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The spatial distribution, temporal variations and trend changes of surface black carbon concentrations in eight key climatic regions across China were analyzed from 2007 to 2018, based on the Modern-era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) black carbon dataset. The mass concentration of BC in China shows an “East-High and West-Low” pattern, with multi-year averaged BC ranging from 154 ng/m3 to 3857 ng/m3. Pronounced seasonal variations were found, with the highest value in winter and the lowest in summer. Most of regions in central and eastern China share similar diurnal pattern with a single-peak at early morning and a valley at noon. Obvious downward trend in most regions of China were identified from 2007 to 2018, especially in southern central China and southwestern part of eastern China, with the highest decline rate of -8.349 ng/m3 per month, which confirming that the great endeavors and effective enforcement of environmental protection measures implemented in China for the last decade.

En la Zona Centroibérica meridional se reconoce la sucesión más completa de rocas del Ediacárico tardío que afloran en el sinclinal de la Sierra de la Zarzuela, discordantes sobre el Supergroup del Alcudiense inferior-Domo Extremeño. El objetivo de esta contribución es estudiar y redefinir un marco litoestratigráfico regional para las rocas del “Alcudiense inferior” de este área relacionada con el Grupo de Ibor.

Background: The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is the most used questionnaire worldwide to measure the health status of patients with fibromyalgia. The questionnaire has been subjected to several studies to analyze psychometric properties. However, norm scores and cultural differences have not been presented. Objectives: To obtain and present norm scores for the FIQ in patients with fibromyalgia in different cultures, namely Southern, Central, and Northern areas of Europe. Study Design: This observational study consisted of women with fibromyalgia from 4 countries (Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden) classified in 3 areas (Southern, Central, and Northern) in Europe. Setting: Women with fibromyalgia from Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Methods: The impact of fibromyalgia was assessed by the FIQ. A total of 1,478 women with fibromyalgia were asked to fill out the FIQ in the Spanish (n = 531), Dutch and Belgian (n = 629), or Swedish (n = 318) versions. Results: The norm scores and percentiles score of the FIQ are presented. Norm scores differed between European areas (Southern area = 64.8 ± 15.9; Central area = 60.9 ± 15.7; Northern area = 62.8 ± 16.7). Perceived physical impairment, overall well-being (all, P < 0.001), FIQ total (P < 0.01), and morning tiredness (P < 0.05) in women with fibromyalgia from the Central area of Europe reported lower impact than Southern and Northern areas. The Northern area of Europe showed the lowest score of job difficulty, anxiety, depression (all, P < 0.001), and pain (P < 0.01), whereas the Southern area of Europe showed the lowest score of work missed subscale (P < 0.001) with regard to the rest of the areas studied. Limitations: The selection of patients was conducted with just women because of the scarce prevalence of fibromyalgia among men. Moreover, sociodemographic status, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics were not measured. Similar research should be conducted with adequate representation of populations from other parts of the world. Conclusions: Pairwise comparisons showed significant differences mainly between the Southern area versus Northern and Central areas of Europe. The impact of fibromyalgia showed mainly higher scores in women with fibromyalgia from the Southern area of Europe. Key words: Symptom, psychometric, norm scores, European comparison

Jasminum honghoense (Oleaceae), a new species from the dry‐hot Yuanjiang valley in southern central Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. Differences between J. honghoense and two morphologically similar species are presented. Moreover, the pollen morphology of J. honghoense is reported.

During the Final Bronze Age (around 3750/3700 BP), the proto-urban sedentary cultural entity in southern Central Asia—known as the Oxus civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex—underwent major social transformations in different field aspects leading to a deep cultural change in the middle of the 4th millennium BP. Among the different reasons suggested to explain these sociocultural changes, the hypothesis of global climate change in Central Asia at the beginning of the 4th millennium BP has been emphasized by different scholars. In this paper, I will examine current paleo-environmental data in relation with the climate evolution during the Mid- and Late Holocene. A critical assessment of the hypothesis of climatic change in Central Asia at the beginning of the 4th millennium BP allows to stimulate the discussion anew. I argue that the present data do not support a drastic climate change during the first half of the 4th millennium BP as a responsible factor for the fall of the Oxus civilization, although local environmental modifications should also not be underestimated and further investigated in a more integrated perspective of co-evolution of the ecological environment and the human societies.

The production of high-resolution and accurate age models for lake sediments in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a prerequisite for subsequent paleoclimatic studies. However, Holocene lake sedimentary records with high-quality age controls from the TP are extremely scarce. Here we present the results of a comparative study of the results of the application of multiple dating techniques (14C, 210Pb, 137Cs) and a paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) study of the sediments of Angrenjin Co in the southern central TP, during the last 3600 years. The PSV data are verified by comparison with a stacked PSV record from East Asia and with a global geomagnetic field model. The results of 14C-dating, validated by independent 210Pb, 137Cs and PSV dating, together with Bacon age modeling, indicate that the reservoir has an age range of ~2287 ± 58–6434 ± 165 years; in addition, the median offset ages estimated by the Bacon age-depth model range from ~1330 ± 428 to 3102 ± 513 years. This cross-dating approach effectively reduces dating uncertainties for lake sediments in the TP, and it can accommodate a variable reservoir effect. Comparison of the paleomagnetic inclination record from Angrenjin Co with previously published records from Tangra Yumco, Taro Co and Nam Co indicates an overall high degree of similarity, suggesting that the paleomagnetic data from different lakes in the TP are reproducible. In addition, the similar inclination patterns across this large region indicate a common geomagnetic origin.

Cerro Blanco Volcanic Complex (CBVC) is one of the youngest caldera complexes in the Southern Central Andes. Subsidence registered at CBVC has shown a slowdown in deformation velocity since 1992 (2.6 cm/yr) to 2010 (0.87 cm/yr). We update the deformation state of this caldera system by processing DInSAR data between 2003 and 2020 and GPS as a complementary tool. Results showed a circular deformation pattern of about 12 km diameter related to subsidence centered at CBVC throughout the entire period under analysis. Deformation rate decreased from 1 cm/yr for 2003–2009 period (Envisat data) to 0.7 cm for the 2012–2020 period (COSMO-SkyMed and Sentinel-1 data). Rate values were confirmed with GPS measurements during 2004 and 2013–2015. Analytical inverse modelling was used to infer the main characteristic of the source responsible for the measured displacement. Best-fitting solution corresponded to a spherical source located between 9 and 14 km from the surface with a volume decrease of about −0.013 km3/yr for the entire period. We propose that a combination of magmatic and geothermal dynamic as the origin of the continuous and slow subsidence observed in the CBVC as a consequence of the last eruption that occurred ca. 4 ka ago.

A review of dragonets (Gallionymidae) from the coastal waters of Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang and Van Phong bays) and Binh Thuan (Phu Quy Island) provinces, Vietnam, was conducted based on the samples of the author. In total, nine species were recorded, including three species indicated in the fauna of the country for the first time. In addition, geographic and bathymetric distribution of C. altipinnis, as well as morphological variation of several other species, was specified.

This paper focuses on the effect of the later hydrotherm on uraniferous leucogranites and the stages of uranium mineralization. Here, we review C-H-O stable isotope, elements and fluid geochemistry of uraniferous leucogranites in Gaudeanmus, Namibia. The results show that there is significant increasing amount of rare earth element from non-mineralized to uraniferous leucogra-nites, indicating the synchronization of REE enrichment and uranium mineralization. Uranium enrichment may have close relations with Pb, Th, Co, Ni, REE in this region, so REE and U evidently exist homology. There are at least two stages of uranium mineralization by later hydrothermal alteration: firstly, due to magnatic residual high temperature and low salinity fluid, the temperature of main metallogenetic epoch ranges from 470°C to 530°C, salinity ranges from 3.55% to 9.60% NaCleq, and C, H, O stable isotope is -23‰ - -13.6‰, -53.3‰ - -46.4‰, 7.71‰ - 8.81‰, respectively. Secondly, due to superim-posed hydrothermal fluid, the temperature, salinity, and C, H, O stable isotope is 150°C - 220°C, 4.65% - 19.05% NaCleq, -20.3‰ - -3.7‰, -64.7‰ - -53.6‰, 1.49‰ - 1.99‰, respectively. The fluid for reformation is derived from postmagmatic fluid, mixed with a number of meteoric water.

We describe two new species of Pentaphylacaceae: Freziera monteverdensis from Costa Rica and Ternstroemia liesneriana from Panama. Line drawings, color images of living plants for one of the species, and discussions comparing the new species to their presumed closest relatives are provided.

The seismic behavior of the Himalayan arc between central Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh remains poorly understood due to the lack of observations concerning the timing and size of past major and great earthquakes in Bhutan. We present here the first paleoseismic study along the Himalayan topographic front conducted at two sites in southern central Bhutan. Paleoseismological excavations and related OxCal modeling reveal that Bhutan experienced at least two great earthquakes in the last millennium: one between the seventeenth and eighteenth century and one during medieval times, producing a total cumulative vertical offset greater than 10 m. Along with previous studies that reported similar medieval events in Central Nepal, Sikkim, and Assam, our investigations support the occurrence of either (i) a series of great earthquakes between A.D. 1025 and A.D. 1520 or (ii) a single giant earthquake between A.D. 1090 and A.D. 1145. In the latter case, the surface rupture may have reached a total length of ~800 km and could be associated with an earthquake of magnitude Mw = 8.7–9.1.

This study focuses on the precipitation extremes recorded on the northern and southern slopes of the central Himalaya, especially those documented at higher altitudes. Daily precipitation data recorded over a 35-year period at nine meteorological stations in the region were studied. We used the precipitation extreme indices delineated by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). The spatial and temporal variations in these precipitation extremes were calculated. When regional patterns were investigated to detect any anomalies, only 1 of the 10 precipitation extreme indices from the southern slopes of the central Himalaya showed a statistically significant trend; none from the northern slopes of the central Himalaya highlighted a statistically significant trend. On the southern slopes, all indices increased, apart from the maximum 1-day precipitation (RX1) and simple daily precipitation intensity (SDII) indices. Indices such as the consecutive dry days (CDDs) and RX1 indices exhibited similar increases on both the northern and southern slopes of the central Himalaya. These results suggest that increases in precipitation have been accompanied by an increasing frequency of extremes over the southern central Himalaya. Nonetheless, no relation could be established between the precipitation extreme indices and circulation indices for higher altitudes.

Calomys is one of the most polytypic and widely distributed genera of the Neotropical rodent fauna. The taxonomic hierarchy for the large- and middle-sized morphotypes from the southern central Andes (SCA; C. boliviae, C. callosus, C. fecundus, and C. venustus) has fluctuated repeatedly from synonyms or subspecies to valid species. As a first approach to the taxonomic resolution of the taxa complex of this genus inhabiting the SCA, we applied an integrative quantitative assessment of currently recognized species? cranial discrimination through the analysis of geometric morphometrics. The morphometric analyses revealed the presence of 3 distinct species of Calomys in northwestern and central Argentina. We corroborated the presence of a large amount of intraspecific variation with substantial overlap for the 3 species in the morphospace. The assessment indicates that 24% of skull size variation is due to differences among species. Calomys boliviae (including C. fecundus) was the largest among the studied species, whereas the differences were subtle between C. venustus and C. callosus. The relative contribution of interspecific differences to the total skull shape variation was lower than that of size and different among the cranial views?dorsal, ventral, and lateral?analyzed (between 8% and 16%). Moreover, static allometric size changes had a major effect on skull shape differences between species. So, including ecoregions and size-free shape, variables improved significantly the amount of interspecific differentiation. We highlight the usefulness of morphometric assessments to clarify and contribute to the taxonomy of Neotropical mice. Fil: Martínez, Juan José. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas; Argentina Fil: Sandoval Salinas, Maria Leonor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Programa de Investigación de Biodiversidad Argentina; Argentina Fil: Carrizo, Luz Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; Argentina

In the southern Central Andes, the Andean foreland was deformed due to Neogene shallowing of the Nazca slab beneath the South America plate. In this 27-33° S Pampean flat-slab segment, the N-trending Argentine Precordillera transpressional fold-and-thrust belt and the Sierras Pampeanas broken foreland developed as a consequence of inward migration of the orogenic front. At 28° S, a NNE-trending westward-dipping, thick Neogene synorogenic sequence is exposed in the Sierra de los Colorados, which shares deformation features of the Precordillera and the Sierras Pampeanas. Integration of new structural and kinematic data and available structural, kinematic, geophysical and palaeomagnetic information allows consideration of the Sierra de los Colorados area as part of the northern sector of the Precordillera during the middle Neogene. At c. 9 Ma, basement block exhumation started with the uplift of the Sierra de Umango-Espinal that was triggered by deformation along the NE-trending Tucumán oblique belt. This stage marked the beginning of compartmentalization of the incipiently deformed Vinchina foreland. Since c. 6.8-6.1 Ma, basement block uplift linked to the Miranda-Chepes and Valle Fértil NNW-trending sinistral transpressional belts, as well as kinking of the Neogene sequence by localized WNW-striking cross-strike structures, resulted in multiple segmentation that produced a complex mosaic of basement-block pieces. The overprint of these regional, basement-involved, oblique, brittle-ductile transpressional and cross-strike megazones could be related to high interplate coupling. Localized mechanical and rheological changes introduced by magmatism favoured this thick-skinned deformation overprint. Fil: Japas, Maria Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Re, Guillermo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Oriolo, Sebastián. Universität Göttingen; Alemania Fil: Vilas, Juan Francisco A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; Argentina

The eastern flanks of the Central Andes are characterized by deep convection, exposing them to hydrometeorological extreme events, often resulting in floods and a variety of mass movements. We assessed the spatiotemporal pattern of rainfall trends and the changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme events (ae95th percentile) along an E-W traverse across the southern Central Andes using rain-gauge and high-resolution gridded datasets (CPC-uni and TRMM 3B42 V7). We generated different climate indices and made three key observations: (1) an increase of the annual rainfall has occurred at the transition between low (< 0.5 km) and intermediate (0.5-3 km) elevations between 1950 and 2014. Also, rainfall increases during the wet season and, to a lesser degree, decreases during the dry season. Increasing trends in annual total amounts characterize the period 1979-2014 in the arid, high-elevation southern Andean Plateau, whereas trend reversals with decreasing annual total amounts were found at low elevations. (2) For all analyzed periods, we observed small or no changes in the median values of the rainfall-frequency distribution, but significant trends with intensification or attenuation in the 95th percentile. (3) In the southern Andean Plateau, extreme rainfall events exhibit trends towards increasing magnitude and, to a lesser degree, frequency during the wet season, at least since 1979. Our analysis revealed that low (< 0.5 km), intermediate (0.5-3 km), and high-elevation (> 3 km) areas respond differently to changing climate conditions, and the transition zone between low and intermediate elevations is characterized by the most significant changes.

In this study, a significant link is found between summer rainfall over southern-central Europe (SCE) and the circumglobal teleconnection (CGT). It is proposed that the SCE rainfall drives the CGT. The downstream-extended CGT-like wave train is reproduced with a linearized barotropic vorticity equation model forced by an upper-tropospheric divergence over SCE. This study provides an alternative mechanism for the formation and maintenance of the CGT.

Throughout the Andes Mountains of South America, a general trend of glacier shrinkage has taken place in modern times. However, a few glaciers have undergone considerable temporally advances or even surged during the mid-19th to 20th century CE. These valley glaciers are mainly located in the Central Andes of Chile and Argentina. The research presented here focuses on the changes of the Cachapoal Glacier in the Southern Central Andes of Chile. Spectacular glacier advances occurred at least three times in historical times, which lead to river blockages and successive lake outburst floods. The glacier advances were reconstructed with a multi-method approach including geomorphological mapping, 10Be cosmogenic exposure dating of moraines, multi-temporal comparison of historical and recent photographs and paintings as well as the interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images and the analysis of early travel reports. The article highlights the diversity of environmental conditions for the formation of glaciers in terms of the topographical and climatic setting and the resulting distinct glacier behavior along the Andes Mountains. It is argued for the Cachapoal Glacier that the glacier advances are intrinsic to the glacier type and may not be necessarily climate-dependent. This is characteristic for avalanche-fed glaciers of which the glacier dynamic is strongly controlled by the topographic setting and sudden inputs of ice and rock avalanches as well as by the specific debris transfer system and hydrological drainage pattern. At the regional level, the fluctuations of the Cachapoal Glacier are compared with glaciers of neighboring mountain ranges in the Southern Central Andes and at the global scale with those of the Karakoram Mountains in High Asia with a similar dynamic glacier behavior.

This paper aims to study interactions between ancient societies in semi-arid mountainous landscape of southern Central Asia using GIS based mobility analysis. The study region covers the south-eastern part of Uzbekistan along with narrow strips of neighbouring countries with a core area around present-day Darband village in the Baysun District. The presented GIS model is based on cumulative focal mobility network (CFMN) analysis derived from freely available ASTER DEM. Basically, CFMN approach builds on the idea of “movement without destination”. Even if the model should be generally valid for any historical period, our primary targeted period was the early historic, particularly Achaemenid and Hellenistic ones, connected with movement of large armed forces over the mountains. The model was immediately tested in the field and adjusted according to the archaeological reality. Predicted paths were confirmed in the field by finds of various nature, such as small settlements and individual objects. Moreover, the use and the course of historical roads was corroborated also by their functioning in the recent past or even nowadays. The pre-dictive – post-dictive framework of the research allowed us to reflect field observations in the model building and better understand archaeological findings. Resulting sequence of algorithms of the CFMN approach appears to be well-suitable for the region-scale research of communication networks and mobility of ancient populations.

Droughts and heatwaves can have profound impacts on society and the environment, which can be exacerbated by their co-occurrence. However, in China, co-occurrence of droughts and heatwaves has not been explored. Here we assess concurrent drought and heatwave events (CONDH) in summer across eastern China (EC) for 1962–2015. We found that these events are more frequent in the North and South of EC (>20 events during 1962–2015) and less frequent in the central region. In the North and South regions, intensity of heatwaves is ~2–4 times higher during drought conditions than in average conditions. Also, in these two regions the number of CONDH events is more than double what would be expected if droughts and heatwaves were independent. When analyzing changes between 1962–1988 and 1989–2015, the dependence between drought and heatwave was shown to be stable, but the number of CONDH more than doubled in parts of the North and small areas in the South, and decreased by over 50% in the southern central region. We have shown that the North and South of EC are hotspots of compound droughts and heatwaves and therefore it is crucial to considering both events together when assessing how to adapt to present and future weather extremes.

This study aims to define the geotectonic characteristics of the Mygdonia basin by using 3D Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) technology. The Mygdonian basin is located between Volvi and Langada lakes around 45 km North-East of Thessaloniki city in northern Greece and presents very high seismicity. To define the tectonic regime of the area, a detailed electromagnetic survey was performed along with the geological and lithological study of the area. The TEM data were acquired using the TEM-FAST 48 instrument for 485 soundings in 159 locations. The 1-D and 2-D interpretation of the TEM data indicate the tectonic characteristics of the area. 3D modeling applied to TEM data highlighted the fracture zone in the investigated area. The geothermal field of Apollonia is also depicted. The results are validated with the previous EM (AMT, RMT, and MT) data acquired in the study area studies.

Several nut crops, including almond, pistachio, and walnut, can become contaminated with mycotoxins. Of greatest economic significance are aflatoxins, which are mainly produced by members of Aspergillus section Flavi. The distribution of the two sclerotial-size morphotypes of Aspergillus flavus (i.e., S and L strains) and A. parasiticus, the main species responsible for aflatoxin production among section Flavi, was monitored in the soil of almond orchards in California over a 5-year period from 2007 to 2011, excluding 2009. In total, 4,349 Aspergillus isolates were collected from 28 almond orchards located in the northern, central, and southern Central Valley in California. Overall, A. flavus L strain was the most frequent, followed by A. parasiticus and A. flavus S strain. However, variations in the spatial distribution of these three taxa were found between the three regions. Over the 5-year period, higher frequencies of L strain were more often observed in the southern region (79.9 to 95.1%, depending on year) compared with the northern region (21.4 to 47.1%). In the north, A. parasiticus was the most common strain, with frequencies of 28.5 to 61% for the various years. In addition, the frequency of aflatoxin-producing isolates among L strains fluctuated from year to year. A significant increase (P = 0.0001) was observed from 2008 (75% of the isolates produced aflatoxins) to 2007 (59%), and a decrease was observed from 2010 (61%) to 2011 (53%). Aflatoxin-producing L strain isolates were significantly more prevalent than atoxigenic isolates in each region during the 5-year survey, except in 2011 in the north, where more isolates were atoxigenic (56%) than aflatoxin-producing (44%). Our results indicate that the structure of A. flavus and A. parasiticus communities in the soil and the proportion of toxigenic isolates vary across regions and years. Such knowledge may help devise appropriate aflatoxin control strategies, including the use of atoxigenic isolates as biological control agents adapted to the soil environments in each region.

We report noble gas signatures of groundwater, hot springs, and bedrock samples from a major fault system that separates regional-scale blocks of accreted, continental materials in southern Taiwan. Despite the continental setting, the isotopic signatures argue for the presence of mantle derived fluids, suggesting that the active fault system is deep-seated. This is consistent with deep, non-volcanic tremors identified in the same area. We speculate that the mantle fluids are escaping along a crustal-scale fault marked by clusters of non-volcanic tremors directly beneath the southern Central Range. The evidence of these tremors and electrical conductivity anomalies along the strike of the fault recognized previously correlated up dip with the surface trace of a major active fault support the hypothesis.

A decade ago, archaeologists discovered the site of a Bronze Age battlefield in the Tollense Valley in north-eastern Germany. Dated to the early thirteenth century BC, the remains of over 140 individuals have been documented, along with many associated bronze objects. Here, the authors present a new assemblage of 31 objects from the site, including three bronze cylinders that may be the fastenings of an organic container. The objects are similar to those found in Bronze Age burials of southern Central Europe, and may represent the personal equipment of a warrior from that region who died on the battlefield in Northern Europe. peerReviewed

In this paper, we present the results of the analysis of the Cova del Sardo flaked stone assemblage, a rock shelter located at 1.790 m a.s.l. in the Central Pyrenees. An integrated analysis of the lithic record, from a petrological, technological, and functional point of view, has been realised. The daily life activities carried out at the site have been reconstructed and a diachronic reading of the data has been finalised. An interpretation in terms of territorial and economic organisation of the prehistoric group is advanced. A mixed farming economy is suggested, even if herding and pasture exploitation could have locally played an important role. The analysis of lithic raw materials indicates that the groups followed a south-north mobility, as most of exploited cherts are from southern sources (Ebro valley and pre-Pyrenean ranges). Finally, the Cova del Sardo is discussed within a broader framework, taking into account the Neolithisation process of the Southern Central Pyrenees., This research is part of the project ‘Modelización de los espacios prehistóricos de montaña. Un SIG del patrimonio arqueológico y los territorios pastoriles (HAR2015-66780-P)’ funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund and directed by E. Gassiot. We would like to thank the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, all the members of the GAAM “Grup d’Arqueologia de l’Alta Muntanya” (UAB-CSIC) and all the people involved in our research. In addition, we would like to thank the LitoCAT (IMF-CSIC) for their precious help with raw material analysis and classification.

The Black Stork Ciconia nigra, following an expansion on European scale, started breeding in Italy in 1994 with one pair in the Piedmont Region and one in the Calabria Region. Since then, the breeding pairs established in Italy have progressively increased up to 18 in 2016, and they are currently in Piedmont, Lazio, Campania, Molise, Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria. However, the number of breeding pairs could be higher than 20, as indicated by records and observations of adults and juveniles, during the breeding period in potentially suitable nesting areas. Despite the low population density in Italy, the trend in the breeding population in Northwest and in Southern Central regions seems to show a slight and high increase respectively. Productivity, breeding success and fledging rate have been considered and analysed. A difference between the two macro areas has been found in the choice of nesting sites, which is on trees for Northwest couples, and cliffs for Southern Central couples. It is necessary to further explore the reason why the small Northwest population does not show any increase and range expansion compared to the Southern Central one.

The contrasting patterns of lake-level fluctuations across the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are indicators of differences in the water balance over the TP. However, little is known about the key hydrological factors controlling this variability. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a more quantitative understanding of these factors for four selected lakes in the southern-central part of the TP: Nam Co and Tangra Yumco (increasing water levels), and Mapam Yumco and Paiku Co (stable or slightly decreasing water levels). We present the results of an integrated approach combining hydrological modeling, atmospheric-model output and remote-sensing data. The J2000g hydrological model was adapted and extended according to the specific characteristics of closed-lake basins on the TP and driven with High Asia Refined analysis (HAR) data at 10 km resolution for the period 2001–2010. Differences in the mean annual water balances among the four basins are primarily related to higher precipitation totals and attributed runoff generation in the Nam Co and Tangra Yumco basins. Precipitation and associated runoff are the main driving forces for inter-annual lake variations. The glacier-meltwater contribution to the total basin runoff volume (between 14 and 30 % averaged over the 10-year period) plays a less important role compared to runoff generation from rainfall and snowmelt in non-glacierized land areas. Nevertheless, using a hypothetical ice-free scenario in the hydrological model, we indicate that ice-melt water constitutes an important water-supply component for Mapam Yumco and Paiku Co, in order to maintain a state close to equilibrium, whereas the water balance in the Nam Co and Tangra Yumco basins remains positive under ice-free conditions. These results highlight the benefits of linking hydrological modeling with atmospheric-model output and satellite-derived data, and the presented approach can be readily transferred to other data-scarce closed lake basins, opening new directions of research. Future work should go towards a better assessment of the model-chain uncertainties, especially in this region where observation data are scarce.

The definition of southern Central America used here includes the territory of Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and (eastern) El Salvador while making brief mention of Colombia. Central America typically also includes Guatemala, Belize, and the western part of El Salvador, but the archaeology of these territories is tied more strongly to discussions on the Mesoamerican culture area. The prehistory of southern Central America comprises the Terminal Pleistocene and the Holocene period, from initial peopling of the region up to the period of European colonization in the first half of the sixteenth century. With some frequency, the region is defined as a corridor for human, animal, and plant dispersal. For the earliest Paleoindian period (11500–10,000 BP), the preceramic period (10000–4000 BP), as well as more recent prehistoric times, southern Central America is considered a key area for understanding human mobility,...

The Cantabrian orocline is a major orocline that bends the Variscan belt of Western Europe. Despite a wealth of studies, its timing and relationship with the late-Variscan folding stages in the Iberian Massif are still debated. This study provides an integrated structural analysis of the Variscan fold generations and associated W-Sn bearing vein systems within the southern Central Iberian Zone (Regoufe, Portugal), giving insight into their kinematic relationship with oroclinal buckling. Two superimposed fold generations with mutually parallel, steep to vertical fold axes have been identified. Isoclinal F1 folds with E-W striking axial planes formed during coaxial shortening and are spatially localised. F3 folds with NW-SE axial planes are associated with late-Variscan transpressional deformation and constrain the structural outline of the major folds. Temporal and kinematic considerations indicate that vertical-axis, asymmetric F3 folding corresponds with the expected deformation style within the southern limb of the Cantabrian orocline. The Regoufe area is characterised by two types of W-Sn vein-type mineralisation. Granite-hosted hydrothermal quartz veins show a concentric distribution and are associated with the stress regime during granite emplacement. The vein system within the metasedimentary host rock, however, is emplaced along a regional, subhorizontal cross-fold joint system. This cross-fold joint system developed orthogonal to the subvertical F3 fold axes, and is interpreted to be coeval with oroclinal buckling. These results impact the understanding of (i) the relative significance and geometry of the main deformation stages in the Iberian massif, reconciling the timing and kinematics of F3 regional folding with oroclinal buckling, and (ii) the kinematic relationship between late- to postorogenic deformation and W-Sn vein-type mineralisation. ispartof: TECTONOPHYSICS vol:742–743 pages:66-83 status: published

Descriptions, brief taxonomic notes and data on the ecology of the two species of Myrosmodes known from Argentina (M. gymnandra & M. paludosa) are provided. In addition, an identification key to Myrosmodes species known from the south–central Andes is given. The descriptions are complemented with illustrations and distribution maps. Fil: Martín, Claudia Melisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina Fil: Zanotti, Christian Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; Argentina Fil: Scrocchi Manfrini, Gustavo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentina

Knudsen, K., Kocourkova, J., Nordin, A. & Sipman, H. J. M. 2015. Acarospora cinerascens (Acarosporaceae), a poorly known species from the southern Central Alps (Italy and Switzerland). — Herzogia 28: 690–696. Acarospora cinerascens is accepted as distinct from A. versicolor based on larger spores and areoles as well as apothecia with a higher hymenium. Acarospora cinerascens is lectotypified. Acarospora alboatra is a synonym of A. cinerascens.

A bioclimatic model for higher units of forest vegetation in the mountains of southern Central Siberia has been developed based on ordination of 560 complete geobotanical releves and correlation analysis between the main-axis values and climatic parameters. The ecogeographic series of communities arranged along the main axes throw light on specific features of the determinative influence of the vertical zonality of climate and its cyclonic (oceanic)–continental regime on the spatial structure of forest vegetation in different geographic sectors of the mountain system.

We perform a systematic detection of deep tectonic tremor beneath the southern Central Range in Taiwan using a dense, small‐aperture seismic array. Deployed in February 2011, the array has been recording tectonic tremor nearly continuously for 134 days, including tremor triggered by the 2011 M w 9.0 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake. We use broadband frequency–wavenumber beamforming and moving‐window grid‐search methods to compute array parameters for all continuous data and identify tremor as coherent nonimpulsive seismic signals with deep incidence angles. The obtained array parameters closely match with those of relocated local earthquakes and triggered tremor bursts located by the waveform envelope correlation and clustering (WECC) method, indicating the robustness of our array technique. During the 134‐day study period, we detect tremor for 44 days, with a total duration of 1481 min, three to six times as long as the detection of tremor by the WECC method. We find a relative quiescence in ambient tremor activity for about 20 days following the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake, suggesting that dynamic stresses from the distant mainshock triggered most tremor close to failure, resulting in a temporary lack of tremor activity. In some cases, we observe rapid tremor migration with a speed at the order of 40–50 km/hr that is similar to the speed of fast tremor migration along dip on narrow streaks in Japan and Cascadia. Our results suggest that dense array techniques are capable of capturing detailed spatiotemporal evolutions of tremor behaviors in southern Taiwan. Online Material: Tables of station coordinates and tremor event parameters, and figures of the moving‐window grid‐search test with local earthquakes, tremor triggered by the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake, and additional examples of detected ambient tremors.

The production of kidney bean as the source of protein and carbohydrate for the people of South Central Timor Regency is still low, therefore the production should be increased. The aim of this study is to evaluate the growth and production of kidney bean based on the different altitudes and spacings. The research was conducted at two different altitudes in Southern Central Timor Regency, Indonesia. Nine spaces of planting system have been tried at each altitude. The research used nested design by 3 replications. The experimental plot was made of 3A—4 m in size and there were 27 experimental plots on each altitude. Result of the research showed that kidney beans were produced and grown well on the medium altitude compared with the high altitude. The rainfall, light intensity and temperature were the most dominant climatic factors that affected the growth and production of kidney bean among altitudes. Spacing of 30A—10 cm was the most suitable for both altitudes based on yield of the crops. Spacing of 50A—30 cm, 50A—20 cm and 30A—30 cm have provided better yield stability than other spacing as a result of different altitudes.

A temporal and tectonic framework for the initiation of the Andean magmatism at its earliest stages is presented in this work, based on the current geological, geochemical, and geochronological information available in northern Chile between 20o and 30o S. This information has been collected from Triassic and Jurassic plutonic, volcanic, and volcanosedimentary units cropping out at the Coastal, Domeyko, Frontal Cordilleras, and the Precordillera, as two roughly parallel belts that extend for more than 1,000 km in the Chilean territory. Petrological and geochemical data suggest that the magmatism during the Triassic and Jurassic was dominantly intermediate in composition and had arc or subduction affinities. Even though magma sources should have had a clear mantle component, a crustal influence was more important during the Triassic. Geochronological information shows a significant magmatic lull near the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, associated with the retraction of the arc to the present-day Coastal Cordillera. Based on these data, the early stages of the Andean magmatism can be tracked backup to the Triassic igneous units in northern Chile.

The year 2015 was marked by a dramatic increase in the irregular migration to Europe, one of the primary routes being from Libya across the Southern Central Mediterranean to Southern Italy. Following the drowning of hundreds of persons in April 2015, the European Union (EU) adopted a ten-point action plan of the immediate actions to be taken in response to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean. One of those actions is a systematic effort to capture and destroy vessels used by the human smugglers, which was put into practice by establishing in May 2015 the EU military operation, EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA. Under the EU Mandate, the operation will contribute to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean. Following the increase of migration at sea, the United Nations Security Council authorised UN Member States and regional organisations to conduct certain essential military activities in the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

Central Anatolia exposes previously buried and metamorphosed, continent-derived rocks – the Kirsehir and Afyon zones – now covering an area of ∼300 × 400 km. So far, the exhumation history of these rocks has been poorly constrained. We show for the first time that the major, >120 km long, top-NE ‘Ivriz’ Detachment controlled the exhumation of the HP/LT metamorphic Afyon Zone in southern Central Anatolia. We date its activity at between the latest Cretaceous and early Eocene times. Combined with previously documented isolated extensional detachments found in the Kirsehir Block, our results suggest that a major province governed by extensional exhumation was active throughout Central Anatolia between ∼80 and ∼48 Ma. Although similar in dimension to the Aegean extensional province to the east, the Central Anatolian extensional province is considerably older and was controlled by a different extension direction. From this, we infer that the African slab(s) that subducted below Anatolia must have rolled back relative to the Aegean slab since at least the latest Cretaceous, suggesting that these regions were underlain by a segmented slab. Whether or not these early segments already corresponded to the modern Aegean, Antalya, and Cyprus slab segments remains open for debate, but slab segmentation must have occurred much earlier than previously thought.

This paper uses econometric models to estimate factors determining offshore fishing vessel’s output in Southern Central Coast region. The estimated findings indicates that factors namely the residential characteristics, types of fishery, engine power, vessel’s years, fishing technology, modern fish finder, number of days per trip, captains’s experience, participation in fishing teams have significant impacts on offshore fishing vessel’s output. Meanwhile, captains’s age and education level as well as fishing ground do not affect this factor. In addition, we find out that fishing stimulation, especially in the application of modern technologies to seafood exploitation and the elimination of empiricism is important to offshore fishing vessel’s output. The findings allow us to bring forward some policy recommendations for central and provincial governments to improve offshore fishing vessel’s output in Southern Central Coast region.

Dykes at the Vicuña Pampa Volcanic Complex, which are mostly basaltic (trachy)-andesite and (trachy)-andesite, are exposed at the base and along the walls of a large depression resulting from intense degradation. Dykes intruding stiff layers (lavas, plugs and necks) are thin, mostly dip >60° and have coherent textures, whereas dykes intruding more compliant materials (breccias and conglomerates) tend to be thicker, have lower dips and have coherent, brecciated or mixed textures (coherent and brecciated textural domains in a single or compound dyke). Single dykes with brecciated and mixed textures are only found intruding near-surface units. Dykes with mixed textures always have sharp contacts between domains. Dykes with sinuous domain contacts and enclaves of one domain inside the other are interpreted as resulting from dyke arrest, partial cooling and reinjection of new magma. Dykes with straight domain contacts are considered to be compound dykes, with a new dyke intruding along the margins of an older, solidified one., SG, CML and PG are grateful for funding by ANPCyT (PICT 2012-0419; PICT 2011-0407), CONICET (PIP 489, PIP 286) and CIUNSa1810. JM is grateful for the MECD (PRX16/00056) grant. AG isgrateful for her Ramón y Cajal contract RYC-2012-11024).

The pursuing of the evolution of such deformation in the external zone is one of the main objects geologists which necessarily require deciphering the main parameters of this evolution. The southern-central Tunisian Atlas is the most appropriate ground to check such complication, in fact, it is centered between a northern area strongly tectonized and stable southern area. Is chosen especially the juxtaposition between the two largest mountains those of Orbata and Bouhedma. The comparative study between two very close areas Jebel BouMiza and Jebel At-Taghli in the Orbata–Bouhedma junction shows a very large variation in deformation when they are subjected to the same context establishment. One of the main parameters of the variation of the deformation is the notion of inheritance tectonics associated with the reactivation of ancient normal faults during the compression and therefore the position of these faults to shortening axis. The other important parameter is the vertical migration of decolement level that is a direct consequence of the elevation of the deformation; it is the vertical migration of the deformation. Example of Jebell At-Taghli shows a much accentuated deformation in comparison with that of the deformation Jebel BouMiza, this deformation is explained by the combined activity of two faults el-Mich and At-Tagli, oblique to the axis of shortening and the reactivation dextral strike-slip fault during compressive phases. The disposition of Jebel At-Taghli defines a tear-fault structure with the development of a duplex structure associated with decollement levels in the upper series (Bouhedma Formation).

Male partners’ involvement is a vital issue to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission from mother to child; because it is much expectable that women were more vulnerable and high risk group of population portion. Therefore, to save lives of mothers and their newborn from acquiring HIV, male partners should do their maximum endeavor regardless of any determinant factors as our results revealed its status in our study context and elsewhere at past time too.