Electrical resistivity tomography revealing possible breaching mechanism of a Late Pleistocene long-lasted gigantic rockslide dam in Diexi, China

peer reviewedLandslide damming is a widespread phenomenon worldwide and significantly affects the evolution of fluvial landscapes. However, it is rarely witnessed from an antiquities perspective, and the case for observing their internal structure is challenging. We attempt to visualize the subsurface structure and understand the likely breaching mechanism of the late Pleistocene Diexi gigantic landslide dam (longevity of ~ 10 ka), using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method. Eight ERT measurements on the Diexi dam body revealed high resistivity zones near the periphery and lower resistivity zones in the middle portion of the profiles. Geomorphological mapping based on the LiDAR data determined the boundary of the landslide. Field investigation found that zones of low resistivity were connected to a ditched gully. Because breaching such an enormous lake with a total area of 21.4 km2 dammed by a gigantic landslide body with intact rocks was not likely by overtopping alone. The authors postulate that differential seepage of water from the gullies through the landslide debris could have accelerated the undercutting erosion of the otherwise stable Diexi dam. Utilizing geophysical techniques, along with field geomorphology works, can provide valuable information on the evolution of a gigantic paleo-landslide dam, which has real implications for the stability evaluation and forecast of future landslide dams

Traditional and modified Newmark displacement methods after the 2022 Ms 6.8 Luding earthquake (Eastern Tibetan Plateau)

peer reviewedThe Newmark displacement (ND) method, which reproduces the interactions between waves, solids, and fluids during an earthquake, has experienced numerous modifications. We compare the performances of a traditional and a modified version of the ND method through the analysis of co-seismic landslides triggered by the 2022 Ms 6.8 Luding earthquake (Sichuan, China). We implemented 23 ND scenarios with each equation, assuming different landslide depths, as well as various soil-rock geomechanical properties derived from previous studies in regions of similar lithology. These scenarios allowed verifying the presence or absence of such landslides and predict the likely occurrence locations. We evaluated the topographic and slope aspect amplification effects on both equations. The oldest equation has a better landslide predictive ability, as it considers both slope stability and earthquake intensity. Contrarily, the newer version of the ND method has a greater emphasis on slope stability compared to the earthquake intensity and hence tends to give high ND values only when the critical acceleration is weak. The topographic amplification does not improve the predictive capacity of these equations, most likely because few or no massive landslides were triggered from mountain peaks. This approach allows structural, focal mechanism, and site effects to be considered when designing ND models, which could help to explain and predict new landslide distribution patterns such as the abundance of landslides on the NE, E, S, and SE-facing slopes observed in the Luding case

Environmental, social, and governance taxonomy simplification: A hybrid text mining approach

Currently, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting is mostly voluntary, granting companies the discretion to choose the information to disclose and the standards to follow, resulting in a lack of comparability across ESG reports. Efforts to combine standards for global comparability are static and may not fit the everchanging, industryspecific nature of ESG topics. This paper proposes a hybrid methodology for extracting simplified, ex post, and dynamic taxonomies based on existing ESG standards and reports to improve the comparability of ESG reporting. This hybrid methodology, which combines text mining techniques with manual processing, balances the efficiency of automatic processes with the effectiveness of human judgment. An example of deriving a simplified environmental taxonomy from European companies’ ESG reports and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards illustrates the proposed methodology. The methodology could help regulators to develop comparable taxonomies and detect greenwashing and enable various stakeholders to compare companies’ ESG performance

Internet of Things and Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts: Enabling Continuous Risk Monitoring and Assessment in Peer-to-Peer Lending

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending enables individuals and small companies to finance and invest without the intermediation of financial institutions. However, this business model is also associated with high delinquency risk and a lack of risk monitoring and control capabilities. This paper explores the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, smart contract technologies, and the Continuous Risk Monitoring and Assessment (CRMA) framework to re-engineer risk monitoring and control for P2P lending. We conducted a case study of a large Chinese P2P lending company to identify problems in its current risk monitoring and control processes and to design an IoT-smart contract CRMA system to continuously monitor and respond to delinquency risk via real-time data collection, automatic loan settlement, and in-time risk disclosure

Human-elephant conflict in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, China: Distribution, diffusion, and mitigation

The conflict between humans and wild animals is a special type of phenomena between human development and wild animal conservation, not only leading to massive economic loss to local residents, but also imposing severe impacts upon the production and living activities and even personal safety of the residents. Human-elephant conflict has existed as a phenomenon of human settlement development for more than 20 years in Xishuangbanna, China. There are periodic incidents of wild elephants hurting/killing people as well as feeding on and destroying subsistence and cash crops. It is an increasingly urgent and important issue for China to resolve while protecting and managing Asian elephants. Our study employed an Ecological-Niche Factor Analysis model to perform a risk assessment of areas where the Asian elephant currently is distributed and to predict future risks. It employed a Circuit Theory model based on random walk theory to predict multiple potential movement or migration pathways of Asian elephants within Xishuangbanna. The results indicated that: (1) the regions with human-elephant conflict risk in Xishuangbanna Prefecture had an area of about 4349.08 km2, accounting for 22.77% of the total prefecture area, with the risk regions primarily present in the middle and north parts of Menghai County and Jinghong City and in Mengla County in which there was a wide geographical distribution covering from the south to the north; (2) The regions of agriculture and garden that were close to Asian elephant distribution and roads were likely occurring risk; (3) There were more potential movement paths of elephants within Mengyang and Menghai distribution regions, which indicated that the connection of these areas was better. While the potential movement paths of elephants within Mengla and Shangyong were little; (4) There were some potential movement paths between different distribution areas of Asian elephant, but the migration possibility of elephants in different distribution areas was decreasing due to natural barriers (Mengyang-Menghai has Lancang river) and discontinuous potential paths between Mengla and Shangyong. Additionally, we discussed that created ecological corridors between different natural reserves to allow more dispersal and gene flow of elephants and diminish conflict between human and elephant. We also put forward compensation suggestions in different risk area. We hope our analytical methods can be applied, improved and expanded to other areas with similar wildlife damage. Keywords: Compensation, Movement paths, Human-elephant conflict, Insurance schemes, Risk assessment, Wildlife damag

The Arabidopsis Root Tip (Phospho)Proteomes at Growth-Promoting versus Growth-Repressing Conditions Reveal Novel Root Growth Regulators

Auxin plays a dual role in growth regulation and, depending on the tissue and concentration of the hormone, it can either promote or inhibit division and expansion processes in plants. Recent studies have revealed that, beyond transcriptional reprogramming, alternative auxin-controlled mechanisms regulate root growth. Here, we explored the impact of different concentrations of the synthetic auxin NAA that establish growth-promoting and -repressing conditions on the root tip proteome and phosphoproteome, generating a unique resource. From the phosphoproteome data, we pinpointed (novel) growth regulators, such as the RALF34-THE1 module. Our results, together with previously published studies, suggest that auxin, H(+)-ATPases, cell wall modifications and cell wall sensing receptor-like kinases are tightly embedded in a pathway regulating cell elongation. Furthermore, our study assigned a novel role to MKK2 as a regulator of primary root growth and a (potential) regulator of auxin biosynthesis and signalling, and suggests the importance of the MKK2 Thr(31) phosphorylation site for growth regulation in the Arabidopsis root tip

PLAGL2-EGFR-HIF-1/2α Signaling Loop Promotes HCC Progression and Erlotinib Insensitivity

Background and Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, hence a major public health threat. Pleomorphic adenoma gene like-2 (PLAGL2) has been reported to play a role in tumorigenesis. However, its precise function in HCC remains poorly understood. Approach and Results: In this study, we demonstrated that PLAGL2 was up-regulated in HCC compared with that of adjacent nontumorous tissues and also correlated with overall survival times. We further showed that PLAGL2 promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. PLAGL2 expression was positively correlated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. Mechanistically, this study demonstrated that PLAGL2 functions as a transcriptional regulator of EGFR and promotes HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the EGFR-AKT pathway. Moreover, hypoxia was found to significantly induce high expression of PLAGL2, which promoted hypoxia inducible factor 1/2 alpha subunit (HIF1/2A) expression through EGFR. Therefore, this study demonstrated that a PLAGL2-EGFR-HIF1/2A signaling loop promotes HCC progression. More importantly, PLAGL2 expression reduced hepatoma cells’ response to the anti-EGFR drug erlotinib. PLAGL2 knockdown enhanced the response to erlotinib. Conclusions: This study reveals the pivotal role of PLAGL2 in HCC cell proliferation, metastasis, and erlotinib insensitivity. This suggests that PLAGL2 can be a potential therapeutic target of HCC.Fil: Hu, Weiwei. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Zheng, Shufang. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Guo, Haixin. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Dai, Beiying. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Ni, Jiaping. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Shi, Yaohong. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Bian, Hanrui. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Li, Lanxin. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Shen, Yumeng. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Wu, Mo. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Tian, Zhoutong. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Liu, Guilai. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Hossain, Md Amir. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Yang, Hongbao. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Wang, Duowei. China Pharmaceutical University; ChinaFil: Zhang, Qin. Jiangsu Cancer Hospital; ChinaFil: Yu, Jun. Jiangsu Cancer Hospital; ChinaFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Feng, Jifeng. Jiangsu Cancer Hospital; ChinaFil: Yu, Decai. Medical School Of Nanjing University; ChinaFil: Yang, Yong. China Pharmaceutical University; Chin