Iron stores at birth are essential to meet iron needs during the first 4-6 months of life. The present study aimed to investigate iron stores in normal birth weight, healthy, term neonates. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected from apparently normal singleton vaginal deliveries (n=854). Subjects were screened and excluded if C-reactive protein (CRP) > 5 mg/l or a1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) > 1 g/l, preterm (<37 complete weeks), term < 2500g or term > 4000g. In total, 762 samples were included in the study. Serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), hepcidin, and erythropoietin (EPO) were measured in umbilical cord blood samples; total body iron (TBI) (mg/kg) was calculated using sTfR and ferritin concentrations. A total of 19.8% newborns were iron deficient (ferritin 35 µg/l) and an additional 46.6% had insufficient iron stores (ferritin < 76 µg/l). There was a positive association between serum ferritin and sTfR, hepcidin, and EPO. Gestational age was positively associated with ferritin, sTfR, EPO, and hepcidin. In conclusion, we demonstrate a high prevalence of insufficient iron stores in a Chinese birth cohort. The value of cord sTfR and TBI in the assessment of iron status in the newborn is questionable, and reference ranges need to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the chemical properties in the biochar-mediated transformation of soil cadmium (Cd) fractions, the effects of biochar applied at different pyrolysis temperatures on soil Cd-fractions, pH value, and soil organic matter (SOM) were studied through an in-lab incubation experiment on contaminated soil. The results showed that the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of CsBC300 (biochar prepared at 300 °C) was significantly higher (up to 1.31 times) than that of CsBC600 (biochar prepared at 600 °C). However, CsBC600 was more aromatic. Due to the difference in pyrolysis temperatures, the Cd deactivation mechanism of CsBC300 and CsBC600 was mainly to provide a large amount of organic matter and aromatic functional groups to the soil, respectively. The addition of these two biochar types significantly reduced the acid-extracted Cd content, by 76.56–83.52% and 70.48–76.81%, respectively. Contrastingly, it increased the residual Cd content by 2.26–2.36 and 2.08–2.29 times, respectively, which promoted the Cd transformation from the unstable to the stable state. However, CsBC300 had slightly better deactivation effect than CsBC600 on the 120th day, which was due to the decrease of soil pH and the increased SOM content. These study results can provide a theoretical reference for the remediation of Cd-contaminated alkaline soil.

The gut microbiota is viewed as the “second genome” of animals, sharing intricate relationships with their respective hosts. Because the gut microbial community and its diversity are affected by many intrinsic and extrinsic factors, studying intestinal microbes has become an important research topic. However, publications are dominated by studies on domestic or captive birds, while research on the composition and response mechanism of environmental changes in the gut microbiota of wild birds remains scarce. Therefore, it is important to understand the co-evolution of host and intestinal bacteria under natural conditions to elucidate the diversity, maintenance mechanisms, and functions of gut microbes in wild birds. Here, the existing knowledge of gut microbiota in captive and wild birds is summarized, along with previous studies on the composition and function, research methods employed, and factors influencing the avian gut microbial communities. Furthermore, research hotspots and directions were also discussed to identify the dynamics of the avian gut microbiota, aiming to contribute to studies of avian microbiology in the future.

There are rich geothermal resources in China and they are widely distributed. After years of continuous exploration and production, most of the shallow geothermal resources have been explored and the current exploration mainly focuses on deep ones. Among a great many geophysical exploration methods, seismic survey is the most effective means of geothermal resource exploration and production, but its weak seismic reflection signal, low S/N ratio and poor imaging of thermal reservoirs due to the seismic geological conditions restrict the production and utilization of deep geothermal resources. It considers through the analysis of the geophysical characteristics of the thermal reservoir that the main causes for the weak seismic reflection signals from deep thermal reservoirs are (1) the shielding effect of the strong wave impedance interface between the thermal reservoir and the caprocks; (2) the small reflection coefficient inside the thermal reservoir; and (3) the serious absorption and attenuation of high-temperature fluids such as hydrothermal fluids and steam in the thermal reservoirs by seismic waves. Accordingly, a series of seismic data acquisition technologies are proposed based on the high-precision vibroseis low-frequency shooting, high-sensitivity geophones long-spread receiving and small bin size highfold technologies, and their application in the seismic acquisition of dry-hot rocks (HDR) in Gonghe Basin, Qinghai, shows a very good application effect.

Gonad-inhibiting hormone (GIH) belongs to a family of neuropeptides that are released from the eyestalks of male crustaceans and plays key roles in gonadal maturity, reproduction, and molting. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the effects of GIH on sexual regulation have yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to demonstrate how GIH mediate the activity of the androgenic gland (AG) to affect sexual regulation. To do this, we cloned and characterized a GIH sequence from Macrobrachium rosenbergii (MrGIH). The open reading frame (ORF) of MrGIH was 360 bp and codes for a polypeptide of 119 amino acids and a putative protein of 13.56 KDa. Tissue analysis showed that MrGIH is widely expressed in a range of tissues but particularly, the eyestalk, intestine, and nerve cord. Following the dsRNA silencing of MrGIH for 24 h, the expression levels of MrGIH were down-regulated in both the eyestalk and AG when compared with the negative control, but significantly increased the expression of Macrobrachium rosenbergii insulin-like androgenic gland hormone-binding protein (MrIAGBP) in AG, thus suggesting that MrGIH is an inhibitory factor for MrIAGBP. In addition, we found that eyestalk removal on certain days led to increased expression levels of MrIAGBP expression. The expression levels of MrIAGBP peaked at 2 d in the AG after unilateral and bilateral eyestalk ablation, exhibiting a 7.27- and 6.03-fold increase, respectively. Afterward, the expression of GIH protein levels were down-regulated and IAGBP protein levels were up-regulated after GIH silencing using immunohistochemistry method, combined with the increase of IAGBP protein levels after eyestalk ablation, confirming that MrGIH is an inhibitory factor that can moderately regulate AG development and IAGBP expression. Collectively, our findings enriched the mechanisms that control the sexual regulation pathway of male M. rosenbergii, and provided significant information for further explorations of the mechanism underlying sex regulation in other decapod crustaceans.

Improving the effect of microbial denitrification under low-temperature conditions has been a popular focus of research in recent years. In this study, graphene oxide (GO)-modified polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) (GO/PVA–SA) gel beads were used as a heterotrophic nitrification–aerobic denitrification (HN–AD) bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens Z03) carrier to enhance nitrogen removal efficiency levels at low temperatures (6–8°C). The removal efficiency of NH4 +-N and NO3 −-N and the variations in concentrations of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) under different GO doses (0.03–0.15 g l−1) were studied. The results indicated that the addition of GO can improve the efficiency of nitrogen removal, and the highest removal efficiency level and highest carbohydrate, protein, and total EPS content levels (50.28 mg, 132.78 mg and 183.06 mg (g GO/PVA–SA gel)−1, respectively) were obtained with 0.15 g l−1 GO. The simplified Monod model accurately predicted the nitrogen removal efficiency level. These findings suggested that the application of GO serves as an effective means to enhance nitrogen removal by stimulating the activity of HN–AD bacteria.

The bacterial strain WD-2, which was capable of efficiently degrading prochloraz-manganese, was isolated from soil contaminated with prochloraz-manganese, selected through enrichment culturing and identified as Bacillus cereus. Test results indicated that the optimal temperature and pH for bacterial growth were 35-40°C and 7.0-8.0, respectively. The highest degradation rate was above 88-90% when the pH was 7.0~8.0 and reached a maximum value (90.7%) at approximately 8.0. In addition, the bacterium showed the greatest growth ability with an OD600 of 0.805 and the highest degradation rate (68.2%) when glucose was chosen as the carbon source, while the difference in nitrogen source had no obvious influence on bacterial growth. The degradation rate exceeded 80% when the NaCl concentration was 0~2% and the rate reached 89.2% at 1%. When the concentration was higher than 7%, the growth of WD-2 and the degradation of prochloraz-manganese were found to be inhibited, and the degradation rate was merely 8.5%. The results indicated that strain WD-2 was able to effectively degrade prochloraz-manganese and might contribute to the bioremediation of contaminated soils.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been used globally in wastewater treatment for years. CWs represent an efficient ecological system which is both energy-saving and low in investment for construction and operational cost. In addition, CWs also have the advantage of being easy to operate and maintain. However, the operation of CWs at northern latitudes (both mid and high) is sometimes quite demanding, due to the inhibitory effect of low temperatures that often occur in winter. To evaluate the wastewater treatment performance of a culture of mixed Psychrotrophic bacteria strains in an integrated vertical-flow CW, the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrite nitrogen (NO2−−N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−−N) and total phosphorus (TP) were quantified at different bacterial dosages to determine the best bacterial dosage and establish kinetic degradation models of the mixed strains. The bacterial culture was made up of Psychrobacter TM-1, Sphingobacterium TM-2 and Pseudomonas TM-3, mixed together at a volume/volume ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 (at bacterial suspension concentrations of 4.4 × 109 ml−1). Results showed that the organic pollutants (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the sewage could be efficiently removed by the culture of mixed Psychrotrophic bacteria. The optimal dosage of this mixed bacteria strain was 2.5%, and the treatment efficiency of COD, NH3–N, NO2−−N, NO3−−N, total nitrogen and TP were stable at 91.8%, 91.1%, 88.0%, 93.8%, 94.8% and 95.2%, respectively, which were 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, 1.5, 2.2 and 1.3 times those of the control group. In addition, a pseudo-first-order degradation model was a good fit for the degradation pattern observed for each of these pollutants.

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with many adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels (<30 nmol/L) increases the risk of nutritional rickets. This study aimed to investigate the concentration of cord serum 25OHD in a birth cohort in Guangzhou, China and determine whether maternal lifestyle factors had any effect on these levels.Methods and Study Design: A total of 854 pregnant women giving birth between Dec 2016 and Dec 2017 were recruited to this study. Basic information was obtained from the clinical database. A voluntary retrospective pregnancy lifestyle questionnaire was completed by 388 participants. The concentration of serum 25OHD, calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in umbilical cord blood.Results: The mean (SD) of cord serum 25OHD was 44.7 (16.7) nmol/L. The prevalence of cord 25OHD <30 nmol/L was 22.2% and 70.4% had levels <50 nmol/L. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is higher in infants born in winter months (31% <30 nmol/L and 76% <50 nmol/L), compared to those born in the summer (12% <30 nmol/L and 64% <50 nmol/L). Infants born to women taking a vitamin D containing supplement had approximately 10 nmol/L higher levels of 25OHD than those who did not supplement their diets.Conclusions: Summer born infants have higher serum 25OHD levels at birth, but there are still infants being born with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D containing supplement use during pregnancy was effective in raising cord serum vitamin D levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]