Shangri-La Region Research Articles

What makes terroir unique? Wine, body techniques, and agricultural modernisation in the Shangri-La region of China

What makes terroir unique? Wine, body techniques, and agricultural modernisation in the Shangri-La region of China

Assessing the risk of E. coli contamination from manure application in Chinese farmland by integrating machine learning and Phydrus

This study aims to present a comprehensive study on the risks associated with the residual presence and transport of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in soil following the application of livestock manure in Chinese farmlands by integrating machine learning algorithms with mechanism-based models (Phydrus). We initially review 28 published papers to gather data on E. coli's die-off and attachment characteristics in soil. Machine learning models, including deep learning and gradient boosting machine, are employed to predict key parameters such as the die-off rate of E. coli and first-order attachment coefficient in soil. Then, Phydrus was used to simulate E. coli transport and survival in 23692 subregions in China. The model considered regional differences in E. coli residual risk and transport, influenced by soil properties, soil depths, precipitation, seasonal variations, and regional disparities. The findings indicate higher residual risks in regions such as the Northeast China, Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and pronounced transport risks in the fringe of the Sichuan Basin fringe, the Loess Plateau, the North China Plain, the Northeast Plain, the Shigatse Basin, and the Shangri-La region. The study also demonstrates a significant reduction in both residual and transport risks one month after manure application, highlighting the importance of timing manure application and implementing region-specific standards. This research contributes to the broader understanding of pathogen behavior in agricultural soils and offers practical guidelines for managing the risks associated with manure use. This study's comprehensive method offers a potentially valuable tool for evaluating microbial contaminants in agricultural soils across the globe.

Dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal reagent for in situ chiral analyses of organic molecules on Titan with the Dragonfly mass spectrometer space instrument (Dragonfly mission)

Thanks to the Cassini-Huygens space mission between 2004 and 2017, a lot was learned about Titan, the biggest satellite of Saturn, and its intriguing atmosphere, surface, and organic chemistry complexity. However, key questions about the potential for the atmosphere and surface chemistry to produce organic molecules of direct interest for prebiotic chemistry and life did not find an answer. Due to Titan potential as a habitable world, NASA selected the Dragonfly space mission to be launched in 2027 to Titan's surface and explore the Shangri-La surface region for minimum 3 years. One of the main goals of this mission will be to understand the past and actual abundant prebiotic chemistry on Titan, especially using the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS). Two recently used sample pre-treatments for Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS mode of DraMS) analyses are planned prior analysis to extract refractory organic molecules of interest for prebiotic chemistry and astrobiology. The dimethylformamide dimethylacetal (DMF-DMA) derivatization reaction offers undoubtedly an opportunity to detect biosignatures by volatilizing refractory biological or prebiotic molecules and conserving the chiral carbons’ conformation while an enantiomeric excess indicates a chemical feature induced primarily by life (and may be aided on the primitive systems by light polarization). The goal of this study is to investigate the ageing of DMF-DMA in DraMS (and likely MOMA) capsules prior to in situ analysis on Titan (or Mars). The main results highlighted by our work on DMF-DMA are first its satisfactory stability for space requirements through time (no significant degradation over a year of storage and less than 30 % of lost under thermal stress) to a wide range of temperature (0 °C to 250 °C), or the presence of water and oxidants during the derivatization reaction (between 0 and 10 % of DMF-DMA degradation). Moreover, this reagent derivatized very well amines and carboxylic acids in high or trace amounts (ppt to hundreds of ppm), conserving their molecular conformation during the heat at 145 °C for 3 min (0 to 4% in the enantiomeric form change).

Evaluation of the interference of Tenax®TA adsorbent with dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal reagent for gas chromatography-Dragonfly mass spectrometry and future gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in situ analysis

Among future space missions, national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) selected two of them to analyze the diversity in organic content within Martian and Titan soil samples using a gas chromatograph – mass spectrometer (GC–MS) instrument. The Dragonfly space mission is planned to be launched in 2027 to Titan's surface and explore the Shangri-La surface region for years. One of the main goals of this mission is to understand the past and actual abundant prebiotic chemistry on Titan, which is not well characterized yet. The ExoMars space mission is planned to be launched in 2028 to Mars’ surface and explore the Oxia Planum and Mawrth Vallis region for years. The main objectives focus on the exploration of the subsurface soil samples, potentially richer in organics, that might be relevant for the search of past life traces on Mars where irradiation does not impact the matrices and organics. One recently used sample pre-treatment for gas chromatography – mass spectrometry analysis is planned on both space missions to detect refractory organic molecules of interest for astrobiology. This pre-treatment is called derivatization and uses a chemical reagent – called dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMF-DMA) – to sublimate organic compounds keeping them safe from thermal degradation and conserving the chirality of the molecules extracted from Titan or Mars’ matrices. Indeed, the detection of building blocks of life or enantiomeric excess of some organics (e.g. amino acids) after DMF-DMA pre-treatment and GC–MS analyses would be both bioindicators. The main results highlighted by our work on DMF-DMA and Tenax®TA interaction and efficiency to detect organic compounds at ppb levels in a fast and single preparation are first that Tenax®TA did not show the onset of degradation until after 150 experiments – a 120 h at 300 °C experiment – which greatly exceeds the experimental lifetimes for the DraMS and GC-space in situ investigations. Tenax®TA polymer and DMF-DMA produce many by-products (about 70 and 46, respectively, depending on the activation temperature). Further, the interaction between the two leads to the production of 22 additional by-products from DMF-DMA degradation, but these listed by-products do not prevent the detection of trace-level organic molecules after their efficient derivatization and volatilization by DMF-DMA in the oven ahead the GC–MS trap and column.

Different UV-B exposure times induce phenotypic, transcriptomic, and proteomic changes in wine grape leaves

The Shangri-La region, located in southwest China, is known for its dry climate and intense UltraViolet (UV) radiation due to its high altitude. Research conducted in the past has demonstrated that UV radiation, particularly UV-B radiation, enhances plants' ability to withstand cold temperatures, diseases, and arid conditions. Indeed, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety, predominantly cultivated in Shangri-La where the UV intensity reaches 21–22w/m2, has displayed remarkable resilience in recent decades. However, the specific impact of UV-B radiation on Cabernet Sauvignon grape leaves has yet to be fully understood. Consequently, our objective is to investigate the influence of UV radiation on grapes grown at high altitudes. To gain insights into the short-term effects on grape leaves, we conducted a comprehensive investigation involving anatomical and photosynthetic changes. Additionally, we analyzed the transcriptomic and proteomic regulation associated with these changes following exposure to UV-B radiation at intensities ranging from 15–20w/m2 for durations of 3 and 7 days.The findings of our study demonstrated that exposure to UV-B radiation, particularly at intensities surpassing 10w/m2, led to noticeable changes in the morphology of epidermal and palisade tissue cells. Furthermore, after a 3-day exposure to UV-B, we observed an upregulation of proteins responsible for cytoskeletal organization and cell wall synthesis. Conversely, following a 7-day treatment, proteins associated with disease resistance and antioxidants showed increased expression. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a significant enrichment of proteins and genes linked to pathogen infection, defense mechanisms, and antioxidant processes. Overall, our research highlighted the positive impact of intense UV radiation at high altitudes on enhancing disease resistance and environmental adaptability in Cabernet Sauvignon grape plants.

Spatial pattern and screening framework of national park agglomerations in the Greater Shangri-La region, China

National park agglomerations are a collection of multiple types of regional protected areas, and these agglomerations are of great importance for giving play to the functions of various ecosystem services in protected areas, establishing ecological corridors, and improving the level of regional ecological protection. The Greater Shangri-La region is located at the junction of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet Provinces in China and is in the transition zone of two major biogeographical regions, the Palearctic and Indo-Malay regions, with numerous and rich types of protected areas. This study summarizes the practice of combined national park protection globally, analyzes the spatial pattern of 87 protected areas in the Greater Shangri-La region, proposes a framework for the spatial identification and screening of national park agglomerations based on ecoregions, and establishes the ecosystem, landscape type, cultural heritage, spatial distance, and protection management used as indicators for the screening framework of national park agglomerations. Five national park agglomerations, namely, Three Parallel Rivers, Shaluli Mountain-Daxue Mountain, Southeast Tibetan Plateau, Liangshan Mountain, and Panxi Rift, are present in this area, covering 52 protected areas, with characteristics of spatial agglomeration, diverse types, and natural and cultural heritage-rich features. These results help improve the environmental protection system in the Greater Shangri-La region and better promote the construction of national park agglomerations in other places of the world.

Study the influences of ethnic Han and ethnic Bai on Jidi village’s modern Tibetan dwellings in Shangri-La, China

ABSTRACT Chinese ethnic dwellings have recently undergone numerous changes under the influence of economic growth, thus provoking discussions on the relationship between traditional inhabitation and modernization. This paper aims to investigate the effects of modernization on Tibetan residences from the perspective of Shangri-La’s unique multi-ethnic cultural milieu. The research was undertaken in Jidi Village, a traditional Tibetan settlement where the Matsutake industry has enabled residents to reconstruct traditional Tibetan structures by upgrading the local economy. Floor plans and section maps were drawn and analyzed based on a survey of residential buildings in Jidi village. Variations in construction and living situations were confirmed after interviews with Jidi locals. The results indicate that the horizontal distributions of Tibetan residential houses gradually transformed into a courtyard style in the past decades. Furthermore, we concluded that ethnic Han affected contemporary construction materials of Tibetan, whereas ethnic Bai influenced the architectural layouts and designs of architectural components through artisans’ techniques. This study emphasizes the need to cultivate ethnic craftspeople, such as Tibetan artisans in the Shangri-La region, whose numbers are declining due to modernization.

Comparison of the mitochondrial genomes of three geographical strains of Apis laboriosa indicates high genetic diversity in the black giant honeybee (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Apis laboriosa is the largest honeybee that lives mainly on cliff faces, with strong migratory ability. In this study, we firstly sequenced and assembled two complete mitochondrial genomes of A. laboriosa isolated from two distant locations in China (Chongqing and Shangri-La regions). Combined with the published mitochondrial genome of A. laboriosa from Nepal, comparative genomic analyses were conducted to gain insight into the genetic diversity of giant honeybees from different geographical distributions. The mitochondrial genomes of A. laboriosa from Chongqing and Shangri-La regions were 15,579 and 15,683 bp in length, respectively, both larger than that from Nepal with the length of 15,510 bp. Three mitochondrial genomes all harbor 37 common genes and present the same AT bias and the frequency of codon usage. However, the fragments including COX1, SSUrRNA, LSUrRNA, and the AT-rich region of the mitochondrial genome from Shangri-La region demonstrate distinctive insertions and deletions compared to those from Chongqing and Nepal regions. Phylogenetic trees of mitochondrial genomes show that A. laboriosa from Chongqing is most closely related to that from Nepal, rather than to Shangri-La. Genetic distance between Shangri-La and Chongqing or Nepal was even larger than that between the various subspecies of Apis mellifera. Overall, these results unmark that A. laboriosa in different geographical distributions can exhibit high genetic diversity at the mitochondrial genomic level, and therein, A. laboriosa from Shangri-La may be the subspecies. All these studies will contribute to our understanding of the geographical distribution and genetic differentiation of black giant honeybee in Asian region.

Volatile Profiles of Vidal Grapes in the Shangri-La High-Altitude Region during On-Vine Non-Destructive Dehydration

Both free and glycosidically bound forms of volatile compounds in Vidal grapes from the Shangri-La high-altitude region during the on-vine non-destructive dehydration process were investigated by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), following which the data were processed by multivariate statistical analysis. Fatty-acid-derived volatiles (FADs), amino-acid-derived volatiles (AADs), and isoprene-derived volatiles (IPDs), which occurred mainly in bound forms, were the three major volatiles in dehydrated Vidal grapes. Water-loss concentration, biosynthesis, and biodegradation all occurred during dehydration, eventually modifying some volatiles significantly, especially some powerful odorants such as hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, 2-phenethyl acetate, β-myrcene, linalool, geraniol, cis-rose oxide, and β-damascenone. 1-Octen-3-ol was relatively stable during the non-destructive on-vine dehydration process and its content in grape juice was mainly determined by the concentration effect. 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol, 2-phenethyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-propanol, and hexanol were screened as some of the most important metabolic markers to discriminate grapes at different dehydration degrees. Our study also highlights the fundamental importance of the expression of volatile content in the metabolomic study of grape berries.

1996-2015年滇西北香格里拉植被净初级生产力变化

地处青藏高原东南缘的滇西北香格里拉，其植被NPP的时空格局变化，对于深入了解青藏高原区域植被对气候变化的响应具有重要的科学意义。基于地面气象数据和MODIS-NDVI等遥感数据，运用改进的CASA模型，估算了1996-2015年香格里拉区域不同植被类型NPP，分析探讨了区域植被NPP的演变特征及其对气候变化的响应规律。研究显示：1）1995-2015年间，香格里拉区域6-8月平均气温总体呈上升趋势，增速为0.037℃/a；6-8月总降水量为373.1 mm，呈微弱下降趋势；20年间辐射量基本维持波动稳定状态；2）1996-2015年，香格里拉区域6-8月最大月植被NPP平均值为176.9 gC/m²，不同植被类型的变化范围为128.9-286.9 gC/m²；空间格局上，表现为"从西北、东南及金沙江沿岸向中部递减"的特征；3）香格里拉区域植被NPP显著地受到气温变化的调控（P<0.05），20年间随着气温的持续升高，区域NPP总体呈增加趋势；4）区域植被NPP未表现出受降水变化的显著影响（P>0.05），水分条件对区域植被NPP未形成限制性的影响作用。区域内植被NPP在2005年前后的变化特征，一定程度上也表明了人类活动干扰及生态保护修复等政策措施的影响。;Studying on the spatial and temporal variation pattern of net primary productivity (NPP) in Shangri-La region in northwest Yunnan Province, which lies on the edge of southeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is of scientific significance for exploring the response of vegetation to climate change. In this study, the NPPs of different vegetation types were estimated through using the improved CASA model based on surface meteorological data and remote sensing data including MODIS-NDVI and Landsat 5 TM image in Shangri-La region from 1996 to 2015. The spatial and temporal patterns of the NPP were analyzed and the responses of the NPP to major climate factors were revealed based on correlation analysis method. The results showed that:1) from 1996 to 2015, the annually average temperature from June to August in Shangri-La area indicated an overall trend of increase, with an increase rate of 0.037℃/a; the annually average precipitation of June-August was 373.1 mm, showing a slight downward trend; the annually total solar radiation basically maintained the fluctuation stable state during the period of 20 years; 2) From 1996 to 2015, the annually average NPP of vegetation in the Shangri-La area in June-August was 176.9 gC/m^2, and the variation range of different vegetation types was from 128.9-286.9 gC/m². Among them, the NPP of broad-leaved forest was significantly higher than that of other vegetation types, followed by cultivated land, grassland, shrub, and the NPP of coniferous forest was the lowest. The maximum monthly NPP of each vegetation type increased from 171.6 gC/m² to 182.3 gC/m² from the first 10 years to the second 10 years, increasing by 6.2%. In addition, the pattern of spatial distribution presented a trend of decrease from the northwest and southeast to middle of the zone; 3) The NPP of vegetation in Shangri-La region was significantly affected by annual temperature change (P<0.05), and presented an increasing trend generally with the continuous rise of temperature over 20 years; 4) The NPP of vegetation in this region was not significantly affected by precipitation change (P>0.05) which showed an nonrestrictive effect of water conditions to the NPP of vegetation. During the period from 1996 to 2005, the spatial distribution of NPP in Shangri-La was generally declining, and was obviously increasing during the period from 2005 to 2015. This change trend of NPP in the zone before and after 2005 also presented to some extent the influence of human activity disturbance and policy measures such as ecological protection and restoration on the NPP of regional vegetation.

Biodiversity of non-Saccharomyces yeasts associated with spontaneous fermentation of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Shangri-La wine region, China

Shangri-La is a wine region that has the highest altitude vineyards in China. This is the first study investigated the biodiversity of non-Saccharomyces yeasts associated with spontaneous fermentation of Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced from two sub-regions (Lancang River and Jinsha River) of Shangri-La. The culturable yeasts were preliminarily classified based on their colonial morphology on the Wallerstein Laboratory nutrient agar plates. Yeast species were identified by the sequencing of the 26S rRNA D1/D2 region and the 5.8S rRNA ITS region. Twenty-five non-Saccharomyces yeast species belonging to sixteen genera were isolated and identified in Shangri-La wine region. Candida, Hanseniaspora, Pichia, and Starmerella were found in both sub-regions, but the Lancang River showed more diverse yeast species than the Jinsha River. Shangri-La not only exhibited high diversity of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, and furthermore, seven species of non-Saccharomyces yeasts were exclusively found in this region, including B. bruxellensis, D. hansenii, M. guilliermondii, S. vini, S. diversa, T. delbrueckii and W. anomalus, which might play an important role in distinctive regional wine characteristics. This study provide a relatively comprehensive analysis of indigenous non-Saccharomyces yeasts associated with Cabernet Sauvignon from Shangri-La, and has significance for exploring ‘microbial terroir’ of wine regions in China.

A Study on the Values and Strategies of Transmission of Tibetan Traditional Sports Culture in "Great Shangri–La"

is a high-quality cultural brand in the three provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. As an important part of Tibetan traditional culture, traditional Tibetan sports culture containing rich connotation and remarkable characteristics, has far-reaching transmission value. In the context of Belt and One Road, the traditional Tibetan sports culture in Shangri-La region has potential to become an international dominant culture and to facilitate the Belt and One Road international cultural exchange. The spreading of traditional Tibetan sports culture is complex and requires the construction of systematic cooperation strategies: such as guiding public consensus through the media and enhancing the social concern of Tibetan traditional sports culture, absorbing evaluation index of traditional Tibetan sports at all levels of education, constructing different levels of the competition system to enhance the influence of traditional Tibetan sports culture. is a cultural brand with international charm in southwest China and its cultural precipitation has great potential to facilitate the cultural exchange initiated by Belt and One Road. In recent years, some provinces, like Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet, have invested heavily in the joint exploitation of the Great Shangri-La. Clear goals have been set about sports development during the 13th Five-Year Plan. In line with the national cultural development strategy, we should carry forward and popularize the excellent traditional sports programs of the Chinese nation, protect and develop the intangible cultural heritage of sports, interpret the Chinese Dream through sports, and eventually promote Chinese sports culture to the world. The traditional Tibetan sports culture has the advantage of sports diplomacy and a broad base of national emotion of identity in southwest China and South Asia. As one of the most dominant performance factor of the Great Shangri-La, traditional Tibetan sports culture should be more studied with the help of the country's Belt and One Road and the 13th Five-Year Plan, such as how to seize the rare historical opportunities and preferential policies for sports development, how to further crack the constraints that affect its cultural transmission and continuously to improve the value of its own cultural diffusion. After all, how to play its own unique role in Belt and One Road has been an important proposition in the protection and inheritance of Tibetan traditional sports culture.

Geochronology, geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotope characteristics and their geological significances of the Gaijixia ore-bearing intrusive rocks in the Shangri-La region, NW Yunnan, SW China

盖吉夏铜多金属矿床位于香格里拉地区格咱斑岩带红山-普朗铜多金属成矿亚带北段，铜多金属矿化与石英二长闪长玢岩紧密相关。石英二长闪长玢岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为216.6±2.3Ma（MSWD=1.9），与区域上普朗、松诺、地苏嘎、雪鸡坪、春都等含矿斑岩体年龄一致。锆石eHf（t）值分布范围为-1.55~3.27，平均为1.57，分布较集中；单阶段Hf模式年龄（tDM1）变化范围为733~918Ma，平均为795Ma，二阶段Hf模式年龄（tDM2）为923~1178Ma，平均为1015Ma，揭示其源区可能为亏损地幔或新生壳源物质。岩石SiO2为61.08%~69.55%，Na2O+K2O为7.22%~7.82%，Na2O/K2O为0.87~1.87，具高钾钙碱性准铝质-弱过铝质（A/CNK=0.75~1.34）特征，岩石富集轻稀土元素[（La/Yb）N=13.35~24.85]和大离子亲石元素（Rb、Ba、Pb等），相对亏损重稀土元素和高场强元素（Ti、Nb、P等），且具有高Sr（>400×10-6），低Y（< 18×10-6）、Yb（< 1.9×10-6）及高Sr/Y、La/Nb等特点，显示出正常弧岩浆系列钙碱性岩石特征，说明含矿石英二长闪长玢岩与岛弧环境密切相关。这种特征的花岗岩可能为盖吉夏的Cu成矿作用提供了重要的物质来源。

Evaluation of tourism climate comfort in the Grand Shangri-La region

The Grand Shangri-La (GSL) region has strong international tourist appeal. GSL has considerable international eco-tourist potential as well as being attractive for leisure, vacation, health, explorative, and scientific research activities in addition to high-end tourism experiences. These factors could promote the development of its regional tourism. GSL has been identified as a key area for tourism development in China. In this study, we investigated tourism climate conditions in GSL from 1980 to 2016 using a tourism climate index (TCI). We found that through global warming, the number of annual and monthly good-weather days, as assessed with the TCI, showed an increase over most of GSL; that trend was especially true for very good, excellent, and ideal days. The optimal travel period was May–October. We obtained the same result using cluster heat maps, in which we categorized 31 studied meteorological stations into eight types. However, heavy rainfall tended to occur during that optimal period, and it was concentrated at certain times. The annual total number of comfortable days greater than 300 was mainly located in southern GSL. We observed significant correlations between monthly and annual excellent and ideal days with latitude and elevation; in particular, we identified a significant nonlinear correlation between excellent (and ideal) days and elevation.

Aroma characteristics and volatile compounds of distilled Crystal grape spirits of different alcohol concentrations: wine sprits in the Shangri-La region of China

Abstract Aroma composition is critical to the quality of distilled spirits while the alcohol concentration could have a great effect on the variety and content of aromatic substances. In order to clarify the effect of alcohol concentration on the formation of the aroma composition, volatile compounds in Crystal distilled grape spirits with different alcohol concentrations were analyzed using the Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) technique combined with GC-MS. Characteristic aromas, principal components and odor profiles were also explored. Eighty-six compounds were identified in Crystal distilled grape spirits and 19 compounds were the same for the 4 samples with different alcohol concentrations. The species and contents of esters increased significantly along with the alcohol concentration increasing, while the acid content decreased. No significant change in the volatile alcohol and carbonyl contents was observed, and no terpene was detected in the spirits of 80%vol alcohol content. Fruity was the strongest aroma in the 6 aromatic series of odor, followed by floral and fatty. The 77%vol alcohol distilled grape spirits showed the most fragrant and balanced aroma.

Vineyard water status estimation using multispectral imagery from an UAV platform and machine learning algorithms for irrigation scheduling management

Remote sensing can provide a fast and reliable alternative for traditional in situ water status measurement in vineyards. Several vegetation indices (VIs) derived from aerial multispectral imagery were tested to estimate midday stem water potential (Ψstem) of grapevines. The experimental trial was carried out in a vineyard in the Shangri-La region, located in Yunnan province in China. Statistical methods and machine learning algorithms were used to evaluate the correlations between Ψstem and VIs. Results by simple regression between VIs individually and Ψstem showed no significant relationships, with coefficient of determination (R2) for linear fitting smaller than 0.3 for almost all the indices studied, except for the Optimal Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI); R2 = 0.42 with statistical significance (p ≤ 0.001). However, results from a model obtained by fitting using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), using all VIs calculated as inputs and real Ψstem from plants within the study site (n = 90) as targets (Model 1), showed high correlation between the estimated water potential through ANN (Ψstem ANN) and the actual measured Ψstem. Training, validation and testing data sets presented individual correlations of R = 0.8, 0.72 and 0.62 respectively. The models obtained from the study site were then applied to a wider area from the vineyard studied and compared to further Ψstem measured obtained from different sites (n = 23) showing high correlation values between Ψstem ANN and real Ψstem (R2 = 0.83; slope = 1; p ≤ 0.001). Finally, a pattern recognition ANN model (Model 2) was developed for irrigation scheduling purposes using the same Ψstem measured in the study site as inputs and with the following thresholds as outputs: Ψstem below −1.2 MPa considered as severe water stress (SS), Ψstem between −0.8 to −1.2 MPa as moderate stress (MS) and Ψstem over −0.8 MPa with no water stress (NS). This model can be applied to analyze on a plant by plant basis to identify sectors of stress within the vineyard for optimal irrigation management and to identify spatial variability within the vineyards.

A preliminary analysis of the Shangri-La Bolide on 2017 Oct 4

At 12:07 UT (8:07 pm China Standard Time) on 2017 Oct 4, a bright bolide was widely observed in the Shangri-La region in the Province of Yunnan, China (Figure 1). The event was well observed by the general public as it took place on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival which associates with moon gazing. Sonic booms and ground shaking were reported in an area about a thousand square kilometers wide to the northwest of the Shangri-La City. Data from the U.S. government sensor suggested that the impact energy of the event is approximately 0.54 kt TNT equivalent, with the terminus of the bolide positioned at $28.1^\circ$ N, $99.4^\circ$ E. This is the largest observed bolide event overland since the bolide event took place in Mauritania on 2016 Jun 27 (1.2 kt). In this Research Note we present a preliminary analysis of this event.

A preliminary analysis of the Shangri-La Bolide on 2017 Oct 4

At 12:07 UT (8:07 pm China Standard Time) on 2017 Oct 4, a bright bolide was widely observed in the Shangri-La region of the Province of Yunnan, China (Figure 1). The event was well observed by the general public as it took place on the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, which is associated with moon gazing. Sonic booms and ground shaking were reported in an area of about a thousand square kilometers northwest of Shangri-La City. Data from U.S. government sensors suggests that the impact energy of the event was approximately 0.54 kt TNT equivalent, with the terminus of the bolide positioned at 28.1°N, 99.4°E. This is the largest observed bolide event over land since the bolide event that took place in Mauritania on 2016 Jun 27 (1.2 kt).

Characterization of the Key Aroma Compounds in Chinese Syrah Wine by Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry-Mass Spectrometry and Aroma Reconstitution Studies.

The key aroma compounds and the organoleptic quality of two Chinese Syrah wines from the Yunnan Shangri-La region and Ningxia Helan mountain region were characterized. The most important eighty aroma-active compounds were identified by Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry. In both Syrah samples, ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, 2- and 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, 2-phenethyl acetate, methional, 3-methylbutanoic acid, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, β-damascenone, guaiacol, 2-phenylethanol, trans-whiskylactone, 4-ethylguaiacol, eugenol, 4-ethylphenol, and sotolon were detected to have the highest odor intensities. In the chemical analysis, 72 compounds were quantitated by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction combined with Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Based on the Odor Activity Value (OAV), the aromas were reconstituted by combining aroma compounds in the synthetic wine, and sensory descriptive analysis was used to verify the chemical data. Fatty acid ethyl esters, acetate esters, and β-damascenone were found with higher OAVs in the more fruity-smelling sample of Helan Mountain rather than Shangri-La.

What is the destiny of a threatened fish, Ptychobarbus chungtienensis, now that non-native weatherfishes have been introduced into Bita Lake, Shangri-La?

Biological invasion is a pervasive negative force of global change, especially in its effects on sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Even protected areas are usually not immune. Ptychobarbus chungtienensis is a threatened freshwater fish now almost confined to Bita Lake, in the Shangri-La region of Yunnan province, China. Its existence is threatened by the introduction of non-native weatherfishes (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and Paramisgurnus dabryanus) by an unusual method known as 'prayer animal release'. Periodic surveys revealed the ratio of invasive weatherfishes to P. chungtienensis has been increasing since the former species was first recorded from the lake in August, 2009. Ptychobarbus chungtienensis shows low genetic diversity in the relict Lake Bita population. Weatherfishes, however, have highly successful survival strategies. The degree of dietary overlap between the species is alarming and perhaps critical if food is found to be a limiting factor.