“Proposing a toast” from the first urban center in the north Loess Plateau, China: Alcoholic beverages at Shimao

High Asia, defined here as that great tract of land from the Himalaya- Karakoram in the south to the Tian Shan in the north and the Pamir in the west to the Qinling Mountains in the east, is a very dusty place. Whole communities of people in this region are exposed to the adverse effects of natural (aerosolic) dusts at exposure levels reaching those encountered in some high-risk industries. Outdooor workers are at particular risk. However, few data are available on the magnitude of the dust impact on human health. The effect of such far-travelled particles on the health of the human population in the Loess Plateau, and including major Chinese cities, has received relatively little attention to date. A combination of the highest known uplift rates, rapid river incision (up to 12 mm/yr: Burbank et al. 1996), unstable slopes, glaciation and widespread rock breakup by crystal growth during freezing (frost action), and by hydration of salts (salt weathering) makes the High Asia region the world’s most efficient producer of silty (defined as between 2 and 63 μm) debris. The earliest written records of the dust hazard come from China, most notably in the “Yu Gong” by Gu Ban (ca 200 BC) (Wang and Song 1983). Here, deposits of wind-blown silt (known as ‘loess’) cover the landscape in a drape that is locally 500 m thick. In North China, the loess covers an area of over 600,000 km², most of it in the Loess Plateau, situated in the middle reaches of the Huang He (Yellow River). The characteristic properties of loess include high porosity and collapsibility on wetting (Derbyshire et al. 1995, Derbyshire and Meng 2000).Thus, it is readily reworked and redistributed by water. This process concentrates silts in large alluvial fans (up to 50 x 50 km) in the piedmont zones of 6,000 m high glacier- and snow-covered mountain ranges of western China, including the Altai Shan (‘shan’ = mountains), Tian Shan, Kunlun Shan, Qilian Shan, and Karakoram. These zones are loci for human populations, and also a major source of wind-blown dust.

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Influence of slope aspect on the microbial properties of rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil on the Loess Plateau, China

10.5194/se-2017-137 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ze Min Ai ◽

Jiao Yang Zhang ◽

Hong Fei Liu ◽

Sha Xue ◽

Guo Bin Liu

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽

Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Research Station ◽

Rhizospheric Soil ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

The South ◽

Microbial Properties ◽

The North

Abstract. Slope aspect is an important topographic factor, but its effect on the microbial properties of grassland rhizospheric soil (RS) and non-rhizospheric soil (NRS) remain unclear. A field experiment was conducted at the Ansai Research Station on the Loess Plateau in China to test the influence of slope aspects (south-facing, north-facing, and northeast-facing slopes, all with Artemisia sacrorum as the dominant species) on RS and NRS microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) contents, and the rhizospheric effect (RE) of various microbial indices. MBC content differed significantly among the slope aspects in RS but not in NRS, and RE for MBC content in the south-facing slope was larger than that in the north-facing slope. RS total, bacterial, and gram-positive bacterial PLFA contents in the south-facing slope were significantly lower than those in the north- and northeast-facing slopes, and RS gram-negative bacterial (G-) and actinomycete PLFA contents in the south-facing slope were significantly lower than those in the north-facing slope. Differently, NRS total, bacterial, and G- PLFA contents in the north-facing slope were significantly higher than those in the south- and northeast-facing slopes, and NRS fungal and actinomycete PLFA contents in the north- and south-facing slopes were significantly higher than those in the northeast-facing slope. RE for all PLFA contents except fungal in the northeast-facing slope were higher than those in the south-facing slope. Slope aspect significantly but differentially affected the microbial properties in RS and NRS, and the variable influence was due an evident RE for most microbial properties.

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Development of Heritage Places under Unesco Guidelines Case Study: Al Maliha Neighbourhood in Riyadh City

International Journal of Global Sustainability ◽

10.5296/ijgs.v1i1.11481 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

Hind Abdel Moneim Khogali

Keyword(s):

Arabian Peninsula ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Urban Center ◽

The South ◽

The West ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Riyadh City ◽

The North ◽

Heritage Area

Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the largest city in the Kingdom. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and is located in the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama and in the center of the Arabian Peninsula, on a vast plateau. Densely populated, with over 5.7 million people, it is the urban center of a region with about 7.3 million people. It consists of 15 municipal districts under the management of Riyadh Municipality, headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by the Governor of Riyadh Province.This research aims at dealing with the development of Al Maliha Neighborhood, as a case study of development of heritage places.Al Maliha neighbourhood is located in the center of Riyadh, bounded on the north by AL Jomla Suq and market, in the south by Al Salam garden, in the west by King Fahad Street and in the east by warehouses and a school from the south. There are also old heritage houses in the southeast of the area. The proposed project will develop the old heritage area, re-use it as a Heritage Museum, and demolish the warehouses to establish new galley rooms and Heritage research center.The research methodology will follow the UNESCO regulations and guidelines followed for conservation of heritage places. It will also adopt Riyadh Municipality, and the Riyadh Development Authority regulations for the development of heritage places. The project is proposed for architectural students at level four in Dar Al Uloom University, to be completed within four months and presented for Prince Sultan Award 2006 for Heritage.The aim of the research is to follow the KSA strategy in protecting and maintaining historical places like Al Daraya, old palaces and old mosques. The project will give a proposal study in managing and developing heritage places, by following the UNESCO guideline for heritage places and Riyadh Municipality regulations.The research outlines conclusions and recommendations to decision makers, for application in the development of Al Maliha neighbourhood applied in developing Al Maliha neighbourhood

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The Social Uses of Alcoholic Beverages in a Peruvian Community

Human Organization ◽

10.17730/humo.30.2.tm9803t5h36047g3 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 187-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Paul Doughty

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Social Relations ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Social Solidarity ◽

Event Analysis ◽

Systematic Observation ◽

Community Activities ◽

The North

The research for this paper was conducted over several years, beginning with intensive investigation in 1960-61 in Huaylas, Ancash, Peru, a bilingual Andean district in the north central highlands. The study focuses upon the traditional social context in which alcoholic beverages are consumed, examines the extent of alcohol consumption and the ritual functions of drinking in certain situations. It is shown that the use of alcoholic drinks is highly patterned and integral to normal social interaction. The drinking ritual itself provides a mechanism which can facilitate social solidarity in a moderately stratified social system by legitimizing social relations between peers and individuals of different social sectors. As such, the drinking behavior served to promote certain community activities, such as public work projects. The dysfunctional aspects of drinking were found to be minimal in this context. With increased involvement of these people in urban-industrial life, however, these traditions assume other functions, and may be harmful to individuals. Data were gathered principally through systematic observation of social interaction and event analysis. Interviews were conducted with individuals from all sectors of the district society. Quantitative information was obtained from local tax records, police archives, businesses and from demographic materials gathered by the author.

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Magnetostratigraphy of the Baoji loess-paleosol section in the north-central China Loess Plateau

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/1040-6182(90)90043-4 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 7-8 ◽

pp. 97-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Nat Rutter ◽

Ding Zhongli ◽

M.E. Evans ◽

Wang Yuchun

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Central China ◽

North Central ◽

The North

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Contrasting dust supply patterns across the north-western Chinese Loess Plateau during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/j.quaint.2010.11.009 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 240 (1-2) ◽

pp. 167-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Mirjam Vriend ◽

Maarten A. Prins ◽

Jan-Pieter Buylaert ◽

Jef Vandenberghe ◽

Huayu Lu

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Chinese Loess Plateau ◽

Chinese Loess ◽

Last Glacial ◽

The North ◽

North Western ◽

The Last Glacial

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Sediment Yield Deduction from Check–dams Deposition in the Weathered Sandstone Watershed on the North Loess Plateau, China

Land Degradation and Development ◽

10.1002/ldr.2628 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 217-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Yanhong Wei ◽

Zhong He ◽

Yujin Li ◽

Juying Jiao ◽

Guangju Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Sediment Yield ◽

The North ◽

Check Dams

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ON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OF SCYTHIANS

Известия СОИГСИ ◽

10.23671/vnc.2017.62.9715 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

А.А. ТУАЛЛАГОВ

Keyword(s):

Western Europe ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

North Caucasus ◽

Wine Making ◽

Wine Consumption ◽

Beer Brewing ◽

The North

Статья посвящена проблемам использования скифами различных алкогольных напитков. Сведения источников позволяют полагать изготовление скифами особого напитка типа кумыса. Письменные и археологические источники указывают на широкое использование скифами виноградного вина. Его скифы приобретали у греков. Самостоятельно скифы выращиванием винограда (виноградарством) и виноделием не занимались. Проведенный автором анализ позволяет автору отвергнуть заявления некоторых исследователей об изготовлении скифами пива. Археологические источники дают основание полагать, что изготовление пива с использованием хмеля могло быть освоено аланами Северного Кавказа к периоду, когда подобное пиво появилось и в Западной Европе. Однако, по мнению автора, истоки традиций скифов и аланов применения алкогольных напитков были гораздо древнее и связаны с иными сакральными напитками, представленными в виде сомы индоариев и хаомы иранцев. The article analyzes the ways Scythians used various alcoholic beverages. The data found in the sources enables to assume that Scythians manufactured special beverage like koumiss. Written and archaeological sources indicate that wine consumption was widespread among Scythians. Scythians bought it from Greeks. Scythians themselves were not engaged in grapes growing (viticulture) and wine-making. The analysis conducted allows the author to contest the conclusions of some researchers on beer brewing by the Scythians. Archaeological sources give reason to believe that beer brewing using hops could have been mastered by Alans of the North Caucasus by the very period when similar beer appeared in Western Europe. However, according to the author, the origin of Scythian and Alanic traditions to use alcoholic beverages goes farther and was associated with other sacred drinks, represented by soma of Indo-Aryans and haoma of Iranians.

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Prevalence of overweight/obesity and associated factors among basic education teachers in a city in the north of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/1678-9865202134e200244 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 ◽

Author(s):

Lyllian Aparecida Vieira ALMEIDA ◽

Maria Fernanda Santos Figueiredo BRITO ◽

Lucinéia de PINHO ◽

Tatiana Almeida de MAGALHÃES ◽

Desirée Sant´Ana HAIKAL ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Associated Factors ◽

Basic Education ◽

Prevalence Ratio ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Psychosocial Variables ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The North ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

Depressive Episodes

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and its associated factors among basic education teachers. Methods This is a cross-sectional study with probabilistic sampling by clustering. A questionnaire with socio-demographic, occupational, and psychosocial variables, as well as lifestyle, and health profiles was used. Results 707 teachers participated in the study. Associations with overweight / obesity were found for the variables: the male gender, age >40 years, three or more children, workload, contracted/designated employment relationship, fat intake through meat, abusive consumption of alcoholic beverages, presence of depressive episodes, endocrine problems, arterial hypertension, and negative self-perception of health with the prevalence ratio ranging from 1.16 to 1.52 in the associated variables. Conclusion Overweight / obesity affected approximately half of those surveyed. There is a relationship between sociodemographic, occupational, and psychosocial variables and lifestyles, on the one hand, and health factors and the presence of overweight / obesity in teachers, on the other. Measures must be implemented on modifiable factors, aiming to promote their quality of life.

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Influence of slope aspect on the microbial properties of rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soils on the Loess Plateau, China

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-9-1157-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 1157-1168 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ze Min Ai ◽

Jiao Yang Zhang ◽

Hong Fei Liu ◽

Sha Xue ◽

Guo Bin Liu

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Phospholipid Fatty Acid ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Research Station ◽

Rhizospheric Soil ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

The South ◽

Microbial Properties ◽

The North ◽

Microbial Indices

Abstract. Slope aspect is an important topographic factor in the micro-ecosystem environment, but its effect on the microbial properties of grassland rhizospheric soil (RS) and non-rhizospheric soil (NRS) remain unclear. A field experiment was conducted at the Ansai Research Station on the Loess Plateau in China to test the influence of slope aspects (south-facing, north-facing, and northwest-facing slopes, all with Artemisia sacrorum as the dominant species) on RS and NRS microbial biomass carbon (MBC) contents, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) contents, and the rhizospheric effect (RE) of various microbial indices. Soil samples were collected from the three slope aspects, including rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric region, and analyzed to determine the various related microbial indices. The results showed that MBC content differed significantly among the slope aspects in RS but not in NRS, and the RE for MBC content in the south-facing slope was larger than that in the north-facing slope. RS total, bacterial, and Gram-positive bacterial PLFA contents in the south-facing slope were significantly lower than those in the north- and northwest-facing slopes, and RS Gram-negative bacterial (G−) and actinomycete PLFA contents in the south-facing slope were significantly lower than those in the north-facing slope. In contrast, NRS total, bacterial, and G− PLFA contents in the north-facing slope were significantly higher than those in the south- and northwest-facing slopes, and NRS fungal and actinomycete PLFA contents in the north- and south-facing slopes were significantly higher than those in the northwest-facing slope. RE for all PLFA contents except fungal in the northwest-facing slope were higher than those in the south-facing slope. Slope aspect significantly but differentially affected the microbial properties in RS and NRS, and the variable influence was due to an evident RE for most microbial properties.

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