Today will be sunny with a level 3 northwest wind and temperatures between 11 and 20 degrees Celsius. Good morning! Wishing you a peaceful October and a happy holiday.
Fuel Price Adjustment Notice
The next round of fuel price adjustments is scheduled for 24:00 on October 15. The current crude oil change rate is around -4%, with an estimated reduction of 210 yuan per ton. Based on the current decline, it is predicted that the next adjustment will lower gasoline and diesel prices by 0.16 to 0.19 yuan per liter. The next fuel price adjustment may see prices fall again. A friendly reminder: this is only cyclical forecast data, and the final adjustment result is subject to the notice from the National Development and Reform Commission on October 15. Those who have no long-distance travel plans and whose fuel tanks are sufficiently full may hold off on refueling until after the October 15 adjustment to save on fuel costs. Those who are driving during the National Day holiday and have low fuel tanks need not wait — refuel as needed to avoid running out of fuel on the road.
New Changes to the 2027 Postgraduate Entrance Exam Registration Process and Photo Collection
The preliminary registration period for the 2027 National Master's Degree Graduate Entrance Examination is from October 15 to October 24, 2026. Reporters recently learned from the Ministry of Education that there are new changes to the postgraduate exam registration process and photo collection. Previously, postgraduate exam registration included two stages: online registration and online confirmation, requiring candidates to log into the graduate admissions website during each stage to fill in their preferences and submit verification materials. Starting from the 2027 postgraduate exam, the graduate admissions website will implement an integrated online registration and online confirmation process. After filling in personal information and application preferences during the online registration period, candidates can submit the verification materials required by their examination site all at once. In terms of optimizing the registration photo collection model, starting from the 2027 postgraduate exam, the collection time will be moved up from the original online confirmation stage to the basic information filling stage of online registration. Candidates will no longer need to prepare photos in advance; instead, they can directly take and upload photos online through the CHSI App. The system will detect lighting, angle, and other shooting conditions in real time and prompt adjustments to ensure photos meet requirements. Additionally, registration photos will be used to produce admission tickets. To ensure that the printed admission ticket photos are clear and usable, the background color for registration photos this year will be uniformly required to be white, and candidates must choose a white background when taking photos. At the same time, to optimize services, the system also provides auxiliary functions such as photo background color replacement for candidates to use.
People with a Healthy Gut Are Naturally Happy
Liu Daming, deputy chief physician of the Gastroenterology Department at Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said that the gastrointestinal tract is both a digestive organ and an emotional organ, known as the "second brain." Previous studies have shown that the comorbidity rate of psychological disorders in patients with functional dyspepsia is as high as 49.3%, and the severity of symptoms is correlated with the severity of psychological disorders. Simply put, the gut is the key part that keeps your mood stable, your mindset optimistic, and your smile frequent.
Gut Flora Also Affects Your Mood
The gut hosts a vast microbial community that not only assists with digestion but also influences the body's immune and metabolic functions. Professor Sheng Jifang from the Infectious Diseases Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and her team conducted research spanning more than 20 years and found that healthy individuals have greater gut microbial diversity compared to those who are ill. The gut microbial diversity of long-living elderly people is significantly higher than that of generally healthy older adults. A research team from the Shanghai Mental Health Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine analyzed 21 related studies covering data from 1,503 participants, including healthy individuals and people with specific chronic diseases associated with higher anxiety risk, such as irritable bowel syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The results found that through gut flora interventions, the effective rate for treating anxiety symptoms reached 86%. Researchers pointed out that gut flora plays an important role in the immune system and metabolism, and can participate in regulating brain function through the "gut-brain axis." More notably, researchers pointed out that non-probiotic interventions — that is, changing gut flora by adjusting dietary structure — are more effective at improving mood. This means that rather than simply taking probiotic supplements, eating well and adjusting your dietary structure may be a better "mood prescription."
Strengthen Your Gut So It Helps You Withstand Emotional Stress
As the saying goes, "When drawing a bow, draw the strongest; when using an arrow, use the longest." If we apply this to gut and emotional health, stabilizing the "happy hormone" serotonin and "feeding" your gut flora well are key steps, while also staying as far away as possible from bad habits that accelerate gut aging.
1. Customize Your Fiber Diet. Dietary fiber is the "food" for gut flora. Healthy individuals need to ensure a daily intake of 25 to 30 grams of fiber (about 500 grams of vegetables, 200 grams of fruit, and 50 grams of coarse grains). It is recommended to prioritize dark-colored vegetables. Raw bananas and refrigerated cooked potatoes are rich in resistant starch, while prebiotics such as kudzu powder and inulin help beneficial bacteria grow and can be consumed in moderation. Diabetic patients can increase intake of low-glycemic-index foods such as konjac and oats, which can stabilize blood sugar and inhibit harmful bacteria. It should be noted that patients with liver disease, chronic diarrhea, the elderly, and children need to avoid high-fiber diets. At the same time, avoid high-sugar, high-fat, and high-salt diets, and quit smoking and drinking.
2. Activate Through Exercise. Exercise can promote gut motility, keeping the gut environment "clean and comfortable." It is recommended to ensure 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, such as running or brisk walking. At the same time, reduce sedentary time and stand up to move for 5 minutes every hour.
3. Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule. Gut motility and gut flora have formed their own fixed biological clock through long-term "adaptation" with the human body. If your daily routine is irregular for a long time and you frequently stay up late, it will lead to flora imbalance and functional disorders. The most obvious sign is that many people who sleep late experience bad breath and constipation. It is recommended to go to bed before 11 PM and refrain from eating one hour before bedtime. Ensure regular meals with time variations not exceeding half an hour.
4. Avoid Long-Term Accumulation of Negative Emotions. When stress is excessive, anxiety, depression, or many other negative emotions caused by various reasons persist for too long, it is easy to cause gut dysfunction. Gut abnormalities in turn affect brain cognition and sleep, worsening emotional problems. Therefore, you must learn to relieve stress, maintain a pleasant mood, and take time to sit in meditation.
5. Get Sunlight Exposure. Sun exposure boosts serotonin synthesis, which has an immediate effect on improving mood. Research from Monash University in Australia found that engaging in more outdoor activities and fully receiving sunlight can promote overall health, improve mood, enhance sleep, and significantly reduce the risk of depression.
6. Avoid Misusing Antibiotics. Antibiotics can fight infections but can also "kill" gut flora indiscriminately, so they must be taken as prescribed by a doctor.