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The process and mechanism of deformation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP) are significant for understanding the remote effects of the India-Eurasia collision. Although increasingly more research has extensively addressed the post-Oligocene NETP growth history over the past two decades, geological dating of early Cenozoic sediments remains sparse, hampering our understanding of early-stage tectonic growth in this region. Here, we present magnetostratigraphic results from the oldest sedimentary record between ~54 and 40 Ma in the western part of the Linxia Basin based on correlation with the geomagnetic polarity time scale. This age exceeds that of the oldest strata previously known (29 Ma) and has great potential for recording paleoclimatic and paleontological evolution in the fossil-rich Linxia Basin. Integrating our paleomagnetic chronology, sedimentary facies, accumulation rate, and provenance results reveals that early-stage Linxia Basin development was associated with Eocene growth of the West Qinling. The U-Pb age distributions of detrital grains from pre-51 Ma strata are characterized by many 200–300 Ma ages; alluvial fans and north-directed paleocurrent data indicate a single and relatively proximal source. The northern segment of the West Qinling was the predominant source supplying sediments to the Linxia Basin before ~51 Ma. Subsequently, a pronounced increase in the sedimentation rate at ~51 Ma and southward migration of the sedimentary system during 51–47.8 Ma demonstrate that extension and fast exhumation of the sediment source occurred. Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra since ~51 Ma reveal significant increases in Precambrian peaks (1500–2000 Ma and 2300–2600 Ma). These observations suggest accelerated growth of the southern segment of the West Qinling and/or eastern segment of the East Kunlun Shan between 51 and 47.8 Ma. The Eocene basin evolution and accelerated uplift of ranges in the NETP imply near-synchronicity of crustal shortening and deformation across the entire India-Eurasia collision zone.

As a crucial part of the Asian monsoon stretching from tropical India to temperate East Asia, the Indian monsoon (IM) contributes predominant precipitation over Asian continent. However, our understanding of IM’s onset, development and the underlying driving mechanisms is limited. Increasing evidence indicates that the IM began in the Eocene or even the Paleocene and was unexceptionally linked to the early rise of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). These were challenged by the heterogeneous and diachronous uplift of the TP and all the reported records were confined to tropical zone under tropical monsoon driven by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) that is irrelevant to the TP. Therefore, reliable paleoclimatic records from the extra-tropical IM region is crucial to reveal how the tropical IM expanded to subtropical and temperate zones and what driving factors might be related to it. Here we present robust Eocene paleoenvironmental records from central Yunnan (~26°N) in subtropical East Asia. The multiproxy results of two sites demonstrate a consistent sudden switch from a dry environment in the early Eocene to a seasonally wet one at 41 Ma, suggesting a jump of the tropical IM to the southern subtropical zone at 41 Ma. The full collision of India with Asia, and the resulting changes in paleogeography at 41 Ma (closure of the Neotethys sea, retreat of the Paratethys seas, fast northward movement of the southern margin of the TP and rise of the central TP), aided by synchronous Antarctic cooling, might have worked together to drive the IM enhancement and northward expansion.

A comprehensive understanding of the Neogene paleoenvironmental evolution of Central Asia is important for predicting the future climatic and environmental conditions within the region. However, our understanding of the relative roles of Tibetan Plateau (TP) uplift and global cooling in driving its paleoenvironmental evolution remain elusive. Here we present two well-dated (~16–5 Ma) independent environmental magnetic records from the northern TP, together with a comprehensive analysis of other well-dated Neogene environmental magnetic datasets for ten other sites from the northern TP. The results indicate synchronous changes in magnetic parameters which we interpret as reflecting a major environmental transition in Central Asia at ~11–9 Ma, which is supported by evidence from multiple independent paleoecological and paleoclimatic studies. A major environmental transition at 11–9 Ma is also supported by the results of linear and non-linear analyses of the magnetic records of the two studied sections. Our analyses reveal that prior to ~11 Ma, the environmental fluctuations within the QB were primarily driven by insolation variations modulated by Earth orbital parameters; however, after ~11 Ma this influence faded and there was a shift from a stable environmental system, characterized by periodic fluctuations, to an unstable system with erratic fluctuations. The timing of this phase shift in the paleoenvironment of Central Asia was not related to global cooling but it coincided with extensive tectonic activity in the TP. Together with conceptual models and previous numerical simulations results, we conclude that a major shift of the dominant driver of Central Asia paleoenvironment occurred at ~11–9 Ma and that uplift of the TP, rather than global cooling, was responsible.

Grifola frondosa is an edible and medicinal mushroom with great nutritional values and bioactivities. In the present study, a soluble homogeneous β-glucan, GFPS, with high molecular mass of 5.42 × 106 Da was purified from the fruit bodies of Grifola frondosa using 5% cold NaOH. The structure of GFPS was determined with FT-IR, NMR, and monosaccharide composition analysis, and was identified to be a β-D-(1-3)-linked glucan backbone with a single β-D-(1-6)-linked glucopyranosyl residue branched at C-6 on every third residue. Our results indicated that GFPS had a triple helical structure and could form complex with polydeoxyadenylic acid (poly[A]). Further studies demonstrated that GFPS could interact with poly[A] moiety of a designed antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting the primary transcript of proinflammatory cytokine TNFα (TNFα-A60). This GFPS-based complex could incorporate TNFα-A60 into the macrophage cells via dectin-1 receptor and attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced secretion of TNFα. Our results suggested that GFPS could be applied to deliver therapeutic oligonucleotides for the treatment of diseases such as inflammation and cancers.

IFN-γ is a pleiotropic cytokine with significant roles in antiviral, antitumor and immune regulation. It could be used as an immuno-enhancer to improve fish protectiveness against pathogens. In this study, the prokaryotic expression plasmid pTwin1-N-IFN-γ was constructed to express Cyprinus carpio (common carp) IFN-γ fused with a chitin binding domain (CBD) and a self-cleavable intein-tag, Synechocystis sp DnaB. The recombinant protein CBD-DnaB-IFN-γ with the molecular weight of 44.25 kD was successfully expressed in soluble form, and the rIFN-γ (approximate 18.61 kD) was further cleaved and eluted under pH = 7.0 at 25 °C. rIFN-γ could be recognized by western blotting with rabbit anti-grass carp IFN-γ polyclonal antibody. Cytotoxicity studies on EPC cells showed that only 500 ng/ml rIFN-γ had a subtle effect on cells growth and its proliferation rate was reduced to 76.2%. EPC cells incubated with 100 ng/ml rIFN-γ showed significantly higher resistance against SVCV, reducing the TCID50/ml by more than 800-fold. In vivo studies suggested that intraperitoneal injection of rIFN-γ significantly improved the survival rate of common carps compared with SVCV challenge alone. These results implied that rIFN-γ would act as an immuno-enhancer in carp aquaculture.

The Xining Basin is well known for its thick and continuous sequence of fine-grained Cenozoic sediments. In addition, it contains important Xiejia fauna which define the Xiejian Stage of the early Miocene in the standard Chinese land mammal zonation, and it also provides detailed histories of eolian dust deposition which document the aridification of Asia, monsoon evolution and the initiation of the Yellow River in relation to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. However, the results of magnetostratigraphic dating of the fossil-bearing sequence has yielded conflicting ages for the fauna and stratigraphy, hindering the use of the sequence for addressing major paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic issues. Here, we review the paleontological, lithological and magnetostratigraphic record of the Xining Basin and provide a new, long and continuous high-resolution magnetostratigraphy from the basin center. The results show that the observed magnetic polarity zones from the various sections at different sites in the basin exhibit similar magnetic polarity patterns which can be readily correlated, in terms of both magnetic polarity zonation and lithofacies; in addition, they show that the sedimentary sequence of the basin was sub-continuously deposited from ~54 Ma to 4.8 Ma. The magnetostratigraphic correlations confirm previous constraint of the Xiejia fauna in the late Oligocene at ~25 Ma, challenging the current Chinese mammal land zonation for the early Miocene, and we suggest that it provides a superior record of eolian dust deposition and river incision in the late Pliocene than previous studies. There is a close match of the climatic proxy records of the Xiejia section, dated by magnetostratigraphy, with the global climatic record which corroborates the paleomagnetic correlations. The evolution of the sedimentary environment provided by the lithofacies demonstrates a complete cycle of basin formation and termination, which records the eastern Qilian Shan experienced three main phases of uplifts: slow episodic uplifts at ~54 Ma and 22.5 Ma and a late rapid episodic uplifts at 8–7 Ma and since 4.8–3.6 Ma. This tectonic uplift in the NE Tibetan Plateau was mostly nearly synchronous responses to the initial and continuing collision of India and Asia since ~50 ± 5 Ma.

The geometry of river networks is particularly sensitive to active tectonic deformation. Morphotectonic analyses conducted using geomorphic indices and numerical models are useful methods with which to identify such deformation. The northeastern (NE) margin of the Tibetan Plateau is characterized by active tectonics, easily erodible bedrock and well-developed valleys, and is thus an ideal region for studying the effects of tectonics on the landscape evolution. Here we firstly identify the systemic asymmetrical valleys in the Maxianshan area, NE Tibetan Plateau. To quantitatively analyze the asymmetrical characteristics of these valleys identified in the southern Maxianshan, 33 parallel streams were investigated by using two drainage basin analytical techniques, namely, the transverse topographic symmetry factor (T) and asymmetry factor (AF). Our results show that the mean T value is 0.14 (magnitude) and 319.08° (direction) and the majority of the AF results are

Cenozoic basin sediments around the Tibetan Plateau are valuable archives that can be used to reveal long-term interactions among tectonics, climate and weathering. However, the reconstruction of silicate weathering histories in this tectonically active region is consistently hindered by the presence of frequently embedded conglomerate and sandstone in the long sedimentary sequences. Here, we present detailed geochemical compositions of the clay components of the sediments in the Huaitoutala section (ca. 15.3–1.8 Ma) of the northeastern Qaidam Basin to reconstruct the chemical weathering history of the catchment since the Middle Miocene. Major element ratio proxies reveal evidence of four stages of change: from ca. 15.3 to 12.6 Ma, in which the clay components are characterized by relatively high Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) values (75–88, average = 81) but low mobile/immobile oxide ratios (e.g., K2O/Al2O3, Na2O/Al2O3 and CaO/Al2O3), thus indicating the occurrence of intense chemical weathering conditions; from ca. 12.6 to 6.6 Ma, in which decreasing CIA values, together with increasing mobile/immobile oxide ratios, suggesting that a long-term decrease in silicate weathering intensity occurred in the source area; from 6.6 to 2.6 Ma, in which the clay components in the sediments exhibit persistently low CIA values (66–81, average = 76.8) and high oxide ratios, which are indicative of mild to moderate chemical weathering; and since 2.6 Ma, in which the CIA values (64–80, average = 75.5) have continued to decrease with increasing oxide ratios, thus reflecting mild chemical weathering conditions. The geochemical proxy records demonstrate that the intensity of chemical weathering has continually decreased and that the Qaidam Basin has experienced continuous aridification since ca. 12.6 Ma. We suggest that Middle-Miocene global cooling-related drying has exerted a significant influence on the trend of decreasing chemical weathering intensity since ca. 12.6 Ma. In addition, the Late Cenozoic rapid uplift and exhumation of the NE Tibetan Plateau could have limited the time that the silicate rocks were exposed in the weathering profile prior to the deposition, which may have led to their weakened intensity of chemical weathering.

Chinese loess deposits preserve abundant information on the aridification of the Asian interior and Asian monsoon evolution during the Quaternary. Although substantial progress has been made in deciphering the paleoclimatic record of the thick loess deposits in the western Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the environmental significance of variations in the magnetic susceptibility (χ) and the ultrafine ( 40 μm fractions) of the 416-m-long Xijin loess core from the Lanzhou Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicate that the 40 μm fraction and marine oxygen isotope record. Consequently, we conclude that the pedogenic component is a more accurate and sensitive indicator of weathering and soil formation than the χ record, and it is well suited to reconstructing high-resolution Quaternary climatic change in the western CLP. Furthermore, the proportion of the pedogenic component increased systematically over the past 2.2 million years, which may have been primarily caused by long-term global cooling since the Early Pleistocene together with the episodic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.

Pre-planting testing of seeds and plantlets for the existence of quarantine pathogens is an important phytosanitary measure. The CRISPR-mediated molecular diagnostic methodologies are being developed for pathogens detection, but many challenges remain. Here, we profiled an engineered Crispr/LbCas12a variant (LbCas12a-5M) that has more robust trans-cleavage activity and a wider PAM sequences (TNTN) preference than wild type. We developed a procedure for screening specific sequences of bacterial plant pathogens, and the designed species-specific crRNA displayed no cross-reactions with other bacterial species. Combined with a simple extraction of bacterial DNA, an LbCas12a-5M-based visual detection technique was established and optimized for detecting quarantine pathogens Erwinia amylovora and Acidovorax citrulli with detection limits up to 40 CFU/reaction and a sensitivity consistent with qPCR assay. This protocol was faster and simpler than qPCR, requiring 40 min or less from sample preparation. We further validated the potential application of the method by showing that it can be used for rapid and accurate diagnosis of A. citrulli on seeds of watermelon, with 100% agreement with the results of qPCR assay. The developed method simplifies the detection of pathogens and provides cost-effective countermeasures to quarantine interventions.

Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), an economically important fruit crop, is widely cultivated worldwide. However, apple trees often suffer from environmental stressors which affect the quality and yield of apple fruit. Acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) is a key enzyme in melatonin biosynthesis and is known to play critical roles in melatonin production and stress responses of plants. In this study, a total of 37 ASMT genes in apple were identified and unequally distributed on 10 apple chromosomes, with fragment duplication detected in four pairs of genes. The ASMT genes were classified into three groups based on their sequence compositions and phylogenetic relationship. Sequence analysis showed that apple ASMT genes were generally conserved in each group, with minor variations in gene structure and motif distribution. Transcriptome analysis revealed that most apple ASMT genes were nearly unchanged or downregulated under heat, cold, drought, and NaCl stress, whereas MdASMT6, MdASMT11, MdASMT14 and MdASMT19 were highly induced by these stressors. Subsequent qRT-PCR of four apple ASMT genes showed that MdASMT11 and MdASMT14 were extremely up-regulated under heat, cold, drought, and NaCl stress. They were expressed in all tissues, especially in the roots. Subcellular localization showed that MdASMT11 mainly distributed on cell membranes and MdASMT14 mainly anchored to the nucleus and cell membrane, indicating that MdASMT11 and MdASMT14 are potential genes regulating abiotic stress resistance in apple. These results facilitate further investigation to the functional characterization of MdASMT genes in the synthesis of melatonin and the response to abiotic stress and in apple.

The Qilian Shan on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau contains structural, sedimentary and tectonothermal records of plateau formation and growth in response to the Indian-Asian continental collision. In this study, we reveal the tectonic deformation evolution of the Qilian Shan by detrital apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology and provenance analysis of a sedimentary section on the northern flank of the Qilian Shan based on paleocurrent measurements and detrital zircon U Pb geochronology. The unannealed detrital AFT peak ages span ~154–10 Ma, and the zircon U Pb ages range between ~3260 Ma and ~ 178 Ma. Detrital AFT ages showing that the initial exhumation occurs ca. 154–135 Ma and ca. 105–81 Ma and abundant ages of ca. 61–24 Ma indicate the prominent exhumation of the sedimentary provenance from the Qilian Shan at those times. Zircon U Pb analysis suggests that the sediments were generally sourced from the Qilian Shan to the south, with moderate provenance changes at ~10 Ma and 5.1 Ma. These geochronological datasets imply that the Qilian Shan experienced multistage deformation during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic, i.e., late Jurassic-early Cretaceous (153.6–135.2 Ma), late Cretaceous (104.5–80.9 Ma), late Paleocene-Oligocene (61–43.1 Ma;38.2–24.6 Ma), mid-late Miocene (10 ± 4 Ma) and Pliocene (5.1–3.6 Ma). During the Cenozoic, the deformation initiated in the late Paleocene reflects the synchronous far-field response of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau margin to the Indian-Asian plate collision.

The Cenozoic deformation history of the Qilian Shan, which is a reactivated fold-thrust belt in the northeastern region of the Tibetan Plateau, is poorly understood but features prominently in the geodynamic mechanism of the evolution of the plateau. The northeastern Qaidam Basin, which is located on the south flank of the Qilian Shan, provides a valuable record of the timing and pattern of the Cenozoic deformation of the Qilian Shan in its synorogenic sediments. This study analyzes the apatite fission-track (AFT) thermochronological signatures of the middle Miocene-Quaternary detrital sediments in the northeastern Qaidam Basin and modern stream sands draining the Qilian Shan as a proxy for the timing of tectonic deformation in the Qilian Shan. Our detrital AFT ages indicate that a Cenozoic initial rapid exhumation event occurred in the Qilian Shan in the late Paleocene-early Eocene (~60–54 Ma), followed by another rapid exhumation event during the middle-late Eocene (~42–38 Ma) and some exhumation during the Oligocene-middle Miocene (~33–14 Ma). Distinct changes in detrital AFT ages at depositional ages of ~12 Ma and ~2.1 Ma suggest that further tectonic deformation affected the Qilian Shan at these times. Our results, along with those of previous studies, suggest that tectonic deformation propagated into the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau almost simultaneously with the India-Asia collision. The spatial evolution of Cenozoic deformation in the Qilian Shan is likely based on the distribution of weak structures in the upper crust.

The Altyn Tagh range (ATR) is the northern geological boundary of the Tibetan Plateau and plays a key role in accommodating its Cenozoic lithospheric deformation. However, knowledge of the structural style and age of uplift of the ATR is limited and controversial. The Qaidam Basin, in the southeast side of the ATR, provides an outstanding field laboratory for understanding the history and mechanisms of ATR growth. This study presents a detailed sedimentological analysis of a 1040-m-thick late Cenozoic (~17–5.0 Ma) sedimentary sequence from the western Qaidam Basin, together with the analysis of sedimentological data from nearby boreholes and sections. Our aims were to determine the spatiotemporal evolution of the sedimentary sequences in the study area and to explore their response to late Cenozoic tectonic activity in the ATR. The results show three major intervals of the sedimentary characteristics in the study area: ~>17–16 Ma, 10 Ma and 17–16 Ma, ~16–10 Ma and ~10 Ma, during which the ATR respectively experienced tectonic uplift, fast strike-slip motion and intense uplift.

Lacustrine sediments are important archives for paleoclimate reconstructions. The application of grain-size analysis as palaeoclimatic proxy in lacustrine clastics is valuable but also difficult because the typical polymodal grain-size distribution in these clastics. To better understand the grain-size distribution of lacustrine clastics and to promote the application of grain size in paleoenvironmental interpretation, this study investigates lacustrine clastics from northern and southern China. The grain-size distribution of these sediments was decomposed by log-normal distribution function fitting method. Based on the results, and drawing upon the concept of paleomagnetic demagnetization and “Characteristic Remnant Magnetization” from paleomagnetism, a conceptual system has been established and defined for grain-size distribution analysis. The system is composed of four components: (I) Characteristic Grain Size Component (ChGSC), (II) Affiliated Grain Size Component, (III) Meaningful Grain Size Component, and (IV) Combination Feature of Grain Size Components (CFGSCs). Based on the proposed system, ChGSC and CFGSCs were used to detect the grain-size distribution of clastics from the different lake zones investigated. Our results show the number, modal size, and percentage of ChGSC(s) in grain-size distributions are sensitive to changes in the lacustrine environment. The ChGSC(s) mirrors the dominant depositional process and hydrodynamic conditions. The modal size of ChGSC(s) is more sensitive to hydrological conditions than the widely used mean grain-size approach. Thus, the ChGSC(s) provide a useful process-related parameter for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. To test this promising application, we applied this approach to a deep drill core from the Qaidam Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

The fluvial archives in the upper-reach Yellow River basins provide important information about drainage history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) associated with geomorphologic evolution and climate change. However, the Pliocene fluvial strata within this region have not been studied in detail, hence limiting the understanding of the late Cenozoic development of regional fluvial systems. In this paper, we present the results of a study of the geochronology, sedimentology, and provenance of the fluvial sequence of the Wuquan Formation in the Lanzhou Basin in the northeastern TP. Magnetostratigraphic and cosmogenic nuclide burial ages indicate that the Wuquan Formation was deposited during 3.6–2.2 Ma. Furthermore, sedimentary facies, gravel composition, paleocurrent data, and detrital zircon U Pb age spectra reveal that the fluvial sequence resembles the terraces of the Yellow River in terms of source area, flow direction, and depositional environment. Our results indicate that a paleo-drainage system flowing out of the northeastern TP was established by ca. 3.6 Ma and that the upstream parts of the Yellow River must have developed subsequently from this paleo-drainage system. The late Pliocene drainage system fits well with the dramatic uplift of the northeastern TP, an intensified Asian summer monsoon, and global increase in erosion rates, which may reflect interactions between geomorphic evolution, tectonic deformation, and climate change.

In this paper, a time-domain hydroelastic method for very large floating structures (VLFS′) in inhomogeneous waves is developed based on Cummins' equation. By discretizing the continuous VLFS into rigid modules connected by elastic beam elements, the inhomogeneous wave effect can be considered by adopting different wave spectra over different regions of the VLFS. In this method, the frequency-domain hydrodynamic coefficients, considering the hydrodynamic interactions between each floating module, are transformed into the time-domain hydroelastic model using Cummins' equation. Moreover, the time-domain wave excitation forces on the modules in different regions are solved using different wave spectra. The hydroelastic responses of a freely floating structure in inhomogeneous regular and irregular waves are investigated. The results show that the inhomogeneity of waves has a significant effect on the bending moments, shear forces and torsional moments of the structure, especially for a wave direction of 90°, in which larger forces may be induced compared with the homogeneous waves.

Fruit ripening is a complicated process that is influenced by diverse factors at different regulation levels. The microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous small noncoding RNAs, are recently demonstrated to regulate several critical biological processes in various aspects of the fruit's life cycle. In this paper, to gain more insights into the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in apple fruit ripening, a genome-wide identification of the sRNAome was implemented in the postharvest ‘Qinguan’ apple fruit. The ripening process of the postharvest apple fruit was significantly inhibited via the application of 1-MCP (1 µL/L). Totally, 569 miRNAs were successfully identified, including 132 known and 437 novel miRNAs, and 29 of them were significantly differentially expressed. The mdm-miR398a, mdm-miR395i-3p, mdm-miR395b, mdm-miR395d-3p, mdm-miR395h, mdm-miR395g-3p, and the novel-miR156 were identified to be the differentially expressed miRNAs. Moreover, after parsing the targets of these miRNAs, several transcription factors, such as ERF and WRKY, were found to be involved in the apple fruit ripening. The above results provide new information for understanding the sophisticated coordinated regulatory network of apple fruit ripening.

Human beings' comfort is critical for health and work performance of occupants in modern buildings. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of a type of energy-efficient desk fan on subjective evaluation of thermal comfort in hot and humid environment. A series of experiments was conducted in an experimental room in Hunan University, China during summer. In total, 24 subjects were invited to participate in the experiments and they experienced the environments which were set at 26, 28, and 30 °C with fixed or free-controlled local airflow by desk fan, respectively. The subjects reported their thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and perceived air quality during the tests. The obtained results indicate that the use of desk fan significantly improved the subjects' thermal comfort and perceived air quality. When subjects were allowed to freely control the desk fan, they considered the hot-humid environment more comfortable; moreover, they thought indoor air was fresher than when they were under the influence of constant local airflow by desk fan. Furthermore, only a little energy was consumed by desk fan (maximum power was merely 3 W) to maintain a comfortable environment for subjects, thus making personally controlled desk fan a very energy-efficient way to deliver comfort in hot-humid environment.

As a remnant elevated peneplain, the Tangxian planation surface is widely distributed in North China and the Ordos Plateau. Further into the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the Main planation surface can also be traced across this, the highest plateau on the Earth's surface. What the relation is between these two planation surfaces and whether they represent the remnants of a unique planation surface remains open to question. As the intermediate region between the low-altitude North China and the high-altitude TP, the Maxian Mountains and such bilateral basins located in the northeastern TP margin retain a series of well-preserved geomorphic features such as planation surfaces, pediment surface, and the fluvial terraces of the Yellow River. When and how the Xiaoshuizi peneplain was formed are crucial questions to elucidate the geomorphic evolution of the northeastern TP and infer the tectonic history of the TP. Here we present two parallel red clay-loess drill cores from the uplifted Xiaoshuizi bedrock peneplain in the Maxian Mountains, which document both the upper formation age of the planation surface and the evolution of Asian aridification. Based on the integration of high-resolution magnetostratigraphy analysis and Pliocene mammal fossils, we demonstrate that the red clay-loess succession deposited on the Xiaoshuizi peneplain probably began to accumulate at similar to 6.9 Ma, implying that the Xiaoshuizi peneplain had begun to form before this. These results support the hypothesis that the Xiaoshuizi planation surface is equivalent to Tangxian planation surface of North China and Main planation surface of the TP. Furthermore, the onset of red clay sequence may indicate that the Xiaoshuizi peneplain was ultimately destroyed by the intensive tectonic uplift of the northeastern TP before 6.9 Ma. Taking into account the synchronous Late Miocene red clay deposition between the Xiaoshuizi peneplain and central Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), we propose that the onset of interior Asian aridification occurred in the Late Miocene and was principally triggered by the rapid uplift of TP.

There remains no detailed record of the Middle Miocene vegetation and climatic changes which occurred in central Asia and their possible driving mechanisms. This is because there is still a lack of high resolution records. Here, we present a sporopollen record from the Wushan Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, central Asia, spanning the period ∼16.1–13.6 Ma. The sporopollen record shows that a dense mixed forest growing in rather warm and humid climatic conditions was affected by a general drying trend during the period ∼16.1–15 Ma. It demonstrates that although the climate was generally warm and humid during the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), it was also a time of climatic instability. The dense forest gave way to an open forest in response to a less humid climate between ∼15 and 14.4 Ma. Dense mixed forest made a return with an increasingly humid climate during ∼14.4–13.8 Ma. This vegetation and climatic succession could be associated with global cooling, or more particularly, a higher temperature rebound set against the background of a long-term cooling trend. A more open forest appearing in response to drier and colder climatic conditions dominated the study area during the ∼13.8–13.6 Ma period. This could be compared to the rapid global cooling event Mi-3b. This significant global cooling event exerted a major impact on terrestrial vegetation, climate and biota. Our high resolution sporopollen record demonstrates that global climate changes could have been the first order driving force for the Middle Miocene vegetation and climate changes seen in the Wushan Basin in central continental Asia, with the tectonic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau probably playing a subordinate role.

The paleo-Red River is suggested to have been a continental-scale drainage system connecting the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea. However, the evolution of the paleo-Red River is still under debate. This study presents new results from sedimentological analyses and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronologic data from fluvial sedimentary rocks of Paleocene to Oligocene age of the Simao Basin to constrain the nature of the paleo-drainage system of the Red River. The detrital zircon U–Pb results reveal multiple age groups at 190–240 Ma, 260–280 Ma, 450–540 Ma, 1700–1900 Ma and 2400–2600 Ma for the Paleocene to late Eocene Denghei Formation (Fm.), but only one conspicuous peak at 220–240 Ma for the late Eocene–Oligocene Mengla Fm. Provenance analyses illustrate that the former likely had source areas that included the Hoh-Xil, Songpan-Ganzi, northern Qiangtang, Yidun and western Yangtze Terranes, which are consistent with the catchments of the Upper and Lower Jinshajiang Segments, whereas the latter mainly transported material from a limited number of sources, such as the Lincang granitic intrusions west of the Simao Basin. Integrated with available detrital zircon U–Pb geochronologic and paleogeographic data, our study suggests the existence of a paleo-Red River during the Paleocene to late Eocene that was truncated and lost its northern sources after approximately 35 Ma, due to left-lateral strike-slip faulting of the Ailao Shan–Red River and clockwise rotation of the Lanping–Simao Terrane.

As the largest Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrestrial intermountain basin in the northern Tibetan Plateau, the Qaidam Basin is an ideal basin to examine the influences of regional tectonics and climate on sediment flux. Research conducted over the last two decades has provided abundant information about paleoclimatology and tectonic histories. In this study, we used the restoration of seven balanced cross-sections and compiled thickness data of ten outcrop sections and four boreholes to reconstruct the basin boundaries, develop isopach maps, and calculate the sediment flux in the Qaidam Basin. Our results show that the sediment flux in the Qaidam Basin increased gradually between 53.5 and 35.5 Ma, decreased to its lowest value from 35.5 to 22 Ma, increased between 22 and 2.5 Ma, and then increased dramatically after 2.5 Ma. By comparing the changes in the sediment flux with our reconstructed shortening rate in the Qaidam Basin, and the records of regional tectonic events and regional and global climate changes, we suggest that the gradual increase in the sediment flux from 53.5 to 40.5 Ma was controlled by both the tectonic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the relatively warm and humid climate, and that the high sediment flux from 40.5 to 35.5 Ma was mainly controlled by tectonics. The low sediment flux from 35.5 to 22 Ma was a response to the relatively cold and arid climate in a stable tectonic setting. The relatively high sediment flux between 22 and 15.3 Ma was related to tectonic activity and the warm and humid climate. The intense tectonic uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau and the frequent climate oscillations after 15.3 Ma, particularly the glacial-interglacial cycles after 2.5 Ma, caused the high sediment flux after 15.3 Ma and the dramatic increase after 2.5 Ma, respectively.

Qiao et al. (2016) commented on our work (Zhang et al., 2014) and rejected our reinterpretation of the magnetostratigraphic results of Huang et al. (2006) and Li et al. (2006), with the results gained using the Dynamic Time Warping Algorithm technique (DTWAT) as their main basis. However, Qiao et al. (2016) did not provide details of their modeling inputs, and, in particular, the parameters they chose for their calculations, where such parameters can have a serious impact upon any results. We therefore performed calculations using the same software (i.e., Qupydon) as Qiao et al. (2016), using reliable parameter settings. The results showed that the “interesting correlation” of a 6000 minimum cost output completely correlate with the magnetostratigraphic Chrons C18r to C3An.1n (~ 40–6 Ma), which is consistent with our reinterpreted magnetostratigraphic results. Furthermore, we summarized previous biostratigraphic studies of nearby areas; the data resulting from this process also supported our reinterpreted magnetostratigraphic correlation. We were therefore able to confirm the revised magnetostratigraphic correlation of Zhang et al. (2014).

The Cenozoic exhumation and evolution of the NE Tibetan Plateau remain a topic of debate, although evidence of exhumation and tectonic evolution is well archived in the sediments of related synorogenic basins and in the bedrock of the provenances of these sediments. In the NE Tibetan Plateau, the intermontane Wudu Basin is situated on the southeastern edge of Western Qinling Mt. Range (hereafter, referred to as “Western Qinling”) and contains a well-preserved Neogene succession. We present a comprehensive investigation of the thermochronology and sedimentology of the Wudu Basin and use the findings to decipher the Cenozoic sequence of the exhumation and deformation of Western Qinling. Apatite fission-track results indicate that three rapid cooling events occurred: one each in the late Paleocene to early Eocene (58–45 Ma), the late Eocene (38–36 Ma), and the early Miocene (23–18 Ma). Based on an integration of these data with provenance analysis, the first two events are interpreted as episodic exhumation of Western Qinling linked to subduction-related far-field effects on the Tibetan Plateau, and the third event represents local volcanic activity linked to the formation of the Neogene Wudu Basin and the third deformation phase of Western Qinling. The folded Neogene strata indicate that this region, likely including most of the NE Tibetan Plateau, was deformed by tectonic activity in the late Miocene. The multiple Cenozoic deformation events affecting Western Qinling imply that the NE Tibetan Plateau has experienced a punctuated evolution and exhumation history.

In this paper, an experiment was designed to compare the thermal environment between the fan coil unit system (Case 2) and the combination of radiant cooling workstation and fan coil unit system (Case 1). Through the numerical simulation software, namely Airpak, the indoor air temperature and velocity were compared in two cases. Compared to Case 2, there are 81.82% and 7.81% decrease in vertical and horizontal temperature difference, respectively. However, the vertical air temperature difference between head and feet is 0.97℃, which is higher than Case 2. Also, the mean air velocity in Case 1 is lower than Case 2, and the air velocity in occupied zone of Case 1 ranges from 0.065 m/s to 0.12 m/s.

This study focuses on thermal sensation of subjects with radiant cooling workstation and desktop fan in hot-humid environment. Twenty-four human subjects participated in the experiments and reported their thermal sensation of the whole body, head, trunk, upper limb and lower limb in hot-humid environment at 26℃, 28℃ and 30℃ in an environmental chamber, respectively. The obtained results show that radiant cooling workstation and desktop fan significantly improved the thermal sensation of subjects in hot-humid environments, but the effect was not obvious at 26℃. The average vote of thermal sensation at 28℃ was between -0.2 and 0, and subjects still had neutral thermal sensation condition although indoor environment was as high as 30℃ while the relative humidity was 80%. Therefore, radiant cooling workstation and desktop fan can extend comfortable temperature range in summer. This study provides a new way for both maintaining comfort in non-neutral environment and saving energy in buildings.

To unravel Central Asian paleoclimate history and its forcing mechanisms, we launched the special issue of “Climatic and environmental changes in Central Asia” in 2019. A total of 29 manuscripts have been accepted, and they are divided into two volumes. The first volume mainly focuses on climate and environmental reconstruction in the Westerlies-dominated core area of Central Asia. The second volume mainly illustrates the tectonic-orbital timescale climate evolution of northwest China and deformation history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

The core area of Central Asia (CA), an arid Westerlies-dominated area, is crucial for analysis of interregional atmospheric circulation interactions along the Eurasian mid-latitude belt. However, it remains unclear how climate and environment in this region evolved during the Quaternary Period. Based on the articles in this special issue, this review recapitulates the spatio-temporal distribution of Quaternary sediments in CA, discusses paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental implications of various physicochemical and palaeontological proxies, and finally summarizes the paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental history since the middle Pleistocene. Field investigation and previous studies indicate that loess sediments are mainly distributed on the river terraces and windward piedmonts of Central Asian high mountains since the late Pliocene (mainly late Pleistocene). Multiple proxies analysis, e.g., grain size, geochemistry, sporopollen and magnetism, for the loess and fluvial deposits in this region reveal that the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment manifest a long-term stepwise drying or desertification trend of CA over the past 1 Myr, with at least one major drying event occurring at about ~0.5–0.6 Ma. One of the consequences is the development of the modern deserts in the Junggar Basin and the Tarim Basin. Despite the overall drying trend since the last interglacial period, the Holocene is characterized by a persistent wetting trend with millennial-scale oscillation. This special issue provides a useful glimpse into multi-scale climate and environmental changes in CA, facilitating climatic prediction in the future and climate modeling.

Paleomagnetism has played an important role in quantifying the Mesozoic evolution of "Proto-Tibet". In this paper, we present new paleomagnetic data from five Middle-Upper Jurassic sedimentary sequences (Quemo Co, Buqu, Xiali, Suowa and Xueshan Fms.) of the eastern North Qiangtang Terrane (QT) at Yanshiping (33.6 degrees N, 92.1 degrees E). The new paleomagnetic results form a large dataset (99 sites, 1702 samples) and reveal a paleopole at 79.1 degrees N/306.9 degrees E (dp = 3.9 degrees, dm = 6.3 degrees) for the Quemo Co Fm., at 68.9 degrees N/313.8 degrees E (dp = 2.1 degrees, dm = 3.7 degrees) for the Buqu Fm., at 66.1 degrees N/332.1 degrees E (dp = 2.7 degrees, dm = 4.6 degrees) for the Xiali Fm., at 72.4 degrees N/318.6 degrees E (dp = 3.9 degrees, dm = 6.7 degrees) for the Suowa Fm., and at 76.9 degrees N/301.1 degrees E (dp = 7.9 degrees, dm = 13.2 degrees) for the Xueshan Fm. These results indicate clockwise (CW) rotations of similar to 19.8 +/- 9.4 degrees between similar to 171.2 and 161.7 Ma and counterclockwise (CCW) rotations of similar to 15.4 +/- 13.4 degrees between similar to 161.7 and

Intracontinental flexural (foreland) basin sediments are now frequently used as archives for detailed paleoclimatic and sedimentary environmental reconstruction, fossil and stratigraphic correlation, and tectonic evolution and uplift of basin and orogen. However, sedimentologic characteristics vary considerably in time-space with the evolution of flexural basin, apt to cause misinterpretation of climatic change and stratigraphic correlation. Based on high resolution fossil mammal and magnetostratigraphic constraints and sedimentary facies analysis, here we took the Linxia Basin at the front of the NE Tibetan Plateau as a case to demonstrate and figure out a model how sedimentology and stratigraphy vary temporospatially with the evolution of such flexural basin. The results show that the Linxia Basin is a type intracontinental foreland basin subjected to two phases of flexural deformation exerted by the West Qin Ling (Mts.) and NE Tibetan Plateau to the south. Phase I began latest at the beginning of the Miocene (23.3 Ma), indicated by a balanced fast flexural subsidence and mostly fine sediment infilling giving rise to the early underlying unconformity. It manifests as an obvious sediment wedge with high filling rate, thickening toward mountains and an occurrence of a mountains-parallel big river – shallow lake system along the foredeep, suggesting a less high mountain topography. In the late Phase I, from ~ 13 Ma to 8 Ma, the subsidence and thickening rates began to decrease, accompanied by faults and deformation propagating gradually into the basin, causing gradual basinward migration of the foredeep and its accompanying river-lake system. Since ~ 8 Ma in Phase II, the West Qin Ling and NE Tibetan began to uplift rapidly and thrust/load onto the Linxia Basin, causing strong mountain erosion, thrust-fold belt propagation and basin overfilling. This forced the mountains-parallel river - lake system to turn to the mountains-perpendicular alluvial - braided river system, and finally to an outflow system by the Quaternary onset of the Yellow River in the basin. Concurrent are rapid rotation of the basin, occurrence of growth strata and late unconformities, widespread expansion of boulder conglomerates, great decreasing and increasing sedimentation rates above and before the hanging wall of the fault-fold system and new supplementary provenance from the thrust-fold system. This demonstrates that in stable climate, same lithologic units such as distinct lacustrine sediments and alluvial conglomerates will migrate basinwards with the foredeep moving into basin, causing a great diachroneity and often misleads to recognize the same lithologic unit in space as one unit in time. A dynamic model is presented that should help to avoid such pitfalls in tectonic basin evolution, especially concerning stratigraphic correlation and paleoclimatic change research.

The megamonsoon was a striking event that profoundly impacted the climatic environment and related mineral sources (salts, coals and oil-gases) in the Mesozoic. How this event impacted Asia is unknown. Here, we firstly reported a Mesozoic stratigraphic sequence in the northern Qiangtang Basin, in the central Tibetan Plateau, based on lithofacies and chronologies of paleontology and magnetostratigraphy. Hpw the planetary and megamonsoon circulations controlled the Asian climate with time has been recorded. Using the basic principles of physical geography, present analogs and a newly developed model, the evolution of the stratigraphic sequence was interpreted to demonstrate that the Qiangtang Basin has been subjected to a megamonsoon climate with heavy precipitation during its northward movement since the Latest Permian but has been subjected to a dry environment due to moving into the northern hemisphere subtropic high zone in the Middle Triassic and monsoonal retreat in the early Late Jurassic (early Oxfordian) approximately 161 Ma. The coupling of the hot-dry climate and the close of the Meso-Tethys, along with sea retreat in the Late Jurassic, ensured a large potential time window for evaporite (potash) formation in the Qiangtang Basin, while the tropic megamonsoon rain forest in the Late Permian to the Early Triassic and in the Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic favored the formation of coal and hydrocarbon source rocks. (C) 2016 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fire provides an important indicator of paleoclimatic change. However, little information relating to late Cenozoic fire history has been gathered in mid-latitude Asia (including Inner Asia and East Asia), a key region for understanding the development of the arid-monsoon climate system as well as the driving forces behind it. Here we first report the records of microcharcoal concentrations (MC) covering the Holocene (10-0 Ica) and late Pleistocene (0.8-0 Ma), which we use to analyze the fire activity patterns at an orbital time scale; then we compile the late Cenozoic MC record to investigate the long-term fire history by analyzing four cores from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area, East Asia (representing 8-0 Ma) and three sites in Inner Asia (representing 18-2 Ma). The results show that the (i) MC remained higher during the relatively dry late Holocene/glacial stages than that during the humid middle Holocene/interglacial stages at individual sites; (ii) MC increased with time in both Inner Asia and East Asia after 18 and 8 Ma, respectively; and (iii) MC always remained higher in the dry Inner Asia than in the contemporaneous wet East Asia. All these characteristics imply that late Cenozoic fire occurrence in mid-latitude Asia experienced a gradual increasing trend along with the global temperature/ice volume change, and indicates a continuous aridification trend across mid-latitude Asia. The global cooling, rather than the Tibetan Plateau uplift, might have played a key role in this observed trend. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The loess-paleosol sequences of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) are major paleoclimatic archives which document the evolution of the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and changes in the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during the Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles. However, the mechanisms regulating the trend of EAM variations on a tectonic scale are unclear. The loess deposits of the western CLP, which have a close relationship with tectonics and climate, are much better-suited to exploring these mechanisms than those of the central CLP. However, studies of long-term EAM evolution from the western CLP have been hindered by the lack of long, accurately-dated sequences with high sediment accumulation rates. Here, we address this problem via high resolution magnetostratigraphic, magnetic susceptibility and grain-size analyses of a 416.2 m-long drill core located at Xijin Village, near Lanzhou. Paleomagnetic dating indicates that the basal age of the Xijin loess is ∼2.2 Ma. The χ and grain-size records reveal that the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) strengthened synchronously at ∼1.24 Ma. Subsequently, during interglacial periods, the EASM began to penetrate, and then dominate, in the Lanzhou region. This was followed by two stepwise uptrends, commencing at ∼0.87 and ∼0.62 Ma, which resulted in an increasingly moist interglacial climate in the region. We suggest that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was largely responsible for these three stepwise enhancements of the EASM. Overall, however, the long-term trend of strengthening in EAWM in the area may have been primarily caused by long-term global cooling from the Late Pliocene onwards.

The long-term paleoclimate record in Asia and its comparison with the global climate record are of vital importance to understanding the coupling mechanisms between tectonics and climate. However, such long-term climate history in Asia revealed using the biomarker perspective has remained elusive. Here, we reconstruct the Neogene–Quaternary climatic history of the Northeastern (NE) Tibetan Plateau based on the integrated biomarker records of the Tianshui Basin and multiple published data from its surrounding localities. These comprehensive results indicate that the NE Tibetan Plateau did not have a consistent aridity trend until ∼4 Ma. Before 4 Ma, the Neogene climate was generally humid although this pattern was temporarily interrupted by two drying intervals at ∼14.5–∼12.5 and ∼10–∼6 Ma. Each of the two drying intervals and the permanent aridification trend roughly correspond to one phase of global cooling and/or uplift event of the Tibetan Plateau, highlighting the importance and complexity of tectonic–climate interactions. However, our study indicates increasing influence of tectonic uplift on the NE Tibetan Plateau climate since late Pliocene.

As the tectonical and geographical northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, the evolution of the Altyn Tagh range has attracted wide attention. Precise dating of its activities is believed essential for understanding the possible mechanisms of the Tibetan Plateau uplift and its effects on climate changes. Under the framework of basin–mountain coupling, both magnetic susceptibility and rock magnetic researches were carried out in this study on the Late Cenozoic sediments of the Honggouzi (HGZ) section (ca. 17–5 Ma) in the western Qaidam Basin to explore the tectonic and climatic evolution as well as their interactions of the Altyn Tagh range. The obtained magnetic susceptibility record in the HGZ section displayed a two-step variation, which kept relatively low and stable values for sediments from the stratigraphic levels of 120–596 m (ca. 17–10 Ma) (stage I), but increased rapidly from 596 to 1014 m (ca. 10–5 Ma) (stage II). The rock magnetic results revealed that paramagnetic minerals or clay minerals, maghemite and hematite are dominant in stage I, which were replaced by magnetite and maghemite in stage II. A detailed comparison of magnetic susceptibility record in the HGZ section with regional tectonic and climate records was carried out. Combined with sedimentary facies, lithology and angular unconformity in the sequence, as well as seismostratigraphy data, paleocurrent and provenance analyses, the possible mechanisms for the magnetic susceptibility variation were explored. The results indicated a direct link between magnetic susceptibility change and the uplift of the Altyn Tagh range at ca. 10 Ma.