Search

[Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deciphering the P-T-t path of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks is crucial for reconstructing the evolution of continental crustal terranes involved in very deep subduction followed by exhumation. Achievieng this goal is especially challenging for UHP terranes which experienced protracted high/ultrahigh temperature (high-T/UHT) exhumation histories, because the widespread anatexis associated to retrograde re-equilibration often obliterate the evidence of UHP metamorphism. In the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt of central-eastern China, which is the largest UHP terrane in the world, the migmatitic North Dabie complex Zone (NDZ) is the archetype of such UHP terranes experiencing a "slow and hot" exhumation. The NDZ stands out for the widespread anatexis that widely overprinted the traces of eclogite-facies metamorphism, hampering a precise reconstruction of its P-T-(t) evolution. This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study integrating P–T pseudosection of phase equilibrium modeling, conventional geothermometry and zircon U–Pb dating with trace element analysis applied on the high–T UHP eclogites from the NDZ. The studied eclogites underwent a multistage metamorphic evolution including post-peak granulite-facies overprinting and subsequent amphibolite-facies retrogression. P–T conditions of the granulite-facies overprinting and the amphibolite-facie retrogression have been estimated at >830 °C, 7–12 kbar and 560–880 °C, 4.3–8.9 kbar, respectively. New zircon U–Pb dating, mineral inclusion and trace element analysis, combined with modeled plagioclase modal variation by pseudosection approach, allowed constraining the ages of prograde metamorphism, eclogite-facies metamorphism, granulite-facies overprinting and amphibolite-facies retrogression of the eclogites at 247–230 Ma, 226–219 Ma, 217–212 Ma and 214–198 Ma, respectively. These results provide new P–T-t estimates and age data for the multiple metamorphic stages during continental collision, contributing to precisely reconstruct the whole P–T–t path of the NDZ. Unlabelled Image • Better constrained P-T estimates than previously obtained using conventional thermobarometry. • X(H 2 O)-T pseudosection to discuss the influence of water content on the P-T pseudosection. • Clarified the influence of the later granulite-facies overprinting on earlier granulite-facies and amphibolite-facies retrograde metamorphisms. • Provides detailed REE data of the metamorphic zircons formed at different prograde and retrograde stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-transmitted disease that affects animals, causing fever, aseptic meningitis, and abortion. Its prevalence in China poses risks to both animal health and public well-being. Currently, there is a scarcity of seroepidemiological data on GETV due to the absence of commercial antibody detection kits for pigs. The aim of this study is to develop a rapid, accurate, and sensitive ELISA, providing a reliable tool for GETV seroepidemiology and laying the foundation for future commercial assay development. In this study, we removed specific hydrophobic domains and intracellular structures from E2 proteins and constructed the recombinant plasmid pCold-TF-E2. The recombinant protein was expressed using a prokaryotic expression system, and efficient purification of the rE2 protein was achieved using a nickel affinity column. The purified rE2 protein is suitable for the development of an indirect ELISA (rE2 ELISA). Following the optimization of reaction conditions for the rE2-ELISA, the cut-off value was 0.356. Additionally, the rE2-ELISA method showed a positive rate of 37.1% for IgG antibodies against GETV when testing 986 pig clinical serum samples collected from pigs in Sichuan between May 2022 and September 2022. The rE2-ELISA method displayed a 95.1% overall agreement with VNT, boasting a sensitivity of 98.2% and a specificity of 92.6%. These results indicate that IgG ELISA based on rE2 protein is an efficient and economical method for the detection of GETV antibodies in pigs, facilitating the diagnosis and prevention of GETV. • An indirect ELISA method for detecting GETV antibodies in swine was established. • The soluble recombinant E2 protein acts as the coated antigen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Waterlogging caused yield reductions in wheat with greater yield losses in modern cultivars than in older ones. • Synergcistic improvements in yield components contributed to the establishment of high- and stable-yield cultivars. • Promoting the photosynthetic capacity of the flag leaf facilitated the selection of high- and stable-yield cultivars. Frequent waterlogging events have severely constrained wheat production in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China (YR). Understanding the effects of waterlogging on agronomic traits and grain yield in historic wheat cultivars can help establish strategies for stable- and high-yield breeding programs. We conducted a two-year field experiment using 10 winter wheat cultivars that were released and widely planted in YR from 1967 to 2010. Ten days of waterlogging were imposed on plants beginning at stem elongation (Zadoks growth stage, GS33). Grain yield was improved with the year of cultivar release, gaining 53 kg ha−1 yr−1 (0.6% yr−1) under normal watering condition and 35 kg ha−1 yr−1 (0.51% yr-1) under waterlogging treatment from 1967 to 2010, showing that waterlogging tolerance declined with cultivar improvement. Yield improvement was primarily due to the synergistic development of kernels per spike and 1000-kernel weight, as well as the increased harvest index from the 1960s to 1990s and the increased total biomass from the 1990s to 2000s. Furthermore, genetic improvement significantly increased post-anthesis biomass, leaf area at milk-ripe (GS75), and net photosynthetic rate in flag leaf. Due to waterlogging, kernels per spike, sing-spike yield, total biomass, post-anthesis biomass, leaf area at milk-ripe decreased more with the year of cultivar release, but we did not find a significant reduction in spikes per m2, 1000-kernel weight, and harvest index across cultivars. Grain yield and single-spike yield were significantly and positively correlated with leaf area at milk-ripe, as well as net photosynthetic rate in flag leaf. However, their reductions were only significantly correlated with the reduction in leaf area. Moreover, waterlogging did not significantly affect flag leaf area. This study suggests that improving the photosynthetic capacity of flag leaf will assist in the selection of new wheat varieties with waterlogging-tolerance and high-yields. Further studies are required to investigate the responses of wheat canopy architecture and photosynthesis to waterlogging and their functions for crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have explored paleoenvironmental conditions in China's dune fields around the mid-Holocene (MH), ∼6000 calendar years ago, often based on individual paleosol-aeolian sand depositional sequences and local-scale landscape dynamics. So far, continent-scale modeling studies have only indirectly assessed dune activation and stabilization processes via changes in simulated precipitation, net precipitation (precipitation minus evaporation), and effective moisture (precipitation divided by evaporation). Here we conducted a comprehensive study using gridded data on potential evapotranspiration, precipitation, and surface wind velocity from 13 climate models participating in the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project phases 4 (PMIP4) and compared the model results with geological records. Our evaluation of spatial patterns of dune activity in northern China around the MH reveals that the intensity of annual MH dune activity exhibited significant differences between the eastern and western parts of Chinese deserts compared to those of the preindustrial period (PI). Dune activity was significantly weaker in the eastern region, while in the western part, it was considerably stronger. The key drivers of this disparity were the distinct spatial variations in near-surface wind speed and effective moisture between the two regions. Compared with the optically stimulated luminescence ages of the paleosol-aeolian sand sedimentary sequences derived from a compilation of geological records from 88 sites across northern China, the model results suggest that the weakening of dune activity and the process of dune stabilization in eastern China around the MH were mainly attributed to a significant increase in effective moisture and a concurrent decrease in near-surface wind speed due to the intensified East Asian summer monsoon. Additionally, the weakening of westerlies in western China resulted in reduced effective moisture, contributing to increased sand availability for dune development and subsequent desert expansion. • Mid-Holocene dune activity in Chinese deserts varied regionally, differing from preindustrial period. • Varied wind speed and moisture caused different mid-Holocene aeolian activities in northern China's western and eastern desert belt. • Numerical simulations aid in interpreting field-based geological findings comprehensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The system performs best at 6 h hydraulic retention time. • It achieved 0.215 g/h salts removal at a wastewater treatment capacity of 10 L/d. • Microbial community structures are consistent with the spatial structure of cathode. • Catholyte circulation should be effective for the stratified microbial structures. In this study, two dual-anode assembled microbial desalination cells (DA-MDCs) composed of two anodes, one cathode and two membrane stacks were constructed, with a hollow fiber membrane (HFM) module coupling into the cathode to filtrate suspended solids and microbes. Enriched domestic wastewater treatment performance of the DA-MDC system under different hydraulic retention time (HRT) was investigated in detail. When HRT sequentially decreased from 10 h, 8 h, 6 h to 4 h, the conductivity in diluent effluent kept stable at first, but increased 519% at 4 h compared with 6 h. Nevertheless, the chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the effluent met the wastewater discharge standards in China at all HRTs. Additionally, transmembrane pressure of the HFM modules increased sharply when HRT changed from 6 h to 4 h. Therefore, HRT 6 h was selected as the optimal condition. Under such short HRT, the system realized wastewater treatment capacity of 10 L/d, surpassing all bio-cathode microbial desalination cell systems aiming to realize efficient treatment of domestic wastewater. Additionally, the salt removal rate of 0.215 g/h was more than two times compared with most similar systems. Finally, stratified microbial community structures in the cathodes of the system were found. This gave evidence on the efficient catholyte recirculation which might facilitate nitrogen removal from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We report in situ S isotope analysis for multiple types of sulfides by LA-MC-ICPMS. • In situ S isotope analysis is applied to the study of the Erlihe Zn-Pb ore deposit. • Sulfur of the massive ores is likely sourced from the TSR process for the deposit. Sulfur isotopic composition is useful for tracing sources of ore-forming materials. In situ sulfur isotope analysis by laser ablation coupled with multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) has an advantage over traditional bulk analysis in tracing sources of sulfur in an ore deposit that has complex mineral types and multiple ore-forming processes. However, in using this method, matrix effects exist widely for sulfides from ore deposits. In this work, matrix effects of different sulfides were examined by matrix-unmatched tests, in which the δ34S values of different types of sulfides were calibrated against a laboratory pyrite standard. The results show that the δ34S values of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, sphalerite, and arsenopyrite are in agreement with the reference values, suggesting that the matrix effect was negligible. However, a significant matrix effect occurred in the analyses of Ag 2 S and galena, leading to significant deviations in δ34S values of up to 1.2‰ and 3.2‰, respectively. The matrix effect occurred not only during the laser ablation stage but also during the transition of ions into the mass spectrometer, resulting in significant space charge effects caused by heavy-mass elements. Thus, pyrite can be used as an external bracketing standard for sulfides that do not have a heavy-mass matrix. Based on our matrix-effect study, the following available external standards were selected for the in situ sulfur isotope analysis of complex-type minerals from the Erlihe Zn-Pb deposit. The coarse-grained sphalerite grains (Sph1) and euhedral to subhedral pyrite grains (Py1) from massive ores have δ34S values ranging from 9.2‰ to 18.1‰. Such heavy sulfur isotopic compositions indicate the derivation of sulfur from the deposits of seawater sulfate, related to a thermochemical reducing process. Fine-grained sphalerite (Sph2) and pyrite (Py2) from vein and disseminated ores coexist with pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, and have relatively light sulfur isotopic compositions, with δ34S values of about 7‰. The slightly positive δ34S values are similar to those of sulfides from sulfide-rich quartz veins, which contain δ34S values of about 4‰, and granodiorite rocks, with δ34S values of about 6‰. Based on previous studies, the light sulfur of the late-stage sulfides may have resulted from a metamorphic or magmatic hydrothermal event during the Indosinian orogeny. In situ sulfur analysis by LA-MC-ICPMS provides new evidence for sources of sulfur from each stage of mineralization in the Erlihe deposit, suggesting that this is a promising method for studying complex ore deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: 2D:4D is an anthropometric indicator that may reflect the level of intrauterine sexual hormone exposure before birth. The aromatase gene (CYP19A1) mainly encodes cytochrome P450 aromatase, a key enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of androgens to estrogens in vivo and affects the development of 2D:4D. Studying the association between six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP19A1 and digit ratios in the normal population of China will provide some basis for the biological basis of digit ratio development and promote the practical application of digit ratios.Methods: In this study, six SNPs (rs10046, rs2414095, rs4646, rs4775936, rs749292 and rs936306) in CYP19A1 were tested in 1949 students (692 males and 1247 females) by TaqMan SNP genotyping in Ningxia, China. The digit ratios (right and left 2D:4D and right-left 2D:4D [Dr-l]) of all participants were collected using a photographic record.Results: The frequencies of the genotypes rs2414095 (P < 0.05), rs10046 (P < 0.01) and rs4775936 (P < 0.05) in the CYP19A1 gene and their allele frequencies were significantly different between the Hui and Han populations, and the frequency of the rs2414095 genotype (P < 0.05) was significantly different between males and females in Ningxia, China. There was a sex difference in right and left 2D:4D and in Dr-l. There was no significant association between the six SNPs of the CYP19A1 gene and right and left 2D:4D, although rs4775936 showed a lower 2D:4D ratio in allele T than in allele C, in both male and female subjects. For Dr-l we found that rs4775936 associated with increased Dr-l in females (t787 = -2.441, P < 0.05).Conclusions: We found the different frequencies of rs10046, rs2414095 and rs4775936 between Hui and Han populations in China. There was an association between rs4775936 and Dr-l. We discuss the implications of this association for links between Dr-l and rs4775936 and prenatal sex steroids and for susceptibility to breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mixed results have shown the association between sleep behavior and depression, but evidence relating the joint effect of sleep duration and sleep disturbances is limited, especially in Chinese population.Methods: A total of 512,891 adults aged 30-79 years from China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) were included. Depression was defined by Composite International Diagnostic Inventory-short form (CIDI-SF). Sleep duration and sleep disturbances, including difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), early morning awakening (EMA), daytime dysfunction (DDF) and any sleep disturbances (ASD), were obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression was applied to examine the association between sleep behavior and depression.Results: About 23.1% of participants reported short sleep duration (≤ 6h), and 5.1% reported long sleep duration (> 9h). Compared with normal sleep duration (7-9h), both groups were associated greater likelihood of having depression (short sleep: OR = 2.32, 95%CI: 2.14-2.51; long sleep: OR = 1.56, 96%CI: 1.34-1.81). Participants reported sleep disturbances were significantly associated with depression (odds ratios ranged from 3.31 to 4.17). Moreover, the associations tended to be stronger for those who reported both abnormal sleep duration and sleep disturbances (p for interactions < 0.05), especially for those who slept long.Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of the study design limits the interpretation of the results.Conclusions: Abnormal sleep duration and sleep disturbances were associated with depression. The associations were stronger for abnormal sleep duration accompanied with sleep disturbances, especially for a long duration. More attention should be paid on these persons in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Geochemical characteristics of aeolian sand from two different dune fields were studied. • Spatial differences are primarily caused by surface processes and provenances. • Aeolian sand in the Horqin Sandy Land experienced intense chemical weathering. • Coarse and fine sand fractions move via separate transportation pathways. Geochemical studies examining surface aeolian sediments are significant for understanding Earth's surface processes and determining sediment provenance in arid and semi-arid regions. However, there is limited research on the geochemical comparison of aeolian sediments formed under distinctive tectonic and climatic settings. Surficial sand samples from the Taklamakan Desert and Horqin Sandy Land in northern China were collected, and the major, trace, and rare earth elements (REEs) in the bulk samples, fine fractions (<75 µm) and coarse fractions (>75 µm) of sand were analyzed. This study aimed to explore the spatial variation in the geochemical composition of aeolian sand and its drivers. The results show that differences between the two regions are primarily caused by the intensity of chemical weathering, sedimentary recycling, and provenance. The mean chemical proxy of alteration (72.3 vs. 77.8) and the Parker's weathering values (37.8 vs. 55.8) both suggest the bulk samples from the Horqin Sandy Land experienced more intense chemical weathering, whereas physical weathering is a dominant process in the Taklamakan Desert. These differences may be attributed to the different climatic conditions in the two regions and the exposure time to weathering. A combination of the index of compositional variability and immobile trace element ratios shows that aeolian sand in the Horqin Sandy Land underwent more intense sedimentary recycling than sediments in the Taklamakan Desert. REEs ratios (such as Cr/V and Y/Ni) and the Al 2 O 3 -CaO*+Na 2 O-K 2 O (A-CN-K) diagram indicate aeolian sand in the Taklamakan Desert is probably derived from mixed source rocks of tonalite, granite, and granodiorite. Eu anomaly vs. (La/Yb) N diagrams suggest that the primary source-rocks contributing to the coarse and fine fractions in the Horqin Sandy Land are different but mainly derived from the Great Hinggan Mountains. Differences in the provenance of the fine- and coarse-grained fractions are primarily controlled by interactions between wind and fluvial systems. This study confirms that surface processes and sediment provenance in drylands of northern china have distinct spatial differences, implying that geochemical signatures in aeolian sand need to be interpreted in the specific climatic and tectonic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]