Geographic Center Research Articles

Microbial risk assessment for underground hydrogen storage in porous rocks

Geological hydrogen storage, e.g. in depleted gas fields (DGF), can overcome imbalances between supply and demand in the renewable energy sector and facilitate the transition to a low carbon emissions society. A range of subsurface microorganisms utilise hydrogen, which may have important implications for hydrogen recovery, clogging and corrosion. We gathered temperature and salinity data for 75 DGF on the UK continental shelf and mapped their suitability for hydrogen storage in terms of the risk of adverse microbial effects, based on a novel collection of microbial growth constraints. Data on wind and solar operational capacities as well as offshore gas and condensate pipeline infrastructure were overlaid on the microbial risk categorization to optimize geographical centers of green hydrogen production, transport infrastructure and underground storage. We recommend storing hydrogen in 9 DGF that are at no microbial risk due to temperatures > 122 °C, or in the 35 low-risk DGF with temperatures > 90 °C. We recommend against utilising high-risk DGF with temperatures < 55 °C (9 DGF). Alignment with centers for renewable energy production and out-of-use pipelines suitable for repurposing to transport hydrogen suggests that no-risk and low-risk DGF in the Southern North Sea are the most suitable candidates for hydrogen storage. Our results advise site selection choices in geological hydrogen storage in the UK. Our methodology is applicable to any underground porous rock system globally.

DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF TREMATODES IN A LARGE SETTLEMENT OF THE PONTO-AZOV MOLLUSK LITHOGLYPHUS NATICOIDES (C. PFEIFFER 1828) (GASTROPODA, HYDROBIIDAE) FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF THE UGLICH RESERVOIR (UPPER VOLGA BASIN)

The Ponto-Azov gastropod mollusk Lithoglyphus naticoides (C. Pfeiffer, 1828) naturalized in the Uglich Reservoir relatively recently (in 2013-2015). The main objective of this study is a comparative analysis of the species diversity and structure of trematode communities in different biotopes, occupied by L. naticoides after the initial phase of its spread in the upper section of this water body (downstream the city of Dubna), characterized by a complex hydrological regime. Approximate coordinates of the geographical center of the large settlement of L. naticoides are 56°53ʹN, 37°25ʹE. It is found that by 2019-2021 the average density of L. naticoides in this settlement reached a consistently high value of about 450 ind./m2. Judging by the variability of shell height in adult mature L. naticoides individuals, even within the same settlement, optimum habitat conditions for this mollusk differ significantly in different biotopes. In a comparative aspect, data from two main hydrobiological sampling locations are considered: in the open part of the reservoir and at the mouth of a large tributary - the Dubna River. It is shown that at both locations the species composition of trematodes in L. naticoides is similar and includes, in particular, parthenitae of Apophallus muehlingi (Jägerskiöld, 1899), Apophallus (= Rossicotrema ) donicus (Skrjabin et Lindtrop, 1919), Parasymphylodora markewitschi Kulakowskaja, 1947, Nicolla skrjabini (Iwanitzky, 1928). However, Sanguinicola volgensis (Razin, 1929) parthenitae, dominant in L. naticoides in the open part of the reservoir, is not found in the sample of mollusks from the mouth of the Dubna River. As compared to the sampling site in the open part of the reservoir, at the mouth of the Dubna River the level of infection with parthenitae of other species is significantly lower: N. skrjabini and P. markewitschi - 7 times, Apophallus spp. - 8 times, Xiphidiocercaria sp. - 13 times. The ratio of males to females among mature individuals of L. naticoides turns out to be close to 1:1, which is usual for many freshwater mollusks. In general, the high occurrence (the infection prevalence - the proportion of infected individuals in the host sample P±SE, %) in the open part of the reservoir indicates the presence of prerequisites for serious outbreaks of helminthoses: Xiphidiocercaria sp. (9.16±2.52%), Apophallus spp. (11.45±2.78%), P. markewitschi (7.63±2.32%), N. skrjabini (7.63±2.32%), S. volgensis (63.36±4.21%). At the same time, according to the data obtained, further spread of L. naticoides in some tributaries of reservoirs in the Upper Volga basin may not have such serious parasitological consequences.

Phylogeography of 912 Cherry Accessions Insight into Independent Origins of Fruiting Cherries and Domestication Footprints of Cultivated Chinese Cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus Lindl.).

The subgenus Cerasus (Rosaceae) contain numerous fruit trees and ornamentals with high economic values. The origin and genetic divergence among various types of fruiting cherries always remain a perplexing issue. We employed three plastom fragments and ITS sequence matrices derived from 912 cherry accessions to elucidate the phylogeographic structure and genetic relationship among fruiting cherries, as well as the origin and domestication of cultivated Chinese cherry. The integration of haplotype genealogies, Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) approach and estimation of genetic differentiation within and between different groups and lineages has facilitated the resolution of several previously unresolved questions. Firstly, distant phylogenetic relationships between Cerasus and Microcerasus accessions, as indicated by both nuclear and chloroplast data, suggested independent origins and evolution for these two taxa. Moreover, two distinct geographic origin centers (Europe and China) have been confirmed, with significant phylogeographic signals and high genetic differentiation observed between cherries from these regions. This may be attributed to long-term geographic isolation caused by Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. Our phylogeographic analyses and ABC analysis suggested that cherries inhabiting in China may have undergone multiple hybridization events during the glacial refugia of the eastern edge and southern Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains, followed by rapid radiation throughout their current habitats during interglacial period. The discrepancy between nuclear and chloroplast data may be attributed to hybridization events and incomplete lineage sorting. Furthermore, we speculated that the domesticated Chinese cherries were derived from wild accessions in Longmenshan Fault Zones approximately 2600 years ago. We have also traced the domestication processes and dispersal routes of cultivated Chinese cherries.

Тема «русского мира» в памятниках эпохи становления Московского государства

The concept of the “Russian world” has been actualized at present due to the recent geopolitical events but its origins are found already in the early specimens of the Old Russian texts. Gradually, the theme of the “Russian world” became prominent in the Russian literature. It is specifically expressed in the monuments that tell us about the crucial moments in the history of Russia as they also focus on the historical destiny of the state. The theme of the “Russian world” in the texts of the XIV–XV centuries becomes acute because of the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo and the idea of unification of the Russian state under the leadership of Moscow. The Russian world in the monuments of that period is a specific civilizational space, the geographical centre of which is transferred from Kiev to Moscow.&#x0D; The image of a strong ruler, the leader of the Russian world, is idealized in the literature. Dmitry Donskoy appears in the texts as such a ruler. The literary texts of the XIV–XV centuries describe a particular person who serves the Fatherland. In the Zadonshchina and the Tale of Mamai’s Debacle, the idea of the unity of the entire Russian world against the enemy comes to the fore and is reflected in the spatial organization of texts, the all-Russian geography, the juxtaposition of time layers which testifies to the commonality of history and succession of generations, and in the appearance of the motive of sacrifice for the peaceful future. In the Song about the Life of &lt;…&gt; Dmitry Donskoy, the Duke is a successor of his great ancestors who possesses high moral and spiritual qualities, which, in the author’s understanding, a true person of the Russian world should possess. The Life of Sergius of Radonezh focuses on the spiritual protection of the Saint over Russia and his significant role in uniting the Russian lands. The Three Messages &lt;…&gt;. of Kirill Belozersky contains proposals for the arrangement of the renewed Russian world. With help of the monuments, we can distinguish characteristic features of the Russian world: the commonality of history, the independence of the state, the Christianity, fortitude, courage, and sacrifice in the name of the Fatherland.

Genetic Characterization of the Norwegian Apple Collection

Commercial fruit production in Norway is located at around latitude 60° north, demanding a careful choice of adapted cultivars. The most comprehensive collection of apple genetic resources in Norway is being kept in the Norwegian Apple Collection (NAC) at the Njøs Fruit and Berry Centre (NJØS). The collection contains around 350 accessions and was recently genotyped with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Curated SNP data were used for the assessment of structure and diversity, pedigree confirmation, and core collection development. In the following SNP analysis, we identified several duplicates and parent-child relationships. Across the geographic regions represented, the collection was equally diverse. Different methods for analyzing population structure were applied. K-means clustering and a Bayesian modeling approach with prior assumptions of the data revealed five subpopulations associated with geographic breeding centers. The collection has a distinct genetic structure and low relatedness among the accessions; hence, two core collections with 100 accessions in each were created. These new core collections will allow breeders and researchers to use the NAC efficiently. The results from this study suggest that several of the accessions in the Norwegian Apple Collection could be of high importance for breeding purposes.

Potential distribution of two economic laver species-Neoporphyra haitanensis and Neopyropia yezoensis under climate change based on MaxEnt prediction and phylogeographic profiling

Climate change is altering geographic and phylogeographic distribution of macroalgae, laying great impacts on their conservation and sustainable utilization. The potential distribution of two dominant cultured seaweeds-Neoporphyra haitanensis and Neopyropia yezoensis was predicted under present and three representative concentration pathways (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 8.5) for 2050 s using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.998 forN. haitanensis and 0.992 for N. yezoensis, indicating high modelling accuracy. Sea surface temperature contributed mainly to the models. In addition to the predominant distribution in their native habitats in Northwest Pacific, high suitability along the east coast of North America and trans-hemispheric distribution was predicted for both species. In 2050 s, high-latitudinal and offshore expansion was observed, increasing over the present distribution area by 10.75%∼26.13% for N. haitanensis and 18.97%∼26.48% for N. yezoensis. Current geographic distribution centroid of N. yezoensis was located in Seocheon and the centroid shifted northeastward to the Sea of Japan in 2050 s. The most specific haplotypes or high genetic variations (based on chloroplast rbcL sequences) were identified in both regions. Current and future centroids of N. haitanensis were located in East China Sea, where the highest genetic diversity was identified. The overall haplotype and nucleotide diversity of both species was at low levels while the haplotype distribution showed spacial heterogeneity, more diversified at the convergence zones of warm and cold ocean currents. The overlapping between N. yezoensis and N. haitanensis geographic distribution centers and species’ genetic diversity hotspots implied their ability to adapt to future climate change. These findings provided vital information for conservation and sustainable utilization of these important intertidal seaweeds to address the global climate challenges.

Paper Bullets: Two Women Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis Jeffrey H Jackson

Until the publication of the English-language translation of Michael Löwy’s L’Étoile du matin (Morning Star) by the University of Texas Press in 2009, the remarkable story of the Second World War resistance activities of Claude Cahun—the gender-bending writer/photographer/montage artist with ties to Surrealism—was unknown to English-speaking audiences. Now Löwy’s story has been considerably fleshed out and told by historian Jeffrey H. Jackson in a beautifully written and carefully researched book that reads like a novel. The book is also a love story. One of the most admirable aspects of this book is the balance Jackson maintains between Cahun (born Lucy Schwob) and her1 lifelong partner Marcel Moore (born Suzanne Malherbe). Cahun is the more famous, but as the author points out, Moore was the one operating the camera in all of Cahun’s self-portraits; she also contributed art and photomontage to Cahun’s published writings. The two met as children in Nantes and were the daughters of influential and prosperous families. Lucy’s father was the Jewish newspaper owner and publisher Maurice Schwob; Suzanne was born the daughter of a Catholic doctor. In their teens, their friendship blossomed into love; by a twist of fate, they also became step-sisters when Cahun’s father married Moore’s mother. In 1920 they moved to Paris where they quickly became part of the literary and artistic avant-garde whose geographical center was the Left Bank and Montparnasse where they used their adopted names, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. They also frequently visited their family vacation retreat on the Isle of Jersey, whose peaceful setting was helpful to Cahun’s poor health. In April 1937, as war approached, the pair moved there permanently, only to be caught up in the Nazi occupation of the island in 1940.

Spatiotemporal Relationship between Ecological Restoration Space and Ecosystem Services in the Yellow River Basin, China

Ecological restoration is an important implement to avoid land degradation and improve the sustainability of ecosystems. As a spatial definition of ecological restoration, ecological restoration space (ERS) is recognized to have a positive impact on the environment. However, its spatiotemporal pattern and magnitude of contribution to ecosystem services (ESs) remain uncertain. In this study, an ecological restoration trajectories model was developed to investigate the spatiotemporal pattern and evolution of ERS. The InVEST model and geographically weighted regression were used to evaluate the dynamic relationship between ERS and crucial ESs. Results demonstrated that from 1990 to 2015, the cumulative area of ERS in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) was 184,197.05 km2, with Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Shaanxi having the largest distribution. The change in geographical center of three subcategories, forest restoration space (FRS), grassland restoration space (GRS), and shrub restoration space (SRS), showed a pronounced geographical migration. Meanwhile, the distribution of ERS significantly improved the conditions of habitat quality (HQ), carbon storage (CS), and soil conservation (SC) on 75.48%, 71.86%, and 56.75% of the grids, respectively. This study provides a scientific foundation for the ecosystem conservation and land management of the YRB.

Imagining Supremacy

Imagining Supremacy Wilfred Reilly (bio) In Imagining the Heartland: White Supremacy and the American Midwest, authors Britt E. Halvorson and Joshua Reno do something fascinating: use contemporary academic theory to render the answer to a rather simple question almost incomprehensible. Imagining the Heartland—a dense and often quite well-written text—is focused on one core question: why is the American Midwest seen as it is? The authors argue that the midwestern region of the U.S. is often seen and presented as a sort of idealized, mostly-White heartland of the country. Empirically speaking, this claim seems to have three component prongs: that the Midwest is depicted as very White in population terms (13, 18, 44); that it is described as a sort of pioneer-settled American core; and that it is viewed as an agrarian region (22–24), often in contrast to giant ant-hill cities which may be seen as decadent, over-civilized, and perhaps not truly American. One immediate and obvious observation is that the reason citizens believe most of these things is that they are true.1 Five minutes of research reveals that the Midwest, generally defined as containing the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, is by far the whitest large region of the U.S.2 Iowa, perhaps the archetypal Midwest state, was 84.1% White (and only 4.3% Black) as of the 2020 census.3 Typical "Plains Midwest" state North Dakota is 83.2% White today—down from 90%—with the largest number of racial minorities being Native Americans and people who are half White, and African Americans making up 3.5% of the population. And so forth. Even states like Wisconsin, which is home to the good-sized and diverse city of Milwaukee, do not disrupt the mold: the Badger [End Page 157] State is 80.2% non-Hispanic White as of 2020, with Blacks stable at 6.8% of the population. Not to belabor this point, but the most diverse Midwestern state is probably my own heimat of Illinois, which was 60.0% White, 14.7% Black, and 18.0% Hispanic or Latino. In contrast, the most racially diverse mainland U.S. state is California, which is just 35.2% non-Hispanic White. Against virtually any other region, the Midwest is seen as "heavily White" because it is. Similarly, the Midwest is seen as a pioneer-settled national core because it was exactly that. The midwestern states fall in almost the exact geographic center of the United States: the current population/demographic center of the country is located in central Missouri.4 In cartographic terms, our actual geographic center is Lebanon, Kansas.5 The Midwest and Great Plains were the primary areas settled under the pioneer-driving Homestead Act, which was focused specifically on "opening up" the middle of the North American continent to western agriculture and development.6 Along these same lines, the primary reason the Midwest is seen as agrarian is that much of it IS. Even today, the region has both "the greatest number of farm operations and farmland acres operated in the nation," and contains fully 36% of the 2,042,220 working farm operations in the United States.7 The next-highest performing American agricultural region, the Southeast, comes in at 20%—and the drop is sharp from there. Things used to be still more rustic in my home zone, with even Halvorson and Reno (22) noting that 53% of all residents of Wisconsin were farmers in the fairly typical historical year of 1850. A logical extrapolation from all of this uncontested data might be that American writers and artists have largely seen the Midwest as it is, or at least in terms of its more prominent distinguishing characteristics—albeit while employing the same slight romanticization used to present all New England as Protestant and stoic, or la belle Nouvelle Orleans as a boozy Disneyland for adults. Even to the extent that this largely White and agrarian region is seen as a nostalgic reminder of an America past—and, today, it is presented at least as often as the failing and opiate-addled...

Evaluation of focal adhesion mediated subcellular curvature sensing in response to engineered extracellular matrix.

Fibril curvature is bioinstructive to attached cells. Similar to natural healthy tissues, an engineered extracellular matrix can be designed to stimulate cells to adopt desired phenotypes. To take full advantage of the curvature control in biomaterial fabrication methodologies, an understanding of the response to fibril subcellular curvature is required. In this work, we examined morphology, signaling, and function of human cells attached to electrospun nanofibers. We controlled curvature across an order of magnitude using nondegradable poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) attached to a stiff substrate with flat PMMA as a control. Focal adhesion length and the distance of maximum intensity from the geographic center of the vinculin positive focal adhesion both peaked at a fiber curvature of 2.5 μm-1 (both ∼2× the flat surface control). Vinculin experienced slightly less tension when attached to nanofiber substrates. Vinculin expression was also more affected by a subcellular curvature than structural proteins α-tubulin or α-actinin. Among the phosphorylation sites we examined (FAK397, 576/577, 925, and Src416), FAK925 exhibited the most dependance on the nanofiber curvature. A RhoA/ROCK dependance of migration velocity across curvatures combined with an observation of cell membrane wrapping around nanofibers suggested a hybrid of migration modes for cells attached to fibers as has been observed in 3D matrices. Careful selection of nanofiber curvature for regenerative engineering scaffolds and substrates used to study cell biology is required to maximize the potential of these techniques for scientific exploration and ultimately improvement of human health.

Evolution of the periphery of a self-organized road network

Urban roads are geographical planar networks, making their growth patterns constrained over the available physical space. In this work, we quantify the center (core)-periphery structure of an urban road system based on the betweenness centrality of the nodes, and then measure their spread over the evolution of the urban zone. Using corrected and georeferenced historical maps of Manila, Philippines, we observe temporal invariance of the betweenness centrality distributions, along with the preponderance of comparable-betweenness node connections, both of which signify the preservation of the planarity of the network. Despite the geographical expansion of the road network, we observe topologically peripheral nodes in the geographical center for all the map periods considered, signifying the presence and growth of dendritic dead-ends which may ultimately affect the traffic flow. The shortest paths among the topological periphery shows an evolution towards a homogenized, grid-like structure for the entire network. Understanding peripheral connections, not only for planar networks but also for other complex networked entities, may hint at the efficiency of transport within the system, as these peripheral nodes represent the least “important” sites in the network.

조선 후기 화이론(華夷論)의 전개와 중화관의 충돌

The primary goal of late Joseon intellectuals was to establish the identity of “Joseon Chunghwa” and fill the void left by the fallen Ming dynasty in China. However, this proved to be a challenging task for the kingdom located outside mainland China. Despite the efforts of the literati to bridge the gap between Joseon culture and the ideal Chunghwa by aligning its rites and institutions, the differences in geography and customs between the idealized China and Korea were evident.BRIn an attempt to provide concrete evidence of Korean Chunghwa, some intellectuals tried to prove that the Korean peninsula shared the geographical characteristics of mainland China. This trend in Korean geography and history was part of the larger effort to support the idea of Korean Chunghwa in late Joseon. However, when Western knowledge of the round earth was introduced and the belief in the geographic center of China was challenged, the idea of geographical-based Korean Chunghwa also faltered.BRAn alternative approach was the moral-based one. The idea was that if a society’s agents could reach their full ethical potential, then it would achieve cultural Chunghwa. Local customs and institutions were undeniable in Korea, but ethical behaviors could reach a universal value not limited by temporal or regional conditions. The Nakron school, which developed its theoretical position to subdivide the process of moral agency and expand the range of agents, especially advocated that the universal merit of reason and the human mind could be the basis for Chunghwa.BRHowever, the idea was met with controversy when applied to Qing China, as Qing could been also recognized as the rightful Chunghwa in the same way, which was highly opposed by Joseon literati. is disagreement is exemplified by the controversy surrounding Hong Daeyong, who rejected the geographical-based idea of Chunghwa in favor of the cultural one, causing conict among his friends and colleagues.

Effects of range and niche position on the population dynamics of a tropical plant.

The center-periphery hypothesis predicts a decline in population performance toward the periphery of a species' range, reflecting an alteration of environmental conditions at range periphery. However, the rare demographic tests of this hypothesis failed to disentangle the role of geography from that of ecological niche and are biased toward temperate regions. We hypothesized that, because species are expected to experience optimal abiotic conditions at their climatic niche center, (1) central populations will have better demographic growth, survival, and fertility than peripheral populations. As a result, (2) central populations are expected to have higher growth rates than peripheral populations. Peripheral populations are expected to decline, thus limiting species range expansion beyond these boundaries. Because peripheral populations are expected to be in harsh environmental conditions, (3) population growth rate will be more sensitive to perturbation of survival-growth rather than fertility in peripheral populations. Finally, we hypothesized that (4) soils properties will drive the variations in population growth rates for narrowly distributed species for which small scale ecological factors could outweigh landscape level drivers. To test these hypotheses, we studied the demography of Thunbergia atacorensis (Acanthaceae), a range-limited herb in West Africa. We collected three years of demographic data to parameterize an integral projection model (IPM) and estimated population level demographic statistics. Demographic vital rates and population growth rates did not change significantly with distance from geographic or climatic center, contrary to predictions. However, populations at the center of the geographic range were demographically more resilient to perturbation than those at the periphery. Soil nitrogen was the main driver of population growth rate variation. The relative influence of survival-growth on population growth rates exceeded that of fertility at the geographic range center while we observed the opposite pattern for climatic niche. Our study highlights the importance of local scale processes in shaping the dynamics and distribution of range-limited species. Our findings also suggest that the distinction between geographic distribution and climatic niche is important for a robust demographic test of the center-periphery hypothesis.

Climate change and health risks in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya – knowledge, attitudes and practices among residents

BackgroundResidents of informal settlements in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of inhabitants of informal settlements in SSA regarding climate change and its health impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate how inhabitants of an informal settlement in SSA experience climate change and its health impacts and assess related knowledge, attitudes and practices. The study was conducted in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi City County, Kenya.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2021 using a structured, semi-closed KAP questionnaire. Inclusion criteria were ≥ 18 years of age and living in one of the three main sections in Mukuru: Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben or Viwandani. By spinning a pen at the geographic centre of each section, a random direction was selected. Then, in every second household one individual was interviewed, creating a representative mix of ages and genders of the local community. To assess participant characteristics associated with climate change knowledge multivariable logistic regression was used. Thematic content analysis was performed for qualitative responses.ResultsOut of 402 study participants, 76.4% (n = 307) had heard of climate change before the interview, 90.8% (n = 365) reported that climate change was affecting their community, and 92.6% (n = 372) were concerned with the health-related impact of climate change. Having lived in Mukuru for more than 10 years and living in a dwelling close to the riverside were factors significantly associated with having heard of climate change before (aOR 3.1, 95%CI 1.7 – 5.8 and aOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.1 – 6.1, respectively) and experiencing a climate change related impact on the community (aOR 10.7, 95%CI 4.0 – 28.4 and aOR 7.7; 95%CI 1.7 – 34.0, respectively). Chronic respiratory conditions, vector-borne diseases, including infectious diarrhoea, malnutrition and cardiovascular diseases were identified by respondents as climate related health risks.ConclusionsMost respondents were knowledgeable about climate change and were experiencing its (health-related) impact on their community. This study provides insights which may prove useful for policy makers, intervention planners and researchers to work on locally adapted mitigation and adaption strategies.

Differences in physiological and biochemical responses to short-term flooding among the three avocado (Persea americana Mill.) races

Avocado (P. americana Mill.) trees are classified into three botanical races, Mexican (M), Guatemalan (G), and West Indian (WI), each distinguished by their geographical centers of origin. While avocados are considered highly sensitive to flooding stress, comparative responses of the different races to short-term flooding are not known. This study assessed the differences in physiological and biochemical responses among clonal, non-grafted avocado cultivars of each race to short-term (2–3 days) flooding. In two separate experiments, each with different cultivars of each race, container-grown trees were divided into two treatments: 1) flooded and 2) non-flooded. Net CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration (Tr) were measured periodically over time beginning the day before treatments were imposed, through the flooding period, and during a recovery period (after unflooding). At the end of the experiments, concentrations of sugars in leaves, stems, and roots, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidants, and osmolytes in leaves and roots were determined. Guatemalan trees were more sensitive to short-term flooding than M or WI trees based on decreased A, gs, and Tr and survival of flooded trees. Guatemalan trees generally had less partitioning of sugars, particularly mannoheptulose, to the roots of flooded compared to non-flooded trees. Principal component analysis showed distinct clustering of flooded trees by race based on ROS and antioxidant profiles. Thus, differential partitioning of sugars and ROS and antioxidant responses to flooding among races may explain the greater flooding sensitivity of G trees compared to M and WI trees.

Urban Surface Ozone Concentration in Mainland China during 2015-2020: Spatial Clustering and Temporal Dynamics.

Urban ozone (O3) pollution in the atmosphere has become increasingly prominent on a national scale in mainland China, although the atmospheric particulate matter pollution has been significantly reduced in recent years. The clustering and dynamic variation characteristics of the O3 concentrations in cities across the country, however, have not been accurately explored at relevant spatiotemporal scales. In this study, a standard deviational ellipse analysis and multiscale geographically weighted regression models were applied to explore the migration process and influencing factors of O3 pollution based on measured data from urban monitoring sites in mainland China. The results suggested that the urban O3 concentration in mainland China reached its peak in 2018, and the annual O3 concentration reached 157 ± 27 μg/m3 from 2015 to 2020. On the scale of the whole Chinese mainland, the distribution of O3 exhibited spatial dependence and aggregation. On the regional scale, the areas of high O3 concentrations were mainly concentrated in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, and other regions. In addition, the standard deviation ellipse of the urban O3 concentration covered the entire eastern part of mainland China. Overall, the geographic center of ozone pollution has a tendency to move to the south with the time variation. The interaction between sunshine hours and other factors (precipitation, NO2, DEM, SO2, PM2.5) significantly affected the variation of urban O3 concentration. In Southwest China, Northwest China, and Central China, the suppression effect of vegetation on local O3 was more obvious than that in other regions. Therefore, this study clarified for the first time the migration path of the gravity center of the urban O3 pollution and identified the key areas for the prevention and control of O3 pollution in mainland China.

The impact of geographic location versus center practice on center volume in liver transplantation after the acuity circle policy.

The allocation system for livers used the acuity circles (AC) beginning in 2020. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effect of the AC policy on center transplant volumes, from geographic and center practice perspectives. Using the US national registry data between 2018 and 2022, adult liver transplantations (LTs) were separated into two eras: before AC and after AC. The number of LT for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores ≥29 have significantly increased by 10%, and waitlist times for those patients have been significantly shorter after AC. These benefits were not found in patients with MELD scores<29. The geographic distribution of transplant centers reveals that the majority of centers which increased their transplant volume (18 out of 25 centers) are located in high-population states while there are seven transplant centers in nonhigh-population states. The centers in the nonhigh-population states utilized more marginal donation after brain death (DBD) and donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors by 27% and 155%, respectively. MELD scores were significantly lower in the nonhigh-population states compared with those in the high-population states (p<.01). AC improved the LT access for patients with MELD scores ≥29, which benefited the high-population states. However, aggressive center practices to utilize marginal DBD and DCD donors were able to increase transplant volume and lower median allocation MELD scores.

Imaging the magmatic plumbing of the Clear Lake Volcanic Field using 3-D gravity inversions

The Quaternary Clear Lake Volcanic Field (CLVF) in the Northern California Coast Range is the youngest of a string of northward-younging volcanic centers in the state. The CLVF is located within the broad San Andreas Transform Fault System and has been active intermittently for ∼2 million years. Heat beneath the CLVF supports The Geysers, one of the largest producing geothermal fields in the world.Previous geophysical studies proposed the existence of a magma reservoir beneath Mount Hannah, which is northeast of The Geysers, near the geographic center of the CLVF. The lateral extent, depth, and presence of melt within this reservoir are poorly constrained, as is the relationship between this body and the broader magmatic plumbing of the CLVF. To gain a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the CLVF magma source region, a gravity dataset was compiled and the first 3-D gravity inversions of the CLVF were completed.Field and synthetic model inversions from the current study both indicate that the gravity low roughly centered on Mount Hannah is not accurately explained by a 5–7 km thick lens of Mesozoic Great Valley Sequence (ρ=2.58g/cm3) as proposed by Stanley et al. (1998). The observed gravity low is more accurately described by one or more silicic, partial melt bodies between The Geysers and Mount Hannah. Although our inversions cannot constrain the exact depth and geometry of these bodies, the recovered models indicate the existence of a partial melt zone between 6 and 13 km depth.The prolonged eruption history of the CLVF, coupled with the compositional variation of erupted rocks over time and space, is consistent with the existence of several, potentially ephemeral, melt-bearing bodies as opposed to one large melt body. Given the density and location of the recovered anomaly, rhyolite-MELTS thermodynamic modeling suggests the existence of 10–30% rhyodacitic melt within the proposed silicic magma reservoir at about 700 °C and 8 km depth (210 MPa). Independent petrologic, geochemical, and seismic evidence indicates that this silicic partial melt zone is underlain by basaltic melt in the lower to middle crust (13 to 21 km depth), which is fed by a mantle source.Eruptions in the past ∼8.5–13.5 thousand years; high regional heat flow; 3He enrichment of hydrothermal fluids; and our modeling, which suggests the presence of a mid-crustal, silicic partial melt zone, point to a still-active CLVF. The relatively low estimates of partial melt (10–30%) predicted by thermodynamic modeling indicates that an injection of new magma into the imaged partial melt zone is needed to generate sufficient melt to incite future eruptions. Despite the low percent melt estimates within the proposed silicic partial melt zone the potential for future volcanic eruption remains. Due to the proximity of the CLVF to cities surrounding Clear Lake and the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, continued research and monitoring of the volcanic field are warranted. The geophysical and petrologic modeling presented here improves our understanding of the CLVF magma plumbing system and allows us to better characterize its associated volcanic hazards.

CONTEMPLATION ABOUT THE KAABA’S HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, AND DECORATIONS IN THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES OF ISLAM

The Kaaba is the first temple of the world according to the Islamic belief. It is the qibla, where Muslims face individually or as a group in prayer and the international meeting place where they meet as an ummah during pilgrimage. In the historical process, it has played a role as a geographical, cultural, economic and political center as well as a religious center. In Islamic historical literature, it is stated that this temple is as old as the universe, and that the Kaaba was constructed thirteen times from the creation of the universe to the present day. Although each construction of the holy temple has very important and special contents, the characteristics of Prophet Abraham, Quraysh, Ibn al-Zubayr, al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf, and Murad IV's constructions of the Kaaba are more remarkable. In our study, the reasons, the processes and the results of these five constructions are examined. The history, the architecture and the decorations of the Kaaba, especially in the first three centuries of Islamic history, will be the main themes of our article.

The availability and distribution of vaping retailers across Ontario neighbourhoods, 2016-2019.

To characterize the distribution of vaping retailers and examine the association between neighbourhood income and vaping retailer availability in Ontario prior to and afterregulatory changes to the vaping market in 2018. We quantified vaping access by number of vaping retailers for 19,964 dissemination areas (DAs) in Ontario and percentage of schools near a vaping retailer. We used mixed-effects regression models to examine the associations between vaping access and neighbourhood income in 2018 and 2019. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of vaping retailers in Ontario increased by 22.6% (5999 to 7355), despite a mild drop from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, 59.7% of urban neighbourhoods had one or more vaping retailers within 1000 m of their geographic centre, and 79.4% of elementary, 82.8% of secondary, and 84.2% of post-secondary schools had at least one within 1000 m. Neighbourhood income was associated with access to vaping retailers, with a greater number in low-income regions. In 2019, neighbourhoods in the lowest income quintile had over twice the number of vaping retailers per capita within 1000 m compared to the highest income quintile (adjusted incidence rate ratio 2.40; 95% CI 2.24-2.58). Increases over time in access to vaping retailers did not differ by geographic region, neighbourhood income quintile, or school type. We observed a substantial increase in access to vaping retailers in Ontario including proximity to elementary and secondary schools following the 2018 provincial marketing regulations and federal nicotine regulations. Access to vaping was greatest in low-income neighbourhoods and may contribute to established inequities in vaping-related adverse events.