Shandong Area Research Articles

Implications for Paleontological Heritage Conservation: The Spatial Distribution and Potential Factors Controlling the Location of Fossil Sites of Shandong Province in China

Shandong Province in China is rich in paleontological fossils and has a long history of fossil research. However, research on the distribution characteristics and potential factors of discovered fossil sites in Shandong Province is limited and insufficient, making it difficult to comprehensively plan for the protection and utilization of fossil sites in Shandong Province. The study constructs a basic geographical information system (GIS) database with 133 discovered fossil sites and geological and socio-economic data of Shandong Province and studies fossil sites’ spatial distribution characteristics and the spatial relationship with potential factors at a regional scale. The results are as follows: (1) The fossil sites in Shandong Province are concentrated in the mountainous area of central Shandong and the hilly area of the Shandong Peninsula, with significant uneven distribution characteristics, including two agglomeration areas and seven sub-agglomeration areas. (2) Natural geographical conditions, such as topography, paleogeography, and stratigraphy, play a positive role in the distribution of fossil sites, and there are apparent concentrations in the following areas: at an altitude greater than 100 m; the Lower Paleozoic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks; and the active areas of paleo-tectonics. (3) A certain degree of negative correlation exists between socio-economic conditions, such as roads and population density, and the number of fossil sites, and a positive correlation exists between disposable personal income and those fossil sites. The operational procedure presented here is a simple, objective, applicable method that can enhance our understanding of the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors of the discovered fossil sites of Shandong Province and support more effective and appropriate planning for paleontological heritage conservation.

Multi-Scale Variation in Surface Water Area in the Yellow River Basin (1991–2023) Based on Suspended Particulate Matter Concentration and Water Indexes

Surface water is a crucial part of terrestrial ecosystems and is crucial to maintaining ecosystem health, ensuring social stability, and promoting high-quality regional economic development. The surface water in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) has a high sediment content and spatially heterogeneous sediment distribution, presenting a significant challenge for surface water extraction. In this study, we first analyze the applicability of nine water indexes in the YRB by using the Landsat series images (Landsat 5, 7, 8) and then examine the correlation between the accuracy of the water indexes and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations. On this basis, we propose a surface water extraction method considering the SPM concentrations (SWE-CSPM). Finally, we examine the dynamic variations in the surface water in the YRB at four scales: the global scale, the secondary water resource zoning scale, the provincial scale, and the typical water scale. The results indicate that (1) among the nine water indexes, the MBWI has the highest water extraction accuracy, followed by the AWEInsh and WI2021, while the NDWI has the lowest. (2) Compared with the nine water indexes and the multi-index water extraction rule method (MIWER), the SWE-CSPM can effectively reduce the commission errors of surface water extraction, and the water extraction accuracy is the highest (overall accuracy 95.44%, kappa coefficient 90.62%). (3) At the global scale, the maximum water area of the YRB shows a decreasing trend, but the change amount is small. The permanent water area shows an uptrend, whereas the seasonal water area shows a downtrend year by year. The reason may be that the increase in surface runoff and the construction of reservoir projects have led to the transformation of some seasonal water into permanent water. (4) At the secondary water resource zoning scale, the permanent water area of other secondary water resource zonings shows an increasing trend in different degrees, except for the Interior Drainage Area. (5) At the provincial scale, the permanent water area of all provinces shows an uptrend, while the seasonal water areas show a fluctuating downtrend. The maximum water area of Shandong, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Qinghai increases slowly, while the other provinces show a decreasing trend. (6) At the typical water scale, there are significant differences in the water area variation process in Zhaling Lake, Eling Lake, Wuliangsuhai, Hongjiannao, and Dongping Lake, but the permanent water area and maximum water area of these waters have increased over the past decade. This study offers significant technical support for the dynamic monitoring of surface water and helps to deeply understand the spatiotemporal variations in surface water in the YRB.

Spatiotemporal Variation Characteristics and Driving Factors of Cultivated Land NPP in the Shandong Area Around the Bohai Sea

The Bohai Rim Plain is an important grain-producing area in China. The cultivated land resources have great potential for production, but there are many influencing factors. Understanding the spatiotemporal change characteristics and driving factors of the net primary productivity （NPP） of cultivated land vegetation in this region is of great significance to improve the regional cultivated land production conditions, excavate and enhance the production capacity of cultivated land, and ensure national food security. In this study, Theil-Sen Median trend analysis, Mann-Kendall significance test, Hurst index, and other methods were used to explore the spatiotemporal change characteristics, stability, and sustainability of regional cultivated land NPP. The influence of driving factors on the spatial heterogeneity of cultivated land NPP was analyzed by using optical parameters-based geographical detectors. The results showed that： ① From 2001 to 2019, due to the expansion of construction land during industrialization and urbanization, the cumulative decrease in the area of cultivated land in the Shandong area around the Bohai Sea was 2 004.51 km2. ② During the selected research period, the interannual variation of average cultivated land NPP showed a fluctuating and increasing trend. In terms of spatial distribution, the NPP of cultivated land was bounded by the Dongying District, with the spatial heterogeneity in the north being significantly lower than that in the south. ③ The area with increasing NPP of cultivated land accounted for 88.06% of the total area of cultivated land, mainly with low and medium fluctuations. The NPP of cultivated land will maintain an overall sustained trend of increase across the region in the future. ④ The average annual relative humidity study area had the strongest explanatory power for the spatial variability of NPP in cropland, with a q-value of 0.26, followed by surface soil salinity and subsoil salinity, with q-values greater than 0.2. The interactions between the different drivers all showed either nonlinear enhancement or bifactorial enhancement. The results of this study will help to reveal the characteristics of the changes in cultivated land production capacity and its driving forces in the Bohai Sea region and also provide a theoretical basis for the ecological protection and sustainable development of the region.

Mapping the Distribution of Curculio davidi Fairmaire 1878 under Climate Change via Geographical Data and the MaxEnt Model (CMIP6).

Curculio davidi is a major pest in chestnut-producing regions in China, and there have been many studies on its occurrence, biological characteristics, and management strategies. However, few of them have focused on the distribution changes of the pest under climate change. In this study, the MaxEnt model (version 3.3.4) and ArcGIS software (version 10.8) were first employed to map the current and future (2050 s and 2080 s) suitable habitat distribution of the weevil under climate change (CMIP 6: SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5). The results indicate that the highly suitable areas for C. davidi are mainly concentrated in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, the coastal areas of Shandong, and eastern Guizhou, northwestern Hunan, and northeastern Sichuan provinces in China. Through the Jackknife test of 19 climate factors, six climate factors affecting the distribution of C. davidi were identified, with precipitation from July (Prec7), precipitation of warmest quarter (Bio18), and temperature seasonality (standard deviation × 100) (Bio4) contributing a combined percentage of 86.3%. Under three different climate scenarios (CMIP 6: SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5), the area of moderately suitable regions is projected to increase by 22.12-27.33% in the 2050 s and by 17.80-38.22% in the 2080 s compared to the current distribution, while the area of highly suitable regions shows a shrinking trend. This study provides data support for the management strategies of C. davidi and offers new insights into the dynamic changes of similar forestry pests.

Epidemiological and molecular investigations of Salmonella isolated from duck farms in southwest and around area of Shandong, China

Salmonella is a zoonotic pathogen posing a serious risk to the farming industry and public health due to food animals serving as reservoirs for future contamination and spread of Salmonella. The present study is designed to monitor the contamination status of Salmonella in duck farms and the main control points during breeding. 160 strains of duck-derived Salmonella were isolated from the 736 samples (cloacal swabs, feces, water, feed, soil, air and dead duck embryos) collected in southwest Shandong Province and the province's surrounding area. The percentage of Salmonella-positive samples collected was 21.74 % (160/736), and the greatest prevalence from duck embryo samples (40.00 %, 36/90). These Salmonella were classified into 23 serotypes depending on their O and H antigens, in which S. Typhimurium (30.15 %), S. Kottbus (13.97 %) and S. Enteritidis (10.29 %) were the prevailing serotypes. Subsequently, the molecular subtyping was done. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) analysis showed that 41 strains of S. Typhimurium and 14 strains of S. Enteritidis were classified into 13 and 3 genotypes, respectively. 19 S. Kottbus isolates from different sources featured ST1546, ST198, ST321, and ST1690 by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis, among which ST1546 belongs to S. Kottbus was a new ST. The minimum spanning tree analysis based on the two CRISPR loci and seven MLST loci from all S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis and S. Kottbus isolates revealed that duck embryos, feed and water were key control points to the spread of Salmonella along the breeding chain. Meanwhile, the emergence of S. Kottbus in duck flocks was considered a potential public health hazard.

Micro-botanical evidence of plant food sources and stone tool functions at the Sujiacun site from the Longshan period in southeastern Shandong Province, China

During the early and middle periods of the Longshan culture (4600–4200 cal BP), early states developed around the Liangchengzhen and Yaowangcheng sites along the coastal areas of southeastern Shandong. Intensive agriculture and the specialised production of stone tools symbolised the advanced development of Longshan society. However, previous archaeological research in this area has focused mainly on the central settlements of the Longshan culture. As small and medium-sized rural settlements have not been sufficiently explored, their subsistence economy and stone tool functions remain unclear. Starch grains and phytolith assemblages in the residues on stone tool surfaces provide direct tangible evidence of the functions of these tools and offer a new perspective on the characteristics of plant resource use at archaeological sites. The Sujiacun site in Rizhao was a Longshan-period rural settlement in coastal southeastern Shandong. This study conducted starch grain and phytolith analyses of the residues on the surfaces of 17 stone tools from the Sujiacun site. Starch grains of foxtail millet (Setaria italica), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), rice (Oryza sativa), roots and tubers, and plants of the Hordeum genus were identified, as well as phytoliths of broomcorn millet and rice and those commonly found in grass stems and leaves. This micro-botanical data together with other archaeological evidence suggest that foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and rice were the main plant foods and that mixed farming of millet and rice was the main subsistence economy at the Sujiacun site. Knives and sickles were mainly used for harvesting crops and sometimes for peeling, slicing, and chopping roots and tubers. The stone muller was used for grinding rather than dehusking grain, and the grinding stone was used not only for polishing stone tools but also for grinding plants. Our findings provide new insights into the methods of plant use and subsistence practices of the Longshan complex society on the east coast of China.

Study on the Genetic Mechanism of Carbonate Rock Type Hot Mineral Water-A Case Study of Diaozhen, Jinan.

Geothermal resources are one of the most valuable resources in renewable energy because of their advantages of green environmental protection, stability, and reliability. Carbonate rock type geothermal reservoirs have great research significance. Carbonate rock type geothermal resources are abundant in the Shandong area. In this paper, we take the carbonate-type geothermal reservoir in the Diaozhen area of Jinan City as the research object, analyze the regional geothermal geological conditions, and identify the geological structure. Through physical logging exploration, hydrochemical analysis, isotope testing, and drilling exploration, we reveal the geothermal genesis mechanism and construct the genetic model of the carbonate geothermal system. The results show that Diaozhen area belongs to a low-temperature geothermal field and weak open karst thermal reservoir and that the reservoir is mainly Ordovician Majiagou group limestone. The thermal insulation caprock is the overlying Quaternary and Neogene strata with a cumulative thickness of 1376 m. The results of geophysical exploration wells and drilling data verify that the Mingshui fracture is seen around 1630-1645m, and the diorite intrusion is seen at 1610m. The Mingshui fracture connects the deep and shallow aquifers and is a geothermal fluid migration channel. The geothermal water in the Diaozhen area is mainly from the recharge of atmospheric precipitation, with a rich ion content and easy enrichment of trace elements. The regional thermal reservoir is mainly recharged by the deep circulation lateral runoff of Ordovician karst water. After long-distance deep circulation migration, groundwater continuously absorbs heat from the surrounding rock and is heated to geothermal raw water in the deep part. Deep geothermal water rises along the water-conducting fracture and mixes with shallow cold water to form shallow, low-temperature geothermal water.

Numerical Simulation of the Solute Migration Regulated by Vertical Cutoff Wall based on FEFLOW

Cutoff wall has been widely used in desalination of coastal aquifers in many coastal regions and remediation of industrial waste water pollution. In recent years, the excessive exploitation of resources in the coastal brine distribution area leads to the salinization of deep soil. At the same time, the mine water pollution caused by improper discharge of industrial waste water into the abandoned mining area is a new form of pollution in Shandong, China. However, due to the complex geological conditions of abandoned mining areas, loose collapse of overlying strata in roadway and gob layer, it is difficult to prevent and control groundwater pollution in deep gob layer. It is a major difficulty in practical engineering to evaluate the cutoff interception performance of vertical cutoff wall on the pollution of gob layer in such mining areas and optimize cutoff interception measures. In this paper, a typical polluted abandoned mining area in Shandong, China is taken as an example, and COD is used as the main simulation factor for numerical simulation. The numerical simulation results show that in the process of groundwater pollution control, the cutoff wall with appropriate thickness and hydraulic conductivity can effectively block the diffusion of solute. The horizontal transport of solute can be significantly weakened when the thickness of the cutoff wall is 90 cm and the hydraulic conductivity is 1.0×10-4 m/d. Compared with increasing the thickness, reducing the hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall is more effective in controlling the migration of solute in the site. When the hydraulic conductivity is reduced by an order of magnitude, the diffusion range of solute is reduced by 19.74% compared to before. Therefore, priority should be given to reducing the hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall in order to optimize its influence on pollutant migration.

Amelioration of gait and balance disorders by rosuvastatin is associated with changes in cerebrovascular reactivity in older patients with hypertensive treatment.

To investigate the effect of rosuvastatin on gait and balance disorder progression and elucidate the role of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) on this effect. From April 2008 to November 2010, 943 hypertensive patients aged ≥60 years were enrolled from the Shandong area of China. Patients were randomized into rosuvastatin and placebo groups. Gait, balance, CVR, fall and stroke were assessed. During an average 72 months of follow-up, the decreasing trends for step length, step speed, and Berg balance scale scores and the increasing trends for step width and chair rising test were slower in the rosuvastatin group when compared to the placebo group. The hazard ratio of incident balance impairment and falls was 0.542 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.442-0.663] and 0.532 (95% CI 0.408-0.694), respectively, in the rosuvastatin group compared with placebo group. For CVR progression, the cerebrovascular reserve capacity and breath-holding index were increased and the pulsatility index decreased in the rosuvastatin group, while the cerebrovascular reserve capacity and breath-holding index were decreased, and pulsatility index increased in the placebo group. The changes in gait stability and balance function were independently associated with the changes in the CVR. The odds risks of balance impairment and falls were 2.178 (95% CI: 1.491-3.181) and 3.227 (95% CI: 1.634-6.373), respectively, in the patients with CVR impairment and patients without CVR impairment. Rosuvastatin ameliorated gait and balance disorder progression in older patients with hypertension. This effect might result from the improvement in the CVR. This double-blind clinical trial recruited 943 hypertensive patients aged ≥60 years who were randomly administered rosuvastatin and placebo interventions. The data indicates that rosuvastatin significantly ameliorated the progressions of gait and balance disorders in older hypertensive patients. The cerebrovascular reactivity might play an important mediating role in this amelioration.

Identification of groundwater pollution sources and health risk assessment in the Fengshui mining area of Central Shandong, China.

The crux of groundwater protection lies in a profound understanding of the sources of pollutants and their impacts on human health. This study selected 47 groundwater samples from the Fengshui mining area in central Shandong Province, China, employing advanced hydrogeochemical techniques, positive matrix factorization (PMF), and Monte Carlo analysis methods, aimed at unveiling the characteristics, origins, and health risks of water pollutants. The results indicated that the majority of samples exhibited a slightly alkaline nature. Notably, the concentrations of fluoride (F-) and nitrate (NO3-) exceeded China's safety standards in 40.43% and 23.40% of the samples, respectively. Moreover, a water quality index (WQI) below 50 was observed in approximately 68.09% of the sites, suggesting that the water quality in these areas generally met acceptable levels. However, regions with higher WQI values were predominantly located in the northern and southern parts of the mining area. PMF analysis revealed that regional geological and industrial activities were the primary factors affecting water quality, followed by mining discharges, fundamental geological and agricultural processes, and leachate enrichment activities. The health risk assessment highlighted the heightened sensitivity of the youth demographic to fluoride, with a more pronounced non-carcinogenic risk compared to nitrate, affecting about 31.89% of the youth population. Hence, it is imperative for local authorities and relevant departments to take prompt actions to remediate groundwater contamination to minimize public health risks.

Prediction of potential suitable habitats in the 21st century and GAP analysis of priority conservation areas of Chionanthus retusus based on the MaxEnt and Marxan models.

Chionanthus retusus (C. retusus) has a high economic and medicinal value, but in recent years it has been included in the list of China's major protected plants and China's Red List of Biodiversity due to the serious destruction of its wild germplasm resources. Based on 131 sample points of C. retusus, this study simulated potential habitats and spatial changes of C. retusus in the 21st century using the Maxent model combined with the geographic information system ArcGIS, predicted prioritized protected areas by the Marxan model, and assessed current conservation status through GAP analysis. The results showed that (1) when the regularization multiplier was 1.5 and the feature combinations were linear, quadratic, and fragmented, the area under the curve of the subjects in the training and test sets were both above 0.9, the true skill statistic value was 0.80, and the maximum Kappa value was 0.62, meaning that the model had high accuracy; (2) Temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, min temperature for coldest month, and precipitation of wettest month had relatively strong influences on species' ranges. (3) The moderately and optimally suitable habitats of C. retusus were primly located in the areas of southwestern Shanxi, central Hebei, western Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Anhui and Hubei; (4) Under different future climate scenarios, the area of each class of suitable habitat will increase for varied amounts compared to the current period, with a general trend of expansion to the south; (5) The C. retusus priority protected areas were mainly located in most of Shandong, southern Liaoning, southwestern Shanxi, western Henan, and central Hebei, and its conservation vacancy area was relatively large compared to its protected area. These results will provide scientific strategies for implementing long-term conservation of C. retusus in China and similar regions under warming conditions in the 21st century.

Activities of daily living limitations and the use of physical examination among older adults with informal care in China: do gender and residence make differences?

BackgroundThis study investigated the relationship between activities of daily living (ADL) limitations and the use of physical examination among older adults receiving informal care, and to further examine whether this relationship varies by gender and urban-rural areas.MethodsThe data in this study were obtained from the sixth Health Service of Shandong province, China. In total, 8,358 older adults aged 60 years or older who received informal care were included in the analysis. Binary logistic regression models were conducted to explore the association between ADL limitations and the use of physical examination and examine the differences between gender and urban-rural areas.ResultsThe prevalence of limitations in ADL and physical examination utilization rate among older adults receiving informal care in Shandong Province were 14.12% and 72.31%, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, ADL limitations were negatively correlated with the utilization of physical examination services among older adults receiving informal care (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.87, P < 0.001), and there were gender and rural-urban differences. The association between ADL limitations and the use of physical examination was statistically significant in older women receiving informal care (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.80, P < 0.001). And only among urban older adults receiving informal care, those with ADL limitations had lower utilization of physical examination services than participants without ADL limitations (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.74, P < 0.001).ConclusionsOur study suggested that the relationship between ADL limitations and the use of physical examination among older adults receiving informal care differed by gender and urban-rural areas in Shandong, China. These findings implied that the government should provide more health resources and personalized physical examination service programs, especially to meet the differential needs of women and urban old adults receiving informal care, to contribute to the implementation of healthy aging strategies.

Spatiotemporal drought characteristics during growing seasons of the winter wheat and summer maize in the North China Plain

The North China plain (NCP) is an important production base for winter wheat and summer maize in China. Severe droughts seriously restrict agricultural production in this region, threatening food security. Based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), this study explored the spatial and temporal drought characteristics during the winter wheat and summer maize growing seasons in the region. The study found that: 1) From 1980 to 2013, the drought trend of the winter wheat growing season in the NCP has intensified, with Huang-Huai Plain agricultural area (HH_P) showing the most significant drought trend. However, the summer maize growing season has become wetter, with the Shandong hilly agricultural and forestry area (SD_Q) showing the most significant wetting trend. 2) After the year 2003, the results from Mann-Kendall trend analysis revealed that the drought trend of HH_P during the winter wheat growing season became particularly pronounced, but the wetting trend of SD_Q and HH_P during the summer maize growing season became more evident. 3) The dominant spatial patterns observed in the NCP during the growing seasons of winter wheat and summer maize were marked by a consistent distribution of drought and wetness conditions. For winter wheat, the southern regions of the foothill plain area of Yanshan and Taihang Mountains (YT_P) and the low-lying plain area of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan (JLY_P) were more sensitive to the changes of drought and wet conditions. For summer maize, SD_Q was more sensitive to the changes of the drought and wet conditions. The results of this study could provide references for the formulation of drought relief strategies of winter wheat and summer maize in the NCP.

Hydrochemical characteristics of underground fluid observation wells in Shandong

To explore the hydrochemical characteristics of underground fluid observation wells in the Shandong area, piper diagram and Na-K-Mg triangle diagram methods were used to analyze the hydrochemical types and water-rock chemistry of water samples from 18 underground fluid observation wells in the study area. The results show that the hydrochemical types of underground fluid observation wells in the Shandong area are mainly SO4·Cl-Ca·Mg type, HCO3-Na type, HCO3-Ca·Mg type, and SO4·Cl-Na type. The chemical composition of water is mainly affected by water-rock interaction, rock salt dissolution, ion exchange, and human activities. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope analysis results show that atmospheric precipitation is the main recharge source of fluid wells in this area, and deep water recharge also plays an important role in some observation wells. The research results determine the hydrogeochemical background and well water source of underground fluid wells in the Shandong area and provide the scientific basis for fluid observation environment analysis, seismic monitoring and prediction, and seismic anomaly verification in the area.

Establishment of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I reference interval for a hospitalized paediatric population under improved selection criteria in the Shandong area

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of plasma troponin I concentration and establish the 99th percentile reference for hs-cTnI in a hospitalized population without a cardiovascular discharge diagnosis from the Shandong area. Methods The hs-cTnI data of anonymous paediatric patients were collected from Qingdao University-Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital from 2016 to 2020. Indirect methods were used to calculate the hs-cTnI 99th percentile reference of the whole population and different age groups. Fitting curves and corresponding equations were displayed to determine the relationship between age and hs-cTnI level using the analysis of covariate variance. Results Hs-cTnI plasma levels were highest in the first week of life and declined with age in days. This study found significant differences in the troponin reference intervals for children in different age stratification. The serum hs-cTnI concentration decreased with age in days. In some subgroups, hs-cTnI levels between genders showed a significant difference after the analysis of covariance showed that age was the only predictor of hs-cTnI plasma levels. A non-linear relationship was observed between age and hs-cTnI levels. Thus, curvilinear fitting curve equations for each group were constructed to evaluate the possible relationship between age and hs-cTnI concentration. Conclusions During paediatric period, the highest hs-cTnI concentrations were observed in children aged &lt;1 year, especially those under 7 days. This study presented the 99th percentile cut-offs for different age groups in children aged 0–14 years, which can provide a certain reference value for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of myocardial injury in children.

Zero-Velocity Update-Based GNSS/IMU Tightly Coupled Algorithm with the Constraint of the Earth's Rotation Angular Velocity for Cableway Bracket Deformation Monitoring.

Cableways have been widely used in industrial areas, cities, and scenic spots due to their advantages, such as being a convenient mode of transportation, time-saving, labor-saving, and low cost, as well as offering environmental protection. To ensure the safe operation of a cableway, based on the characteristic that the velocity of the cableway bracket is approximately zero in a static deformation monitoring environment, a deformation monitoring method called zero velocity update (ZUPT)-based GNSS/IMU tightly coupled algorithm with the constraint of the Earth's rotation angular velocity was proposed. The proposed method can effectively solve the problem of a single GNSS being unable to output attitude, which is directly related to the status of wire ropes and cable cars. Meanwhile, ZUPT is used to restrain the Kalman filter's divergence when IMU is stationary. However, the improvements of ZUPT on attitude are not obvious, so the constraint of the Earth's rotation angular velocity was applied. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated through monitoring the cableway bracket of the Yimeng Mountain Tourism area in Shandong. Compared with the ZUPT-based GNSS/IMU tightly coupled algorithm (ZUPT-TC), the proposed method can further constrain the error accumulation of IMU while stationary and, therefore, it can provide reliable position and attitude information on cableway brackets.

Adaptive Space–Location-Weighting Function Method for High-Precision Density Inversion of Gravity Data

Underground 3D density variation can be obtained via the inversion of gravity data, which is a very important basis for structural division, oil and gas structure definition, and mineral resource evaluation. A depth-weighting function is usually introduced as a structural constraint in density inversion to solve the skin effect. We propose an adaptive space–location-weighting (ASW) function for gravity field data to improve the resolution of the inversion, which adds the position and depth information provided by the DEXP method to form a new weighting function. The weighting function is partitioned according to the horizontal distribution of the source and can effectively improve the resolution of field sources with different positions and different depths. The results of model tests have shown that the ASW function method can significantly improve the precision and resolution of density inversion results and has good noise immunity. The ASW method was applied to interpret the real gravity data of a mining area in Shandong, and we speculated potential mineralization based on the inversion results, which corresponded well with the logging results.

Drought risk assessment considering ecosystem resilience: A case study in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

Drought caused by global warming has a profound impact on the stability of terrestrial ecosystems and agricultural production. As one of the key indicators to measure the response of ecosystems to climate change, the spatial difference of ecosystem resilience will also affect the accuracy of regional drought risk assessment. In this study, the 12-month standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI-12) was used to identify drought characteristics and combined with meteorological elements to characterize drought hazard. Drought vulnerability was characterized using crop and environmental sensitivity, disaster prevention, and mitigation capacity. Specifically, ecosystem resilience was also considered in assessing vulnerability. And drought exposure was investigated by considering crop sown area and population density. Based on this, a drought risk assessment framework was constructed using the random forest algorithm and applied to the Huang-Huai-Hai (HHH) Plain, China. The results showed that: (1) approximately 66.34 % of the HHH Plain had a drought hazard level above moderate; among them, southern Hebei, northern Anhui, northern Henan, and scattered small areas in Shandong were extreme high hazard areas. (2) The northeast Anhui, central and southern Shandong, and northeast Jiangsu were extreme high drought vulnerability areas, accounting for 10.34% of the total area. (3) The drought risk in the HHH Plain was low in the south and north, and high in the center. Among these, the drought risk in the border regions of Shandong and Anhui, the northeast part of Jiangsu, as well as central Henan were extreme high, accounting for 11.23%. (4) The drought risk assessment framework constructed by considering ecosystem resilience was more suitable for HHH Plain. This study result could provide scientific reference for managing water resources and preventing drought.

Morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of floating and attached Ulva prolifera––A case study in the Yellow Sea, China

Green tides in the Yellow Sea have occurred periodically since 2007, impacting the ecological environment and green algal communities along the coasts of Jiangsu and Shandong provinces in China. To investigate the morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of Ulva prolifera, we conducted surveys and comparative analyses of both its floating and attached forms along the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Shandong. The results revealed that the external morphology of the floating U. prolifera was multibranched. The attached U. prolifera displayed significant morphological variation among individuals. Based on the analysis of the amplified characteristic bands of the chloroplast gene, it was shown that both floating and attached U. prolifera could hybridize with Ulva linza. The genetic diversity of U. prolifera was studied using mitochondrial and chloroplast genome fragments. All floating U. prolifera and three strains of attached U. prolifera belonged to the same haplotype. The genetic diversity of floating U. prolifera was low, and there were some genetic differences with attached U. prolifera. The attached U. prolifera displayed a higher level of genetic diversity with abundant sites of variation and haplotypes.

Excessive dietary sodium intake augments long-term risk of atrial fibrillation in older adults with hyperglycemia: A community-based prospective cohort study

AimStudies investigating the association between sodium intake and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) have come to controversial results. This study aimed to assess the effect of excessive sodium intake on new-onset AF in individuals with hyperglycemia. MethodsBetween April 2007 and November 2011, 2841 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years and older were recruited from the Shandong area, China. Dietary sodium intake was estimated using 24-hour urine collection within seven consecutive days. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were assessed. New-onset AF was diagnosed using ICD-10 with codes I48 (I48.0 – I48.9) during follow-up. ResultsThe findings were that excessive sodium intake significantly and independently increased the risk of new-onset AF in older adults with hyperglycemia: hazard ratio (HR) 1.525 [95% confidence interval 1.147;2.029] adjusted P = 0.004. The risk of new-onset AF increased by 29.3% (HR 1.293 [1.108;1.509] adjusted P = 0.001) with a one-standard deviation increase in sodium intake. Excessive sodium intake synergistically interacted with hyperglycemia on the increased risk of new-onset AF (HR 1.599 [1.342;1.905] adjusted P < 0.001 for FPG and HR 1.516 [1.271;1.808] adjusted P < 0.001 for HbA1c). ConclusionOur findings indicate that excessive sodium intake independently enhances the risk of new-onset AF among patients with hyperglycemia. A sodium-restricted diet may perhaps result in a multiplier effect on reducing the risk of new-onset AF.