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The suspension of a single cylindrical particle in a square stirred tank was investigated by detailed visualization experiments. The flow pattern in the tank generated by a spinning disk is laminar (Reynolds numbers based on the disk diameter are less than 50). The cylinder's motion and orientation were recorded by two cameras at 100 frames per second and then quantitatively analyzed. The length over diameter aspect ratio of the cylinders was varied in the range 1 – 8. The angular speed of the spinning disk at which incipient lift-off of the cylinder occurs depends on the cylinder's diameter and its aspect ratio. Beyond an aspect ratio of about 5, this critical disk speed only weakly depends on the aspect ratio indicating that then the hydrodynamic force on the cylinder approximately scales with its length. The self-rolling as well as the azimuth sliding over the tank bottom were quantitatively identified when the cylinder approached being lifted off. The suspension phenomenon of the cylinder with aspect ratio 1 is different from other cylinders. We obtained highly reproducible results for the trajectory and orientation of the cylinder during the suspension process that can serve as benchmark data for critical evaluation of computational approaches. • Suspension motion of one cylinder in a stirred tank was quantitatively analyzed. • Reproducible trajectories and orientations of cylinders at three suspension stages. • Off-center sliding and self-rolling are precursors for cylinder lift-off. • Effect of aspect ratio on cylinders' motion was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2006.10.004 Byline: Xuejun Jiang (a)(b), Xuehui Lin (b), De Yao (c), Shikui Zhai (a), Weidong Guo (d) Keywords: Lithium; Selective dissolution experiment; Diagenetic ferromanganese nodules; Hydrogenic ferromanganese crust; Existing phase Abstract: We have measured lithium content of marine ferromanganese oxide deposits of different origins and conducted a sequence of selective dissolution experiments on them. There is more lithium in diagenetic and transitional marine ferromanganese nodules than in hydrogenic ferromanganese crusts. Lithium in diagenetic and transitional nodules is in the 10A-manganate phase rather than in the lithiophorite or other phases, as shown by the sequential selective dissolution results. The different contents of lithium in the different generic types of marine ferromanganese oxide deposits are attributed to the varying mineralogy. Ten A manganates, the main minerals in diagenetic and transitional marine ferromanganese nodules, can incorporate significant amounts of lithium because of their distinct structure and can be regarded as an important scavenger of lithium in the oceans. The diagenetic and transitional marine ferromanganese nodules may play a role in the mass balance of lithium in the oceans. On the other hand, it appears that lithium is present in hydrogenic marine ferromanganese crusts in an aluminosilicate phase rather than in other phases such as vernadite ([delta]-MnO.sub.2) or ferric oxide/hydroxide. Vernadite ([delta]-MnO.sub.2) and ferric oxide/hydroxide adsorb very small amounts of lithium in the oceans. Author Affiliation: (a) College of Geoscience, Ocean University of China, 266071 Qingdao, China (b) Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, 266071 Qingdao, China (c) Shandong University of Technology, 255049 Zibo, China (d) Department of Oceanography, Xiamen University, 361005 Xiamen, China Article History: Received 11 December 2005; Revised 15 September 2006; Accepted 5 October 2006

[Display omitted] • The random deterministic three-dimensional fracture coupling model is constructed. • A new fracture search algorithm: full space parallel search algorithm is proposed. • Based on this, the accurate prediction of water inflow of the tunnel is realized. With the rapid development of national infrastructure construction, the water inrush disaster of "strong burst, high water pressure and large flow" is more and more frequent in the construction process. To achieve high-precision prediction of tunnel water inflow, based on the Yue Longmen Tunnel, according to the structural plane detection data in the study area, combined with the Monte Carlo algorithm and using "parent-daughter" and "step–structure" correction mode, this paper constructs a random deterministic three-dimensional fracture network seepage model. Based on the three-dimensional fracture network seepage model and the principle of flow balance, the water inflow of each mileage section of the Yue Longmen Tunnel is solved by numerical calculation method, and good results are obtained through comparison and verification. The research results have important theoretical significance and engineering application value for tunnel water inflow prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis of cirrhosis has been increasing the interest of medical specialists and engineers. Cirrhosis diagnosis is difficult to distinguish with naked eyes, and it depends on subjectivity of physicians largely. In this paper, the improved Local Binary Pattern(LBP) algorithm called T-LBP(total LBP) and its corresponding T-LBPs(T-LBP spectrum) feature were proposed to describe cirrhosis texture and to solve the edge blurring problem caused by cirrhosis effectively. We applied fusion of T-LBPs, two-dimensional Gabor transform and K-SVD(single value decomposition which generalizes K-means clustering process) based dictionary learning methods in cirrhosis recognition of ultrasound(US) images for the first time. Advantages of proposed algorithms include, firstly, to our best knowledge, proposed T-LBPs feature outperforms the traditional features using support vector machine(SVM), and it has also been proved that the consuming time of kernel extreme learning machine(kernel-ELM) is less than that of basic ELM in this issue; secondly, dictionary learning based recognition method through T-LBP has obtained the highest recognition rate of 99.69% compared with state-of-the-art methods, and dictionary updating error decreased sharply via T-LBP. Therefore, the proposed algorithm will contribute to the clinical cirrhosis diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau is the world’s largest and highest plateau and holds the largest mass of ice on Earth outside the ice-sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, as well as abundant lakes. This study examined the molecular and isotopic signatures of dissolved organic matter (DOM) along with its biolability in glacier ice, glacier-fed streams, and alpine lakes on the Tibetan Plateau. The aim was to assess the sources of DOM and the potential of DOM to provide a carbon subsidy to downstream ecosystems. Tibetan glaciers and glacier streams exhibited low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (17.7–27.9 μM) and ancient DOC radiocarbon ages (749–2350 ybp). The optical properties, stable carbon isotope ratios (δ 13 C-DOC) and the molecular composition (Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry) of Tibetan glacier DOM are consistent with data from other glacier systems around the world. The geochemical signatures and the ancient apparent ages of Tibetan glacier DOM suggest a significant fraction is derived from the atmospheric deposition of pre-aged, possibly fossil fuel derived organics. Within the Tibetan alpine lakes, DOC was also ancient (525–675 ybp), due to either inputs of pre-aged organics from glacier runoff, direct deposition, or due to the aging of organics in situ (i.e. a radiocarbon reservoir effect). The glacier ice and glacier stream sites exhibited high biolability of DOC and so provide a carbon subsidy to downstream environments that will change as glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau recede. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geochemistry of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and sulfur (S) and their effects on arsenic (As) mobility in the mudflats of small river estuaries remain unclear. Here, diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and high-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) techniques combined with a sequential extraction procedure (BCR) were employed to investigate As, Fe, Mn and S geochemistry in the mudflat of the Jiuxi River estuary, Southeast China. Grain size analysis indicated that fine-grained particles were likely to be deposited in the estuarine intertidal zone and coastal area. DGT and HR-Peeper results revealed that in the estuary and coastal area, the dissolved As in sediment in summer was controlled by Mn geochemistry, which includes not only the release of As through Mn/Fe reduction but also the stabilization of dissolved As in pore water. This stabilization of dissolved As may due to the formation of As–Mn-OM complexes. In winter, the significant positive correlations between DGT-Fe, DGT-Mn, DGT-As and DGT-S indicated that sulfate reduction was the start of As mobilization in sediment in winter. In both the estuary and the coastal area, the easily reducible Fe, Mn and As contents in intertidal sediment were higher than those in the subtidal zone. Combined with the As flux across the sediment-overlying water interface (SWI), these phenomena suggested that As in subtidal sediment diffused into overlying water and that As in overlying water tended to accumulate in the intertidal sediment. The total organic carbon content (TOC) and DGT results in the lower reach, estuary and coastal areas indicated that organic matter is the controlling factor of Fe/Mn reduction, sulfate reduction and As mobilization. The BCR test results showed higher reactive fraction contents of Fe, Mn and As in winter sediment, which threaten the overlying water quality. [Display omitted] • High-resolution distribution of mobile As was explored in estuarine mudflats. • The distribution of soluble As was dominated by Mn, not Fe, geochemistry in summer. • The sulfate reduction is the start of As mobilization in winter. • As is released from subtidal sediment and tends to accumulate in intertidal sediment. • The higher reactive As fraction in winter sediment potentially threat water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Phytoremediation can reduce organic pollution in brackish environments. [•] EEM-PARAFAC can trace DOM dynamics during the phytoremediation process. [•] Sesuvium portulacastrum removed DOC, CDOM and certain EEM fluorophores. [•] The rhizosphere plays an important role in phytoremediation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has not been studied fully for tropical and subtropical rivers, in particular during storm events. DOM dynamics during a summer storm event in June, 2011 were examined in a subtropical river (the North Jiulong River, China). Stormwater runoff was sampled for measurement of dissolved organic C (DOC), absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence excitation emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs). Three different fluorescent components were identified using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), including humic-like C1 and C3, and C2 as a combination of humic-like and protein-like fluorophores. The flux of DOC increased fivefold from 0.4kgs−1 at baseflow to 2.0kgs−1 at peak flow. Chromophoric DOM (CDOM) and fluorescent components also showed large increases with stormflow. The flux of DOC was similar during the rising and falling hydrographs at equal water discharge, while those of CDOM and fluorescent components were much higher during the falling-hydrograph. Carbon specific CDOM absorption coefficient at UV (SUVA254) and the fraction of C3 which fluoresced at long emission wavelength correlated positively to each other but negatively to absorption spectral slope ratio (S R) and C2%. They showed notable temporal variations indicative of increases in aromaticity, C3% and average molecular weight of DOM during the storm event. Changes in DOM composition lagged behind those in DOM flux. Changes in the flux and quality of DOM during the storm event, which were monitored effectively by absorption spectroscopy and EEMs–PARAFAC, could affect biogeochemical processes in the river and receiving coastal waters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using Microsoft VB to develop the specialized SQL database, which stored the data of documents and pictures about the design and construction of the reservoirs, recorded the reservoirs function and information about carrying out the reservoir danger removal and consolidation. The development of the software could help to realize the automatic and scientific management of dangerous reservoirs in Liaoning Province and increase the water conservancy management departments efficiency and accuracy to supervise reservoirs, thereby providing references for regulating the reservoir danger removal and consolidation work in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates the effect of anisotropic interfacial energy on nanoscale pattern formation during the electropolishing of aluminum. We have derived the anisotropic evolution equation of the aluminum interface by including the effects of interfacial energy with cubic anisotropy. The special cases of [1 1 1], [1 1 0], and [1 0 0] directions are considered. A linear stability analysis was used to predict the growth rate at the maximum wave number, and a weakly nonlinear analysis was used to predict the type and stability of the patterns (i.e. hexagons or stripes). We find that increasing the interfacial energy can extend the stability range of hexagons. When the interfacial energy is high enough, only stable hexagons exist for the [1 1 1] and [1 0 0] directions. Previous studies have shown that electropolished [1 1 1] aluminum exhibits stable hexagons and stripes, depending on the alignment of the hexagonal array with respect to the crystal axes while [1 1 0] produces only striped patterns. For the [1 0 0] direction, anisotropy has no effect and an isotropic solution result. Our theoretical predictions agree qualitatively with the existing experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The bulk surface properties, including canopy height (h), zero-plane displacement height (d), roughness length (z 0), and aerodynamic resistance (r b and r d), are crucial biophysical parameters that influence momentum, energy and mass exchanges at the land-atmosphere interface. The variabilities of these parameters are important for understanding possible impacts of the ecosystem on climate change, yet they have not been systematically evaluated due to the lack of large-scale, long-term observations. Here we provide global estimates of these bulk aerodynamic parameters, including d , z 0 , r b , and r d , for the period 1982–2017 based on remote-sensed leaf area index (LAI), h , and plant functional type dependent canopy morphological characteristics. The global h estimate is acquired from LAI using a semi-empirical relation in which the coefficients have been optimized based on the canopy height product from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). Two LAI products, Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) and Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS), are used to calculate canopy height and parameters separately. The products derived from the above two LAI datasets agree very well (spatial correlation coefficient, SCC = 0.99, relative root-mean-square-error, rRMSE = 8.28% for h , SCC = 0.99, rRMSE = 12.15% for d , and SCC = 0.98, rRMSE = 13.78% for z 0). Verification of the products against in-situ canopy height records from the FLUXNET and eddy-covariance (EC)-based d and z 0 estimates shows that the estimates can reproduce the annual means and seasonal variations of the bulk surface properties. We found significant positive trends in global h (0.04–0.05% year−1), d (0.07% year−1) and z 0 (0.07% year−1) associated with the Earth greening, but they are different from the trend in LAI (0.14–0.25% year−1). The differences between the trends in LAI and the trends in derived parameters are also found in different latitudes. For instance, in the Northern Hemisphere Polar region, the GLASS LAI increases by 0.48% year−1, leading to positive trends of 0.03% year−1 in h , 0.18% in d , and 0.20% year−1 in z 0. The above results highlight the importance of comprehensively considering changes in LAI, canopy height, and aerodynamic parameters when evaluating the effects of ecosystem change on climate. This long-term dataset can be used in climate models to assess the response of bulk aerodynamic parameters to climate changes and the impact of vegetation dynamics on regional and global climate. • Long-term global estimates of canopy height and roughness parameters for 1982–2017. • Evaluate the global bulk aerodynamic parameters products with in-situ observations. • Long-term trends of the aerodynamic parameters in response to Earth's greening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel framework is proposed for coal geographical origin identification via NIRS. • PCA combined with an improved LDA technique is proposed for feature extraction. • Different types of classifiers are employed to identify the coal geographical origin. Coal geographical origin information provides powerful proof for evaluating coal quality and boosting the inspections of import and export coal. Since traditional identification methods depend on a series of instruments which induce considerable time and economic cost, it is crucial to employ an efficient and effective method to discriminate coal origin. As a rapid, non-destructive, and reagent-free analytical method, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) enables rapid qualitative and quantitative characterization of a wide variety of materials, such as food and fuel. In this work, different multivariate data analysis approaches based on NIRS data are investigated to identify the geographical origin of coal. Considering that raw spectra are in high-dimensional spaces, principle component analysis (PCA), isometric mapping (Isomap) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are introduced to extract features. However, given the classes with similar centers, it is difficult to separate them via the standard LDA because it overvalues the contributions of the edge classes to the between-class scatter matrix. To address this concern, we propose an improved LDA (iLDA) in consideration of the contribution of each class, and enhance the impact of the classes with similar centers. In addition, we combine PCA and iLDA to solve the small sample size problem. The experimental results show that nonlinear approaches outperform linear approaches generally, and kernel partial least squares discriminant analysis combined with PCA-iLDA provides the best performance with the accuracy of 97.21%. The obtained results indicate that NIRS in tandem with different machine learning algorithms are promising for the rapid and accurate identification of coal geographical origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DOM properties were investigated along two coastal rivers with contrasting land-use. • Urban-sourced DOM appears more reactive than agricultural-sourced DOM. • Most anthropogenic heteroatomic DOM was rapidly removed by instream processes. • Water transit time determines the DOM composition exported from rivers to oceans. • Land-use distribution within a watershed strongly affects downstream DOM properties. Global land-use changes alter the delivery of fluvial dissolved organic matter (DOM) along land-to-sea continuum. To study how spatial variations in watershed anthropogenic disturbances control chemodiversity and reactivity of DOM exported to oceans, we used fluorescent and ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate spatial and seasonal variations of DOM properties along two subtropical coastal rivers with contrasting anthropogenic land-use distributions (North and West tributaries of Jiulong River, southeast China). Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and humic- and protein-like fluorescent DOM (FDOM) intensities were high in the mixed urban-agricultural impacted upper North River and lower West River. DOM molecular signatures suggested that the urban-sourced DOM is dominated by bio-labile, S-rich compounds, whereas the agricultural-sourced DOM is characterized by a mixture of bio-labile CHONS and bio-refractory CHON. This anthropogenic-induced spatial variation in DOM signatures was especially prominent during the dry season. Molecular analysis indicated that heteroatomic-containing (phosphorus-sulfur-nitrogen) DOM compounds are more biologically degradable, whereas most of the heteroatom-depleted and highly unsaturated CHO was stable during transport. Due to a longer transit distance and reservoir impoundment in North River, the urban-sourced aliphatic compounds were largely microbially removed or transformed into bio-refractory components, resulting in lower DOC fluxes and an increase of recalcitrance in the DOM exported to the ocean. Conversely, shorter transit times for anthropogenic inputs from the middle/lower West River increased watershed yield and export fluxes of DOC with higher bio-lability. Our study documents that transit history plays a crucial role in assessing the fate of anthropogenic DOM along the land-to-ocean continuum. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Modification of cell wall polysaccharide in waxberry during ripening was investigated. [•] Solubilization and conversion of cell wall components happened during ripening. [•] Cell wall fractions exhibited differential degradation in backbone or branch chains. [•] Differential depolymerization of cell wall fractions also was found during ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An online coupled regional climate-chemistry-aerosol model was utilized to investigate the dust direct radiative feedbacks on dust deflation, transport and meteorological elements in March 2010, when a severe dust storm originated from the Gobi desert near the China–Mongolia border swept across most areas of East Asia during the period of 19–22 March. The predicted meteorology and aerosol concentration agree generally well with observations, and it clearly shows that the predictions of both dust concentration and meteorological elements with dust radiative feedback are closer to observation than that without feedback, suggesting the superiority of on-line coupled model in chemical and climate predictions. The direct radiative forcing by dust aerosol caused significant reductions in ground temperature and wind speed in dust deflation region, with maximums up to −7 °C and −4.0 m s−1, respectively. The reduced wind speed and increased atmospheric stability resulted in smaller dust emission and weakened vertical diffusion, and consequently less dust aerosol in upper levels transported further downwind. While the shortwave radiative forcing dominated over longwave forcing in the daytime, leading to decreases of surface air temperature and wind speed, in the nighttime, the warming effect of longwave forcing dominated, causing increases of air temperature and wind speed up to 1 °C and 1 m s−1, respectively, in the dust deflation region. The variation of meteorology during the dust storm period at a rural site (Yuzhong) downwind of the Gobi desert exhibited an evident decrease in surface air temperature due to the dust radiative forcing. In terms of monthly mean, the dust radiative forcing caused a surface cooling of −0.6 to −1.0 °C over wide areas from west China to northern parts of east China and the Korean peninsula, with maximums in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and portions of northeast China. Concurrently, precipitation decreased by 0.1–0.6 mm day−1 in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and large areas of north China, and alternating bands of increasing and decreasing precipitation (∼1 mm day−1) occurred in south China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The fluorescent component ratio (I T : I C) P is effective for tracing anthropogenic POM. • Resuspended POM in the turbidity maximum zone was dominated by refractory POM. • The turbidity maximum zone in spring removed most of the riverine labile POM. • Labile POM export in summer contributes to deoxygenation processes in shelf area. • Refractory POM export predominantly occurs in the high runoff summer period. Base-extracted particulate organic matter (BEPOM) collected in low (spring) and high (summer) runoff seasons in the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent nearshore/offshore shelf areas was examined using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) identified two humic-like (C1p and C2p) biologically-refractory components and two protein-like (C3p and C4p) bioreactive components. Absorption coefficient a 350p, C1p and C2p of BEPOM showed strong positive correlations with particulate organic carbon (POC), and were generally higher in spring than in summer. C4p correlated positively with Chl a , and was higher in summer than in spring. In the inner estuary, an anthropogenic POM signal from the highly polluted Huangpu River was effectively identified by the fluorescent component ratio (I T : I C) P. In the nearshore area during spring, resuspension within the well-developed turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) supplied large amounts of refractory POM into the water column. POM fractions from an autochthonous source (i.e., algal bloom) were dominant in the offshore area during the summer. A multivariate regression model inferred that POM export fluxes from the Changjiang River during spring had a higher percentage of labile POM fractions, which were subsequently retained by the TMZ. However, these labile fractions were discharged into the offshore shelf area contributing to hypoxia in the summer. The summer high runoff season also transported large amounts of refractory POM that was subsequently buried in the sediment. This study highlights the utilization of optical analyses to trace pollution sources and reveal POM fate and transport dynamics allowing better assessment of its ecological consequences in estuaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment at the early stage of onset is vital for the prognosis of rickettsioses. But the absence of specific clinical symptoms complicates the diagnosis of this condition. Herein we established a seminested recombinase polymerase amplification assay (snRPA-nfo) that enables quick detection and differentiation of rickettsial pathogens in clinical samples with high sensitivity and specificity. The conserved 17-kDa protein gene of Rickettsia sibirica and the 47-kDa protein gene of Orientia tsutsugamushi were targeted for the duplex RPA-nfo assay. The snRPA-nfo assay exhibited an increased LOD in spiked blood samples, up to 1000-fold in comparison to standard RPA-nfo, and a better detection rate (83.3%, 5/6) than TaqMan PCR (16.6%, 1/6, Ct ≤ 35) in clinically confirmed patient blood samples. Thus, snRPA-nfo assay represents a promising alternative to TaqMan PCR in the early diagnosis of rickettsioses for point-of-care testing as well as in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine and coastal margins are strongly influenced by anthropogenic inputs. To trace anthropogenic inputs to the subtropical Jiulong River Estuary (JRE) and the adjacent western Taiwan Strait (WTS), black carbon (BC) and its stable carbon isotope composition (δ13С BC) in surface sediments were investigated as an indicator of human activities. The concentrations of sedimentary BC were measured by an emerging method of thermal/optical reflectance with wet-chemical treatment (BC TOR , including char and soot), and the conventional method of chemothermal oxidation (BC CTO , related to the soot fraction) was also used to determine BC CTO concentrations and δ13С BC compositions. In the JRE and adjacent WTS, the concentrations of BC TOR (0.77 to 3.79 mg g−1) were higher than those of BC CTO (0.55 to 2.46 mg g−1), and both were similar to the moderate ranges obtained in other coastal sediments around the world. The small offsets between δ13С TOC and δ13С BC and the relatively low char/soot ratios revealed that fossil fuel combustion-derived contributions were likely more significant compared with inputs from biomass burning. The decreasing BC concentrations and increasing δ13С BC values with increasing distance from the JRE towards the adjacent WTS, indicates the decline of land-based anthropogenic inputs through fluvial transport. Furthermore, the differences in BC/TOC and char/soot values between the southern and northern WTS, indicated an effective preferential dispersal of the fluvial BC to the southern coast. The estimation for mass inventories of sedimentary BC in the coastal WTS showed that direct riverine discharge from the JRE was nearly equivalent to atmospheric deposition, and both of them contributed half of the sedimentary BC sink. To balance the sedimentary BC budget in the coastal WTS, long-range alongshore sediment transport driven by the Fujian-Zhejiang coastal current containing Yangtze River derived materials (indirect riverine discharge) could be another significant input pathway to contribute sedimentary BC. Unlabelled Image • Sedimentary BC in an estuarine-coastal region of the western Taiwan Strait was studied. • Riverine runoffs were responsible for high concentrations of sedimentary BC. • Small δ13C differences between BC and TOC reflect fossil fuel combustion. • Fluvial driven BC preferred to deposit in the estuary and its southern coast. • Direct and indirect riverine discharges could significantly account for coastal sedimentary BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-isoforms of enzymes in phenolic biosynthesis were analyzed. • Multi-members of TFs in regulation of phenolic biosynthesis were analyzed. • Change of phenolics was associated with regulation of the corresponding enzymes. • Proteomic data was complementary with metabolomic data. Blueberry is one of the richest phenolic sources, providing health benefits. To study blueberry phenolic biosynthesis, we investigated phenolics and proteomics at three typical fruit maturation phases. Multiple isoforms of enzymes and multiple members of transcription factors involved in phenolic biosynthesis were divergent and differently regulated. Regulation of some proteins resulted in change of phenolic content. During fruit maturation, down-regulation of VcOMT (CUFF.177.1) and VcLAR2 (CUFF.16780.1) was associated with decreases of ferulic acid and catechin, respectively; Up-regulation of VcFLS (CUFF.41155.1), and VcF3′5′H (CUFF.51711.1) and VcF3′5′H (gene.g10884.t1.1) likely drove increases of their products (quercetin and myricetin); Up-regulation of VcUFGALT (CUFF.20951.1) and VcUFGT73 (4333_g.1) and down-regulation of VcU5GT (CUFF.51258.1) were correlated to accumulation of anthocyanins with 3-glucoside/galactoside. Additionally, four TFs, VcAPRR2 (CUFF.24826.1), VcbHLH3 (CUFF.37765.1), VcWD (CUFF.28282.2) and VcWD (CUFF.28273.1) were probably related to regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. These proteins were potential targets for genetic improvement in a breeding program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Ovary wall was the key tissue for Vaccinium corymbosum fruit growth, and approximately 70% of pericarp cell layer were formed before anthesis. • 12 isolated V. corymbosum cyclin and CDK sequences were deeply conserved among the plant kingdom, especially with Actinidia chinensis. • The expression tendency of Vccyclins and VcCDKs followed the flower bud and fruit development, but had not significant difference between two cultivars. • VcCycA2L , VcCycB2L , VcCycD3;1 , VcCycT1;4L , VcCDKB2;2 , VcCDKC1L and VcCDKE1 were directly involved cell proliferation and cell volume during V. corymbosum flower bud and fruit ontogeny. Abstract Cell-cycle system controls flower and fruit growth, size and mass precisely, accompanied by cumulative cell proliferation and cell expansion. Vaccinium corymbosum shows significant variation in berry size, but its underlying anatomical and molecular mechanisms are poorly known. In this study, single fruit mass and cell layers of Southern highbush blueberry cultivars 'O'Neal' and 'Bluerain' were analyzed, and 12 cell-cycle related genes were isolated and detected its expression tendency. The results showed that blueberry flower buds had a lower contribution to mature fruit mass, and fruit growth exhibited a double-sigmoid pattern. Ovary wall (or pericarp) was the vital component for final fruit size, and approximately 70% cell layers of pericarp were produced before anthesis. Cell division in the blueberry fruit was arrested at pre- and post-anthesis. The sequences of Vccyclins and VcCDKs were relatively conserved, and its expression tendency followed flower bud and fruit developmental pattern, while VcCycA2L , VcCycB2L , VcCycD3;1L , VcCycT1;4L , VcCDKB2;2 , VcCDKC1L and VcCDKE1 might be directly involved in cell proliferation and cell expansion. However, the difference of expression pattern between two cultivars was not quite significant, indicated that isolated Vccyclins and VcCDKs were not the key factors for blueberry fruit size. Collectively, this study expands our understanding of the complex cell division and cell expansion mechanisms, and cell-cycle regulatory mechanisms were involved in V. corymbosum flower and fruit during ontogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aims Identifying drugs that inhibit edema and glial scar formation and increase neuronal survival is crucial to improving outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we used 2-(nicotinamide)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (TGN-020), a potent selective inhibitor of aquaporin 4 (AQP4), to investigate the effects of TGN-020 on SCI in Sprague-Dawley rats. Main methods We compressed the spinal cord at T10 using a sterile impounder (35 g, 5 min), to induce moderate injury. TGN-020 (100 mg/kg) or an equal volume of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide was then administered via intraperitoneal injection. Neurological function was evaluated using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan open-field locomotor scale 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after SCI. The degree of edema was assessed via determination of the precise spinal cord water content 3 days after SCI. Expression levels of AQP4, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) were determined via western blotting and immunofluorescence staining 3 days after SCI and 4 weeks after SCI. Numbers of surviving neurons and glial scar sizes were determined using Nissl and hematoxylin-eosin staining, respectively. Key findings Our results showed that TGN-020 promoted functional recovery at days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28, as well as reduced the degree of edema and inhibited the expression of AQP4, GFAP, PCNA at days 3 after SCI. Furthermore, observations 4 weeks after SCI revealed that TGN-020 inhibited the glial scar formation and upregulated GAP-43 expression. Significance TGN-020 can alleviate spinal cord edema, inhibit glial scar formation, and promote axonal regeneration, conferring beneficial effects on recovery in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Nomenclature disorder of cultivars seriously affected healthy development of blueberry breeding and industry in China. • 33 Ty1/Copia and 60 Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposons were identified in blueberry genome. • Retrotransposon based SSAP were used to detect phylogenetic relationship and genetic composition of blueberry cultivars. • Lineage of some rabbiteye blueberry was supposed to be replaced progressively with repeated hybridization. • Cross breeding between genetically distant cultivars would enrich genetic diversity of blueberry. Abstract A total length of 98 070 bp long terminal repeat retrotransposon (LTR-RT) sequences were found after preliminary prediction and subsequent screening, accounting for 3.96% of the whole blueberry genome. Thirty-three members belonged to Ty1/Copia retrotransposon family and 60 members of Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposon family were identified according to their sequence similarity to previously reported retrotransposons, accounting for 1.57% and 2.39% of the whole genome, respectively. Nineteen sequences from Ty1/Copia family and thirty-three Ty3/Gypsy sequences were used for primer design. Sixty-six pairs of primers were synthesized randomly, in which forty-two pairs of primers were screened to validate the availability and transferability of LTR-RT on 48 blueberry cultivars. We found that 4, 236 bands were amplified using 42 pairs of primers, of which 4184 were polymorphic bands. Bands at each locus ranged from 34 to 219, with an average of 101. To elucidate genetic relationship of 48 blueberry cultivars, principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) was carried out based on SSAP genotyping data. The results showed that the first two coordinates could explain 14.11% of the total variation among all cultivars, of which the first and second coordinate accounted for 8.13% and 5.98% of total variation, respectively. The first three axes accounted for 18.84% of the total variation. In order to estimate genetic background and phylogenetic relationship of these cultivars, phylogenetic tree was constructed based on neighbor-joining algorithm. The results showed that 48 cultivars could be clustered into five groups, indicating that genetic background of 48 blueberry cultivars used in this study was relatively simple. The genetic composition of highbush blueberry cultivars was similar, which consisted of a single genepool. Genetic background of rabbiteye blueberry cultivars presented multiple source of genepools, which was probably related to the involvement of several species in the artificial selection. 'Bluegem' resembles genetic composition with highbush blueberries, suggesting that several cultivars possibly involved in its breeding process. The original lineage from V. virgatum was supposed to be replaced gradually with repeated hybridization during cross fertilization. The cross breeding among cultivars genetically distant from one other would enrich the genetic diversity of blueberry cultivars. All these results provided valuable references for the selection of parental cultivars in blueberry breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit morphology is an important trait closely related to fruit quality and quality parameters evaluated for new cultivar breeding. FASCIATED ( FAS ), SUN and OVATE are characterized as key genes that regulate fruit morphology in tomato and other fruits, however, its underlying mechanism driving variation in blueberry is not known. In this study, FAS , SUN and OVATE genes were isolated from southern highbush blueberry ‘O’Neal’ (10–14 locules) and ‘Bluerain’ (10 locules). VcFAS and VcSUN gDNAs contained 5 introns and 4 exons, whereas no intron was detected in the VcOVATE gDNAs. Additionally, between two cultivars, long-fragment insertions/deletions (in/dels) were found in the 1st, 2nd and 5th introns of VcFAS and in the 2nd introns of VcSUN gDNAs. The expression levels of VcFAS , VcSUN and VcOVATE were significantly higher in the expanded leaves and lower in the rootlets than those in the stems. VcFAS and VcSUN mRNAs in the ‘Bluerain’ flower buds were dramatically higher than in those of ‘O’Neal’, and partially lower in the ‘Bluerain’ fruits than in those of ‘O’Neal’. Compared with VcFAS and VcSUN , VcOVATE transcripts were relatively low throughout the flower bud and fruit development, although the VcOVATE transcripts were somewhat higher in the early flower bud and fruit stages of ‘Bluerain’ than in those of ‘O’Neal’. The results indicated that VcFAS , VcSUN and VcOVATE might influence blueberry fruit morphology at pre-anthesis and post-pollination stages, but particularly at the pre-anthesis stages, and the in/dels of VcFAS and VcSUN introns might affect fruit shape and size through regulating the locule number during flower bud enlargement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisomal LON2 protease plays a pivotal role in protein quality control through its proteolysis and chaperone functions. However, little is known regarding its function in the regulation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and in adversity tolerance in plants. To begin to assess the function of LON2, we isolated a VcLON2 cDNA from blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.), which is predicted to encode a peroxisomal protein containing a long N-terminal domain, a central AAA+ module and a C-terminal proteolytic domain. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that VcLON2 was expressed ubiquitously throughout the blueberry plant including vegetative and reproductive organs, and its expression increased in older tissues. Overexpression of VcLON2 in tobacco led to increased tolerance to NaCl, PEG and heat stresses, as indicated by the lower contents of H 2 O 2 , malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl groups, compared with wild type (WT). In contrast, silencing of the VcLON2 homolog, NbLON2 , in tobacco seedlings resulted in significantly higher sensitivity to various abiotic stresses. Furthermore, the activity of catalase (CAT), a peroxisomal enzyme involved in the detoxification of ROS, was found to be elevated in VcLON2 -overexpressed seedlings and conversely reduced in NbLON2 -silenced seedlings under non-stress and stress conditions, compared with WT. Our results suggest that VcLON2 plays an important role in the maintenance of the ROS-scavenging functions of peroxisomes, which is necessary for tolerance to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is usually lethal because of late diagnosis and early metastasis. Analysis of data from online database showed that TUFT1 is highly expressed in liver metastases of PC, and was associated with shorter overall survival. However, the role of TUFT1 in PC remains unknown. In this study, we show for the first time that TUFT1 is overexpressed in PC tissues compared with adjacent normal pancreas tissues, and TUFT1 expression is significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and advanced PC stage (P <0.05). Depletion or overexpression of endogenous TUFT1 correspondingly inhibited or promoted PC cell migration and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, and affected expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, E-cadherin and vimentin. We also provide evidence that TUFT1 induced EMT by altering the expression of Snail; that TUFT1 is associated with expression and activity of HIF1; and that TUFT1 might affect HIF1-Snail signaling in regulating EMT. Collectively, these results indicate that TUFT1 could be a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• At pH 8.0, H+ influx and H+ efflux were restricted in blueberry roots. • In blueberry roots and leaves, most VcHAs had lowest transcript levels at pH 8.0. • ATP proton pump activity was increased in Arabidopsis over-expressing (OE) VcHAs. • A. thaliana OE lines tolerated alkaline stress due to increased H+ pumping. Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) favors acid soils (pH 4.0–5.5), but the reasons for this strong preference are unclear. Root plasma membrane proton pumps (PM H+-ATPases - HAs) promote the efflux of hydrogen ions (H+) and thus promote nutrient absorption, thereby reducing stress associated with alkaline soils. In this study, 'Jewel' blueberry (V. corymbosum) was grown in media with a range of pH values (pH 5.0, pH 7.0, pH 8.0). After 30 days of growth, the physiological responses and the transcript levels of VcHAs (PM H+-ATPases) were analyzed. Eight VcHA genes were genetically transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana for functional verification. The results showed that (1) blueberry plants grew best at pH 5.0. The root activity at pH 5.0 was more than 1.6 times that at pH 8.0. In the pH 8.0 treatment, H+ influx and efflux from blueberry roots were limited. (2) Different VcHA genes showed diverse expression patterns. Among them, VcHA8 was only expressed in the root at pH 5.0. Except for VcHA11.2 in the roots, the transcript levels of VcHAs in roots and leaves were lowest in the pH 8.0 treatment. (3) Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants over-expressing VcHA4.1, VcHA4.2, VcHA4.3, VcHA5, VcHA10.1, VcHA10.2, VcHA11.1, or VcHA11.2 showed stronger root activity than that of wild-type in all pH treatments. The root activity of the line overexpressing VcHA5 was 96 times that of the control. Compared with control plants, the phenotypic analyses of the VcHAs transgenic plants revealed enhanced levels of plant height, leaf size and chlorophyll content. The H+-ATPase activity of Arabidopsis overexpressing VcHA10.2 was 44 times that of the control. VcHAs not only significantly increased the hydrolytic activity and ATP proton pump activity in Arabidopsis but also increased H+ efflux, leading to cytoplasmic alkalinization in root epidermal cells. Over-expression of VcHAs significantly increased H+ pumping in Arabidopsis roots under alkaline rhizosphere stress, confirming that these genes encode functional proteins that are capable of acidifying the rhizosphere. VcHA10.2 and VcHA5 had the strongest ability to pump H+. The expression of VcHAs was inhibited in blueberry plants growing in high-pH media. This may explain why blueberry grows best in acid soils. These results help to explain why blueberry favors acid soils and may be useful for developing strategies to cultivate this crop in a wider range of soil types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 34 VcTIFY genes, containing the highly conserved TIFY domain, were identified from the highbush blueberry genome. • The expression patterns of VcTIFYs were significantly different throughout flower and fruit developmental processes of the large-size and small-size highbush blueberry cultivars. • Blueberry fruit size, ripening and VcTIFY gene expression levels were affected significantly by exogenous jasmonic acid. Most plant-specific TIFY proteins, the transduction hubs of jasmonic acid (JA) signals, determine transcriptional activities of JA-responsive genes, and play important regulatory roles in plant development and stress responses. In the present study, 34 TIFY genes from the highbush blueberry genome were identified, and their expression patterns during flower and fruit development and responses to exogenous JA treatment were investigated. The results showed that VcTIFY members had similar gene structures within highly conserved motifs, which were clustered into 5 main clades. Numerous phytohormone-, tissue- and development-related regulatory elements and stresses-responsive elements were widely distributed in the VcTIFY promoter regions. Gene expression analysis showed that VcTIFYs had distinct spatiotemporal expression patterns during flower enlargement and fruit development, while their expression levels were significantly different between the large-size cultivar 'O'Neal' and the small-size cultivar 'Bluerain'. Under exogenous JA treatments, the weight, horizontal diameter and ripening of mature fruit were affected to different degrees, and the expression levels of VcTIFYs varied significantly in 'O'Neal' and 'Bluerain' mature fruits, indicating that VcTIFYs might be involved in regulating blueberry fruit size and development. These results should enrich our knowledge of TIFY genes and lay the groundwork for future functional research and genetic breeding of highbush blueberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blueberry plant (Vaccinium spp.) roots are sensitive to pH changes (> 5.5) in the rhizosphere. In China, the soil pH in blueberry planting areas is typically above 5.5, consequently restricting industry expansion. Root plasma membrane proton pumps (PM H+-ATPase - HAs) promote the efflux of H+ during nutrient absorption, thereby reducing stress associated with alkaline rhizosphere soils. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing expression of blueberry VcHAs genes are unknown. We isolated promoter fragments upstream of the translational start of nine VcHA genes from Vaccinium spp. Based on the strength of transient promoter::luc expression in tobacco leaves, VcHA11.1- prom was selected for further analyses of cis -acting elements and transcription factors (TFs). In silico and in vitro (yeast one-hybrid - Y1H) studies with a 5-prime deletion VcHA11.1- prom variant (B) were used to identify and verify binding of two blueberry TFs, namely VcDof2.1 and VcbHLH104. Ensuing transient Luc assays in transgenic tobacco leaves revealed that VcbHLH104 upregulated and VcDof2.1 downregulated expression from VcHA11.1 -B-prom. qRT-PCR analysis of RNA isolated from WT blueberry roots confirmed that plants propagated at pH 5.0 resulted in high VcDof2.1 but low VcHA11.1 transcripts. VcbHLH104 transcript levels significantly increased (ca. 242.0%) and paralleled those of VcHA11.1 when plants were cultivated at pH 7.0. Transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings overexpressing VcbHLH104 demonstrated improved H+ efflux and alleviated stress at pH ≥ 7.0 with no distinguishable plant etiolation. Conversely, transgenic plants expressing VcDof2.1 displayed weak H+ release, poor growth, leaf sparsity and chlorosis at pH ≥ 7.0. We conclude that expression of VcHA11.1 is pH dependent and that promoter transcription is counter regulated by VcDof2.1 and VcbHLH104 at pH ≤ 5.0 and pH ≥ 7.0, respectively. • Nine VcHA gene promoters from Vaccinium spp. isolated and characterized. • First reported isolation of TFs which regulate VcHAs promoters. • VcbHLH104 TF positively activated expression from VcHA11.1 promoter. • VcDof2.1 TF down regulated expression from the VcHA11.1 promoter. • Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing VcbHLH104 improved H+ efflux and alleviated pH stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]