End-member modeling analysis of tidal flat sediments grain size and their implications for sedimentary sources from Jiangsu coast, Eastern China

582-589Sediment grain-size distributions (GSDs) provide rich information about sedimentary sources and potentially about environmental and climatic changes. However, neither traditional descriptive statistics nor curving fitting methods are able to address this complexity fully. In this study, end-member modeling analysis (EMMA) was conducted on the GSDs of tidal flat samples from the Jiangsu coast. Based on the frequency and spatial distributions of the end members (EMs), the sedimentary sources of each EM were discussed. The results show that EM1 comprises 76.07-100% of the total grain sizes between YTJ and CM3 and represents Yangtze River as a dominant supplier. EM2 comprises 50.50% to 95.6% of the total grain sizes between DF and LSG, reflecting that the coast is the transitional zone influenced by Yellow River and Yangtze River. EM3 comprises 50.33% to 100% of the total grain sizes between GHK1 and DLG, showing Yellow River as a dominant supplier. EM4 comprises 88% to 97.53% of the total grain sizes between LD1 and LD3, reflecting that the tidal flat sediments of Liandao Island were mainly from the nearshore rock weathering. Compared to the traditional method of sediment grain size analysis, EMMA can determine the EMs and provide better explanations of the sediment provenance and regional sedimentary environment in the study area

Dynamic Succession of Microbial Communities in Soybean Paste Made with Broomcorn Millet as an Additive and Its Correlation with Flavor and Nutritional Properties during the Brewing Process

To obtain a full understanding the quality and microbial characteristics of soybean paste made from a mixture of soybean and broomcorn millet flour, its physicochemical properties (amino nitrogen and nitrite), and total phenols (TP), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), free amino acids (FAAs), volatile compounds, and microbial community composition were investigated. The results showed that the amino nitrogen content increased to 0.71%, and the nitrite content decreased to within the standard range (1.37 mg/kg). The contents of TP, key FAAs and volatile compounds increased significantly during the fermentation process. The core microbial communities included Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Aspergillus, and Alternaria. The results of correlation analysis confirmed that bacteria (Bacillus, Knoellia, and Blastococcus) and fungi (Epicoccum and Saccharomyces) played a significant role in the bioactivity changes and flavor generation in soybean paste. This study will be of great significance for understanding the quality and flavor of novel soybean paste made with cereal flour as an additive

Monitoring Water and Energy Cycles at Climate Scale in the Third Pole Environment (CLIMATE-TPE)

A better understanding of the water and energy cycles at climate scale in the Third Pole Environment is essential for assessing and understanding the causes of changes in the cryosphere and hydrosphere in relation to changes of plateau atmosphere in the Asian monsoon system and for predicting the possible changes in water resources in South and East Asia. This paper reports the following results: (1) A platform of in situ observation stations is briefly described for quantifying the interactions in hydrosphere-pedosphere-atmosphere-cryosphere-biosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. (2) A multiyear in situ L-Band microwave radiometry of land surface processes is used to develop a new microwave radiative transfer modeling system. This new system improves the modeling of brightness temperature in both horizontal and vertical polarization. (3) A multiyear (2001–2018) monthly terrestrial actual evapotranspiration and its spatial distribution on the Tibetan Plateau is generated using the surface energy balance system (SEBS) forced by a combination of meteorological and satellite data. (4) A comparison of four large scale soil moisture products to in situ measurements is presented. (5) The trajectory of water vapor transport in the canyon area of Southeast Tibet in different seasons is analyzed, and (6) the vertical water vapor exchange between the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere in different seasons is presented

Responses of aquatic ecosystems to environmental changes in Finland and China

Peer reviewe

Genetic drivers of heterogeneity in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P &lt; 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care.</p

Eutrophication in Poyang Lake (Eastern China) over the Last 300 Years in Response to Changes in Climate and Lake Biomass

<div><p>Poyang Lake is suffering from persistent eutrophication, which is degrading the local ecosystem. A better understanding of the mechanisms that drive eutrophication in lake systems is essential to fight the ongoing deterioration. In this study, hydraulic residence time (HRT) was used to evaluate Poyang Lake’s trophic state. A hydrology and ecosystem forced model was constructed to simulate long-term changes in algae and aquatic plant biomass and total phosphorous (TP). A comparison analysis revealed that between 1812 and 1828 (i.e., a consistent-change stage), climate and hydrology were the main driving forces, while algae and aquatic plant biomass contributed only 20.9% to the trophic changes in Poyang Lake. However, between 1844 and 1860 the biomass predominated contributing 63.6%. This could be attributed to nutrient absorption by algae and aquatic plants. A correlation analysis of the water TP and algae and aquatic plant biomass revealed a strong positive relationship. However, the algae and aquatic plant growth rate tended to decline after the biomass reached half of the maximum. This research reconstructs the long-term trophic evolution of Poyang Lake and provides a better understanding of the relationship between climatic and hydrological changes and lake ecosystems.</p></div

(A) Standardized HRT and simulated TP series from 1700–1899; (B) Comparison between ΔHRT and simulated TP from 1700–1899.

<p>(A) Standardized HRT and simulated TP series from 1700–1899; (B) Comparison between ΔHRT and simulated TP from 1700–1899.</p

(A) Relationship between the simulated primary biomass and TP; (B) A S-shaped curve showing the growth pattern of the living organisms (redraw and modified from Rubin and Davidson, 2001, [95]).

<p>(A) Relationship between the simulated primary biomass and TP; (B) A S-shaped curve showing the growth pattern of the living organisms (redraw and modified from Rubin and Davidson, 2001, [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0169319#pone.0169319.ref095" target="_blank">95</a>]).</p