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The "Grotto-Heavens and Blissful Lands" (dongtian and fudi, 洞天福地) is a unique concept of sacred space in China and even in East Asia, combining beautiful natural scenery, rich historical heritage, and diverse cultural heritage. This paper tries to explain Mount Jingfu's (jingfu shan, 靜福山) aesthetic representations. The results show that the landscape's physical environment projects the spatio-temporal system and the concept of the universe in Daoist aesthetic ideals. With the spatial evolution of divine immortals' abodes from imagination to reality, people's yearning for divine cave palaces is transformed into their connection with and their expression of the palaces in exploring space interests and aesthetic trends that are then integrated into the secular life of thousands of households through living religious rituals. Preserved by local religious believers, the ritual activities incorporated geographic, familial, and divine interactions, and characterised essential social aesthetics. By exploring a typical case of Lingnan Region (lingnan, 嶺南, an old term for South China), this paper aims to elucidate the significance of the Grotto-Heavens and Blissful Lands as living heritage in contemporary society across multiple dimensions, and to provide a theoretical basis for the protection of its system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, e-commerce allows consumers access to a wide range of products on the global market, quick and convenient selection, purchase, ordering, and payment of products. Consumers expect to receive the products they bought online, very quickly, at favorable prices and delivery conditions. However, it is often not possible, because global supply chains are realized over large geographical distances, with a whole range of disruptions and challenges that need to be successfully overcome. With the aim of efficiently delivering products and meeting consumer expectations, retailers often leave this job to specialized and resilient logistics companies better known as fourth-party logistics (4PL) providers. On this occasion, it is necessary to conduct a very thorough evaluation of the logistics provider based on appropriate scientific approaches and models. In this paper, a new hybrid approach for the evaluation of resilient 4PLs was proposed, with the aim of providing appropriate support for the decision-making system on product delivery in e-commerce. The hybrid approach is based on the fuzzy full consistency method (FUCOM), evidence theory (ET), rule-based transformation (RBT), and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) methods. The proposed model was tested and applied to an example of an online retailer, which sells and delivers products originating from China and the countries of the Far East to the market of the Western Balkans and Southeastern Europe. Five 4PL providers were evaluated and ranked according to 10 criteria. According to the results, the most important criterion was IT capabilities, while the least important was cooperation. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine whether the final ranking will change. The obtained results showed that the proposed methodology represents a valuable decision support tool that can be used for solving not only the problem described in this paper but also similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using multiple observational and reanalysis data, this paper investigates the impact of the interdecadal shift in summer Arctic Oscillation (AO) on precipitation in East Asia, by removing ENSO influences. The results indicate that the lower-layer activity center of summer AO in Atlantic shifted eastward after the mid-1980s. This regime shift of summer AO has a significant impact on precipitation in East Asia. Before the mid-1980s, the key regions in which precipitation was affected by AO in East Asia were northern East Asia and Northeastern China and adjacent regions. After the mid-1980s, the key regions in which precipitation was affected by AO in East Asia were central Inner Mongolia and Southern China. The mechanism of precipitation changes can be attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation and water vapor transport related to AO changes. After the mid-1980s, the influence of AO on geopotential height over northern East Asia weakened; meanwhile, the impact of AO on geopotential height over China increased. Consistent with the changes in atmospheric circulation, water vapor transport in East Asia also underwent interdecadal changes before and after the mid-1980s. The differences in atmospheric circulation and water vapor transport in East Asia can be traced back to the North Atlantic. Before the mid-1980s, wave activity flux related to summer AO tended to propagate in high latitudes and subtropics; after the mid-1980s, the wave activity flux changed in its subtropical path and propagated eastward from the North Atlantic through the Middle East to China, significantly affecting the summer precipitation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gifts are important instruments for forming bonds in interpersonal relationships. Our study analyzes the phenomenon of gift contagion in online groups. Gift contagion encourages social bonds by prompting further gifts; it may also promote group interaction and solidarity. Using data on 36 million online red packet gifts on a large social site in East Asia, we leverage a natural experimental design to identify the social contagion of gift giving in online groups. Our natural experiment is enabled by the randomization of the gift amount allocation algorithm on the platform, which addresses the common challenge of causal identification in observational data. Our study provides evidence of gift contagion: On average, receiving one additional dollar causes a recipient to send 18 cents back to the group within the subsequent 24 hours. Decomposing this effect, we find that it is mainly driven by the extensive margin: more recipients are triggered to send red packets. Moreover, we find that this effect is stronger for "luckiest draw" recipients, suggesting the presence of a group norm regarding the next red packet sender. Finally, we investigate the moderating effects of group- and individual-level social network characteristics on gift contagion as well as the causal impact of receiving gifts on group network structure. Our study has implications for promoting group dynamics and designing marketing strategies for product adoption. This paper was accepted by Axel Ockenfels, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: T. Liu was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72222005] and Tsinghua University [Grant 2022Z04W01032]. J. Tang was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholar [Grant 61825602]. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4906. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cold surge (CS) is considered a favorable weather process to improve air quality and is widely recognized. However, there is no detailed study on the differences in the dispersion ability of different types of CSs in relation to haze days in eastern China (HD EC). This paper uses the hierarchical clustering algorithm to classify the cool-season (November to February of the following year) CSs across eastern China into blocking CSs and wave-train CSs and compares their influences on the number of HD EC from 1980 to 2017. Results show that the wave-train CSs can significantly improve the visibility in eastern China and generally improve air quality for about 2 d longer than the blocking CSs, which indicates that the blocking CSs have a weaker ability to dissipate HD EC compared with the wave-train CSs. The CSs affect the HD EC by changing meteorological elements like thermal inversion potential, horizontal surface wind, sea level pressure (SLP), and surface air temperature (SAT). A period of 4 d after the outbreak of CSs, the variations of thermal inversion potential and horizontal surface wind of two types of CSs tend to be consistent. However, the negative SAT anomalies and the positive SLP anomalies caused by the blocking CSs lasted shorter than those caused by the wave-train CSs, forming favorable conditions for the rapid growth of HD EC. Furthermore, results show that in recent years, especially after the 1990s, the frequency of wave-train CSs has decreased significantly, while the frequency of blocking CSs has slightly increased, indicating that the overall ability of CSs to dissipate HD EC has weakened in general. This work may provide reference for the future formulation of haze control policies in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early summer (June) of 2022, the spatial mean precipitation in northeast China (NEC) was 62% higher than normal and broke the historical record since 1951. Based on the precipitation data of 245 meteorological stations in NEC and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis, this paper analyzes the role of large-scale circulation and sea-surface temperature (SST) associated with anomalous precipitation over NEC in June using singular value decomposition (SVD), correlation analysis, regression analysis, and composite analysis methods, and further investigates the possible cause of the abnormal precipitation in June 2022. Results show that the northeast China cold vortex (NCCV) accompanying the blocking high in the Okhotsk Sea (BHOS) has been the primary mid-to-high latitude atmospheric circulation pattern affecting NEC precipitation in June since 2001. This circulation pattern is closely related to the tripole SST pattern over the North Atlantic (NAT) in March. In June 2022, the NAT SST anomaly in March stimulates eastward-propagating wave energy, resulting in the downstream anomalous circulation pattern in which the NCCV cooperates with the BHOS in the mid-high latitudes of East Asia. Under this background atmospheric circulation favorable for precipitation, the Kuroshio region SST anomaly in June led to a more northward and stronger anomalous anticyclone in the northwestern Pacific through local air–sea interaction, which provides more sufficient water vapor for NEC, resulting in unprecedented precipitation in June 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing diet can offer an improved understanding toward the origin and evolution of modern humans. However, the diet of early modern humans in East Asia is poorly understood. Starch analysis of dental calculus is harmless to precious fossil hominins and provides the most direct evidence of plant food sources in early modern human dietary records. In this paper, we examined the starch grains in dental calculus from Fuyan Cave hominins in Daoxian (South China), which were the earliest modern humans in East Asia. Our results reveal the earliest direct evidence of a hominin diet made of acorns, roots, tubers, grass seeds, and other yet-unidentified plants in marine isotope stage 5 between 120 and 80 ka. Our study also provides the earliest evidence that acorns may have played an important role in subsistence strategies. There may have been a long-lasting tradition of using these plants during the Late Pleistocene in China. Plant foods would have been a plentiful source of carbohydrates that greatly increased energy availability to human tissues with high glucose demands. Our study provides the earliest direct consumption of carbohydrates-rich plant resources from modern humans in China for the first time. In addition, it also helps elucidate the evolutionary advantages of early modern humans in the late Middle and early Upper Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian sand dust (ASD), also called China dust or yellow dust, mainly occurs in East Asia during spring and autumn. Because ASD enters the body mainly through the respiratory system, it can cause respiratory disorders or worsen underlying diseases. Because of this, it has become an important health concern that threatens the well-being of humans and animals. In this study, we investigated the effects of 15 and 30 mg/kg of Pycnogenol (PYC15 and 30 groups), a pine bark extract, on ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice. We evaluated the inflammatory cell counts, inflammatory cytokines, and matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in animal models. PYC administration significantly decreased inflammatory cell infiltration into lung tissue; this was accompanied by a reduction in the levels of proinflammatory mediators including interleukin (IL)-1ß (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.01) and tumour necrosis factor-a (P < 0.01) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of ASD-exposed mice (ASD group). Histological analysis revealed that PYC suppressed ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation. Moreover, PYC suppressed the levels of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in the lung tissue of ASD-exposed mice, indicating that PYC reduced ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation by suppressing MMP-9. Together, these results indicate that PYC as the potential to treat ASD-driven pulmonary inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese monk Yixing 一行 (673–727) is unique in being an early architect of the Mantrayāna tradition (Esoteric Buddhism) in East Asia in addition to featuring as a significant individual within the history of astronomy and calendrical science in China. His legacy in the Buddhist world is well known, but the enduring appreciation of his scientific work in later centuries is less understood. The present paper will document the achievements of Yixing's work in astronomy while also discussing the perception and appreciation of his work in subsequent centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qiu Jun of Ming China, with the aim of "rendering the Zhuzi jiali both accessible and practicable for ordinary folks," compiled the Jiali yijie. Among the annotations of Jiali in the Ming dynasty, Jiali yijie gained the widest popularity and greatest influence, and was regarded as a new classic, on par with the Jiali itself. In the 16th century, Jiali yijie was also introduced to Joseon Korea, where it was regarded as "an important supplement to the Zhuzi jiali" by Korean scholars, attaining a high level of popularity. This paper draws on 23 versions of the Jiali yijie from the Ming dynasty and 33 from the Qing. Historically, the Jiali yijie was introduced to the Joseon dynasty from China by Kim Anguk in 1518. Through the comparison of these four Joseon print versions and their Chinese counterparts, we are led to the conclusion that it was the Yingtian prefecture's print, dated the twelfth year of the Zhengde Era, that Kim Anguk brought back to Joseon from Ming China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is located in the southeast of the Eurasian Plate and is subject to the effects of subducting, squeezing and collision by the Pacific Plate, Philippine Plate and Indian Ocean Plate. It has exceptional geotectonic structure. Based on the satellite gravity data with high precision, high resolution and ample geophysical information, combined with geological data, by using satellite gravity potential field and its full tensor gradient, this paper studies the distribution characteristics of gravity anomalies and the identification of tectonic boundaries in East Asia. Results suggest that the Bouguer gravity anomaly in eastern China reduces gradually from east to west, mostly in the direction of NNE; in the western, it reduces gradually in a wave mode from north to south, mainly in the directions of NW and NWW. In general, the stress field reduces gradually from west to east, and the tectonic of stress field in western China is complex. The change in eastern China is relatively simple. In addition to the above study results, we update the extension route of Red River fault zone and deduce the tectonic unit boundary between the North China and South China active tectonic block regions. This paper identifies in East Asia 6 primary active tectonic blocks, 22 secondary active tectonic blocks, 7 tertiary active tectonic blocks, and the 20 active tectonic block boundary zones. The results of this study can improve the understanding of gravity anomalies and boundary structures in China and surrounding regions, and provide certain geophysical supports for geological structure analysis and crustal dynamic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the thread-legged bug genus Ademula McAtee & Malloch, 1926 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini, formerly Ploiariolini) from China, A. callipennis, new species, and A. corniculata, new species, are described and illustrated in the present paper. COI barcodes of these two new species and an updated key to the Oriental species of Ademula are provided. The distribution of Ademula in East and Southeast Asia is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus), the only species in the genus, is widely distributed in freshwater lakes and rivers at different latitudes in East Asia, with fishery and biodiversity importance, and is an emerging commercially important fish in China. However, the resource of this species has dramatically declined due to anthropogenic activities such as over-exploitation, as well as water pollution. Genomic resources for S. curriculus are useful for the management and sustainable utilization of this important fish species, and also for a better understanding of its genetic variation in the region. Here, we report the chromosome-level assembly of the S. curriculus genome obtained from the integration of PacBio long sequencing and Hi-C technology. A total of 155.34 Gb high-quality PacBio sequences were generated, and the preliminary genome assembly was 894.95 Mb in size with a contig N50 being 20.34 Mb. By using Hi-C data, 99.42% of the assembled sequences were anchored to 24 pseudochromosomes, with chromosome lengths ranging from 27.22 to 58.75 Mb. A total of 25,779 protein-coding genes were predicted, 94.70% of which were functionally annotated. Moreover, S. curriculus shows resistance to grass carp haemorrhagic disease (GCHD) caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV), which seriously hinders the status and future perspectives of commercial grass carp production. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. curriculus diverged with grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) approximately 20.80 million years ago. Annotations of the expanded gene families were found to be largely enriched in immune-related KEGG pathway categories. Moreover, a total of 18 Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes were identified from the whole genome of S. curriculus. The high-quality genome assembled in this study will provide a valuable resource for accelerating ecological, evolutionary, and genetic research on S. curriculus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wet bulb temperature (Tw) has gained considerable attention as a crucial indicator of heat-related health risks. Here we report south-to-north spatially heterogeneous trends of Tw in China over 1979-2018. We find that actual water vapor pressure (Ea) changes play a dominant role in determining the different trend of Tw in southern and northern China, which is attributed to the faster warming of high-latitude regions of East Asia as a response to climate change. This warming effect regulates large-scale atmospheric features and leads to extended impacts of the South Asia high (SAH) and the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) over southern China and to suppressed moisture transport. Attribution analysis using climate model simulations confirms these findings. We further find that the entire eastern China, that accommodates 94% of the country's population, is likely to experience widespread and uniform elevated thermal stress the end of this century. Our findings highlight the necessity for development of adaptation measures in eastern China to avoid adverse impacts of heat stress, suggesting similar implications for other regions as well. Attributing spatially heterogeneous heat stress trends to water vapor pressure changes driven by climate change-induced rapid warming in high-latitudes of East Asia, the authors predict widespread and uniform future heat stress in eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2010 to 2020, Northeast Pacific (NEP) sea surface temperature (SST) experienced the warmest decade ever recorded, manifested in several extreme marine heatwaves, referred to as "warm blob" events, which severely affect marine ecosystems and extreme weather along the west coast of North America. While year-to-year internal climate variability has been suggested as a cause of individual events, the causes of the continuous dramatic NEP SST warming remain elusive. Here, we show that other than the greenhouse gas (GHG) forcing, rapid aerosol abatement in China over the period likely plays an important role. Anomalous tropospheric warming induced by declining aerosols in China generated atmospheric teleconnections from East Asia to the NEP, featuring an intensified and southward-shifted Aleutian Low. The associated atmospheric circulation anomaly weakens the climatological westerlies in the NEP and warms the SST there by suppressing the evaporative cooling. The aerosol-induced mean warming of the NEP SST, along with internal climate variability and the GHG-induced warming, made the warm blob events more frequent and intense during 2010 to 2020. As anthropogenic aerosol emissions continue to decrease, there is likely to be an increase in NEP warm blob events, disproportionately large beyond the direct radiative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace metals from natural and anthropogenic sources impact the atmospheric environment and enter the soil through dry and wet atmospheric deposition, ultimately affecting human health. In this study, we established an emission inventory of Pb, As, Cr, and Cd in East Asia (80° E–140° E, 15° N–50° N) for the year 2017, including dust and anthropogenic sources from both land and marine. We modified the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to provide gridded data on concentrations, as well as dry and wet atmospheric deposition fluxes of metals, with a focus on mainland China. The emissions of Pb, As, Cr, and Cd in East Asia were 19,253, 3415, 3332, and 9379 tons, respectively, in 2017, with 55%, 69%, 25%, and 58% distributed in the fine mode. The spatial distribution of atmospheric concentrations and dry deposition of trace metals was similar to that of emissions, while the spatial distribution of precipitation-related wet deposition was further east and greater in the south than in the north. In mainland China, the average bulk-deposition fluxes of Pb, As, Cr, and Cd were 1036.5, 170.3, 465.9, and 185.0 μg·m−2·year−1, respectively. Our study provides gridded data on trace metals in mainland China, which can be used for assessing air quality, human exposure risks, and metal inputs to soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian monsoon (AM) has direct and profound effects on the livelihoods of residents in South Asia and East Asia. Modern observations have shown multi-decadal alternations of flood and drought periods in these regions, likely influenced by climatic processes such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. However, our understanding of the multi-decadal variability of the AM under different climatic conditions remains uncertain. In this study, we collected an annually laminated and 780-mm stalagmite (sample number: BJ7) from Binjia (BJ) Cave in southwestern China, which is deeply influenced by the Asian monsoon system. Based on this sample, we established 6-year resolution and multi-proxy records for the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) variabilities during the early last termination, spanning from 18.2 to 16.1 ka BP. Measurements of five pairs of uranium and thorium solutions for 230Th dating were conducted using a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP- MS), and 374 pairs of stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C) analyses were run on a Kiel Carbonate Device connected with Finnigan MAT-253 at Nanjing Normal University. The chronology for this sample was established by annual layer counting anchored with 230Th dating results. Our BJ7 δ18O record replicates well with other Chinese δ18O records on the general trend, all of which are superimposed by frequent multidecadal-scale fluctuations at approximately 60 years periodicity. Inspection of the 60-year band in BJ7 δ18O and δ13C records and results of the cross-wavelet analysis indicate coherent changes in the ASM and biomass production/karst processes during most of the studied period. In addition, the 60-year band of BJ7 and NGRIP δ18O records are consistent, implying the impacts of the high-latitude North Atlantic or Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on the ASM. Our study suggests that the 60-year variability should be an intrinsic feature of the climate system regardless of glacial or interglacial backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the upstream region of the Asian summer monsoon, the Bay of Bengal summer monsoon (BOBSM) system has impacts on rainfall patterns in East Asia. In this study, we investigate the impact of the interannual variability of the BOBSM retreat on China precipitation in early summer (June) of the following year. When the BOBSM retreat occurs earlier in the previous year, we find enhanced rainfall in both the northeastern and eastern parts of China. Conversely, when the retreat of the BOBSM is delayed in the previous year, there is a tendency for decreased rainfall in most of northeastern and eastern China, while rainfall in the northern part of the Taiwan island region tends to increase. Statistical analysis demonstrates the co-variability between China's June precipitation anomalies and preceding wind anomalies in the eastern Bay of Bengal. The results indicate a strong relationship between the preceding BOBSM retreat and China precipitation anomalies in the following June. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that the BOBSM retreat is more of an independent signal rather than modulated by an Indian Ocean Dipole event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the WRF-Chem v4.4 model was utilized to evaluate the sensitivity of O 3 simulations with three bottom-up emission inventories (EDGAR-HTAP v2 and v3 and KORUS v5) using surface and aircraft data in East Asia during the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign period in 2016. All emission inventories were found to reproduce the diurnal variations of O 3 and its main precursor NO 2 as compared to the surface monitor data. However, the spatial distributions of the daily maximum 8 h average (MDA8) O 3 in the model do not completely align with the observations. The model MDA8 O 3 had a negative (positive) bias north (south) of 30° N over China. All simulations underestimated the observed CO by 50 %–60 % over China and South Korea. In the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), EDGAR-HTAP v2 and v3 and KORUS v5 simulated the vertical shapes and diurnal patterns of O 3 and other precursors effectively, but the model underestimated the observed O 3 , CO, and HCHO concentrations. Notably, the model aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were significantly underestimated with the three bottom-up emission inventories, although the KORUS v5 shows improvements. The model isoprene estimations had a positive bias relative to the observations, suggesting that the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) version 2.04 overestimated isoprene emissions. Additional model simulations were conducted by doubling CO and VOC emissions over China and South Korea to investigate the causes of the model O 3 biases and the effects of the long-range transport on the O 3 over South Korea. The doubled CO and VOC emission simulations improved the model O 3 simulations for the local-emission-dominant case but led to the model O 3 overestimations for the transport-dominant case, which emphasizes the need for accurate representations of the local VOC emissions over South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cycle of precipitation change is key to understanding the driving mechanism of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). However, the dominant cycles of EASM precipitation revealed by different proxy indicators are inconsistent, leading to the "Chinese 100 kyr problem". In this study, we examine a high-resolution, approximately 350,000-year record from a low-latitude loess profile in China. Our analyses show that variations in the ratio of dithionite−citrate−bicarbonate extractable iron to total iron are dominated by the ~20-kyr cycle, reflecting changes in precipitation. In contrast, magnetic susceptibility varies with the ~100-kyr cycle and may be mainly controlled by temperature-induced redox processes or precipitation-induced signal smoothing. Our results suggest that changes in the EASM, as indicated by precipitation in this region, are mainly forced by precession-dominated insolation variations, and that precipitation and temperature may have varied with different cycles over the past ~350,000 years. Earth's orbit has tuned the variations of the East Asian summer monsoon. Here, a low latitude loess palaeoclimate record provides evidence that variation in monsoon rainfall is dominated by the precession cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In much of Western legal historical scholarship, legal fictions are understood to be devices for maintaining the integrity of text-based legal codes in the face of social change. However, while legal fictions as such were not a topic of scholarly inquiry in East Asia prior to the introduction of the concept from the West, East Asia is nevertheless rich in examples of another kind of legal fiction: jurisprudential legal fictions, or legal fictions effected by judges and rooted in culture (often including religion). The mythical, moral xiezhi beast in ancient China, and judge-centered moral reasoning in pre-modern Japan, point to legal fictions beyond the traditional categories of such in much of Western scholarship, as well as to legal fictions within the West now largely forgotten after the advent of Enlightenment thinking on textual law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The authors present a preliminary analysis of caprine remains from 70 burials at Dunping, a burial site associated with Bronze-Age pastoralists in northwestern China and featured by the interment of skulls and hooves of domestic ungulates in burial contexts. The minimal impact of weathering on the skeletal elements and the attachment of atlases in skulls suggest that the caprines chosen for burial may have been slaughtered on-site, and that the inhumation of the caprine skulls and hooves occurred shortly after their death. It is likely that the remaining carcasses of the caprines were consumed by or distributed among funeral participants. The mortality profiles indicate the presence of caprines across various age stages at the site, with individuals aged 6–12 months accounting for the largest proportion. This pattern differed from those observed in contemporaneous pastoral societies in the regions nearby. The late second and first millennium BC witnessed extensive economic, cultural, and political exchanges between pastoralists and sedentary farming states in East Asia. Decades of archaeological fieldwork across northern China have revealed a large number of burial sites associated with pastoralists during the first millennium BC. These sites were characterized by the inhumation of specific animal parts in burials, predominantly the skulls and hooves of sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. However, the selection preference for these animals and how they were integrated into the mortuary contexts of these pastoral societies remain poorly investigated. Here, we report a preliminary analysis of caprine remains from 70 burials at the site of Dunping in the southern Gansu region of northwestern China, dated to approximately the seventh to fourth centuries BC. Based on an examination of species composition, post-depositional effects, traces of human alteration, skeletal element representation, and age at death, we discussed the selection, slaughtering, and inhumation of caprines concerning the mortuary practices at the site. Comparisons between Dunping and several other contemporaneous burial sites in neighboring regions, specifically in terms of the mortality profiles, further highlight distinct patterns in the selection of caprines for mortuary purposes among pastoral societies. These differences suggest varying degrees of emphasis placed on the economic and social significance attributed to caprines. Our findings provide new insights into the roles that caprines played in both ritual performances and subsistence practices among pastoralists in East Asia during the first millennium BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is a worldwide fruit cultivated mainly in the East Asia, Mediterranean, Caucasus, Latin America, and Oceania regions. This fruit contains abundant proanthocyanidins (PAs, also called condensed tannins), whose biosynthesis is the main cause of fruit astringency. As the original centre and top producing country, China has discovered a unique type with desirable natural deastringency, the Chinese pollination-constant non-astringent (C-PCNA) persimmon. Studies have revealed that the C-PCNA trait is controlled by a single and dominant locus, which differs from that of another type, the Japanese PCNA type, with recessive loci. In the C-PCNA type, accumulating evidence has shown that the astringency removal process involves two pathways ("dilution effect" and "coagulation effect"). Moreover, molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) for the natural deastringency trait locus in C-PCNA has been used to test the non-astringency/astringency trait of hybrid offspring at the seedling stage. Importantly, persimmon can bear male flowers, female flowers, and perfect flowers, but sex-linked MAS has been developed for female-only persimmon. This sex-linked MAS, together with astringency-linked MAS and embryo rescue technology, may even shorten the conventional cross-breeding period of about 2–3 years. In addition, recently studies have established a stable genetic transformation system for persimmon transgenic improvement. Despite these efforts, how synthetic PAs and metabolism pathways lead to a deastringent trait remains unclear for persimmon. Thus, our review summarizes the latest research progress on the natural deastringency mechanism in C-PCNA, and we provide a new viewpoint for the genetic improvement of persimmon breeding in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the reanalysis and multiple observations, the possible impact of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) on early summer (June–July) rainfall in eastern China and its modulation by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) are examined. The composite results show that the suppressed (enhanced) convection anomalies for MJO phases 8–1 (4–5) are more concentrated over the maritime continent and the western Pacific during easterly QBO (EQBO). As a consequence, more significant wet (dry) anomalies develop in South (eastern) China during MJO phases 8–1 (4–5) configured with easterly (westerly) QBO. The enhancement and expansion of the anomalous tropical convection band do not necessarily correspond to enhancement of the extratropical circulation response to MJO phases 8–1 (4–5) configured with westerly (easterly) QBO. The anomalous high (low) over the maritime continent and western Pacific associated with MJO phases 8–1 (4–5) is intensified (deepened) during easterly (westerly) QBO, leading to large southwesterly (northeasterly) anomalies in South China and the coasts, carrying abundant (sparse) moisture. Two anomalous meridional circulation cells are observed for MJO phases 8–1 in the East Asia sector, with downwelling anomalies around 5–20 ∘ N, upwelling anomalies around 20–30 ∘ N, and another downwelling branch northward of 30 ∘ N, which are enhanced during easterly QBO. The anomalous meridional circulation cells are reversed for MJO phases 4–5, which are stronger during westerly QBO with the anomalous downwelling and dry anomalies covering eastern China. The combined impact of MJO phases 8–1 and easterly QBO on the early summer rainfall is noticeable in 1996, 2016, and 2020. The enormous rainfall amount appeared along the Yangtze River in 1996, 2016, and 2020 due to the extended period of MJO phases 8–1 under the background of the easterly QBO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the Chinese Fengyun satellite series, Fengyun-2G (FY-2G) quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) can provide real-time and high-quality precipitation data over East Asia. However, FY-2G QPE cannot offer precipitation information beyond the latitude band of 50°N due to the limitation of the observation coverage of the FY-2G-based satellite-borne sensor. To this end, a precipitation space reconstruction using the geographically weighted regression (GWR) coupled with a geographical differential analysis (GDA) (PSR2G) algorithm was developed, based on the land surface variables related to precipitation, including vegetational cover, land surface temperature, geographical location, and topographic characteristics. This study used the PSR2G-based reconstructed model to estimate the FY-2G QPE over Northeast China (the latitude band beyond 50°N) from December 2015 to November 2019 with a spatiotemporal resolution of 0.1°/month. The PSR2G-based reconstructed results were validated with the ground observations of 80 rain gauges, and also compared to the reconstructed results using random forest (RF) and GWR. The results show that the spatio-temporal pattern of PSR2G QPE is closer to ground observations than those of RF and GWR, which indicates that the PSR2G QPE is more competent to capture the spatio-temporal variation of rainfall over Northeast China than other two reconstruction methods. In addition, the reconstructed precipitation dataset using PSR2G has higher accuracy over study area than the FY-2G QPE below the band of 50°N. It suggested that PSR2G reconstruction precipitation strategies do not lose the precision of the original satellite precipitation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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From the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), the Linji School became the main branch of the Southern Chan Buddhism. Understanding the historical significance of the Linji School is crucial for comprehending the origins and development of Chan Buddhism in China and East Asia. This article adheres to the academic approach of studying Chan in its historical context, using GIS (Geographic Information System) tools to include in the research all seven generations of Linji monks, from the fourth to the tenth Linji generation, and reconstructing the spatial and temporal process of Linji's transmission in the 10th and 11th centuries. The study found that the Linji monastic group maintained a tenuous relationship with secular power in their ideology during the Northern Song Dynasty, with their preaching distribution center far from the power center (the capital), located to the south of the Yangtze River. This situation allowed the Linji monastic group to avoid extinction during the transition between the Song and Jin Dynasties, and the monastic group later became a unique and thriving force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genus Sanicula comprises ca. 45 taxa, widely distributed from East Asia to North America, which is a taxonomically difficult genus with high medicinal value in Apiaceae. The systematic classification of the genus has been controversial for a long time due to varied characters in key morphological traits. China is one of the most important distributed centers, with ca. 18 species and two varieties. At present, chloroplast genomes are generally considered to be conservative and play an important role in evolutionary relationship study. To investigate the plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships of Chinese Sanicula, we comprehensively analyzed the structural characteristics of 13 Chinese Sanicula chloroplasts and reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships. Results: In present study, four newly complete chloroplast genome of Sanicula taxa by using Illumina sequencing were reported, with the typical quadripartite structure and 155,396–155,757 bp in size. They encoded 126 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 32 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. Genome structure, distributions of SDRs and SSRs, gene content, among Sanicula taxa, were similar. The nineteen intergenic spacers regions, including atpH-atpI, ndhC-trnM, petB-petD, petD-rpoA, petN-psbM, psaJ-rpl33, rbcL-accD, rpoB-trnC, rps16-trnQ, trnE-psbD, trnF-ndhJ, trnH-psbA, trnN-ndhF, trnS-psbZ, trnS-trnR, trnT-trnF, trnV-rps12, ycf3-trnS and ycf4-cemA, and one coding region (ycf1 gene) were the most variable. Results of maximum likelihood analysis based on 79 unique coding genes of 13 Chinese Sanicula samples and two Eryngium (Apiaceae-Saniculoideae) species as outgroup taxa revealed that they divided into four subclades belonged to two clades, and one subclade was consistent with previously traditional Sanicula section of its system. The current classification based on morphology at sect. Sanicla and Sect. Tuberculatae in Chinese Sanicula was not supported by analysis of cp genome phylogeny. Conclusions: The chloroplast genome structure of Sanicula was similar to other angiosperms and possessed the typical quadripartite structure with the conserved genome arrangement and gene features. However, their size varied owing to expansion/contraction of IR/SC boundaries. The variation of non-coding regions was larger than coding regions of the chloroplast genome. Phylogenetic analysis within these Chinese Sanicula were determined using the 79 unique coding genes. These results could provide important data for systematic, phylogenomic and evolutionary research in the genus for the future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Three-North Afforestation Program (TNAP) in China is the largest ecological restoration project on Earth (ongoing from 1978 to 2050), harboring a huge area of newly planted forests, which provides a wealth of goods and ecosystem services that benefit society at levels ranging from region to East Asia. This project-induced carbon (C) sink has been expected to be large, but its size and location remain uncertain. Results: In this study, we investigated the changes in the C stocks of biomass, soil C and the C accumulation benefited from the ecological effects in the project areas from 1978 to 2017 within the Three-North regions (4.069 × 106 km2), and evaluated its project-induced C sequestration. Using a combination of remote sensing images, field observations and national forest inventory data, we estimated a total ecosystem sink of 47.06 Tg C per year (1 Tg = 1012 g) increased by the TNAP implementation. Importantly, we first found that the C sink via the ecological effects of this project could contribute to a high proportion up to 15.94%, indicating a critical role of ecological effects in shaping the distribution of C stocks in the protective forests. This finding suggests that it is necessary to explicitly consider carbon sequestration benefited from the ecological effects when estimating C sink and parameterizing C models of the restoration projects in China and globally. Conclusions: Our results update the estimates of C pools in the world's largest ecological restoration project area, demonstrating that this project has substantially contributed to mitigating the climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a crucial region for investigating the relationship between climate change and hominin evolution across diverse terrestrial ecosystems. With the continuous development of palaeoclimatology, chronology, and archaeology, the environmental and hominin record of the Early and Middle Pleistocene in China is steadily accumulating, shedding light on the effects of climate change on the distribution of early human settlements and population dynamics. However, the migration and dispersal of these early humans within long-term climate fluctuations and their underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified. Based on the spatial-temporal distribution of 95 Early to Middle Pleistocene archaeological sites in China, we found that intensified hominin activities gradually shifted southward under the influence of multiple glacial–interglacial cycles. The frequent bidirectional movements of these early humans between north and south were assumed as follows. During glacial periods, hominins living in North China migrated to southern areas, while inter-glacial periods witnessed the northward expansion of hominins inhabiting South China. Among all the potential driving mechanisms, we suggest that the available resources in terrestrial ecosystems may be the most fundamental factor. Combined with paleoenvironmental and archaeological records, we provide an Asian perspective for a better understanding of how the glacial–interglacial cycles shaped early human evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persimmons (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) are a characteristic Chinese fruit and account for a large planting area in China. The evaluation and selection of persimmons that are astringent without softening play an important role in modern breeding programs. However, the phenotypic variability and diversity of some representative traits in the natural population of persimmon germplasm without softening are still unclear. In this study, 56 traits from 150 samples of D. kaki collected in East Asia were used to evaluate phenotypes and correlations using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. The results show that the mean coefficient of variation for the persimmon germplasm traits was 26.19%, and significant variations in phenotypic traits were observed. The frequency distribution maps of most of the characteristics showed obvious normal distribution characteristics. The analysis of the correlations between the traits showed that the most significant positive correlations had correlation coefficients close to 0.7. For example, seed width was highly and significantly correlated with fruit longitudinal and transverse width (0.796 and 0.786), and pith height was highly and significantly correlated with seed length (0.816). Moreover, the correlations between fruit traits and support traits, such as those related to the fruit handle and sepals, were significant, and the coefficients of the correlations between sepal width and fruit traits were 0.671 to 0.739. Fruit water content was negatively correlated with the soluble solids content (−0.623). Principal component analysis reduced 38 traits to 8 principal components, explaining 82.459% of the total variations, which were related to fruit size, seed, pith, color, fruit hardness, and soluble solid content; thus, persimmon germplasm could be divided into three major categories according to the sizes and shapes of the traits, and the first cluster was divided into two subcategories. The first subclass of fruits is medium size and shape; the second subclass of fruits is small in all traits; the second cluster is of high-quality and large fruits, optimal in all traits; and the third cluster is of medium to high-quality and oblate fruits. The results of this study are important for genetic improvement, diversity conservation, and resource utilization regarding persimmons and further research in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wuyishan National Park is well known for its rich biodiversity. Previously, only five species of Hybos Meigen, 1803 were known to occur in this region. In this study, 27 species of the genus Hybos from Wuyishan National Park are reviewed based on comparative morphological characteristics. Among these, nine species are described as new to science: Hybos brevidigitatus sp. nov., Hybos constractus sp. nov., Hybos curvitibia sp. nov., Hybos dazhulanus sp. nov., Hybos fujianensis sp. nov., Hybos leucopogus sp. nov., Hybos longidigitatus sp. nov., Hybos modificatus sp. nov., and Hybos wuyishanus sp. nov. Diagnoses, detailed descriptions, remarks, colored illustrations, distributions, and some of the female terminalia characteristics are provided for nine new species. In addition, 13 species of this genus are reported for the first time in Wuyishan National Park. A key to Hybos species from Wuyishan National Park is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the geopolitical landscape in East Asia, focusing on the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. It explores China's strategic objectives, military preparations, and the challenges it would face in executing such an operation. Despite China's growing military capabilities, Taiwan's geographic advantages, robust defense systems, and significance in global supply chains make an invasion a formidable and risky undertaking. The article also considers the potential involvement of allies and the broader implications for international relations. It concludes that maintaining the status quo is in the best interest of all parties involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The species belonging to the Strongylophthalmyia coarctata subgroup of the S. punctata group (Diptera: Brachycera: Strongylophthalmyiidae) from China are reviewed. Six species are recognized, including three new species: S. corniculata sp. nov., S. flagellicornis sp. nov., and S. tangwangana sp. nov. Strongylophthalmyia narwhal Evenhuis, 2020 and S. raricornis Shatalkin, 1981 are recorded from China for the first time, and S. raricornis is also recorded from South Korea for the first time. An identification key to the Asian species of the S. coarctata subgroup is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust storm disasters have emerged as a significant environmental challenge in East Asia. However, relying on a single monitoring method to track dust storms presents limitations and can be variable. Therefore, it is necessary to use a combination of ground and remote sensing monitoring methods to explore the source and impact range of dust storms in order to fully characterize them. To achieve this, we examined the sources and impact ranges of dust storms in East Asia from 1980 to 2020 using both ground station data and remote sensing data. In addition, we focused on three specific dust storm events in the region. Our results indicate that the central source areas of dust storms are located in southern Mongolia and the Taklamakan Desert in China. Dust storms are mainly transported and spread in the northwestern region, while they are relatively rare in the southeastern region. The HYSPLIT model simulations reveal that the primary source directions of dust storms in East Asia are northwest, west, and north, the region involved includes Kazakhstan, southern Mongolia, and the Taklimakan Desert in China. The vertical structure of the dust storm layer depends on the source of the dust storm and the intensity of the dust storm event. Dust grain stratification probably occurs due to differences in dust storm sources, grain size, and regularity. These findings demonstrate that a combination of ground-based and remote sensing monitoring methods is an effective approach to fully characterize dust storms and can provide more comprehensive information for dust storm studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important tasks of the Chinese geostationary and meteorological satellite Fengyun-2 (FY2) series is to provide quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) with high spatiotemporal resolutions for East Asia. To analyze the monitoring capabilities of FY2-based QPEs in extreme rainfall events, this study comprehensively evaluated and compared the performances of FY-2G and FY-2H QPEs for the "7.20" rainstorm in Henan province, China from 17 July 2021 to 22 July 2021. Three continuous metrics and three categorical metrics were adopted to assess the accuracies of FY-2G and FY-2H QPEs, referenced by gauge observations from 116 meteorological stations. The results show that the FY-2G QPE has lower BIAS (−9.64% for FY-2G, −46.22% for FY-2H) and RMSE (5.83 mm/h for FY-2G, 8.4 mm/h for FY-2H) and higher CC (0.57 for FY-2G, 0.24 for FY-2H) than FY-2H QPE in this rainstorm event. Moreover, the FY-2G QPE is not only more consistent with the ground reference with respect to the rainfall amount, but also has higher detecting capability in the "7.20" rainstorm event when compared with the FY-2H QPE. The FY-2G QPE presented a higher capability to correctly capture the precipitation event for the "7.20" rainstorm because of higher POD (probability of detection) and CSI (critical success index) relative to FY-2H QPE, especially in complex topography. From the spatial distribution of precipitation amount, the FY-2G QPE captured the rainstorm center of extreme precipitation more accurately relative to the latest FY-2H product. On the other hand, the previous generation of FY-2G QPE was closer to the continuous rainfall process and precipitation duration with ground observations than the latest FY-2H QPE. Therefore, the precipitation retrieval algorithm of FY-2H QPE still had room to improve. It is necessary to introduce error correction algorithms, especially in complex topography for rainstorm events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient temple heritage space is a subcategory of integrated spaces with profound religious architecture, culture, and landscape. The temporal and spatial characteristics, spatial layouts, and functionalities of ancient temples are gradually transformed during different periods in their development. However, quantitative topological estimation tools, e.g., space syntax and detailed digital spatial models, have seldom been adopted in related studies on ancient temples. Daming Temple is a typical representative of the revitalization of Buddhism monastic building heritage in China. This research studies the spaces of Daming Temple, Yangzhou City, in three different periods and explores its spatio–temporal characteristics based on two space syntax models, i.e., the angle segment analysis (ASA) model and the visibility map analysis (VGA) model. By multi-step quantitative estimation, changes in the mean depth (MD), mean connectivity, and intelligibility of the temple have been observed. The global spatial structure is thoroughly revealed, which indicates the changes in the 'temple-residence-garden' inter-relationship. It is indicated that dynamic spatio–temporal characteristics of the temple have been undergoing changes chronically. Some phenomena are found to be effective in offering reasonable explanations for these changes, i.e., the changes in relationships among spaces, visitors' pathfinding difficulties, and spatial design techniques. It also found that there are certain correlations between temporal–spatial changes and spatial conservation strategies for building heritages. The case study can provide some valuable references for the conservation, reactivation, and redesign of related historical and cultural building heritage in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH4) is the second most potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and China emerges as the largest anthropogenic CH4 emitter by country. Current limited CH4 monitoring systems in China are unfortunately inadequate to support carbon management. Here we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) coupled with a GHG module and satellite constrained emissions to simulate the spatiotemporal distribution of CH4 over East Asia in 2017. Model evaluations using both satellite retrievals and ground-based observations indicate reliable performance. We further inter-compare four proper orthogonal decomposition (POD)-based sensor placement algorithms and find they are able to capture main spatial features of surface CH4 under an oversampled condition. The QR pivot algorithm exhibits superiority in capturing high CH4, and it offers the best reconstruction with both high efficiency and accuracy. Areas with high CH4 concentrations and intense anthropogenic activities remain underrepresented by current CH4 sampling studies, leading to notable reconstruction error over central and eastern China. Optimal planning of 160 sensors guided by the QR pivot algorithm can yield reasonable reconstruction performance and costs of site construction. Our results can provide valuable references for future planning of CH4 monitoring sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The annual precipitation in North China and South China shows a dipole pattern with a clear inter-decadal transition around the late 1970s. However, the relative contribution of internal variability and external forcing to this inter-decadal transition is still unclear. Here, we separate internal variability from the externally forced climate response through a set of dynamical downscaling simulations with lateral boundary conditions derived from reanalysis data and a large ensemble mean of the CMIP5 historical simulations. We find that internal variability accounts for about 65 and 55% of the inter-decadal transition of the annual precipitation in South and North China, respectively. By contrast, external forcing accounts for about 70% of the warming trend in eastern China over the second half of the 20th century. This study highlights the differential response of regional precipitation and air temperature to internal variability and external forcing over eastern China on an inter-decadal timescale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable water isotopes are natural tracers in the hydrological cycle and have been applied in hydrology, atmospheric science, ecology, and paleoclimatology. However, the factors controlling the isotopic distribution, both at spatial and temporal scales, are debated in low and middle latitude regions, due to the significant influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation and complex sources of water vapor. For the first time, we made in situ observations of near-surface vapor isotopes over a large region (over 10 000 km) across China in both pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, using a newly designed vehicle-based vapor isotope monitoring system. Combined with daily and multiyear monthly mean outputs from the isotope-incorporated global spectral model (Iso-GSM) and infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI) satellite to calculate the relative contribution, we found that the observed spatial variations in both periods represent mainly seasonal mean spatial variations, but are influenced by more significant synoptic-scale variations during the monsoon period. The spatial variations of vapor δ18 O are mainly controlled by Rayleigh distillation along air mass trajectories during the pre-monsoon period, but are significantly influenced by different moisture sources, continental recycling processes, and convection during moisture transport in the monsoon period. Thus, the North–South gradient observed during the pre-monsoon period is counteracted during the monsoon period. The seasonal variation of vapor δ18 O reflects the influence of the summer monsoon convective precipitation in southern China and a dependence on temperature in the North. The spatial and seasonal variations in d-excess reflect the different moisture sources and the influence of continental recycling. Iso-GSM successfully captures the spatial distribution of vapor δ18 O during the pre-monsoon period, but the performance is weaker during the monsoon period, maybe due to the underestimation of local or short-term high-frequency synoptic variations. These results provide an overview of the spatial distribution and seasonal variability of water isotopic composition in East Asia and their controlling factors, and they emphasize the need to interpret proxy records in the context of the regional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Osphya Illiger (Melandryidae: Osphyinae) as a species-poor insect group, exhibits a widespread distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, however, the research of the genus is poorly documented especially in East Asia. Herein, an interesting species is discovered in Shennongjia National Natural Reserve (Hubei, China). The examination of morphological characters and comparisons with others show it to be a new member of Osphya, which is described under the name of O. sinensis sp. n. The characteristic photos and a key to the species of Osphya from East Asia are provided. Meanwhile, the mitochondrial genome of O. sinensis sp. n. is sequenced and annotated. Based on this obtained mitogenome and the publicly available data, we reconstructed the phylogeny of Tenebrionoidea by different cladistics methods to investigate the relationships between the new species with others. The results consistently recover O. sinensis sp. n. sister to O. bipunctata (Fabricius) with high supporting values, which further confirm the placement of the new species in the genus Osphya. This is the first time reporting the genus Osphya, the only representative genus of melandryid Osphyinae from mainland China, which enriches the diversity of beetles from the Chinese fauna at both generic and subfamilial levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on monthly rainfall station data from the National Climate Prediction Center of China Meteorological Administration, reanalysis monthly data from NCEP/NCAR including the monthly mean and long-term mean values for geopotential height, winds of multi-levels, NOAA(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) monthly Sea Surface Temperature (ERSSTV5), the causes of anomalous excessive precipitation in 2021/2022 winter over South China (SC) are investigated by Liang-Kleeman information flow, composite and wave flux methods. The results show that the winter precipitation over SC in 2021/2022 DJF is far more than normal, and the associated circulation patterns are obviously different from those induced by traditional La Niña, especially in the Atlantic and East Asia areas south to Lake Baikal. In 2021/2022 DJF, the Tibet Plateau (TP) exists anomalous cyclone with strong ascending motion, which directly affects the circulation patterns in Eastern China and thus the precipitation in SC. It is a significant causal relationship for the earlier season velocity potential at 850 hPa (related to the anomalous SST) over the tropical Atlantic to later DJF anomalous vertical motions over TP. Especially when the anomalies in tropical Atlantic leads one month before, the relationship is closest. The anomalies of the tropical Atlantic can stimulate the Rossby wave train which propagates downstream, corresponding to the abnormal cyclonic circulation over TP. In the early autumn to winter of 2021/2022, the 850 hPa potential velocity anomalies in the tropical Atlantic were significant with positive phase. The Rossby wave train excited by the potential velocity anomalies and then propagated along the great circle path and global jet stream (GJT) over South Asia (SA), formed an anomalous cyclonic with ascending motion over TP and lead more precipitation over SC in winter of 2021/2022. Winter rainfall, usually accompanying with lower temperature, will bring severely bad influence on traffic, power supply, communication, agriculture and people's lives. The results of this paper can provide a reference for further understanding the causes and mechanism of DJF rainfall over SC. • The winter precipitation over SC in 2021/2022 DJF is extremely more than normal, and the associated circulation patterns are obviously different from those induced by La Niña, especially in the Atlantic and East Asia areas south to Lake Baikal. • Strong ascending motion over TP(Tibet Plateau) affects the circulation patterns directly in eastern China and lead to the excessive precipitation in SC during 2021/2022 DJF. • The anomalies over the tropical Atlantic can stimulate the Rossby wave train and propagate downstream, and the Rossby wave trains allow energy to propagate to TP area with wave flux convergent, contributing certainly to the anomaly cyclone circulation there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The national and global restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden, albeit temporary, emission reduction of many greenhouse gases (GHGs) and anthropogenic aerosols, whose near-term climate impact were previously found to be negligible when focusing on global- and/or annual-mean scales. Our study aims to investigate the monthly scale coupled climate-and-circulation response to regional, COVID-19-related aerosol emission reductions, using the output from 10 Earth system models participating in the Covid model intercomparison project (CovidMIP). We focus on January–February and March–May 2020, which represent the seasons of largest emission changes in sulfate (SO2) and black carbon (BC). During January–February (JF), a marked decrease in aerosol emissions over eastern China, the main emission region, resulted in a lower aerosol burden, leading to an increase in surface downwelling radiation and ensuing surface warming. Regional sea-level pressure and circulation adjustments drive a precipitation increase over the Maritime Continent, embedded in a negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)- and/or El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like response over the Pacific, in turn associated with a northwestward displacement and zonal shrinking of the Indo-Pacific Walker cell. Remote climate anomalies across the Northern Hemisphere, including a weakening of the Siberian High and Aleutian Low, as well as anomalous temperature patterns in the northern mid-latitudes, arise primarily as a result of stationary Rossby wave trains generated over East Asia. The anomalous climate pattern and driving dynamical mechanism reverse polarity between JF and MAM (March–May) 2020, which is shown to be consistent with an underlying shift of the dominant region of SO2 emission reduction from eastern China in JF to India in MAM. Our findings highlight the prominent role of large-scale dynamical adjustments in generating a hemispheric-wide aerosol climate imprint even on short timescales, which are largely consistent with longer-term (decadal) trends. Furthermore, our analysis shows the sensitivity of the climate response to the geographical location of the aerosol emission region, even after relatively small, but abrupt, emission changes. Scientific advances in understanding the climate impact of regional aerosol perturbations, especially the rapidly evolving emissions over China and India, are critically needed to reduce current uncertainties in near-future climate projections and to develop scientifically informed hazard mitigation and adaptation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Botanica Serbica is the property of University of Belgrade, Institute of Botany & Botanical Garden Jevremovac and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Gekko japonicus, i.e., Schlegel's Japanese Gecko, is an important species which is widely distributed in East Asia. However, the information about population genetics of this species from China remains unclear. To address this issue, we used sequences from a fragment of the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome c oxidase I to estimate genetic diversity, genetic structure, and historical demography of G. japonicus populations from China. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that G. japonicus had a close relationship with Gekko wenxianensis. A total of 14 haplotypes were obtained, of which haplotype 1 was the most common and widely distributed. The genetic diversity of G. japonicus was comparatively low across different geographic populations. The populations of G. japonicus were divided into four groups which exhibited low levels of genetic differentiation, and expressed an unclear pattern of population structuring. In addition, potential population expansion of G. japonicus has occurred as well. Overall, these results demonstrate that the populations of G. japonicus reveal low genetic diversity in China, which is attributed to the founder and bottleneck events among populations. Our results will provide meaningful information on the population genetics of G. japonicus and will provide some insights into the study of origin of populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In densely populated, highly urbanized regions such as Zhejiang Province (eastern China), species are under enormous environmental pressures resulting from human activities, land use changes, and habitat fragmentation, which affect species composition and species diversity. Although eastern China is one of the most concentrated distribution areas of endemic bryophytes in East Asia, these species are also faced with the threats of habitat inadequacy. In order to get more information on bryophyte habitat and diversity, we investigated species composition, habitat preference, as well as species diversity differences of bryophytes under different habitat conditions in Jiulongshan National Forest Park (JNFP). In particular, the results showed that 108 specimens of bryophyte were collected in total, including 46 species in 32 genera of 21 families. Furthermore, we had found 12 species of bryophytes that had never been recorded before in Zhejiang Province. Remarkably, 40.74% of bryophytes were found to grow on natural rocks, followed by understories and roadside habitats. In addition, the Patrick richness index (R) varied most significantly among different habitats (p < 0.001). In a conservation perspective, natural rocks, roadways and understories should be preserved to protect bryophyte diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have implied that East Asia was dominated by a zonal climate pattern during the Eocene, with an almost latitudinal arid/semiarid band at ~ 30° N. However, this long-standing model has recently been challenged by growing body of multidisciplinary evidence. Some studies indicated that central China was characterized by climatic fluctuations between humid and drier conditions during the Early Eocene, akin to the present East Asian monsoon (EAM) regime. Using palynological assemblages in the Tantou Basin, central China, we quantitatively reconstructed climate changes from the Late Palaeocene to Early Eocene to better understand climate change in central China. Palynological assemblages revealed that the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in this area received no less than 800 mm of annual precipitation and experienced a climate change from warm and wet to relatively cool and dry. According to palaeoclimate curves, a sudden climate change occurred in the Early Eocene, with the mean annual temperature and precipitation decreasing by 5.1 °C and 214.8 mm, respectively, and the climate became very similar to the present climate, which is controlled by the monsoon. Therefore, this significant climate change during the Early Eocene may signal the emergence of the EAM in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]