ALBERT

Description: The aerosol size distribution and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration were measured using a wide-range particle spectrometer (WPS) and a cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC) on Mt. Tian from 31 July to 9 September, 2019. Combined with meteorological data, distribution characteristics of aerosol size and CCN and their influencing factors were analyzed. The results indicated that the mean aerosol number concentration was 5475.6 ± 5636.5 cm−3. The mean CCN concentrations were 183.7 ± 114.5 cm−3, 729.8 ± 376.1 cm−3, 1630.5 ± 980.5 cm−3, 2162.5 ± 1345.3 cm−3, and 2575.7 ± 1632.9 cm−3 at supersaturation levels of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8%, respectively. The aerosol number size distribution is unimodal, and the dominant particle size is 30–60 nm. Affected by the height of the boundary layer and the valley wind, the diurnal variation in aerosol number concentration shows a unimodal distribution with a peak at 17:00, and the CCN number concentration showed a bimodal distribution with peaks at 18:00 and 21:00. The particle size distribution and supersaturation have a major impact on the activation of the aerosol into CCN. At 0.1% supersaturation (S), the 300–500 nm particles are most likely to activate to CCN. Particles of 100–300 nm are most easily activated at 0.2% (S), while particles of 60–80 nm are most likely activated at high supersaturation (≥0.4%). The concentrations of aerosol and CCN are higher in the northerly wind. Ambient relative humidity (RH) has little relationship with the aerosol activation under high supersaturation. According to N = CSk fitting the CCN spectrum, C = 3297 and k = 0.90 on Mt. Tian, characteristic of the clean continental type.

Description: The atmospheric boundary layer height is important for constraining air pollution and meteorological models. This study attempted to validate the MODIS-estimated atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), and variation in the ABLH in Uganda was evaluated. The ABLH was estimated from MODIS data using the mixing ratio profile gradient method and compared to the ABLH estimated from radiosonde data using three different methods. Unlike in studies in other regions of the world, correlations between ABLH estimated using MODIS and radiosonde data were weak, implying limited usefulness of MODIS data for determining ABLH. However, the diurnal variation in MODIS-derived ABLH and particulate matter (PM10) was consistent with the expected inverse relationship between PM10 mass concentration and ABLH, and the mean MODIS-derived ABLH values were significantly lower during wet seasons than dry seasons, as expected.

Description: In our previous studies, we investigated the performance of a novel pneumatic planar magnetic separator (PMS) for the dry beneficiation of a selected magnetite ore. In the present study, we have extended the studies on the PMS with the focus on investigating how various PMS processing flowsheet configurations influence its performance. The outcomes were subsequently compared with those of a Davis tube recovery (DTR) tester. The study demonstrated that the use of PMS in the dry beneficiation of magnetite ores is feasible, and operating the PMS in different flowsheet configurations positively influences the magnetite concentrate grade and purity. Finally, the study showed that the PMS performance compares well with that of DTR and can potentially replace DTR in operations that are carried out in arid regions.

Description: As acidic deposition has decreased across Eastern North America, forest soils at some sites are beginning to show reversal of soil acidification. However, the degree of recovery appears to vary and is not fully explained by deposition declines alone. To assess if other site and soil factors can help to explain degree of recovery from acid deposition, soil resampling chemistry data (8- to 24-year time interval) from 23 sites in the United States and Canada, located across 25° longitude from Eastern Maine to Western Ontario, were explored. Site and soil factors included recovery years, sulfate (SO42−) deposition history, SO42− reduction rate, C horizon pH and exchangeable calcium (Ca), O and B horizon pH, base saturation, and exchangeable Ca and aluminum (Al) at the time of the initial sampling. We found that O and B horizons that were initially acidified to a greater degree showed greater recovery and B horizon recovery was further associated with an increase in recovery years and lower initial SO42− deposition. Forest soils that seemingly have low buffering capacity and a reduced potential for recovery have the resilience to recover from the effects of previous high levels of acidic deposition. This suggests, that predictions of where forest soils acidification reversal will occur across the landscape should be refined to acknowledge the importance of upper soil profile horizon chemistry rather than the more traditional approach using only parent material characteristics.

Description: Geospatial data is urgently needed in decision-making processes to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at global, national, regional and local scales. While the advancement of geo-technologies to obtain or produce geospatial data has become faster and more affordable, many countries in the global south still experience a geospatial data scarcity at the rural level due to complex geographical terrains, weak coordination among institutions and a lack of knowledge and technologies to produce visualised geospatial data like maps. We proposed a collaborative spatial learning framework that integrates the spatial knowledge of stakeholders to obtain geospatial data. By conducting participatory mapping workshops in three villages in the Deli Serdang district in Indonesia, we tested the framework in terms of facilitating communication and collaboration of the village stakeholders while also supporting knowledge co-production and social learning among them. Satellite images were used in digital and non-digital mapping workshops to support village stakeholders to produce proper village maps while fulfilling the SDGs’ emphasis to make geospatial data available through a participatory approach.

Description: In this study, the flotation behavior of malachite was investigated using hydrophobic talc nanoparticles (TNs) as collectors. To improve the floatability of TN-deposited malachite, various experimental parameters were systematically investigated. We found that the floatability sharply increased as the size of the TNs decreased. The floatability of malachite was enhanced in the presence of smaller TNs, since higher amounts of smaller TNs were deposited on the surface of the malachite, thus rendering the surface more hydrophobic. Moreover, the floatability of the TN-deposited malachite increased as the pH decreased, likely due to the more favorable interaction between TNs and malachite by means of electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, the floatability became more enhanced as the TN concentration increased, likely associated with increases in the amount of TNs deposited on the surface of the malachite, thus enhancing the floatability by altering the hydrophobicity of the surface. Our findings suggest that the application of natural hydrophobic TNs as collectors in malachite flotation should be introduced as a new concept.

Description: The convenient model Arabidopsis thaliana has allowed tremendous advances in plant genetics and physiology, in spite of only being a weed. It has also unveiled the main molecular networks governing, among others, abiotic stress responses. Through the use of the latest genomic tools, Arabidopsis research is nowadays being translated to agronomically interesting crop models such as tomato, but at a lagging pace. Knowledge transfer has been hindered by invariable differences in plant architecture and behaviour, as well as the divergent direct objectives of research in Arabidopsis vs. crops compromise transferability. In this sense, phenotype translation is still a very complex matter. Here, we point out the challenges of “translational phenotyping” in the case study of drought stress phenotyping in Arabidopsis and tomato. After briefly defining and describing drought stress and survival strategies, we compare drought stress protocols and phenotyping techniques most commonly used in the two species, and discuss their potential to gain insights, which are truly transferable between species. This review is intended to be a starting point for discussion about translational phenotyping approaches among plant scientists, and provides a useful compendium of methods and techniques used in modern phenotyping for this specific plant pair as a case study.

Description: Protected areas are the backbone of biodiversity conservation but are fixed in space and vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change. Myanmar is exceptionally rich in biodiversity but has a small protected area system. This study aimed to assess the potential vulnerability of this system to climate change. In the absence of good biodiversity data, we used a spatial modeling approach based on a statistically derived bioclimatic stratification (the Global Environmental Stratification, GEnS) to understand the spatial implications of projected climate change for Myanmar’s protected area system by 2050 and 2070. Nine bioclimatic zones and 41 strata were recognized in Myanmar, but their representation in the protected area system varied greatly, with the driest zones especially underrepresented. Under climate change, most zones will shift upslope, with some protected areas projected to change entirely to a new bioclimate. Potential impacts on biodiversity include mountaintop extinctions of species endemic to isolated peaks, loss of climate specialists from small protected areas and those with little elevational range, and woody encroachment into savannas and open forests as a result of both climate change and rising atmospheric CO2. Myanmar needs larger, better connected, and more representative protected areas, but political, social, and economic problems make this difficult.

Description: Minerals from mantle xenoliths in the Zapolyarnaya pipe in the Upper Muna field, Russia and from mineral separates from other large diamondiferous kimberlite pipes in this field (Deimos, Novinka and Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya) were studied with EPMA and LA-ICP-MS. All pipes contain very high proportions of sub-calcic garnets. Zapolyarnaya contains mainly dunitic xenoliths with veinlets of garnets, phlogopites and Fe-rich pyroxenes similar in composition to those from sheared peridotites. PT estimates for the clinopyroxenes trace the convective inflection of the geotherm (40–45 mW·m−2) to 8 GPa, inflected at 6 GPa and overlapping with PT estimates for ilmenites derived from protokimberlites. The Upper Muna mantle lithosphere includes dunite channels from 8 to 2 GPa, which were favorable for melt movement. The primary layering deduced from the fluctuations of CaO in garnets was smoothed by the refertilization events, which formed additional pyroxenes. Clinopyroxenes from the Novinka and Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya pipes show a more linear geotherm and three branches in the P-Fe# plot from the lithosphere base to the Moho, suggesting several episodes of pervasive melt percolation. Clinopyroxenes from Zapolyarnaya are divided into four groups according to thermobarometry and trace element patterns, which show a stepwise increase of REE and incompatible elements. Lower pressure groups including dunitic garnets have elevated REE with peaks in Rb, Th, Nb, Sr, Zr, and U, suggesting mixing of the parental protokimberlitic melts with partially melted metasomatic veins of ancient subduction origin. At least two stages of melt percolation formed the inclined PT paths: (1) an ancient garnet semi-advective geotherm (35–45 mW·m−2) formed by volatile-rich melts during the major late Archean event of lithosphere growth; and (2) a hotter megacrystic PT path (Cpx-Ilm) formed by feeding systems for kimberlite eruptions (40–45 mW·m−2). Ilmenite PT estimates trace three separate PT trajectories, suggesting a multistage process associated with metasomatism and formation of the Cpx-Phl veinlets in dunites. Heating associated with intrusions of protokimberlite caused reactivation of the mantle metasomatites rich in H2O and alkali metals and possibly favored the growth of large megacrystalline diamonds.

Description: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an RNA virus, is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020. Experimental evidence suggests that microRNA can mediate an intracellular defence mechanism against some RNA viruses. The purpose of this study was to identify microRNA with predicted binding sites in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, compare these to their microRNA expression profiles in lung epithelial tissue and make inference towards possible roles for microRNA in mitigating coronavirus infection. We hypothesize that high expression of specific coronavirus-targeting microRNA in lung epithelia may protect against infection and viral propagation, conversely, low expression may confer susceptibility to infection. We have identified 128 human microRNA with potential to target the SARS-CoV-2 genome, most of which have very low expression in lung epithelia. Six of these 128 microRNA are differentially expressed upon in vitro infection of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, 28 microRNA also target the SARS-CoV genome while 23 microRNA target the MERS-CoV genome. We also found that a number of microRNA are commonly identified in two other studies. Further research into identifying bona fide coronavirus targeting microRNA will be useful in understanding the importance of microRNA as a cellular defence mechanism against pathogenic coronavirus infections.

Description: People spend most of their time in indoors and, as a result, indoor air quality has become an issue of increasing concern. Due to the use of coal and heavy transportation in Beijing, China, concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bound to PM2.5 have risen and caused concerns about health risk, both outdoors and indoors. This study carried out quantitative investigation of PM2.5-bound PAHs in middle school classrooms and estimated the health risk to adolescents. According to the results, indoor PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 20.9 μg/m3 to 257.6 μg/m3, indoor PAH concentrations ranged from 8.0 ng/m3 to 83.0 ng/m3, and both were statistically correlated with outdoor concentrations. Results of diagnostic ratios (DR) and the PMF (positive matrix factorization) model indicated that coal combustion was the main source of PAHs in the classroom environment. The average value of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was estimated to be 1.49 × 10−6, which indicated a potential health risk to students according to USEPA standards. Predictions showed that by 2021–2022, the risk will be reduced to an acceptable level. Results of this study could provide useful information for air pollution control in Beijing and proposing targeted solution against indoor air pollution.

Description: The VCAN/versican gene encodes an important component of the extracellular matrix, the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 2 (CSPG2/versican). Heterozygous variants targeting exon 8 of VCAN have been shown to cause Wagner disease, a rare autosomal dominant non-syndromic vitreoretinopathy that induces retinal detachment, cataracts and permanent visual loss. In this study, we report on six patients from three unrelated families with Wagner disease in whom we identified three novel copy number variations of VCAN. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis identified deletions, including one exon–intron boundary of exon 8 or both exons 8 and 9, causing the haploinsufficiency of VCAN mRNAs.

Description: Streptococcus salivarius is a significant contributor to the human oral, pharyngeal and gut microbiomes that contribute to the maintenance of health. The high genomic diversity observed in this species is mainly caused by horizontal gene transfer. This work aimed to evaluate the contribution of integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) and integrative and mobilizable elements (IMEs) in S. salivarius genome diversity. For this purpose, we performed an in-depth analysis of 75 genomes of S. salivarius and searched for signature genes of conjugative and mobilizable elements. This analysis led to the retrieval of 69 ICEs, 165 IMEs and many decayed elements showing their high prevalence in S. salivarius genomes. The identification of almost all ICE and IME boundaries allowed the identification of the genes in which these elements are inserted. Furthermore, the exhaustive analysis of the adaptation genes carried by these elements showed that they encode numerous functions such as resistance to stress, to antibiotics or to toxic compounds, and numerous enzymes involved in diverse cellular metabolic pathways. These data support the idea that not only ICEs but also IMEs and decayed elements play an important role in S. salivarius adaptation to the environment.

Description: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is known to be an important rate-limiting enzyme in the production of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). However, the role of this enzyme in goose follicular development is poorly understood. To investigate the metabolic mechanism of SCD during goose follicular development, we observed its expression patterns in vivo and in vitro using quantitative reverse-transcription (qRT)-PCR. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine a cellular model of SCD function in granulosa cells (GCs) via SCD overexpression and knockdown. qRT-PCR analysis showed that SCD was abundantly expressed in the GC layer, and was upregulated in preovulatory follicles. Peak expression was found in F1 and prehierarchal follicles with diameters of 4–6 mm and 8–10 mm, respectively. We further found that mRNA expression and corresponding enzyme activity occur in a time-dependent oscillation pattern in vitro, beginning on the first day of GC culture. By LC-MS/MS, we identified numerous changes in metabolite activation and developed an overview of multiple metabolic pathways, 10 of which were associated with lipid metabolism and enriched in both the overexpressed and knockdown groups. Finally, we confirmed cholesterol and pantothenol or pantothenate as potential metabolite biomarkers to study SCD-related lipid metabolism in goose GCs.

Description: Water mites represent the most diverse and abundant group of Arachnida in freshwater ecosystems, with about 6000 species described; however, it is estimated that this number represents only 30% of the total expected species. Despite having strong biotic interactions with their community and having the potential to be exceptional bioindicators, they are frequently excluded from studies of water quality or ecology, due to actual and perceived difficulties of taxonomic identification in this group. The objective of this study is to use the variations in the sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), also known as the DNA barcodes region, as a tool to assess the diversity of water mites at 24 sites in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. We found 77 genetic groups or putative species corresponding to 18 genera: Arrenurus, Atractides, Centrolimnesia, Eylais, Geayia, Hydrodroma, Hydryphantes, Hygrobates, Koenikea, Krendowskia, Limnesia, Limnochares, Mamersellides, Mideopsis, Neumania, Piona, Torrenticola, and Unionicola. This was significant, since there are only 35 species described for this region. Furthermore, this molecular information has allowed us to infer that there are characteristic assemblies per site. These data will facilitate the incorporation of water mites in different studies while the curatorial work continues to assign a Linnaean name.

Description: An experimental product study of the reactions of furfural with the main tropospheric oxidants (Cl, OH and NO3) has been carried out using a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) and a gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer with a time of flight detector (GC–TOFMS). The main gas-phase products detected were 5-chloro-2(5H)-furanone, maleic anhydride, 2-nitrofuran and CO. Molar yields were quantified for the detected products in these reactions, thus suggesting the existence of nongaseous products that could not be observed with the analytical techniques employed. The formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) from the oxidation of furfural with Cl atoms, OH, NO3 and ozone was investigated in a smog chamber in the absence of inorganic seed aerosols. The experimental results show the formation of ultrafine particles (less than 1 µm in diameter) for all of the studied reactions except for the nitrate radical. Given their small size, these ultrafine particles (

Description: Precise exposure assessment of air pollutants is crucial in epidemiologic studies to ensure valid estimates of health effects. We conducted a longitudinal study to evaluate the role of air quality monitoring (AQM) measurements and high-resolution modeling outcomes focusing on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure and atopic dermatitis (AD). A total of 128 young children with AD in Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea, were recruited as a panel. We estimated the participants’ exposure to NO2 for four months, from 1 April through 31 July 2014 based on (1) monitored levels from 60 AQM stations located at varying distances from residential areas (AQM station-based NO2, AQM-NO2) and (2) estimates from a community multi-scale air quality (CMAQ) modeling system with a high-resolution (1 × 1 km) (CMAQ-NO2). We then compared the effect of AQM-NO2 on AD symptoms with that of CMAQ-NO2. The average distance between the participants’ residences and the nearest AQM station was 2.03 ± 1.06 km, ranging from 0.28 km to 5.73 km. Based on AQM-NO2, the AD symptoms increased by 10.28% (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.24, 17.79) with an increase of 10 ppb of NO2. The effect estimates of CMAQ-NO2 were similar to those of AQM-NO2 when assessed in patients living within 3 km from the nearest AQM station. Even within 1 km, the CI estimate obtained from the CMAQ was much narrower than from AQM (44.18–49.54 vs. 7.02–64.75). However, the association of AQM-NO2 with AD symptoms of patients living beyond 3 km was not positive, whereas that of CMAQ-NO2 maintained positive. In conclusion, exposure to ambient NO2 is significantly associated with aggravation of AD symptoms in young children. In addition, our study suggests that exposure assessment of NO2 using measurement data obtained from monitoring stations far from residential locations can lead to misclassification bias.

Description: Urban areas may contain a wide range of potential habitats and environmental gradients and, given the many benefits to human health and well-being, there is a growing interest in maximizing their biodiversity potential. However, the ecological patterns and processes in urban areas are poorly understood. Using a widely applicable ecological survey method, we sampled epiphytic lichen communities, important bioindicators of atmospheric pollution, on host Quercus trees in urban parks of London, UK, to test if common patterns relating to lichen diversity are mirrored in urban green spaces. We found lichen diversity to be dependent on host species identity, and negatively related to local tree crowding. In addition, we found a strong negative effect of tree size on lichen diversity, leaving large trees as unexploited niches. A novel network analysis revealed the presence of only pioneer communities, showing the lichen communities are being held in successional stasis, likely due to the heritage effects of SO2 emissions and current nitrogen pollution and particulate emissions. Our study highlights that jointly assessing species richness, community structure and the successional stage can be key to understanding diversity patterns in urban ecosystems. Subsequently, this may help best determine the optimum conditions that will facilitate biodiversity increase within cities.

Description: Reducing plastic pollution in rivers, lakes, and oceans is beneficial to aquatic animals and human livelihood. To achieve this, reliable observations of the abundance, spatiotemporal variation, and composition of plastics in aquatic ecosystems are crucial. Current efforts mainly focus on collecting data on the open ocean, on beaches and coastlines, and in river systems. Urban areas are the main source of plastic leakage into the natural environment, yet data on plastic pollution in urban water systems are scarce. In this paper, we present a simple method for plastic hotspot mapping in urban water systems. Through visual observations, macroplastic abundance and polymer categories are determined. Due to its simplicity, this method is suitable for citizen science data collection. A first application in the Dutch cities of Leiden and Wageningen showed similar mean plastic densities (111–133 items/km canal) and composition (75–80% soft plastics), but different spatial distributions. These observations emphasize the importance of long-term data collection to further understand and quantify spatiotemporal variations of plastics in urban water systems. In turn, this will support improved estimates of the contribution of urban areas to the plastic pollution of rivers and oceans.

Description: Black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and total carbon (TC) in snow are important for their climatic and cryospheric effects. They are also part of the global carbon cycle. Atmospheric black and organic carbon (including brown carbon) may deposit and darken snow surfaces. Currently, there are no standardized methods for sampling, filtering, and analysis protocols to detect carbon in snow. Here, we describe our current methods and protocols to detect carbon in seasonal snow using the OCEC thermal optical method, a European standard for atmospheric elemental carbon (EC). We analyzed snow collected within and around the urban background SMEARIII (Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations) at Kumpula (60° N) and the Arctic GAW (Global Atmospheric Watch) station at Sodankylä (67° N). The median BC, OC, and TC in snow samples (ntot = 30) in Kumpula were 1118, 5279, and 6396 ppb, and in Sodankylä, they were 19, 1751, and 629 ppb. Laboratory experiments showed that error due to carbon attached to a sampling bag (n = 11) was

Description: Marek’s disease (MD) represents a significant global economic and animal welfare issue. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a highly contagious oncogenic and highly immune-suppressive α-herpes virus, which infects chickens, causing neurological effects and tumour formation. Though partially controlled by vaccination, MD continues to have a profound impact on animal health and on the poultry industry. Genetic selection provides an alternative and complementary method to vaccination. However, even after years of study, the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to MDV remain poorly understood. The Major Histocompatability Complex (MHC) is known to play a role in disease resistance, along with a handful of other non-MHC genes. In this study, one of the largest to date, we used a multi-facetted approach to identify quantitative trait locus regions (QTLR) influencing resistance to MDV, including an F6 population from a full-sib advanced intercross line (FSIL) between two elite commercial layer lines differing in resistance to MDV, RNA-seq information from virus challenged chicks, and genome wide association study (GWAS) from multiple commercial lines. Candidate genomic elements residing in the QTLR were further tested for association with offspring mortality in the face of MDV challenge in eight pure lines of elite egg-layer birds. Thirty-eight QTLR were found on 19 chicken chromosomes. Candidate genes, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and potentially functional mutations were identified in these regions. Association tests were carried out in 26 of the QTLR, using eight pure lines of elite egg-layer birds. Numerous candidate genomic elements were strongly associated with MD resistance. Genomic regions significantly associated with resistance to MDV were mapped and candidate genes identified. Various QTLR elements were shown to have a strong genetic association with resistance. These results provide a large number of significant targets for mitigating the effects of MDV infection on both poultry health and the economy, whether by means of selective breeding, improved vaccine design, or gene-editing technologies.

Description: The human microbiome is comprised of the microbes that live on and within an individual, as well as immediately surrounding them. Microbial profiling may have forensic utility in the identification or association of individuals with criminal activities, using microbial signatures derived from a personal microbiome. This review highlights some important aspects of recent studies, many of which have revealed issues involving the effect of contamination of microbial samples from both technical and environmental sources and their impacts on microbiome research and the potential forensic applications of microbial profiling. It is imperative that these challenges be discussed and evaluated within a forensic context to better understand the future directions and potential applications of microbial profiling for human identification. It is necessary that the limitations identified be resolved prior to the adoption of microbial profiling, or, at a minimum, acknowledged by those applying this new approach.

Description: Recent advances in particle sensor technologies have led to an increased development and utilization of low-cost, compact, particulate matter (PM) monitors. These devices can be deployed in dense monitoring networks, enabling an improved characterization of the spatiotemporal variability in ambient levels and exposure. However, the reliability of their measurements is an important prerequisite, necessitating rigorous performance evaluation and calibration in comparison to reference-grade instrumentation. In this study, field evaluation of Purple Air PA-II devices (low-cost PM sensors) is performed in two urban environments and across three seasons in Greece, in comparison to different types of reference instruments. Measurements were conducted in Athens (the largest city in Greece with nearly four-million inhabitants) for five months spanning over the summer of 2019 and winter/spring of 2020 and in Ioannina, a medium-sized city in northwestern Greece (100,000 inhabitants) during winter/spring 2019–2020. The PM2.5 sensor output correlates strongly with reference measurements (R2 = 0.87 against a beta attenuation monitor and R2 = 0.98 against an optical reference-grade monitor). Deviations in the sensor-reference agreement are identified as mainly related to elevated coarse particle concentrations and high ambient relative humidity. Simple and multiple regression models are tested to compensate for these biases, drastically improving the sensor’s response. Large decreases in sensor error are observed after implementation of models, leading to mean absolute percentage errors of 0.18 and 0.12 for the Athens and Ioannina datasets, respectively. Overall, a quality-controlled and robustly evaluated low-cost network can be an integral component for air quality monitoring in a smart city. Case studies are presented along this line, where a network of PA-II devices is used to monitor the air quality deterioration during a peri-urban forest fire event affecting the area of Athens and during extreme wintertime smog events in Ioannina, related to wood burning for residential heating.

Description: The article is devoted to a reconstruction of the sedimentation processes in Kamyshovoye Lake (the Kaliningrad Region, Russia) during the Late Glacial and Holocene. The results of the geochemical analysis of Kamyshovoye Lake’s bottom sediments, accompanied by statistical processing and detailed radiocarbon dating, are presented. It was established that a high proportion of mineral matter dominated in the intervals between 15,000 and 11,400 and between 1400 and 600 cal y BP; enrichment with carbonates was noted between 11,400 and 5200 cal y BP and during the past 600 years; and a high percentage of organic matter was recorded between 7800 and 600 cal y BP. We conclude that the increase in mineral matter was influenced by such factors as reduced vegetation cover due to natural and anthropogenic processes, aeolian transfer, and dead-ice melting during the Late Glacial. The increase in carbonate matter was mainly associated with humidity and the reduction conditions of the lake ecosystem. Organogenic matter content was affected by the autochthonic (biological) productivity of the lake, which directly depends on more favorable climatic conditions.

Description: Fertilized agricultural soils serve as a primary source of anthropogenic N2O emissions. In South Africa, there is a paucity of data on N2O emissions from fertilized, irrigated dairy-pasture systems and emission factors (EF) associated with the amount of N applied. A first study aiming to quantify direct N2O emissions and associated EFs of intensive pasture-based dairy systems in sub-Sahara Africa was conducted in South Africa. Field trials were conducted to evaluate fertilizer rates (0, 220, 440, 660, and 880 kg N ha−1 year−1) on N2O emissions from irrigated kikuyu–perennial ryegrass (Pennisetum clandestinum–Lolium perenne) pastures. The static chamber method was used to collect weekly N2O samples for one year. The highest daily N2O fluxes occurred in spring (0.99 kg ha−1 day−1) and summer (1.52 kg ha−1 day−1). Accumulated N2O emissions ranged between 2.45 and 15.5 kg N2O-N ha−1 year−1 and EFs for mineral fertilizers applied had an average of 0.9%. Nitrogen in yielded herbage varied between 582 and 900 kg N ha−1. There was no positive effect on growth of pasture herbage from adding N at high rates. The relationship between N balance and annual N2O emissions was exponential, which indicated that excessive fertilization of N will add directly to N2O emissions from the pastures. Results from this study could update South Africa’s greenhouse gas inventory more accurately to facilitate Tier 3 estimates.

Description: Achieving sustainable zero-waste and carbon neutral solutions that contribute to a circular economy is critically important for the long-term prosperity and continuity of traditional carbon-based energy industries. The Estonian oil shale (OS) sector is an example where such solutions are more than welcome. The combustion of OS generates a continuous flow of ashes destined to landfills. In this study, the technical feasibility of producing monolith building materials incorporating different OS ashes from Estonia was evaluated. Three binder systems were studied: self-cementation of the ashes, ceramic sintering in clay brick production and accelerated carbonation of OS ash (OSA) compacts. Results showed that most of the OSAs studied have low self-cementitious properties and these properties were affected by ash fineness and mineralogical composition. In case of clay bricks, OSA addition resulted in a higher porosity and improved insulation properties. The carbonated OSA compacts showed promising compressive strength. Accelerated carbonation of compacted samples was found to be the most promising way for the future utilization of OSAs as sustainable zero-waste and carbon neutral solution.

Description: Incidental findings on newborn screening (NBS) are results that are not the target of screening within a given NBS program, but rather are found as a result of the screening and resulting diagnostic workup for that target. These findings may not have an immediate clinical impact on the newborn, but are sometimes an additional benefit of NBS programs and may be considered secondary targets of NBS programs. This work describes four case reports that had incidental findings on the NBS, which eventually led to the diagnosis of another metabolic disease instead of the one that was initially suspected. The first case was a new defect in the cationic amino acid transporter-2 (CAT-2), which was oriented as an arginase-1 deficiency in the newborn. The second case was a maternal glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA-1) that mimicked a carnitine transporter deficiency in the newborn. The third report was a case of lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), which appeared as high levels of citrulline on the NBS. The fourth case was a mother with homocystinuria that was diagnosed during the biochemical study of vitamin B12 status. All cases provide new or interesting data that will help guide differential diagnosis in the future.

Description: This paper presents a review and analysis of large-scale air convection tests and the establishment of intrinsic permeability in coarse open-graded materials. Natural air convection can make a significant contribution to heat transfer during cooling periods. In seasonally freezing environments this can result in excessive frost penetration and subsequent frost-related problems. Intrinsic permeability largely defines the onset of convective heat transfer in granular materials. Conventional methods for measuring intrinsic permeability cannot be applied to very coarse materials. Large-scale laboratory experiments on natural air convection can serve as an alternative method for determining this crucial parameter. This paper gives an overview of four different experimental test setups for measuring natural air convection, all differing in physical shape, boundary conditions and heat flux/temperature measurement devices. Comparison between these is difficult because the air convection pattern can differ and in some cases the shape and number of convection cells cannot be validated. Most of the studies available in the literature use theoretical equations to approximate intrinsic permeability. A method based on the analytical Nu-Ra number relationship is employed to establish the values of intrinsic permeability. Tests that provide enough data to enable the use of the Nu-Ra relationship are very limited. The overall results show a reasonable correlation between experiment-based intrinsic permeability and theoretical approximation. However, several issues must be addressed: first, differences may exist between the intrinsic permeability of natural and of crushed materials due to the shape effect. Second, the method used is in theory valid only for two-dimensional air convection within a square enclosure heated from below. Yet the results show that this method could be extended to other conditions with a certain degree of confidence. Third, a good estimate of intrinsic permeability is possible only with accurate experimental measurement.

Description: In domesticated strains of the Nile tilapia, phenotypic sex has been linked to genetic variants on linkage groups 1, 20 and 23. This diversity of sex-loci might reflect a naturally polymorphic sex determination system in Nile tilapia, or it might be an artefact arising from the process of domestication. Here, we searched for sex-determiners in wild populations from Kpandu, Lake Volta (Ghana-West Africa), and from Lake Koka (Ethiopia-East Africa) that have not been subjected to any genetic manipulation. We analysed lab-reared families using double-digest Restriction Associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD) and analysed wild-caught males and females with pooled whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Strong sex-linked signals were found on LG23 in both populations, and sex-linked signals with LG3 were observed in Kpandu samples. WGS uncovered blocks of high sequence coverage, suggesting the presence of B chromosomes. We confirmed the existence of a tandem amh duplication in LG23 in both populations and determined its breakpoints between the oaz1 and dot1l genes. We found two common deletions of ~5 kb in males and confirmed the presence of both amhY and amh∆Y genes. Males from Lake Koka lack both the previously reported 234 bp deletion and the 5 bp frameshift-insertion that creates a premature stop codon in amh∆Y.

Description: A remarkable exposure of tubular authigenic carbonates was found on the seafloor in the Dongsha area of the South China Sea (SCS). The tubular carbonates, around 2–3 cm in diameter and usually less than 10 cm in length, represent broken fragments of once-larger pipes that now protrude from muddy sediments. The morphology, carbon and oxygen stable isotope compositions, and trace and rare earth element contents of the carbonates were analyzed to decipher the mode of carbonate formation. The tubular carbonates exhibit a dark brown coating of iron and manganese hydrous oxides, indicating prolonged exposure to oxic bottom waters. The carbonate content of the micritic pipes falls between 12.5 and 67.3 wt.% with an average of 42.0 wt.%, suggesting formation within the sediment. This inference is supported by trace and rare earth element patterns including a moderate enrichment of middle rare earth elements. Low δ13C values (as low as −50.3‰, Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB)) suggest that carbonate precipitation was induced by the anaerobic oxidation of methane. The unusually positive δ18O values of the carbonates (as high as +5.3‰, VPDB) are believed to reflect the destabilization of locally abundant gas hydrate. Taken together, it is suggested that pipe formation was initiated by sediment-dwelling organisms, such as crustaceans or bivalves. The burrows subsequently acted as conduits for upward fluid migration. The lithification of the sediment directly surrounding the conduits and the partial filling of the conduits with carbonate cement resulted in the formation of tubular carbonates. Turbidity currents, sediment slumps, or the vigorous emission of fluids probably induced the fragmentation of tubular carbonates within the sediment. The carbonate fragments had been further subjected to winnowing by bottom currents. This study provides insight into the interaction of megafauna burrowing with fluid migration and carbonate formation at hydrocarbon seeps, highlighting the role of bottom currents and mass wasting on the formation of fragmented tubular carbonates.

Description: In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India issued a notification to all the states in the National Capital Region of Delhi to install smog towers for clean air and allocated INR 36 crores (~USD 5.2 million) for a pilot. Can we vacuum our air pollution problem using smog towers? The short answer is “no”. Atmospheric science defines the air pollution problem as (a) a dynamic situation where the air is moving at various speeds with no boundaries and (b) a complex mixture of chemical compounds constantly forming and transforming into other compounds. With no boundaries, it is unscientific to assume that one can trap air, clean it, and release into the same atmosphere simultaneously. In this paper, we outline the basics of atmospheric science to describe why the idea of vacuuming outdoor air pollution is unrealistic, and the long view on air quality management in Indian cities.

Description: The Brazilian Cerrado biome has undergone major changes, with the incorporation of new areas for agricultural production. While this can certainly provide for the worldwide growing need for agricultural products, especially food, care should be taken to prevent possible environmental degradation. Worldwide, mites of the cohort Gamasina constitute the most abundant and diverse group of soil predatory mites, usually considered important in maintaining the ecological balance of natural environments. Little is known about the abundance and diversity of Gamasina in the Cerrado. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the abundance and diversity of Gamasina in soils of natural vegetation and of agroecosystems in Cerrado areas of the northern Brazilian state of Tocantins. This is considered the first step in the determination of possible role of the local predators as biological control agents, and their potential for practical use locally and elsewhere. Soil samples were taken monthly between July 2015 and June 2016. In total, 1373 Gamasina representing 45 species of 24 genera and 9 families were collected. The most abundant Gamasina belonged to Rhodacaridae in areas of the natural vegetation and to Ascidae in the agroecosystems. Abundance and diversity were much higher in the rainy than in the dry season. Rhodacarids and ascids have not been used commercially for pest control, but investigations conducted so far suggest their potential as biological control agents. The confirmation of this possibility and the development of techniques that would allow their maintenance in agricultural areas require subsequent research efforts.

Description: The problem of wave identification is formulated as applied to the results of measurements of the temperature and the density of the neutral atmosphere in the range height 90–120 km by the artificial periodic irregularities (APIs) technique. The technique is based on the resonant scattering of radio waves by artificial periodic irregularities of the ionospheric plasma emerging in the field of a standing wave arising from the interference of the incident and reflected waves from the ionosphere. APIs were created using SURA heating facility (named as SURA experiment). The acoustic wave theory is reformulated on the base of data which can be observed in the given experimental setup. The basic system of equations is reduced so that it accounts only upward and downward directed waves, ignoring entropy mode. The algorithm of wave identification based on usage of dynamic projection operators for such a reduced case is proposed and explicit form of projection operators is derived. Its application to finite number dataset via Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is described and results of its application to the DFT-transformed set of experimental observation of the temperature and density perturbations are presented. The result yields hybrid amplitudes, that allow us to calculate energy of the directed waves that enter the observed superposition. The problem of entropy mode detection is discussed, the corresponding projecting operators for the full evolution system are built and a way to apply the method to quantification of it is proposed.

Description: This study is focused on a barian titanian phlogopite found in an alkaline ultramafic dyke transecting Mesozoic limestones of the Gargano Promontory (Apulia, Italy). The rock containing the barian titanian phlogopite, an olivine-clinopyroxene-rich lamprophyre with nepheline and free of feldspars, has been classified as monchiquite. The present study combines chemical analyses, single crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Chemical variations suggest that the entry of Ba into the phlogopite structure can be explained by the exchange Ba + Al = K + Si. The crystal structure refinement indicates that the Ti uptake is consistent with the Ti–oxy exchange mechanism. The structural parameters associated with the oxy substitution mechanism are extremely enhanced and rarely reported in natural phlogopite: (a) displacement of M2 cation toward the O4 site (~0.7); (b) M2 octahedron bond-length distortion (~2.5); (c) very short c cell parameter (~10.14 Å). Raman analysis showed most prominent features in the 800–200 cm−1 region with the strongest peaks occurring at 773 and 735 cm−1. Only a weak, broad band was observed to occur in the OH-stretching region. As concerns the origin of the barian titanian phlogopite, the rock textural features clearly indicate that it crystallized from pockets of the interstitial melt. Here, Ba and Ti enrichment took place after major crystallization of olivine under fast-cooling conditions, close to the dyke margin.

Description: The lithobiont community encrusting an early Pleistocene palaeocliff cropping out north of Augusta (SE Sicily, Italy) was investigated based on field observations and laboratory inspection of two rocky samples. Bryozoans, serpulids, brachiopods and bivalves encrusted part of the exposed surfaces that were bored mostly by clionaid sponges. Bryozoans, with at least 25 species detected on the rocky samples, are the most diversified skeletonized lithobionts also accounting for the highest number of colonies/specimens and highest coverage. Brachiopods, with the only species Novocrania anomala and a few but large cemented valves, cover wide surfaces. Serpulids, with two species identified on the sampled rocks and further two on the outcrop, were intermediate. A multiphase colonization is present, including a final epilithobiont community locally formed on eroded surfaces exposing a network of pervasive borings. The co-occurrence of very sciaphilic species having circalittoral to bathyal distributions suggests that the studied community thrived on a rocky substratum located near or at the shelf break, probably belonging to the shelf break (or RL) biocoenosis, also in agreement with observations on the fossil content of neighboring marly sediments. The observed relationships among colonizers largely represent mere superimpositions, and real interactions are not enough to state species competitiveness.

Description: Violent tornadoes are rare in Europe but they can have devastating effects. Damage associated with individual tornadoes can reach several billion euros and they have caused hundreds of fatalities. The tornado risk varies considerably over Europe, but so far only a few national maps of tornado risk and one Europe-wide map exist. We show several different ways to create quantitative maps of tornado occurrence rates as follows: Kernel smoothing of observations, climatologies of convective parameters from reanalysis, output of a logistic regression model to link convective parameters with observed tornadoes, orography-dependent climatologies and finally the population-bias corrected tornado occurrence rates from the Risk Management Solutions (RMS) Europe Severe Convective Storm Model. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of each approach and compare the results. While the climatologies created from the individual methods show a lot of qualitative similarities, we advocate to combine the methods to achieve the most reliable quantitative climatology.

Description: C4 photosynthesis has evolved in over 60 different plant taxa and is an excellent example of convergent evolution. Plants using the C4 photosynthetic pathway have an efficiency advantage, particularly in hot and dry environments. They account for 23% of global primary production and include some of our most productive cereals. While previous genetic studies comparing phylogenetically related C3 and C4 species have elucidated the genetic diversity underpinning the C4 photosynthetic pathway, no previous studies have described the genetic diversity of the genes involved in this pathway within a C4 crop species. Enhanced understanding of the allelic diversity and selection signatures of genes in this pathway may present opportunities to improve photosynthetic efficiency, and ultimately yield, by exploiting natural variation. Here, we present the first genetic diversity survey of 8 known C4 gene families in an important C4 crop, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, using sequence data of 48 genotypes covering wild and domesticated sorghum accessions. Average nucleotide diversity of C4 gene families varied more than 20-fold from the NADP-malate dehydrogenase (MDH) gene family (θπ = 0.2 × 10−3) to the pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) gene family (θπ = 5.21 × 10−3). Genetic diversity of C4 genes was reduced by 22.43% in cultivated sorghum compared to wild and weedy sorghum, indicating that the group of wild and weedy sorghum may constitute an untapped reservoir for alleles related to the C4 photosynthetic pathway. A SNP-level analysis identified purifying selection signals on C4 PPDK and carbonic anhydrase (CA) genes, and balancing selection signals on C4 PPDK-regulatory protein (RP) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) genes. Allelic distribution of these C4 genes was consistent with selection signals detected. A better understanding of the genetic diversity of C4 pathway in sorghum paves the way for mining the natural allelic variation for the improvement of photosynthesis.

Description: More people appreciate the importance of global sustainability [...]

Description: In a recent publication, Ansari et al. identified gut microbiota as a critical mediator of the intestinal inflammatory response through epigenetic programming of host intestinal epithelium. Exposure to the microbiota induces Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET)-dependent hypomethylation of genomic elements regulating genes associated with inflammatory response and colorectal cancer. Here, we discuss the impact of such a discovery on the understanding of how the intestinal microbiota may contribute to epigenetic reprogramming and influence the onset of colorectal tumorigenesis. Finally, we examine the prospect of TET inhibition strategies as a therapeutic and/or preventive approach for colorectal cancer in patients afflicted by inflammatory bowel disease.

Description: Species coexistence is one of the most important concepts in ecology for understanding how biodiversity is shaped and changed. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which two small cyprinid fishes (H. leucisculus and H. bleekeri) coexist by analyzing their niche segregation and morphological differences in the upper Yangtze River. Morphological analysis indicated that H. leucisculus has posteriorly located dorsal fins, whereas H. bleekeri has a more slender body, bigger eyes, longer anal fin base, and a higher head. Niche segregation analysis showed spatial and trophic niche segregation between these two species: on the spatial scale, H. leucisculus was more widely distributed than H. bleekeri, indicating that H. leucisculus is more of a generalist in the spatial dimension; on the trophic scale, H. bleekeri had a wider niche than H. leucisculus. Therefore, these two species adopt different adaptation mechanisms to coexist

Description: Retrievals of ice cloud properties require accurate estimates of ice particle mass. Empirical mass–dimensional (m–D) relationships in the form m = a D b are widely used and usually universally applied across the complete range of particle sizes. For the first time, the dependence of a and b coefficients in m–D relationships on median mass diameter (Dmm) is studied. Using combined cloud microphysical data collected during the Olympic Mountains Experiment and coincident observations from Airborne Precipitation Radar Third Generation, Dmm-dependent (a, b) coefficients are derived and represented as surfaces of equally plausible solutions determined by some tolerance in the chi-squared difference χ 2 that minimizes the difference between observed and retrieved radar reflectivity. Robust dependences of a and b on Dmm are shown with both parameters significantly decreasing with Dmm, leading to smaller effective densities for larger Dmm ranges. A universally applied constant m–D relationship overestimates the mass of large aggregates when Dmm is between 3–6 mm and temperatures are between −15–0 °C. Multiple m–D relations should be applied for different Dmm ranges in retrievals and simulations to account for the variability of particle sizes that are responsible for the mass and thus for the variability of particle shapes and densities.

Description: Roadside vegetation can affect the performance of installed road lighting. We demonstrate a workflow in which a car-mounted measurement system is used to assess the light-obstructing effect of roadside vegetation. The mobile mapping system (MMS) includes a panoramic camera system, laser scanner, inertial measurement unit, and satellite positioning system. The workflow and the measurement system were applied to a road section of Munkkiniemenranta, Helsinki, Finland, in 2015 and 2019. The relative luminance distribution on a road surface and the obstructing vegetation were measured before and after roadside vegetation pruning applying a luminance-calibrated mobile mapping system. The difference between the two measurements is presented, and the opportunities provided by the mobile 3D luminance measurement system are discussed.

Description: Density-dependent population growth regulates long-term urban expansion and shapes distinctive socioeconomic trends. Despite a marked heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of the resident population, Mediterranean European countries are considered more homogeneous than countries in other European regions as far as settlement structure and processes of metropolitan growth are concerned. However, rising socioeconomic inequalities among Southern European regions reflect latent demographic and territorial transformations that require further investigation. An integrated assessment of the spatio-temporal distribution of resident populations in more than 1000 municipalities (1961–2011) was carried out in this study to characterize density-dependent processes of metropolitan growth in Greece. Using geographically weighted regressions, the results of our study identified distinctive local relationships between population density and growth rates over time. Our results demonstrate that demographic growth rates were non-linearly correlated with other variables, such as population density, with positive and negative impacts during the first (1961–1971) and the last (2001–2011) observation decade, respectively. These findings outline a progressive shift over time from density-dependent processes of population growth, reflecting a rapid development of large metropolitan regions (Athens, Thessaloniki) in the 1960s, to density-dependent processes more evident in medium-sized cities and accessible rural regions in the 2000s. Density-independent processes of population growth have been detected in the intermediate study period (1971–2001). This work finally discusses how a long-term analysis of demographic growth, testing for density-dependent mechanisms, may clarify the intrinsic role of population concentration and dispersion in different phases of the metropolitan cycle in Mediterranean Europe.

Description: The complexity and high sensitivity of proteins to environmental factors give rise to a multitude of variables, which affect the stabilization mechanisms in protein foams. Interfacial and foaming properties of proteins have been widely studied, but the reported unique effect of pH, which can be of great interest to applications, has been investigated to a lesser extent. In this paper, we focus on the impact of pH on the stability of black foam films and corresponding foams obtained from solutions of a model globular protein—the whey β-lactoglobulin (BLG). Foam stability was analyzed utilizing three characteristic parameters (deviation time, transition time and half-lifetime) for monitoring the foam decay, while foam film stability was measured in terms of the critical disjoining pressure of film rupture. We attempt to explain correlations between the macroscopic properties of a foam system and those of its major building blocks (foam films and interfaces), and thus, to identify structure-property relationships in foam. Good correlations were found between the stabilities of black foam films and foams, while relations to the properties of adsorption layers appeared to be intricate. That is because pH-dependent interfacial properties of proteins usually exhibit an extremum around the isoelectric point (pI), but the stability of BLG foam films increases with increasing pH (3–7), which is well reflected in the foam stability. We discuss the possible reasons behind these intriguingly different behaviors on the basis of pH-induced changes in the molecular properties of BLG, which seem to be determining the mechanism of film rupture at the critical disjoining pressure.

Description: The oxidation state and local atomic environment of admixtures of In, Cu, and Ag in synthetic sphalerite crystals were determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The sphalerite crystals doped with In, Cu, Ag, In–Cu, and In–Ag were synthesized utilizing gas transport, salt flux, and dry synthesis techniques. Oxidation states of dopants were determined using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) technique. The local atomic structure was studied by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). The spectra were recorded at Zn, In, Ag, and Cu K-edges. In all studied samples, In was in the 3+ oxidation state and replaced Zn in the structure of sphalerite, which occurs with the expansion of the nearest coordination shells due to the large In ionic radius. In the presence of In, the oxidation state of Cu and Ag is 1+, and both metals can form an isomorphous solid solution where they substitute for Zn according to the coupled substitution scheme 2Zn2+ ↔ Me+ + In3+. Moreover, Ag K-edges EXAFS spectra fitting, combined with the results obtained for In- and Au-bearing sphalerite shows that the Me-S distances in the first coordination shell in the solid solution state are correlated with the ionic radii and increase in the order of Cu 〈 Ag 〈 Au. The distortion of the atomic structure increases in the same order. The distant (second and third) coordination shells of Cu and Ag in sphalerite are split into two subshells, and the splitting is more pronounced for Ag. Analysis of the EXAFS spectra, coupled with the results of DFT (Density Function Theory) simulations, showed that the In–In and Me+–In3+ clustering is absent when the metals are present in the sphalerite solid solution. Therefore, all studied admixtures (In, Cu, Ag), as well as Au, are randomly distributed in the matrix of sphalerite, where the concentration of the elements in the “invisible” form can reach a few tens wt.%.

Description: In urban planning and transportation management, the centrality characteristics of urban streets are vital measures to consider. Centrality can help in understanding the structural properties of dense traffic networks that affect both human life and activity in cities. Many cities classify urban streets to provide stakeholders with a group of street guidelines for possible new rehabilitation such as sidewalks, curbs, and setbacks. Transportation research always considers street networks as a connection between different urban areas. The street functionality classification defines the role of each element of the urban street network (USN). Some potential factors such as land use mix, accessible service, design goal, and administrators’ policies can affect the movement pattern of urban travelers. In this study, nine centrality measures are used to classify the urban roads in four cities evaluating the structural importance of street segments. In our work, a Stacked Denoising Autoencoder (SDAE) predicts a street’s functionality, then logistic regression is used as a classifier. Our proposed classifier can differentiate between four different classes adopted from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDT): principal arterial road, minor arterial road, collector road, and local road. The SDAE-based model showed that regular grid configurations with repeated patterns are more influential in forming the functionality of road networks compared to those with less regularity in their spatial structure.

Description: The application of modern advanced techniques in molecular biology is revealing unexpectedly high levels of microbial diversity and complexity. However, the invisible loss of microbial diversity in the environment deriving, for example, from global changes and anthropogenic activities, is not really perceived. In this context, culture collections worldwide have become a valuable resource for the sustainable use of microbial diversity and its conservation. They provide pure cultures and genetic materials that are required for a number of research and teaching purposes, as well as for bioprospecting aims and their subsequent exploitation in biotechnological fields. This Special Issue has been launched with the aim of showcasing the diversity and biotechnological potential of microorganisms (e.g., Bacteria, Archaea, cyanobacteria, microalgae, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa) belonging to culture collections kept worldwide.

Description: To study the influence of complex terrain with different scales on the structure of near-surface turbulence, the turbulence observational data from Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL) were analyzed. SACOL is located in typical Loess Plateau topography. The terrain around the site varies greatly with the direction. Representative data from the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest were selected to study the structure characteristics of the near surface turbulence. The complex topography within the flux footprint enhances the vertical scale of turbulence σw and thereby increases the vertical–longitudinal ratio of turbulence Ar. While the turbulent horizontal scale σu is also significantly affected by the distant terrain beyond the flux footprint. The upwind terrain undulation increases σu and reduces Ar. Affected by the complex terrain, the ratio of the spectrum of the vertical velocity to that of the longitudinal velocity, Sw(n)/Su(n), is far less than 4/3 in the southwest direction, and the turbulence is significantly anisotropic.

Description: Providing recommendations in cold start situations is one of the most challenging problems for collaborative filtering based recommender systems (RSs). Although user social context information has largely contributed to the cold start problem, most of the RSs still suffer from the lack of initial social links for newcomers. For this study, we are going to address this issue using a proposed user similarity detection engine (USDE). Utilizing users’ personal smart devices enables the proposed USDE to automatically extract real-world social interactions between users. Moreover, the proposed USDE uses user clustering algorithm that includes contextual information for identifying similar users based on their profiles. The dynamically updated contextual information for the user profiles helps with user similarity clustering and provides more personalized recommendations. The proposed RS is evaluated using movie recommendations as a case study. The results show that the proposed RS can improve the accuracy and personalization level of recommendations as compared to two other widely applied collaborative filtering RSs. In addition, the performance of the USDE is evaluated in different scenarios. The conducted experimental results on USDE show that the proposed USDE outperforms widely applied similarity measures in cold start and data sparsity situations.

Description: Organisms respond to severe environmental changes by entering into hypometabolic states, minimizing their metabolic rates, suspending development and reproduction, and surviving critical ecological changes. They come back to an active lifestyle once the environmental conditions are conducive. Marine invertebrates live in the aquatic environment and adapt to environmental changes in their whole life. Sea cucumbers and sponges are only two recently known types of marine organisms that aestivate in response to temperature change. Sea cucumber has become an excellent model organism for studies of environmentally-induced aestivation by marine invertebrates. DNA methylation, the most widely considered epigenetic marks, has been reported to contribute to phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental stress in aquatic organisms. Most of methylation-related enzymes, including DNA methyltransferases, Methyl-CpG binding domain proteins, and DNA demethylases, were up-regulated during aestivation. We conducted high-resolution whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of the intestine from sea cucumber at non-aestivation and deep-aestivation stages. Further DNA methylation profile analysis was also conducted across the distinct genomic features and entire transcriptional units. A different elevation in methylation level at internal exons was observed with clear demarcation of intron/exon boundaries during transcriptional unit scanning. The lowest methylation level occurs in the first exons, followed by the last exons and the internal exons. A significant increase in non-CpG methylation (CHG and CHH) was observed within the intron and mRNA regions in aestivation groups. A total of 1393 genes were annotated within hypermethylated DMRs (differentially methylated regions), and 749 genes were annotated within hypomethylated DMRs. Differentially methylated genes were enriched in the mRNA surveillance pathway, metabolic pathway, and RNA transport. Then, 24 hypermethylated genes and 15 hypomethylated genes were Retrovirus-related Pol polyprotein from transposon (RPPT) genes. This study provides further understanding of epigenetic control on environmental induced hypometabolism in aquatic organisms.

Description: Intellectual disability (ID) is a highly heterogeneous genetic condition with more than a thousand genes described so far. By exome sequencing of two consanguineous families presenting hallmark features of ID, we identified two homozygous variants in two genes previously associated with autosomal recessive ID: NDST1 (c.1966G〉A; p.Asp656Asn) and METTL23 (c.310T〉C; p.Phe104Leu). The segregation of the variants was validated by Sanger sequencing in all family members. In silico homology modeling of wild-type and mutated proteins revealed substantial changes in the secondary structure of both proteins, indicating a possible effect on function. The identification and validation of new pathogenic NDST1 and METTL23 variants in two cases of autosomal recessive ID further highlight the importance of these genes in proper brain function and development.

Description: On 22 March 2020, Zagreb was struck by an M5.5 earthquake that had been expected for more than 100 years and revealed all the failures in the construction of residential buildings in the Croatian capital, especially those built in the first half of the 20th century. Because of that, extensive seismological, geological, geodetic and structural engineering surveys were conducted immediately after the main shock. This study provides descriptions of damage, specifying the building performances and their correlation with the local soil characteristics, i.e., seismic motion amplification. Co-seismic vertical ground displacement was estimated, and the most affected area is identified according to Sentinel-1 interferometric wide-swath data. Finally, preliminary 3D structural modeling of the earthquake sequence was performed, and two major faults were modeled using inverse distance weight (IDW) interpolation of the grouped hypocenters. The first-order assessment of seismic amplification (due to site conditions) in the Zagreb area for the M5.5 earthquake shows that ground motions of approximately 0.16–0.19 g were amplified at least twice. The observed co-seismic deformation (based on Sentinel-1A IW SLC images) implies an approximately 3 cm uplift of the epicentral area that covers approximately 20 km2. Based on the preliminary spatial and temporal analyses of the Zagreb 2020 earthquake sequence, the main shock and the first aftershocks evidently occurred in the subsurface of the Medvednica Mountains along a deep-seated southeast-dipping thrust fault, recognized as the primary (master) fault. The co-seismic rupture propagated along the thrust towards northwest during the first half-hour of the earthquake sequence, which can be clearly seen from the time-lapse visualization. The preliminary results strongly support one of the debated models of the active tectonic setting of the Medvednica Mountains and will contribute to a better assessment of the seismic hazard for the wider Zagreb area.

Description: Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are an essential part of economies at the national, regional, and local levels. Understanding the determinants of the development of this sector is interesting not only for researchers but also for local governments to support the development of this sector. This paper analyses micro, small, and medium enterprises at the gmina (local) level in one region, the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodship (NUTS2) in Poland. The authors use multivariate linear regression, spatial econometrics, and classification trees to model the influence of different factors on the number of enterprises relative to population size. The authors found that the most crucial factor in all cases, independently of the method used, is the local government’s revenue from personal income tax per capita. This finding, together with the lack of significance of variables related to the distance to technological parks or economic zones, indicates that the enterprises in the region produce mainly for local consumption and lack innovativeness. The authors also examined the influence of spatial context on the number of enterprises. The most important factor seems to be the percentage of built-up areas, but there are also others, depending on the model type; again, this confirms the local character of the activity of micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region. Variables representing the spatial context can explain the relative number of enterprises with coefficient of determination (R2) between 0.30 and 0.45, which shows that this context played a relatively significant role in the development of the MSME sector in the region. On the other hand, the econometric models (that include the neighborhood) are only significant (improving R2) for medium enterprises, which means that medium enterprises expand their activity beyond the local range.

Description: Moss biomonitoring technique was used for a heavy-metal pollution study in Macedonia in the framework of the International Cooperative Program on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops (UNECE IPC Vegetation). Moss samples (n = 72) were collected during the summers of 2002, 2005, and 2010. The contents of 41 elements were determined by neutron activation analysis, atomic absorption spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Using factor and cluster analyses, three geogenic factors were determined (Factor 1, including Al, As, Co, Cs, Fe, Hf, Na, Rb, Sc, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, Zr, and rare-earth elements–RE; Factor 4 with Ba, K, and Sr; and Factor 5 with Br and I), one anthropogenic factor (Factor 2, including Cd, Pb, Sb, and Zn), and one geogenic-anthropogenic factor (Factor 3, including Cr and Ni). The highest anthropogenic impact of heavy metal to the air pollution in the country was from the ferronickel smelter near Kavadraci (Ni and Cr), the lead and zinc mines in the vicinity of Makedonska Kamenica, Probištip, and Kriva Palanka in the eastern part of the country (Cd, Pb, and Zn), and the former lead and zinc smelter plant in Veles. Beside the anthropogenic influences, the lithology and the composition of the soil also play an important role in the distribution of the elements.

Description: The Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo (MRSP) is one of the main regions of Brazil that in recent years has shown an increase in the number of days with heat waves, mainly affecting the health of the most sensitive populations, such as the elderly. In this study, we identified the heat waves in the MRSP using three different definitions regarding the maximum daily temperature threshold. To analyze the impact of heat waves on elderly mortality, we used distributed lag nonlinear models (dlnm) and we quantified the heat wave-related excess mortality of elderly people from 1985 to 2005 and made projections for the near future (2030 to 2050) and the distant future (2079–2099) under the climate change scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 (RCP: Representative Concentration Paths). An important aspect of this research is that for the projections we take into account two assumptions: non-adaptation and adaptation to the future climate. Our projections show that the heat wave-related excess of elderly mortality will increase in the future, being highest when we consider no adaptation, mainly from cardiovascular diseases in women (up to 587 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year). This study can be used for public policies to implement preventive and adaptive measures in the MRSP.

Description: This study evaluated the response of bat communities, from a taxonomic and functional perspective, to variation in the vegetation and landscape attributes produced by anthropogenic activities. We characterized the following: (1) the community of phyllostomid and mormoopid bats associated with the initial successional stages of a tropical dry forest, (2) the response of these communities to the variation in the attributes of the vegetation and the landscape, and (3) how the seasonality modulates such response. This allowed us to identify potential mechanisms underlying the response of bat communities to human disturbance. Our results showed that the species negatively affected by the anthropoghenic disturbance are those with greater body mass, larger nose-leaves, or a lower wing aspect ratio and relative wing loading, which perform low-speed flights and have high maneuverability and, potentially, a high directionality in their emissions. We also detected a greater sensitivity of bats to changes in the landscape attributes regarding the riparian than the dry forest, and that the effect of anthropic transformation on bats was intensified during the dry season. Then, the continued loss of the original vegetation can lead to a loss of certain groups of bat species in neotropical landscapes, reducing the resilience of the system.

Description: Carex muskingumensis is a highly valued perennial ornamental grass cultivated worldwide. However, there is limited genetic data regarding this species. Selection of proper reference genes (RGs) for reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) data normalization has become an essential step in gene expression analysis. In this study, we aimed to examine expression stability of nine candidate RGs in C. muskingumensis plants, subjected to osmotic stress, generated either by salinity or PEG treatment. The identification of genes exhibiting high expression stability was performed by four algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and deltaCt method). The results showed that the combination of two genes would be sufficient for reliable expression data normalization. ADP (ADP-ribosylation factor) and TBP (TATA-box-binding protein) were identified as the most stably expressed under salinity treatment, while eIF4A (eukaryotic initiation factor 4A) and TBP were found to show the highest stability under PEG-induced drought. A set of three genes (ADP, eIF4A and TBP) displayed the highest expression stability across all experimental samples tested in this study. To our best knowledge, this is the first report regarding RGs selection in C. muskingumensis. It will provide valuable starting point information for conducting further analyses in this and related species concerning their responses to water shortage and salinity stress.

Description: Agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains dependent on high inputs of human labor, a situation associated with direct exposure to daylight heat during critical periods of the agricultural calendar. We ask the question: how is the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) going to be distributed in the future, and how will this affect the ability of smallholder farmers to perform agricultural activities? Data from general circulation models are used to estimate the distribution of WBGT in 2000, 2050 and 2100, and for high activity periods in the agricultural calendar. The distribution of WBGT is divided into recommended maximum WBGT exposure levels (°C) at different work intensities, and rest/work ratios for an average acclimatized worker wearing light clothing (ISO, 18). High WBGTs are observed during the two periods of the East African. In February to March, eastern and coastal regions of Kenya and Tanzania witness high WBGT values—some necessitating up to 75% rest/hour work intensities in 2050 and 2100. In August to September, eastern and northern Kenya and north and central Uganda are vulnerable to high WBGT values. Designing policies to address this key challenge is a critical element in adaptation methods to address the impact of climate change.

Description: Micrometeorites (MMs) are small particles that account for most of the extraterrestrial material deposited on Earth. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence and diffraction allowed for chemical and mineral characterization to distinguish MM from atmospheric particulate. The relative components of iron, nickel, and other elements were considered in the identification of ferrous MM while high amounts of titanium were considered an indication that the particles were of atmospheric origin. Out of 100 samples collected by high school students and teachers, eight were taken to a synchrotron for analysis. Of those eight, three exhibited extraterrestrial compositions. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis revealed that the same three samples contained sulfide, the main sulfur form constituent in MM. X-ray microdiffraction analysis showed the presence of the minerals pentlandite and forsterite. Collectively, these results support the extraterrestrial nature of the three particles.

Description: The Yiliu tungsten polymetallic deposit, located in the south central portion of the Nanling nonferrous metal metallogenic province in South China, is an area with common Yanshanian tectonothermal events. Early Yanshanian magmatism leads to the emplacement of voluminous tungsten-bearing granite intrusions, such as the Baoshan, Benggangling and Junye plutons, which are considered temporally and spatially associated with W-polymetallic mineralization in the Yiliu region. Here, we investigate the basic geological and petrological characteristics of the Junye granites, and present major and trace element geochemical data and bulk-rock Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data to gain insight into the petrogenesis and tectonic setting of granitic intrusions in the region. The Junye granites are high-K calc-alkaline and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous [A/CNK = molar ratios of Al2O3/(CaO + Na2O + K2O) = 0.97–1.02] with enrichment in SiO2 (75.68–76.44 wt.%), relatively high total alkalis (K2O + Na2O = 8.06–8.45 wt.%) with K2O/Na2O ratios ranging from 1.12 to 1.42, and moderate Al2O3 (12.62–13.00 wt.%), but low in P2O5 (

Description: We used observational data and the results from a high-resolution numerical simulation model to analyze the occurrence and development of an extreme precipitation event in the Ili Valley, Xinjiang, China on 26 June 2015. We analyzed the horizontal wavelength, period, speed, ducting, energy propagation and feedback mechanism of inertial gravity waves. A low-level convergence line was formed in the valley by the northerly and westerly winds as a result of Central Asian vortices and the trumpet-shaped topography of the Ili Valley. There was sufficient water vapor in the valley for the precipitation event to develop. A mesoscale vortex formed and developed on the low-level convergence line and the rainfall was distributed either near the convergence line or the mesoscale vortex. The low-level convergence line and the uplift caused by the terrain triggered convection, and then the convection triggered waves at lower levels. The combination of ascending motion induced by the lower level waves and the mesoscale vortex led to the development of convection, causing the precipitation to intensify. When the convection moved eastward to Gongliu County, it was coupled with the ascending phase of upper level waves, causing both the convection and precipitation to intensify again. We applied spectral analysis methods to verify that the waves were inertial gravity waves. The upper level inertial gravity waves propagated westward at a mean speed of −12 m s−1 with periods of 73–179 min and horizontal wavelengths of 50–55 km. The lower level inertial gravity waves propagated eastward at a mean speed of 8 m s−1 with periods of 73–200 min and a horizontal wavelength of 85 km. The more (less) favorable waveguide conditions determined whether the gravity waves persisted for a long (short) time and propagated for a longer (shorter) distance. Based on the mesoscale Eliassen–Palm flux theory, the wave energy of inertial gravity waves had an important effect on the maintenance and development of convection and precipitation by affecting wind strength and wind divergence. Feedback was mainly through the meridional and vertical transport of zonal momentum and the meridional transport of heat.

Description: A 5-year study evaluated the change in the quantity of soil total C (STC), soil organic C (SOC), and soil inorganic C (SIC) stored in the surface 60 cm of the soil profile on two adjacent blocks of land with a long-term history of cropping (CH) or undisturbed grassland (NH) on similar soil types between 1999 and 2004. The NH area was tilled and a grass-legume species mix was seeded into plots on both the NH and the CH areas. Selected plots of restored grass were established so they could be grazed (GG) by livestock while other plots were left ungrazed (UG). Original undisturbed (and ungrazed) grassland plots within the NH area were used as a control treatment. Initially, STC and SOC in CH were lower than NH when compared under the semi-arid environmental conditions found in southwestern North Dakota. Over the study period, the undisturbed grass control plots had increases in STC and SOC levels in the soil profile of 3.90 kg·m−2 and 3.34 kg·m−2, respectively. Restored grass on the NH area with grazing showed increases in STC and SOC values of 2.11 and 1.26 kg·m−2, respectively, while without grazing, profile STC and SOC had values of 3.80 and 3.28 kg·m−2, respectively. Restored grass on the CH area showed increases in profile STC and SOC values of 0.55 and 1.96 kg·m−2, respectively, for the grazed plots and 0.78 and 2.11 kg·m−2, respectively, when left ungrazed. Soil inorganic C, though present in the soils, did not significantly change during the study. The lower C accumulation in the CH plots may be due to a lag time in the establishment of mycorrhizal associations with the seeded species, the inoculums of which were already present in the NH soils. Changes in STC were likely due to changes in water relationships in the soil profile where management changes affected water infiltration and its movement causing leaching of SIC below the 60 cm depth evaluated. Soils under undisturbed grassland continue to accumulate carbon while soils of the disturbed grassland or cropped prior to re-establishing grass showed losses that occurred due to either accumulating C at a lower rate or perhaps to C loss during the initial establishment period (1–2 years).

Description: In convergent zones, several parts of the geodynamic system (e.g., continental margins, back-arc regions) can be deformed, uplifted, and eroded through time, each of them potentially delivering clastic sediments to neighboring basins. Tectonically driven events are mostly recorded in syntectonic clastic systems accumulated into different kinds of basins: trench, fore-arc, and back-arc basins in subduction zones and foredeep, thrust-top, and episutural basins in collisional settings. The most widely used tools for provenance analysis of synorogenic sediments and for unraveling the tectonic evolution of convergent zones are sandstone petrography and U–Pb dating of detrital zircon. In this paper, we present a comparison of previously published data discussing how these techniques are used to constrain provenance reconstructions and contribute to a better understanding of the tectonic evolution of (i) the Cretaceous transition from extensional to compressional regimes in the back-arc region of the southern Andean system; and (ii) the involvement of the passive European continental margin in the Western Alps subduction system during impending Alpine collision. In both cases, sediments delivered from the down-bending continental block are significantly involved. Our findings highlight its role as a detrital source, which is generally underestimated or even ignored in current tectonic models.

Description: Urban air pollution from gaseous pollutants is a growing public health problem in many countries including South Africa. Examining the levels, trends and health risk of exposure to ambient gaseous pollutants will assist in understanding the effectiveness of existing control measures and plan for suitable management strategies. This study determined the concentration levels and non-cancer risk of CO, SO2, NO2, and O3 at an industrial area in Pretoria West, South Africa. We utilised a set of secondary data for CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 that was obtained from a monitoring station. Analysis of the hourly monitored data was done. Their non-cancer risk (HQ) was determined using the human health risk assessment model for different age categories. The annual levels of NO2 (39.442 µg/m3), SO2 (22.464 µg/m3), CO (722.003 µg/m3) and the 8-hour concentration of CO (649.902 µg/m3) and O3 (33.556 µg/m3) did not exceed the South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards for each pollutant. The HQ for each pollutant across exposed groups (except children) was less than 1. This indicates that the recorded levels could not pose non-cancer risk to susceptible individuals.

Description: We report on the application of the U-Th-He method for the direct dating of pyrite and provide an original methodological approach for measurement of U, Th and He in single grains without loss of parent nuclides during thermal extraction of He. The U-Th-He age of ten samples of high-crystalline stoichiometric pyrite from unoxidized massive ores of the Uzelga volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit, South Urals, is 382 ± 12 Ma (2σ) (U concentrations ~1–5 ppm; 4He ~10−4 cm3 STP g−1). This age is consistent with independent (biostratigraphic) estimations of the age of ore formation (ca, 389–380 Ma) and is remarkably older than the probable age of the regional prehnite-pumpellyite facies metamorphism (~340–345 Ma). Our results indicate that the U-Th-He dating of ~1 mg weight pyrite sample is possible and open new perspectives for the dating of ore deposits. The relative simplicity of U-Th-He dating in comparison with other geochronological methods makes this approach interesting for further application.

Description: Human activity events are often recorded with their geographic locations and temporal stamps, which form spatial patterns of the events during individual time periods. Temporal attributes of these events help us understand the evolution of spatial processes over time. A challenge that researchers still face is that existing methods tend to treat all events as the same when evaluating the spatiotemporal pattern of events that have different properties. This article suggests a method for assessing the level of spatiotemporal clustering or spatiotemporal autocorrelation that may exist in a set of human activity events when they are associated with different categorical attributes. This method extends the Voronoi structure from 2D to 3D and integrates a sliding-window model as an approach to spatiotemporal tessellations of a space-time volume defined by a study area and time period. Furthermore, an index was developed to evaluate the partial spatiotemporal clustering level of one of the two event categories against the other category. The proposed method was applied to simulated data and a real-world dataset as a case study. Experimental results show that the method effectively measures the level of spatiotemporal clustering patterns among human activity events of multiple categories. The method can be applied to the analysis of large volumes of human activity events because of its computational efficiency.

Description: During February 2019, two severe storms affected the island of Crete, located in south Greece. Both storms produced excessive rainfall, provoking severe damages, especially in the western part of Crete. The role of the prevailing synoptic patterns and the interaction of the flow with the high mountains of Crete were investigated. For this purpose, a variety of observational and numerical model data were exploited, including data from a dense rain gauge network, satellite imagery, and model analysis of various parameters describing the stability of the impinging flow. The first storm was a long-lasting event, with convective outbreaks embedded in a more stratiform rainfall pattern. The second storm was brief but mostly convection dominated. The analysis of the available data underlined the role of the low-level convergence upstream of the mountains during both storms, highlighting similarities and differences, as well as the role of the stability of the impinging flow. High soil moisture content was also evidenced as a key ingredient for the severe flooding that occurred during the second storm. This work complements similar studies on the role of Mediterranean islands and their topography on the spatial and temporal distribution of extreme rainfall.

Description: The accretion of the Wyoming, Hearne, and Superior Provinces to form the Archean core of western Laurentia occurred rapidly in the Paleoproterozoic. Missing from Hoffman’s (1988) original rapid aggregation model was the Medicine Hat block (MHB). The MHB is a structurally distinct, complex block of Precambrian crystalline crust located between the Archean Wyoming Craton and the Archean Hearne Province and overlain by an extensive Phanerozoic cover. It is distinguished on the basis of geophysical evidence and limited geochemical data from crustal xenoliths and drill core. New U-Pb ages and Lu-Hf data from zircons reveal protolith crystallization ages from 2.50 to 3.28 Ga, magmatism/metamorphism at 1.76 to 1.81 Ga, and εHfT values from −23.3 to 8.5 in the Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the MHB. These data suggest that the MHB played a pivotal role in the complex assembly of western Laurentia in the Paleoproterozoic as a conjugate or extension to the Montana Metasedimentary Terrane (MMT) of the northwestern Wyoming Province. This MMT–MHB connection likely existed in the Mesoarchean, but it was broken sometime during the earliest Paleoproterozoic with the formation and closure of a small ocean basin. Closure of the ocean led to formation of the Little Belt arc along the southern margin of the MHB beginning at approximately 1.9 Ga. The MHB and MMT re-joined at this time as they amalgamated into the supercontinent Laurentia during the Great Falls orogeny (1.7–1.9 Ga), which formed the Great Falls tectonic zone (GFTZ). The GFTZ developed in the same timeframe as the better-known Trans-Hudson orogen to the east that marks the merger of the Wyoming, Hearne, and Superior Provinces, which along with the MHB, formed the Archean core of western Laurentia.

Description: This manuscript identifies and documents unsolved problems and research challenges in the extended reality (XR) domain (i.e., virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and mixed reality (MR)). The manuscript is structured to include technology, design, and human factor perspectives. The text is visualization/display-focused, that is, other modalities such as audio, haptic, smell, and touch, while important for XR, are beyond the scope of this paper. We further narrow our focus to mainly geospatial research, with necessary deviations to other domains where these technologies are widely researched. The main objective of the study is to provide an overview of broader research challenges and directions in XR, especially in spatial sciences. Aside from the research challenges identified based on a comprehensive literature review, we provide case studies with original results from our own studies in each section as examples to demonstrate the relevance of the challenges in the current research. We believe that this paper will be of relevance to anyone who has scientific interest in extended reality, and/or uses these systems in their research.

Description: There are three provinces in Northern Norway in which occurrences of graphite are abundant; the Island of Senja, the Vesterålen archipelago, and the Holandsfjorden area. From these provinces, we report graphite resources from 28 occurrences. We use a combination of airborne and ground geophysics to estimate the dimensions of the mineralized areas, and, combined with sampling and analysis of the graphite contents, this gives us inferred resources for almost all the occurrences. The average TC (total carbon) content is 11.6%, and the average size is 9.3 Mt or 0.8 Mt of contained graphite. We demonstrate that the Norwegian graphite occurrences have grades and tonnages of the same order of magnitude as reported elsewhere. The graphite-bearing rocks occur in a sequence that encompasses carbonates, meta-arenites, acid to intermediate pyroxene gneisses, and banded iron formations metamorphosed into the granulite facies. Available radiometric dating shows that the graphite-bearing rocks are predated by Archean gneisses and postdated by Proterozoic intrusions of granitic to intermediate compositions.

Description: Wild and managed bees provide pollination services to crops and wild plants, as well as a variety of other services beneficial to humans. Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinator worldwide. It has been calculated that 9.5% of the total economic value of agricultural production comes from insect pollination, thus amounting to just under USD 200 billion globally. More than 100 important crops depend on pollination by honey bees. The latter pollinate not only a wide number of commercial crops but also many wild plants, some of which are threatened by extinction and constitute a valuable genetic resource. Moreover, as pollinators, honey bees play a significant role in every aspect of the ecosystem by facilitating the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants that serve as food and shelter for many large and small creatures. In this paper, we describe how the reduction in honey bee populations affects various economic sectors, as well as human health.

Description: The presence of an ancient, high-elevation pine forest in the Natural Park of Sierras de Cazorla in southern Spain, including some trees reaching 〉700 years, stimulated efforts to develop high-resolution temperature reconstructions in an otherwise drought-dominated region. Here, we present a reconstruction of spring and fall temperature variability derived from black pine tree ring maximum densities reaching back to 1350 Coefficient of Efficiency (CE). The reconstruction is accompanied by large uncertainties resulting from low interseries correlations among the single trees and a limited number of reliable instrumental stations in the study region. The reconstructed temperature history reveals warm conditions during the early 16th and 19th centuries that were of similar magnitude to the warm temperatures recorded since the late 20th century. A sharp transition from cold conditions in the late 18th century (t1781–1810 = −1.15 °C ± 0.64 °C) to warm conditions in the early 19th century (t1818–1847 = −0.06 °C ± 0.49 °C) is centered around the 1815 Tambora eruption (t1816 = −2.1 °C ± 0.55 °C). The new reconstruction from southern Spain correlates significantly with high-resolution temperature histories from the Pyrenees located ~600 km north of the Cazorla Natural Park, an association that is temporally stable over the past 650 years (r1350–2005 〉 0.3, p 〈 0.0001) and particularly strong in the high-frequency domain (rHF 〉 0.4). Yet, only a few of the reconstructed cold extremes (1453, 1601, 1816) coincide with large volcanic eruptions, suggesting that the severe cooling events in southern Spain are controlled by internal dynamics rather than external (volcanic) forcing.

Description: Data from geocryological studies of soil and rock massifs in permafrost zone are very important as a basis for predicting possible negative consequences associated with climate change. A promising technique for studying geocryological structures (various types of underground ice) is the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) method. This paper presents the applications of the GPR method to prospect and evaluate massive ice in a frozen rock mass. To study the features of GPR signals received during sounding of underground ice, a model of a single GPR trace for the structure “frozen rock-ice-frozen rock” was developed. As a result, regularities were established in the kinematic and dynamic characteristics of GPR signals at the upper and lower boundaries of massive ice, depending on its geometric parameters. The established features were confirmed by the results of computer and physical simulation of GPR measurements of a frozen rock mass model. The main result of the study was to obtain a set of criteria for identifying massive ice according to GPR measurements. The developed criteria will allow the use of GPR for a detailed study of the structure of permafrost rocks to prevent the development of dangerous cryogenic processes in undisturbed and urban areas of the Arctic.

Description: Doggerland was a landmass occupying an area currently covered by the North Sea until marine inundation took place during the mid-Holocene, ultimately separating the British landmass from the rest of Europe. The Storegga Event, which triggered a tsunami reflected in sediment deposits in the northern North Sea, northeast coastlines of the British Isles and across the North Atlantic, was a major event during this transgressive phase. The spatial extent of the Storegga tsunami however remains unconfirmed as, to date, no direct evidence for the event has been recovered from the southern North Sea. We present evidence of a tsunami deposit in the southern North Sea at the head of a palaeo-river system that has been identified using seismic survey. The evidence, based on lithostratigraphy, geochemical signatures, macro and microfossils and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA), supported by optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating, suggests that these deposits were a result of the tsunami. Seismic identification of this stratum and analysis of adjacent cores showed diminished traces of the tsunami which was largely removed by subsequent erosional processes. Our results confirm previous modelling of the impact of the tsunami within this area of the southern North Sea, and also indicate that these effects were temporary, localized, and mitigated by the dense woodland and topography of the area. We conclude that clear physical remnants of the wave in these areas are likely to be restricted to now buried, palaeo-inland basins and incised river valley systems.

Description: The Cordillera Darwin Icefield loses mass at a similar rate as the Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields, showing contrasting individual glacier responses, particularly between the north-facing and south-facing glaciers, which are subject to changing climate conditions. Detailed investigations of climatic mass balance processes on recent glacier behavior are not available for glaciers of the Cordillera Darwin Icefield and surrounding icefields. We therefore applied the coupled snow and ice energy and mass balance model in Python (COSIPY) to assess recent surface energy and mass balance variability for the Schiaparelli Glacier at the Monte Sarmiento Massif. We further used COSIPY to simulate steady-state glacier conditions during the Little Ice Age using information of moraine systems and glacier areal extent. The model is driven by downscaled 6-hourly atmospheric data and high resolution precipitation fields, obtained by using an analytical orographic precipitation model. Precipitation and air temperature offsets to present-day climate were considered to reconstruct climatic conditions during the Little Ice Age. A glacier-wide mean annual climatic mass balance of −1.8 ± 0.36 m w.e. a − 1 was simulated between between April 2000 and March 2017. An air temperature decrease between −0.9 ° C and −1.7 ° C in combination with a precipitation offset of up to +60% to recent climate conditions is necessary to simulate steady-state conditions for Schiaparelli Glacier in 1870.

Description: Froth flotation is a process in which hydrophobic particles attach to bubbles forming particle–bubble aggregates, which are transported to the top section of the cell where they overflow to form the concentrate. Particles also reach the concentrate by entrainment, which is a non-selective process that leads to low concentrate grades. The objective of this work was to study and compare the degree of entrainment measured using three methods, in fresh and seawater, and using methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and DF-250 as frothers. The experimental results indicated that the degree of entrainment decreased in seawater. Besides, water recovery was lower in the experiments with seawater regardless of the frother that was used in the experiments, which correlated with the observed low degrees of entrainment. It is proposed that the reduction of entrainment and water recovery in seawater can be explained by a reduction of air recovery and/or more bubble coalescence in the froth. It is also proposed that surfactant diffusion/convection from the lamellae to the Plateau borders in the froth is reduced in seawater, which reduces the surface tension gradients, and thus the restoring liquid flow from the Plateau borders to the lamellae.

Description: The UV-Index (UVI) is aimed at the prevention of skin cancer as well as other negative implications of ultraviolet radiation exposure. In order to support health related applications, assessments and planning that rely on long term data in high spatial resolution and as there exist only limited ground-based measurements, satellite products from reliable atmospheric monitoring services are used as sustainable data sources to create a climatology of the UVI at the local noon. In this study, the (all-sky) UVI as well as the hypothetically clear-sky UVI were analysed for the European region from 30° North to 65° North and from 25° West to 35° East in a spatial resolution of 0.05° for the time period 1983 to 2015. Maps of the monthly mean UVI provide an overview of the distribution of UVI for Europe as well as the spatial and temporal differences and regional variability at local solar noon. Additionally, eight selected locations provide insight into the effects of latitude and altitude on UVI in Europe. Monthly boxplots for each location provide information about regional differences in the variability of UVI, showing maximum variability in Northern and Central Europe in summer, where in Southern Europe this basically occurs in spring. The frequency of the World Health Organization exposure categories moderate, high and very high UVI is provided based on ten-day means for each month. The maximum difference between mean values per decade of 2006–2015 compared to 1983–1992 ranges from −1.2 to +1.2 for UVI and from −0.4 to +0.6 for UVI c l e a r − s k y . All locations, except the Northern European site, show an increase of UVI during spring and early summer months. A statistically significant increase in the annual mean all-sky UVI has been found for four sites, which ranges from +1.2% to +3.6% per decade. The latest eleven-year period of the UVI climatology (2005–2015) has been validated with UVI measured in five sites. The sites that are located north of the Alps show an underestimation of the UVI, likely due to the cloud modification. In the south, the UVI climatology provides values that are on average overestimated, possibly related to the use of climatological aerosol information. For the site within the Alps, a switch between underestimation and overestimation during the course of the year has been found. 7% to 9% of the UVI values of the climatology differ from the measured UVI by more than one unit.

Description: This research combines a centrifugal test and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology to study the water retention capacity of the cemented paste backfill. Backfill samples with cement–tailings ratios of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:12, and solid concentrations of 71%, 74%, 77%, 80%, and 83% respectively, were prepared for the test. The relative centrifugal force ( RCF ) required for accurate testing and the T2 cutoff value that characterizes the water retention capacity were obtained through an NMR test on the backfill samples after centrifugation in saturated conditions. Based on the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC), the NMR pore water characteristic distribution model was established, and the pore size distribution and effective water retention characteristics were analyzed. This study shows that when the rotating speed is between 1500 and 4000 rpm, the R C F of the backfill ranges from 125.8 to 894.4 g/min , and the T2 cutoff value will vary from 3 to 10 ms. With an increase in solid concentration of the backfill, both the RCF and T2 cutoff value decline. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis confirms that an increase in the solid concentration and cement–tailings ratio will lead to obvious bimodal characteristics of the pore size distribution curve of the backfill. In addition, the porosity will decrease, the critical pore value, which represents a value to distinguish pores with different movable fluid retention capabilities and characterizes the pore size classification, will become smaller, and the pore size distribution will become more diverse. These changes indicate that a high-concentration backfill can effectively reduce the flow of a fine-grained matrix with large pores.

Description: Plastic has become a “hot topic” for aquatic ecosystems’ conservation together with other issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Indeed, plastics may detrimentally affect habitats and biota. Small plastics, called microplastics, are more easily taken up by freshwater organisms, causing negative effects on growth, reproduction, predatory performance, etc. Since available information on microplastics in freshwater are fragmentary, the aim of this review is twofold: (i) to show, analyse, and discuss data on the microplastics concentration in freshwater and (ii) to provide the main polymers contaminating freshwater for management planning. A bibliographic search collected 158 studies since 2012, providing the scientific community with one of the largest data sets on microplastics in freshwater. Contamination is reported in all continents except Antarctica, but a lack of information is still present. Lentic waters are generally more contaminated than lotic waters, and waters are less contaminated than sediments, suggested to be sinks. The main contaminating polymers are polypropylene and polyethylene for sediment and water, while polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate are mainly found in biota. Future research is encouraged (1) to achieve a standardised protocol for monitoring, (2) to identify sources and transport routes (including primary or secondary origin), and (3) to investigate trophic transfer, especially from benthic invertebrates.

Description: Temperature history is one of the most important factors driving subsidence and the overall tectono-stratigraphic evolution of a sedimentary basin. The McKenzie model has been widely applied for subsidence modelling and stretching factor estimation for sedimentary basins formed in an extensional tectonic environment. Subsidence modelling requires values of physical parameters (e.g., crustal thickness, lithospheric thickness, stretching factor) that may not always be available. With a given subsidence history of a basin estimated using a stratigraphic backstripping method, these parameters can be estimated by quantitatively comparing the known subsidence curve with modelled subsidence curves. In this contribution, a method to compare known and modelled subsidence curves is presented, aiming to constrain valid combinations of the stretching factor, crustal thickness, and lithospheric thickness of a basin. Furthermore, a numerical model is presented that takes into account the effect of sedimentary cover on thermal history and subsidence modelling of a basin. The parameter fitting method presented here is first applied to synthetically generated subsidence curves. Next, a case study using a known subsidence curve from the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil, is considered. The range of stretching factors estimated for the Campos basin from this study is in accordance with previous work, with an additional estimate of corresponding lithospheric thickness. This study provides insight into the dependence of thermal history and subsidence modelling methods on assumptions regarding model input parameters. This methodology also allows for the estimation of valid combinations of physical lithospheric parameters, where the subsidence history is known.

Description: Globally, subtropical circulation in the lower troposphere is characterized by anticyclones over the oceans. Subtropical anticyclones locate over subtropical belts, modulating weather and climate patterns in those regions. The Mascarene High is an anticyclone located over the Southern Indian Ocean and has a vital role in weather and climate variability over Southern Africa. The warm Western Indian Ocean is a major source of moisture for the subcontinent also permitting tropical cyclone genesis. In this study, we review the dynamics of the Mascarene High, its interactions with the ocean, and its impact on weather and climate over Southern Africa. We also review studies on the evolution of subtropical anticyclones in a future warmer climate. The links between SST modes over the Indian Ocean and the strengthening and weakening of the Mascarene High have been demonstrated. One important aspect is atmospheric blocking due to the Mascarene High, which leads to anomalous rainfall and temperature events over the subcontinent. Blocking leads to landfall of tropical cyclones and slow propagation of cut-off lows resulting in severe weather and flooding over the subcontinent. Understanding how expansion of the Mascarene High due to warming will alter trade winds and storm tracks and change the mean climate of Southern Africa is crucial.

Description: In this study, bias-corrected temperature and moisture retrievals from the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) were assimilated using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed ensemble adjustment Kalman filter to assess their impact on Weather Research and Forecasting model analyses and forecasts of a severe convective weather (SCW) event that occurred on 18–19 May 2017. Relative to a control experiment that assimilated conventional observations only, the AERI assimilation experiment produced analyses that were better fit to surface temperature and moisture observations and which displayed sharper depiction of surface boundaries (cold front, dry line) known to be important in the initiation and development of SCW. Forecasts initiated from the AERI analyses also exhibited improved performance compared to the control forecasts using several metrics, including neighborhood maximum ensemble probabilities (NMEP) and fractions skill scores (FSS) computed using simulated and observed radar reflectivity factor. Though model analyses were impacted in a broader area around the AERI network, forecast improvements were generally confined to the relatively small area of the computational domain located downwind of the small cluster of AERI observing sites. A larger network would increase the spatial coverage of “downwind areas” and provide increased sampling of the lower atmosphere during both active and quiescent periods. This would in turn offer the potential for larger and more consistent improvements in model analyses and, in turn, improved short-range ensemble forecasts. Forecast improvements found during this and other recent studies provide motivation to develop a nationwide network of boundary layer profiling sensors.

Description: Patients with RASopathy Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) are at a markedly increased risk of the development of benign and malignant tumors. Malignant tumors are often recalcitrant to treatments and associated with poor survival; however, no chemopreventative strategies currently exist. We thus evaluated the effect of mebendazole, alone or in combination with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, on the prevention of NF1-related malignancies in a cis Nf1+/−;Tp53+/− (NPcis) mouse model of NF1. Our in vitro findings showed that mebendazole (MBZ) inhibits the growth of NF1-related malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) through a reduction in activated guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound Ras. The daily MBZ treatment of NPcis mice dosed at 195 mg/kg daily, initiated 60 days after birth, substantially delayed the formation of solid malignancies and increased median survival (p 〈 0.0001). Compared to placebo-treated mice, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) levels were decreased in the malignancies of MBZ-treated mice. The combination of MBZ with COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (CXB) further enhanced the chemopreventative effect in female mice beyond each drug alone. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of a prevention strategy for malignancy development in high-risk NF1 individuals.

Description: Stratocumulus clouds have a distinctive structure composed of a combination of lumpy cellular structures and thin elongated regions, resembling canyons or slits. The elongated slits are referred to as “spiderweb” structure to emphasize their interconnected nature. Using very high resolution large-eddy simulations (LES), it is shown that the spiderweb structure is generated by cloud-top evaporative cooling. Analysis of liquid water path (LWP) and cloud liquid water content shows that cloud-top evaporative cooling generates relatively shallow slits near the cloud top. Most of liquid water mass is concentrated near the cloud top, thus cloud-top slits of clear air have a large impact on the entire-column LWP. When evaporative cooling is suppressed in the LES, LWP exhibits cellular lumpy structure without the elongated low-LWP regions. Even though the spiderweb signature on the LWP distribution is negligible, the cloud-top evaporative cooling process significantly affects integral boundary layer quantities, such as the vertically integrated turbulent kinetic energy, mean liquid water path, and entrainment rate. In a pair of simulations driven only by cloud-top radiative cooling, evaporative cooling nearly doubles the entrainment rate.

Description: Since successful reforestation after the 1970s, Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) forests have become the most important coniferous forests in Korea. However, the scarcity of evidence for biodiversity responses hinders understanding of the conservation value of Korean red pine forests. This study was conducted to explore the patterns of carabid beetle diversity and assemblage structures between broad-leaved deciduous forests and P. densiflora forests in the temperate region of central Korea. Carabid beetles were sampled by pitfall trapping from 2013 to 2014. A total of 66 species were identified from 9541 carabid beetles. Species richness in broad-leaved deciduous forests was significantly higher than that in pine forests. In addition, the species composition of carabid beetles in broad-leaved deciduous forests differed from that of P. densiflora forests. More endemic, brachypterous, forest specialists, and carnivorous species were distributed in broad-leaved deciduous forests than in P. densiflora forests. Consequently, carabid beetle assemblages in central Korea are distinctively divided by forest type based on ecological and biological traits (e.g., endemisim, habitat types, wing forms, and feeding guilds). However, possible variation of the response of beetle communities to the growth of P. densiflora forests needs to be considered for forest management based on biodiversity conservation in temperate regions, because conifer plantations in this study are still young, i.e., approximately 30–40-years old.

Description: We assessed the abundance and composition of nematode communities in soil under herbaceous vegetation in reclaimed landfill sites at different ages after closure (3, 10 and 14 years) compared to those in neighboring semi-natural grazed grasslands (reference sites). We further applied network analysis based on the co-occurrence patterns of nematodes. Nematode abundance decreased between 3 and10 years of regeneration, but significantly increased from 10 to 14 years of regeneration. The number and identity of genera were comparable along the succession; however, there were dissimilarities in community composition during early- and mid-succession. The diversity, community composition and abundance at the sites after 14 years of regeneration converged with those at the reference sites. Moreover, changes during succession were not accompanied by the maturation of the soil food web, as demonstrated by Enrichment and Channel indices. In all the networks, centrality and modularity metrics differed significantly from those for random networks, whereas cohesion metrics showed no difference. All the networks exhibited Small-worldness indices higher than one, demonstrating that the networks of the interactions among genera at all the sites shared features that matched both random and non-random networks. The succession trajectory in reclaimed landfills was represented by a sequence of changes that differed in relation to the variable under consideration; network parameters tended to converge with those of a relatively resistant reference community, while the Enrichment and Channel indices did not. Additionally, the succession trajectory was not linear or steady; only the Channel index and Worldness index showed linear responses to succession time. However, across all the successional stages, the resource status remained basal or degraded while the nematode communities had an enhanced ability to cope with sudden changes.

Description: The new wave of modern rail transit and the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have complicated the business patterns of the rolling stock manufacturing industry (RSMI) and the export of rolling stock products, especially in the case of countries participating in the BRI. Based on the analysis of trade patterns—which focuses on the evolution of trade links, community structures, and intraregional export competitiveness—this study aims to explore the changes in the RSMI within the BRI region from 2003 to 2017. Sequential clustering was applied to the creation of a three-phase timeline. The network models of the cumulative trade of the rolling stock products and trades of two typical categories of products were constructed in each phase for the evolution analysis. Social network analysis methods, such as the analysis of network indices and community detection, were also applied. The results show that from 2003 to 2017, the connectivity of the rolling stock trade in this region significantly increased. China was the largest exporter, with increasing trade influence and technological strength. Ukraine and Russia were less competitive and highly mutually dependent. Czechia and Austria’s competitiveness remained prominent, but compared with China they lacked expansive vitality. South Korea was also an active and competitive country with strong technological prowess. These countries accounted for the majority of the exports, and were always at the center of their own separate communities, over which they maintained a sphere of influence. The grouping of countries far from any such spheres of influence changed frequently.

Description: Visible near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIRS) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) are potential methods for the rapid and less expensive assessment of soil quality indicators (SQIs). The specific objective of this study was to compare VNIRS and LIBS for assessing SQIs. Data was collected from over 140 soil samples taken from multiple agricultural management systems in New Mexico, belonging to arid and semiarid agroecosystems. Sampled sites included New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center research fields and several commercial farm fields in New Mexico. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to establish predictive relationships between spectral data and SQIs. Fifteen soil measurements were modeled including the soil organic matter (SOM), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), total microbial biomass (TMB), total bacteria biomass (TBB), total fungi biomass (TFB), mean weight diameter of dry aggregates (MWD), aggregates 2–4 mm (AGG 〉 2 mm), aggregates 〈 0.25 mm (AGG 〈 0.25 mm), wet aggregate stability (WAS), electrical conductivity (EC), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and iron (Fe). Overall, calibrations based on measurements irrespective of locations performed better for LIBS and combined VNIRS-LIBS. Measurements separated according to locations highly improved the quality of prediction for VNIRS as compared to combined locations. For example, the prediction R2 values for regression of VNIRS were 0.19 for SOM, 0.30 for POXC, 0.24 for MWD, 0.15 for AGG 〉 2 mm, and 0.13 for EC in combined datasets irrespective of location. When separated according to locations, for one of the locations, the predictive R2 values for VNIRS were 0.48 for SOM, 0.70 for POXC, 0.67 for MWD, 0.60 for AGG 〉 2 mm, and 0.51 for EC. The prediction values varied with the sampling time for both LIBS and VNIRS. For example, the prediction values of some SQIs using VNIRS were higher in samples collected in winter for measurements, including SOM (0.90), MWD (0.96), WAS (0.66), and EC (0.94). Using the VNIRS, the corresponding predictive values for the same SQIs were lower for samples collected in the fall (SOM (0.61), MWD (0.45), WAS (0.46), and EC (0.65)). While this study illustrates the prospects of VNIRS and LIBS for estimating SQIs, a more comprehensive evaluation, using a larger regional dataset, is required to understand how the site and soil factors affect VNIRS and LIBS, in order to enhance the utility of these methods for soil quality assessment in arid and semiarid agroecosystems.

Description: The kinetics study has an essential role in the scale-up process because it illustrates the real phenomena of a process. This study aims to develop a mathematical model that can explain the mechanism of the leaching process of laterite ore using a low concentration of the citric acid solution and evaluate that model using the experimental data. As a raw material, this process used powder-shaped limonite laterite ores with a size of 125–150 µm. The leaching process is carried out using 0.1 M citric acid solution, F:S ratio of 1:20, and a leaching time of 2 h. The temperature parameter was varied at 303, 333, and 358 K. The experimental results showed that the higher the operating temperature, the higher the extracted nickel. The results of this experiment were used to evaluate the shrinking core kinetics model and the lumped model. The simulation results for both models show that the lumped model can provide better simulation results. Quantitatively, the percentage of errors from the shrinking core model is around 3.5 times greater than the percentage of errors from using the lumped model. This result shows that in this leaching process, the process mechanism that occurs involves the reactant diffusion step and the chemical reactions step; those steps run simultaneously.

Description: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays an important role for evolutionary innovations within prokaryotic communities and is a crucial event for their survival. Several computational approaches have arisen to identify HGT events in recipient genomes. However, this has been proven to be a complex task due to the generation of a great number of false positives and the prediction disagreement among the existing methods. Phylogenetic reconstruction methods turned out to be the most reliable ones, but they are not extensible to all genes/species and are computationally demanding when dealing with large datasets. In contrast, the so-called surrogate methods that use heuristic solutions either based on nucleotide composition patterns or phyletic distribution of BLAST hits can be applied easily to the genomic scale, but they fail in identifying common HGT events. Here, we present ShadowCaster, a hybrid approach that sequentially combines nucleotide composition-based predictions by support vector machines (SVMs) under the shadow of phylogenetic models independent of tree reconstruction, to improve the detection of HGT events in prokaryotes. ShadowCaster successfully predicted close and distant HGT events in both artificial and bacterial genomes. ShadowCaster detected HGT related to heavy metal resistance in the genome of Rhodanobacter denitrificans with higher accuracy than the most popular state-of-the-art computational approaches, encompassing most of the predicted cases made by other methods. ShadowCaster is released at the GitHub platform as an open-source software under the GPLv3 license.

Description: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the concentration of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to investigate the association between indoor VOCs exposure and the prevalence of hypertension among thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) workers. A total of 20 canisters were used to collect VOCs samples in the array, cell and module areas over 12 hours and VOCs concentrations were analyzed by the gas chromatography with mass spectrum. Individual information of health examination and lifestyles by self-administrated questionnaire were provided by 155 volunteers. The multivariate regression models were used to evaluate the associations between VOCs exposure, blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension. The four dominant VOCs were ethanol (1870.8 ± 1754.0 ppb), acetone (689.9 ± 587.4 ppb), isopropyl alcohol (177.1 ± 202.3 ppb) and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (98.2 ± 100.8 ppb), which were identified with the highest level in the module area for ethanol and acetone and in the array area for the others. Subjects exposed to a total level of ethanol, cyclohexanone and toluene ≥ 2500 ppb had an increased systolic blood pressure of 5.95 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 0.20–11.71; p = 0.043) compared with those exposed to

Description: The aim of this study is to estimate wintertime emissions of greenhouse gases CO2, N2O and CH4 in two abandoned peat extraction areas (APEA), Ess-soo and Laiuse, and in two Oxalis site-type drained peatland forests (DPF) on nitrogen-rich sapric histosol, a Norway spruce and a Downy birch forest, located in eastern Estonia. According to the long-term study using a closed chamber method, the APEAs emitted less CO2 and N2O, and more CH4 than the DPFs. Across the study sites, CO2 flux correlated positively with soil, ground and air temperatures. Continuous snow depth 〉 5 cm did not influence CO2, but at no snow or a thin snow layer the fluxes varied on a large scale (from −1.1 to 106 mg C m−2 h−1). In all sites, the highest N2O fluxes were observed at a water table depth of −30 to −40 cm. CH4 was consumed in the DPFs and was always emitted from the APEAs, whereas the highest flux appeared at a water table 〉20 cm above the surface. Considering the global warming potential (GWP) of the greenhouse gas emissions from the DPFs in the wintertime, the flux of N2O was the main component of warming, showing 3–6 times higher radiative forcing values than that of CO2 flux, while the role of CH4 was unimportant. In the APEAs, CO2 and CH4 made up almost equal parts, whereas the impact of N2O on GWP was minor.

Description: The megacity of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is subjected to a high earthquake risk. Located at the central part of the Alpine–Himalayan seismic belt, Tehran is surrounded by several active faults that show some M7+ historical earthquake records. The high seismic hazard in combination with a dense population distribution and several vulnerability factors mean Tehran is one of the top 20 worldwide megacities at a high earthquake risk. This article aims to prepare an assessment of the present-day earthquake risk in Tehran. First, the earthquake risk components including hazard, exposure, and vulnerability are evaluated based on some accessible GIS-based datasets (e.g., seismicity, geology, active faults, population distribution, land use, urban fabric, buildings’ height and occupancy, structure types, and ages, as well as the vicinity to some critical infrastructures). Then, earthquake hazard maps in terms of PGA are prepared using a probabilistic approach as well as a surface rupture width map. Exposure and vulnerability maps are also provided deterministically in terms of population density and hybrid physical vulnerability, respectively. Finally, all these components are combined in a spatial framework and an earthquake risk map is provided for Tehran.

Description: The global spread of COVID-19, caused by pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) underscores the need for an imminent response from medical research communities to better understand this rapidly spreading infection. Employing multiple bioinformatics and computational pipelines on transcriptome data from primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) during SARS-CoV-2 infection revealed activation of several mechanistic networks, including those involved in immunoglobulin G (IgG) and interferon lambda (IFNL) in host cells. Induction of acute inflammatory response and activation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was prominent in SARS-CoV-2 infected NHBE cells. Additionally, disease and functional analysis employing ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) revealed activation of functional categories related to cell death, while those associated with viral infection and replication were suppressed. Several interferon (IFN) responsive gene targets (IRF9, IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, IFITM1, MX1, OAS2, OAS3, IFI44 and IFI44L) were highly upregulated in SARS-CoV-2 infected NBHE cell, implying activation of antiviral IFN innate response. Gene ontology and functional annotation of differently expressed genes in patient lung tissues with COVID-19 revealed activation of antiviral response as the hallmark. Mechanistic network analysis in IPA identified 14 common activated, and 9 common suppressed networks in patient tissue, as well as in the NHBE cell model, suggesting a plausible role for these upstream regulator networks in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Our data revealed expression of several viral proteins in vitro and in patient-derived tissue, while several host-derived long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified. Our data highlights activation of IFN response as the main hallmark associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and in human, and identified several differentially expressed lncRNAs during the course of infection, which could serve as disease biomarkers, while their precise role in the host response to SARS-CoV-2 remains to be investigated.

Description: Semen changes the gene expression in endometrial and oviductal tissues modulating important processes for reproduction. We tested the hypothesis that mating and/or sperm-free seminal plasma deposition in the reproductive tract affect the expression of genes associated with sperm-lining epithelium interactions, ovulation, and pre-implantation effects (nerve growth factor, NGF; α/β hydrolase domain-containing protein 2, ABHD2; C-terminal tensin-like protein, CTEN or TNS4; and versican, VCAN) in the period 10–72 h post-mating. In Experiment 1, does (n = 9) were treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (control), GnRH-stimulated, and vaginally infused with sperm-free seminal plasma (SP-AI), or GnRH-stimulated and naturally mated (NM). In Experiment 2, does (n = 15) were GnRH-stimulated and naturally mated. Samples were retrieved from the internal reproductive tracts (cervix-to-infundibulum) 20 h post-treatment (Experiment 1) or sequentially collected at 10, 24, 36, 68, or 72 h post-mating (Experiment 2, 3 does/period). All samples were processed for gene expression analysis by quantitative PCR. Data showed an upregulation of endometrial CTEN and NGF by NM, but not by SP-AI. The findings suggest that the NGF gene affects the reproductive tract of the doe during ovulation and beyond, influencing the maternal environment during early embryonic development.