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The soil respiration (Rs) of forests is a major component of global Rs, yet few studies have focused on it. This study aimed to estimate global forest Rs and its changes at a resolution of 30 m via an artificial neural network (ANN) model. Five input candidates representing forest type, climatic, soil, and geographical information, as well as 1472 satisfactory forest Rs records, were used to build the ANN model and evaluate the model performance via a 10‐fold cross‐validation scheme. Global forest change data sets were used to accurately define the extent of forests and their changes, which was achievable because of the dynamic information and high resolution (30 m) of the data sets. The results indicate that the average annual global forest Rs from 2000 to 2020, as estimated by the optimal ANN model with an r2 value of 0.67 and a root‐mean‐square error of 252.6 g C m−2 yr−1, was 46.24 ± 5.86 Pg C yr−1. From 2001 to 2019, the average theoretical annual global forest Rs loss was 0.22 ± 0.06 Pg C yr−1 due to an average forest loss area of 23.4 million ha yr−1. In addition, the annual Rs theoretically increased by 0.75 Pg C in 2012 due to a global forest gain area of 80.5 million from 2001 to 2012. The presented data sets of global forest Rs and its changes can provide an accurate benchmark for discussing the carbon cycle and climate change at global to regional scales, even when operating over a small forest area (i.e., dozens of ha), which is a scale that has been ignored in other global Rs studies. Plain Language Summary: This paper discusses the soil respiration (written as Rs) of global forests, which has rarely been the focus of other Rs studies. Soil respiration is defined as the amount of Carbon Dioxide released from the soil surface into the atmosphere. The goal of this study was to estimate global forest Rs and its changes at a resolution of 30 m using the artificial intelligence model. The model had five input candidates representing forest type, climatic, soil, and geographical information. Additionally, 1472 satisfactory forest Rs records were used to build the model and evaluate its performance via a cross‐validation scheme. Global forest change data sets have a high 30 m‐resolution and provide dynamic information, and were thus chosen to accurately define the extent of forests and their changes in this research. This results show that the estimated average annual global forest Rs from 2000 to 2020 was 46.24 ± 5.86 quadrillion gram of carbon. The data sets produced by this study is able to act as an accurate benchmark used to discuss the carbon cycle and climate change at global to regional scales, and they can even make it possible to operate over a smaller forest area, such as dozens of ha. Key Points: 30‐m resolution global data sets of forest soil respiration and its changes from 2000 to 2020 are providedThe average annual global forest soil respiration from 2000 to 2020 was 46.24 ± 5.86 Pg C yr−1An accurate benchmark is provided for discussing the carbon cycle and climate change at global to regional scales, even over a small forest area (i.e., dozens of ha) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the intricate interrelationship between groundwater microbial communities and hydrochemical characteristics in the Mancheng District, Baoding City, samples from karst groundwater and porous groundwater were collected. Hydrochemical analysis and the 16s RNA gene V4-V5 region sequencing method were used to detail the water environmental characteristics and microbial community distribution pattern in the study area. The hydrochemical results reveal notable differences in major ion contents and other hydrochemical indices between karst water and porous water. Microbial community analysis demonstrates that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes are the dominant taxa in both types of water bodies, albeit with significant variations in their proportions across distinct water bodies. The observed disparities in microbial communities between karst water and porous water underscore the influence of environmental factors such as ion concentration and pH on microbial distribution. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) indicates notable associations between microbial community composition and environmental factors in both types of groundwater environments. Studying the distribution pattern of microbial communities and the connection with environmental factors in two types of groundwater lays a crucial foundation for interpreting the functional roles of microbes in groundwater ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal changes and patterns of a regional water environment based on the hydrological and water quality monitoring times and the geographical locations of the monitoring sections in the research area, the plain of Cixi, eastern China. Based on the calculation of runoff generation and concentration in the coastal plain river network and based on the characteristics and impact evaluation of the regional water pollution, the migration and diffusion mechanisms of surface water pollutants were studied for different sources and characteristics of pollutants entering the river in different river sections. The analytic results show that the water environment and water resource security of the coastal plain mainly cause the problem of eutrophication in the water bodies, and the input of nitrogen and phosphorus from land sources is the main cause of eutrophication in the water bodies, mainly including the production and discharge of domestic sewage, nutrient loss in aquaculture water bodies, affecting agricultural activities, etc. The evaluation also demonstrates that with the development of coastal zones and the rapid development of coastal towns, as the population in coastal plain areas continues to increase, industrial development and population growth are the main driving factors for water quality changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015–2019, young bluethroats were caught in order to determine the parameters of their migration stop in the taiga zone in the east of the Russian Plain. A total of 272 birds were analyzed, of which 186 were males and 86 were females. The average duration of the migration stop for young bluethroats was 1.45 days. Transient individuals have fat reserves that allow them to make migratory jumps lasting an average of 4.39 ± 0.20 h. Bluethroats with an average stopping time have a mass deposition rate of 0.04 ± 0.36 g per day and, by the time of departure, are able to make nonstop flights lasting an average of 3.89 ± 0.58 h. Individuals that make the decision to stop lose a little of their fat reserves, reducing their ability to fly nonstop until the next stop. The significance of the river valleys in the east of the Russian Plain for a successful stopover remains an open question, and it has not been fully clarified whether these places have the necessary ecological conditions for the successful stopover of small birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North Africa is acknowledged as one of the world's hottest and most vulnerable regions to climate change. This study addresses a critical gap in comprehensive research on climate change in Algeria, focusing specifically on the Setif high plains in Northeast Algeria. Despite its susceptibility, studies on this region remain scarce. Utilizing the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) dataset and five emission scenarios (SSPs), this research projects climate changes during the twenty-first century (2030–2050–2070). Results indicate significant temperature increases and precipitation declines. SSP5-5.8 presents the most pessimistic outlook, foreseeing the highest temperature elevations (24.52 to 27.18°C, 31.83 to 34.43°C, and 17.30 to 20°C for average, maximum, and minimum temperatures), and the largest precipitation decreases (65.9% to 60.94%). Conversely, SSP1-1.9 offers a more optimistic perspective with smaller temperature increments (24.21 to 24.36°C, 31.55 to 31.69°C, and 17.01 to 17.10°C) and a milder precipitation reduction (68.07% to 71.97%). These findings underscore a warming trend and reduced precipitation, emphasizing the urgent need for understanding climate change impacts in the region. Addressing these challenges is crucial for devising effective adaptation and resilience measures. The agricultural sector, a vital aspect of the region's economy, may benefit from adjustments such as reducing rainfed crop cultivation and adopting intensive farming practices. Moreover, advancements in biotechnology and climate predictions offer promising avenues for adapting agricultural water management to the changing climate. This research not only contributes to the knowledge base on climate change but also provides actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners, aiding in the development of sustainable strategies to mitigate risks and foster resilience in the face of a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more optical records have exhibited that multiple upward leaders (MULs) occur frequently on a building in the flash attachment process. An interesting issue is why a building can continue to launch upward leader (UL) after the first one appears. This phenomenon is analyzed in the present paper. Considering the influence of the leader behaviors on the ambient electric field, an improved 3‐D fine‐resolution lightning attachment model with MULs is established to simulate cloud‐to‐ground flash events with diverse leader spatial morphologies. The simulation results show that MULs may initiate almost simultaneously or with an obvious delay and the variation range of UL length is large. From this, the flash events of lightning terminating on a building are divided into four scenarios and each scenario is analyzed. It was found that the spatial location of downward leader, the length and propagation direction of the first UL and the time interval from the inception of the first UL to final jump significantly affect the electric fields at top corners of building and further affect the inception of the second UL. Based on qualitative analysis, four factors are proposed to explain why the above four scenarios happen. Plain Language Summary: This research focuses on understanding the process of cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning, which can cause significant harm to society. Specifically, the study investigates the initiation of multiple upward leaders in the CG lightning process. By considering the impact of lightning leader behaviors on the surrounding electric field, the researchers develop an improved lightning attachment model. Using this model, we simulate the development of leaders and identify factors that explain why one or more leaders originate from an isolated building. The results highlight the importance of the location of the lightning, the characteristics of the first upward leader, and the timing of the lightning strike in influencing the initiation of multiple upward leaders. Future studies will explore CG lightning within groups of buildings, contributing to our understanding of this phenomenon and providing insights for protecting buildings from lightning strikes. Key Points: An improved 3‐D fine‐resolution stochastic discharge model is developedThe spatial location of lightning, as well as the length and propagation direction of the first upward leader, has an impact on the initiation of multiple upward leadersThe time interval between the inception of the first upward leader and the final jump affects the initiation of multiple upward leaders [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Belly River Group (BRG) of southern Alberta has a complex internal stratigraphic architecture derived from differential geometries of its component formations that resulted from regionalized tectonic influences and shifting source areas. A full understanding of BRG architecture has been compromised heretofore by a limited understanding of subsurface data in southwestern- and southeastern-most Alberta. In this study outcrop exposures throughout southern Alberta are tied to reference well logs and subsurface cross-sections allowing a more precise understanding of BRG architecture and how it relates to well-known vertebrate fossil producing areas. Modifications to an existing stratigraphic model of the BRG show that the Oldman and the Dinosaur Park formations have reciprocal north-to-south wedge-shaped geometries and a diachronous contact that become prominently expressed south of Twp 12. The updated model also demonstrates that the Oldman Formation thickens stratigraphically up-section to the south, and that the Foremost-Oldman contact is, essentially, a datum across much of southern Alberta. Identification of the Oldman Formation in the subsurface remains based on its relatively high gamma-ray response in mudstone successions, but it is also recognized that many of its sandstones exhibit relatively low gamma-ray responses like those in underlying and overlying formations. Nomenclature and subdivisions of the Oldman Formation are revised to accommodate this updated understanding, and modifications are also made to the definition of the Judith River-Belly River discontinuity, a newly recognized surface that marks the onset of accommodation and eustatic rise in sea-level in the northern Western Interior Basin at ~76.3 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional villages, rich in historical and cultural value, hold a high level of preservation value. In the process of urbanization, traditional villages face the crisis of decline, making it difficult to perpetuate the carried cultural heritage. The Ganjiang River Basin hosts numerous traditional villages with rich research value, making the study of their preservation and development in this region a significant topic. This paper, from the perspective of landscape ecology, employs geographic detectors to analyze the driving factors behind the emergence of traditional villages in the Ganjiang River Basin, summarizing the spatial distribution characteristics of traditional villages. A classification method based on village landscape features is adopted to categorize traditional villages in the Ganjiang River Basin, providing a reference for planning the preservation and development of traditional villages. The research results show that plain areas are more suitable for the continuation of traditional villages; a single suitable environmental element cannot provide an environment conducive to the development of traditional villages, which is the result of the combined effect of multiple suitable elements; the study has divided traditional village landscapes into nine types, with clear distribution differences among different types of villages; for different regions and types of traditional villages, it is necessary to balance development and protection tendencies and plan differently according to environmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The region of Vitoria concentrates lots of urban demands on natural systems susceptible to flooding. This work aims to evaluate the sensitivity to coastal flooding in a region where Quaternary deposits are narrow and with a closed estuarine system pressured by urbanization. The coastal sensitivity index evaluated on the plains was based on 10 physical variables (5 of process and 5 structural). In general, plains showed a high to very high degree of sensitivity. The most sensitive area were the wetlands. Proximity to the coast is an important factor, however, the effects of sea level rise also were severe in areas that do not face the sea. The estuarine re-entrant system of Vitoria exposes inland areas to the coastal flooding, which may have their sensitivity enhanced by the proximity of watercourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary study aims at reconstructing the life history, including dietary patterns, mobility, and health conditions, of a high‐class noblewoman (M154) from the late Shu state (晚蜀), the period of Kai Ming regime (開明氏), in the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery of the Eastern Zhou period (770–221 BC), Chengdu Plain, China, as a way to provide a glimpse into the human lifeway in the late Shu culture period under the impact of non‐local cultures. We combined skeletal pathological observations with multi‐isotope (carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) analyses of bone collagen, enamel, and dentin serial sections and analyzed multi‐tooth enamel from the remaining 10 humans in the cemetery as comparative data. The results suggest that the occupant of M154, a female who died at around 30 years of age, consumed mainly rice (C3‐based crop) and high animal protein throughout her life, was weaned at 2–3 years of age, experienced physiological stresses after weaning and at 7–8 years of age but recovered from both rapidly (less than a year), which probably was related to better care, and that the timing of physiological stress embodied in isotopic profiles from incremental dentin sections is consistent with the observed enamel hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia. She more likely lived with the local population from childhood to adolescence and did not experience long‐distance migrations. After 7–8 years of age, she consumed relatively stable food resources and lived a stable life until death. Here, we show the stable and well‐cared‐for life history of a high‐ranking noble of the late Shu state, providing new insights into the study of the ancient Shu people and a reference for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes spatial and temporal patterns in fire across the US Western Great Plains over the last 40 years. Although pyrogeographic studies have explored the nexus of fire patterns in relation to the bio-physical environment and socio-ecological trends, most of this research has focused on forested ecosystems and regions long known for conflict between wildfires and human development, especially at the wildland–urban interface. But evidence suggests large wildfire activity is increasing in the US Great Plains, and the Western Great Plains—a Land Resource Region comprised of four ecoregions, Northwestern Plains, High Plains, Nebraska Sandhills, and Southwestern Tablelands—not only contains some of the largest areas of rangeland in the US but also the highest concentration of public land in the Great Plains. As such, the Western Great Plains provides an opportunity to explore fire activity in primarily rural landscapes with a combination of public and private ownership, all dominated by rangeland vegetation. We combined several publicly-available datasets containing fire records between 1992 and 2020 to create two databases, one with georeferenced point data on 60,575 wildfire events in the region, and another with georeferenced perimeter data for 2665 fires. Ignition by humans was the dominant cause of fires. No ecoregion showed a statistically significant trend towards either increasing or decreasing the annual burned area. The Northwestern Plains had the most burned area and the greatest number of incidents—consistently around or above 1000 incidents per year since 1992—with the majority in July. The High Plains showed the greatest increase in annual fire incidence, never reaching more than 200–300 per year 1992–2009, and averaging above 1000 incidents per year since 2010. Few long-term trends in human population, weather, or fuel metrics appear strongly associated with fire patterns in any ecoregion, although the years 2006, 2012, and 2017 stood out for their levels of fire activity, and these years often frequently logged extreme values in wildland fuel metrics. These relationships merit much closer examination in the Western Great Plains, because like other rangeland-dominated landscapes, the fine fuels that comprise these wildland fuelbeds are much more responsive to fine-scale changes in moisture conditions. Rural Western Great Plains landscapes are a mosaic of public and private land ownership, and an increasing impact of wildfires on public grazing lands—which are often situated within other jurisdictions or ownership—will likely have an impact on rural livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive plants often impact the abiotic and biotic conditions of the ecosystems they invade. These impacts can persist after the removal of the invader as legacy effects that may hamper restoration. We assessed whether the invasion of Cumberland Plain Woodland in Australia by African Olive impacts the performance of native species through legacy effects. We also tested whether the addition of soil inocula from uninvaded Cumberland Plain Woodland and rhizosphere soils can mitigate the effects of invaded soils on native plant performance. To do this, we grew four native Cumberland Plain Woodland species (Australian Indigo, Climbing Saltbush, Hickory Wattle, Wedge-leaf Hop-bush) in mesocosms containing either uninvaded Cumberland Plain Woodland soil, African Olive-invaded Cumberland Plain Woodland soil or invaded Cumberland Plain Woodland soil inoculated with uninvaded or native rhizosphere soil. We found invaded soils to not consistently impact the growth of the Cumberland Plain Woodland species studied. In invaded soil, Hickory Wattle produced lower above and belowground biomass, Climbing Saltbush produced lower belowground biomass and Australian Indigo had a lower root to shoot ratio compared to plants grown in Cumberland Plain Woodland soil. The nodulation of Australian Indigo did not differ between soil treatments, while that of Hickory Wattle responded positively to inoculation. Our results suggest that the addition of native soil biota may improve the outcomes of ecological restoration projects on a species-specific basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavations at Tilmen Höyük were carried out by U. Bahadir Alkım between 1959-64 and 1969-72. These excavations revealed an uninterrupted settlement at Tilmen Höyük from the 4th millennium BC to the end of the 2nd millennium BC. A group of wheel-made, well-fired pottery belonging to the Early Bronze Age recovered during these excavations has been named Açık Renkli Yalın Keramik (ARYK) by us. This ceramic group was first introduced to the archaeological literature as Plain Simple Ware by Braidwood. This lightcolored, wheel-made, well-purified, and well-fired ceramic group is found extensively in Southeastern Anatolia and Northern Syria during the Early Bronze Age. In international terminology, the Middle Euphrates Region is defined as the part of the Euphrates River in Southeastern Anatolia and Northern Syria. This region can be considered as the main region of the ARYK group. ARYK, which has found a very wide distribution area, is seen as an imported material in Eastern and Central Anatolia. The ceramic group in question continued its development from the Late Chalcolithic Age and continued to be seen throughout the 2nd millennium BC. It shows technological developments, especially since the EBA. ARYK begins to be produced on wheels at the beginning of the EBA, and rapid wheel production continues as a ceramic group towards the end of the EBA. We can say that this ceramic group was mass-produced in accordance with certain standards at the end of the EBA. Some forms seen in the ARYK group are important for dating. The "S" shaped bowls known as cyma-recta are dated to EBA I-II, while the bell-shaped cups known as caliciform are dated to the late EBA. The pottery from Tilmen Höyük analysed in this article dates from EBA I to the EBA/MBA transition phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rates and weightings are specified for every data layer to compensate for the data layer's regional fluctuation and relative importance accordingly using simple additive weighting frameworks (SAWFs). To this end, the present article follows three learning steps using artificial intelligence (AI): In Level 1, SFL, ANN and SVM models are used to improve weighting factors from regional and observational data. In Level 2, the AI strategy of gene expression programming (GEP) is applied to understand further. In Level 3, the results from Level 1 are reused as inputs and observational data. Using the anticipated impact measurement and monitoring (AIMM) approach, the study paves the ground to create some frameworks for mapping indices (subsidence susceptibility). The main results of the AIMM analysis are three-fold: First, the NSE coefficient for SAWF obtained through land subsidence values is approximately 0.41. Second, the NSE value is enhanced to 0.88 by learning the weighting factors at Level 1 using SFL. Third, the NSE value is even further enhanced to 0.92 by Level 2 learning of the weighting factors via GEP. With the subsidence vulnerability index map, it is possible to manage underground water resources to prevent excessive subsidence in probable areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climatological characteristics of cold‐air damming (CAD) were statistically investigated on the Kanto Plain throughout the year. We detected 397 CAD events from 1991 to 2020 using hourly surface observation data from the Japan Meteorological Agency. The statistical analyses revealed the following characteristics: (1) CAD is most frequent in autumn followed by spring; (2) strong CAD is more frequent in the cold season than in the warm season; (3) The long‐term trend in CAD frequency is not obvious; (4) 53% of the events finish in 12 h or less, and 17% of them continue for 24 h or more. CAD with precipitation tended to be stronger than that without precipitation, and the latter was more frequent in the nighttime than in the daytime, indicating the contribution of diabatic processes to the development of CAD. Analysis of synoptic fields in CAD cases using long‐term reanalysis data revealed six patterns that differed in the intensity and position of surface highs and lows, corresponding to the typical seasonal sea level pressure fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huanghe (Yellow River), one of the largest turbid river systems in the world, has long been recognized as a major contributor of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to the ocean. However, over the last few decades, the SPM export flux of the Huanghe has decreased over 90 % due to the high management, impacting the global export of particulate organic carbon (POC). To better constrain sources and modes of transport of POC beyond the previously investigated transportation of POC near the channel surface, SPM samples were for the first time collected over a whole channel cross-section in the lower Huanghe. Riverine SPM samples were analyzed for particle size and major element contents, as well as for POC content and dual carbon isotopes (13C and 14C). Clear vertical and lateral heterogeneities of the physical and chemical properties of SPM are observed within the river cross-section. For instance, finer SPM carry more POC in general with higher 14C activity near the surface of the right bank. Notably, we discuss how bank erosion in the alluvial plain is likely to generate lateral heterogeneity in POC composition. The Huanghe POC is millennial-aged (4020 ± 500 radiocarbon years) and dominated by organic carbon (OC) from the biosphere, while the lithospheric fraction is ca. 12 %. The mobilization of aged and refractory OC, including radiocarbon-dead biospheric OC, from deeper soil horizons of the loess–paleosol sequence through erosion in the Chinese Loess Plateau is an important mechanism contributing to fluvial POC in the Huanghe drainage basin. Altogether, anthropogenic activities can drastically change the compositions and transport dynamics of fluvial POC, consequentially altering the feedback of the source-to-sink trajectory of a river system to regional and global carbon cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The European settlement of North America has led to dramatic changes in the environment of the Northern Plains. As this ecosystem's plant and animal communities continue to evolve during this period of human-driven modification, it is important to continually measure the impact on important ecological groups in this system, such as dung-dwelling arthropods. Therefore, we report the dung-dwelling arthropod community collected from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. A total of 51,283 specimens were collected. Beetles, flies, and parasitoid wasps comprised the majority (94.5%) of the community. Pest abundance was low on average, with about one adult pest found for every two dung pats sampled, and most of the pats (80%) did not contain any adult pests. While there were many beneficial arthropods collected for this survey, the abundance of these beneficial species was inconsistent from one pat to the next and throughout the grazing seasons. Future work is needed to understand how to increase the consistency of these beneficial organisms in the grassland ecosystem of the Northern Plains. Grassland ecosystems of the Northern Plains have changed substantially since European settlement began in the latter half of the 19th century. This has led to significant changes to the dung-dwelling arthropod community in the region. As humans continue to modify large portions of the landscape, inventories of ecologically significant communities are important to collect in order to monitor the long-term effects of anthropogenic biomes. We conducted a survey of the arthropod community dwelling in cattle dung from 40 pastures extending from northeast South Dakota to central North Dakota during the 2019 and 2020 grazing seasons. In sum, 51,283 specimens were collected from 596 dung pats, comprising a community of 22 orders. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera contributed to the majority (94.5%) of the community abundance. The mean pest abundance was low per pat (0.43 adult pests/pat), with 80% of the pats not containing any adult pest. Ecologically beneficial dung-feeding beetles, predators, and parasitoids were abundant in the region, but it was an inconsistent community, which may hinder ecosystem services. This highlights the need for future work to understand the mechanisms to increase the consistency of dung pat colonization for improved consistency of ecosystem services in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare measurements of lumbar neuroforaminal dimensions (NFD) derived from plain film radiography (PFR) and computed tomography (CT) of young patients without spinal pathology. Methods: We analyzed 213 patients between 18 and 35 years of age without spinal pathology who received PFR and CT within one year of each other. NFD were defined as foraminal height, sagittal anterior-to-posterior width, and area. Statistical analyses assessed correlations and differences between PFR- and CT-derived NFD measurements. Results: 111 subjects were female and 102 were male. Significant differences between PFR- and CT-derived NFD measurements were observed for all levels L1-S1, with those for foraminal height listed as follows: 4.10 mm at L1-L2, 1.58 mm at L2-L3, 3.23 mm at L3-L4, 4.27 mm at L4-L5, and 1.75 mm at L5-S1. Regarding foraminal area, these differences were 72.20, 73.45, 61.80, 35.38, and 16.18 mm2, respectively. PFR-derived measurements of NFD were larger compared to those derived from CT across all levels (p <.001). Only weak (0 ≤ r ≤.4) or moderate (.4 ≤ r ≤.7) correlations were observed between PFR- and CT-derived NFD measurements for all levels from L1-S1. Conclusion: This study describes 9585 measurements from L1-S1 of neuroforaminal measurements derived from CT and plain film radiography from a sample of young patients without spinal pathology. Among these patients, plain film measurements of the neuroforamina are larger compared to those derived from CT for all levels from L1-S1. There is poor correlation and reliability between plain film and CT measurements of neuroforaminal dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between landscape and writing in the novel Los llanos by Federico Falco, and reflects on the use of the landscape in the Rio de la Plata context and in the Argentine literary tradition. Following the arguments of Graciela Speranza, Jens Andermann, Graciela Silvestri, Fernando Aliata and Horacio González, it poses questions such as: How does this novel stage the story of the pampa as landscape? In what ways does it develop the idea of the pampa as a remain? Where does Los llanos's difficult work in trying to describe the plain lead us? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Reconstructing megafauna diversity in the past before anthropogenic impacts is crucial for developing targeted restoration strategies. We estimated the diversity and functional decline of European megafauna in the present compared with the nearest in‐time climate period analogue to the present but prior to the worldwide diffusion of Homo sapiens. Location: Europe. Time Period: Last Interglacial (LIG; ca. 127,000 years ago) to present. Major Taxa Studied: Wild, large (≥10 kg) terrestrial mammals. Methods: We assessed the distribution of 48 European megafauna species during the LIG using hindcasting modelling and fossil records. Then, we estimated the decline in megafauna community diversity and potential trait‐based functional effects from the LIG to the present, accounting for climate differences between the two periods. Results: Species richness and community biomass dropped by 70.8% (±11.7%) and by 94.5% (±9.9%). Functional diversity dropped by 80.3% (±15.3%) for herbivores and by 64.9% (±29.1%) for carnivores, while trait‐informed potential vegetation and meat consumptions dropped by 82.3% (±13.4%) and 60.5% (±26.0%). The loss in megafauna diversity and associated ecological processes were high everywhere, but particularly in western Europe for carnivores and in the East European Plain for herbivores. Potential megafauna richness in the two periods was similar if only climate‐driven differences were considered. Main Conclusions: Severe, size‐biased defaunation has degraded megafauna assemblages and megafauna‐mediated ecological processes across Europe from the LIG to the present. These patterns cannot be explained by climate differences between the two periods, thus were likely driven by prehistoric Homo sapiens. The results suggest that the structure of wild ecosystems of the present strongly deviates from the evolutionary norm, with decreased functional heterogeneity and decreased fluxes of biogeochemical compounds across the trophic networks, highlighting the importance of ambitious policies of megafauna community restoration to support ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article follows the steps of the guerrilla led by Florencio el "Güero" Medrano in the Chinantec mountains of Oaxaca. This text outlines the peasant movement that developed in the district of Tuxtepec, located on the limits of the Chinanteca Region and the plains of the Papaloapan Basin, between 1965 and 1983. Various left-wing organizations participated at the national level of this movement, for example, the Union General de Organizaciones Campesina de México (UGOCM), initially led by Jacinto López in Sonora, or the normalista and student movements of Oaxaca such as the Coordinadora de Obreros, Campesinos y Estudiantes de Oaxaca (COCEO), the Coordinadora Obrero Campesina Estudiantil del Istmo (COCEI) and the Centro Regional de Educación Normal de Tuxtepec Oaxaca (CRENTO). Some survivors of the Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre also became involved. El Güero Medrano, one of the last participants in Lucio Cabañas guerrilla in Guerrero, and was an important participant in peasant struggles in the region until his death on March 26, 1979 in the municipality of San Pedro Yolox in the Sierra de Juárez, Oaxaca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid change of wind speed and direction on 21 August 2017 is studied using Doppler lidar measurements at five sites of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility in north-central Oklahoma. The Doppler lidar data were investigated along with meteorological variables such as temperature, humidity, and turbulence available from the large suite of instrumentation deployed at the SGP Central Facility (C1) during the Land-Atmosphere Feedback Experiment in August 2017. Lidar measurements at five sites, separated by 55–70 km, allowed us to document the development and evolution of the wind flow over the SGP area, examine synoptic conditions to understand the mechanism that leads to the ramp event, and estimate the ability of the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model to reproduce this event. The flow feature in question is an atmospheric bore, a small-scale phenomenon that is challenging to represent in models, that was generated by a thunderstorm outflow northwest of the ARM SGP area. The small-scale nature of bores, its impact on power generation, and the modeling challenges associated with representing bores are discussed in this paper. The results also provide information about model errors between sites of different surface and vegetation types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treating geosystems as relatively homogeneous units brings up the possibility of attributing to the relief, a primordial role as a first taxonomic level of landscape analysis. To apply such a form of compartmentalization in an area of the Amazon is fundamental in view of the inexistence of mappings and documents that portray the landscapes of the Maranhense Amazon. The present article aims to identify the geoforms of the Pindaré River Basin-MA, as a first level of the geosystemic units, giving the factor relief and rock substrate, important highlights. The methodology consisted in using geoprocessing techniques and methods in order to find the variables slope, hypsometry, surface curvature, slope orientation, shaded relief and geology. As a result, it was possible to identify 14 units and 27 sub-units that were given the nomenclature of geoforms, each with unique geological and geomorphological characteristics that gave rise to many of the current features of the landscape of the western Maranhão region. Tabular plateaus and mountain ranges contrast with reduced plateaus and flat reliefs of the Amazon lowlands; amidst them, fluvial, fluvial-lacustrine and fluvial-marine plains also stand out in this important hydrographic basin. From these results, it was possible to obtain a proposal for hierarchization and mapping on a regional scale, helping in possible future planning proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the Pleistocene subsurface stratigraphy of an area in the northern Po Plain around the isolated tectonic hillocks of Castenedolo and Ciliverghe (Brescia, Italy) in order to estimate their long-term rates of tectonic deformation. Integrated stratigraphy of a new 100-m-long core (RL13) allowed better definition of the regional Y (0.45 Ma) and R (0.87 Ma) surfaces and the related magnetostratigraphically calibrated PS1, PS2, and PS3 depositional sequences. The Y surface in the RL13 core was placed at the base of the PS3 proximal braided river system that was deposited during middle Pleistocene within the Brunhes chron. The R surface is considered to be eroded within the PS2 braid-plain deposits at ca. 0.87 Ma between the top of Jaramillo subchron and the Bruhnes chron during the late Early Pleistocene. Based on different datasets, we evaluated the sedimentation rate, which has decreased from 0.09 mm/yr with deposition of PS2, to 0.06 mm/yr with deposition of PS3. The tectonic uplift, with an average rate of ~0.1 mm/yr in the last ca. 0.87 Ma, is interpreted to be associated with a fault and related fault-propagation folding. The Castenedolo and Ciliverghe hillocks then formed due to tectonic uplift during a change in the sedimentation regime since 0.45 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's crop production growth rate has decreased. This has provoked questions on whether the grain yields have reached their potential. Taking the North China Plain (NCP) as the study area, this study first simulated the potential yield of an irrigated maize crop with the WOFOST model, using daily weather data for 1960–2017. The yield gap was quantified for 1998–2017, and finally, the total potential maize production was estimated. The results indicate that during 1960–2017, the average potential yield for the region varied annually from 9.5 to 13.5 t ha−1, showing an obvious downward trend at a rate of 37.6 kg ha−1 per year. The long‐term mean potential yield at all 327 counties ranged from 9.9 to 13.7 t ha−1, increasing from south to north. The annual maize yield gap was between an average of 2.7–6.0 t ha−1 (29.0%–51.3%) of the potential yield for the NCP during 1998–2017. At county‐level, the yield gap varied between 1.9 and 7.8 t ha−1 and exceeded 5.0 t ha−1 for 99 counties (30.3% of all counties). Attainable yields can be increased by 0.1–5.2 t ha−1 at county‐level, and by 2.2 t ha−1 for the whole NCP, implying that the maize production has the potential to increase with 20.8 Mt. To increase maize production, the focus areas should be the southcentral NCP, which have a larger yield gap during 2012–2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG), located in France and Germany, is bordered by north–south-trending faults, some of which are considered active, posing a potential threat to the dense population and infrastructures on the Alsace plain. The largest historical earthquake in the region was the M6.5±0.5 Basel earthquake in 1356. Current seismicity (M>2.5 since 1960) is mostly diffuse and located within the graben. We build upon previous seismic hazard studies of the URG by exploring uncertainties in greater detail and revisiting a number of assumptions. We first take into account the limited evidence of neotectonic activity and then explore tectonic scenarios that have not been taken into account previously, exploring uncertainties for Mmax , its recurrence time, the b value, and the moment released aseismically or through aftershocks. Uncertainties in faults' moment deficit rates, on the observed seismic events' magnitude–frequency distribution and on the moment–area scaling law of earthquakes, are also explored. Assuming a purely dip-slip normal faulting mechanism associated with a simplified model with three main faults, Mmax maximum probability is estimated at Mw 6.1. Considering this scenario, there would be a 99 % probability that Mmax is less than 7.3. In contrast, with a strike-slip assumption associated with a four-main-fault model, consistent with recent paleoseismological studies and the present-day stress field, Mmax is estimated at Mw 6.8. Based on this scenario, there would be a 99 % probability that Mmax is less than 7.6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is the major water resource for human consumption, industrial operation, and agricultural irrigation in the Huaibei Plain, Anhui Province, China. To effectively manage groundwater resources, it is essential to quantitatively identify the sources and determine the natural background levels (NBLs) of major ions. In this study, 85 groundwater samples were collected from the Huaibei Plain and determined the NBLs of typical ions, followed by analyses applying multivariate statistical methods and the Unmix model. The results revealed that cation exchange and rock weathering were the major factors influencing groundwater chemistry. Based on factor analysis and Unmix model analysis, three sources of major groundwater ions were identified, namely salt rock dissolution (with an average contribution of 32%), dissolution of sulfate minerals (34%), and dissolution of carbonates and silicate weathering (34%). Moreover, the NBLs and threshold values for Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42− and F− were determined as 3.18–25.60, 10.60–39.70, 4.20–11.40, 0.87–5.80, 1.02–13.20, and 0.16–0.28 mg·L−1 and 112.80, 169.85, 20.70, 127.90, 131.60 and 0.64 mg·L−1, respectively. These findings can provide valuable insights for effective water resource management in the Huaibei Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change affects hydroclimatic variables, and assessing the uncertainty in future predictions is crucial. This study aims to explore variations in temperature and precipitation in the Kerman Plain under climate change impacts between 2023 and 2054. For this purpose, two climate models, MRI-ESM-2 and BCC-CSM2-MR, were used to simulate precipitation and temperature under two different scenarios. The Mann–Kendall test was employed to analyze the annual time series in the future period. The results indicated an increase in the average temperature of about 1.5 degrees Celsius based on both scenarios in the coming years. Furthermore, an average annual increase of 6.37 mm of precipitation was predicted under the SSP585 scenario. Meanwhile, under the SSP585 scenario, an increase was estimated using the MRI-ESM-2 model, and a decrease was predicted with the BCC-CSM2-MR model. The Mann–Kendall test revealed a downward trend in the BCC-CSM2-MR model under both scenarios and an upward trend in the MRI-ESM-2 model under both scenarios. The bootstrap method and the R-factor index were exploited in this study with a 95% confidence interval to estimate the uncertainty of the predicted data. The results demonstrated that the predicted precipitation is more uncertain than the temperature. Finally, it is postulated that the obtained results provide necessary information for water resource management under a changing climate in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we compare practices of formulating responses to requests for confirmation oriented toward confirmation but doing less or more than that in German and Yurakaré (isolate, Bolivia). The German particle joa is identified as a versatile resource for navigating the functional spectrum of such responses, being deployed for less than confirming in terms of epistemic or propositional downgrading, and for more than confirming in terms of addressing terms of questions or a confirmable's valence. When exercising these specific tasks, speakers of Yurakaré, in contrast, rely mostly on repetitional strategies, while a highly specialised particle constitutes an 'escape strategy' when a repeat would convey unwanted implications. We propose that doing less and more than confirming is contingent on a more fundamental distinction: a preference for particles (German) vs. repeats (Yurakaré) in the realm of plain confirmation, which carries over to responses doing less and more than confirming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a critical input to agricultural production in arid regions. Understanding irrigator perspectives and determining their information and technical needs are critical to increasing water conservation while maintaining profitable yields. This paper summarizes survey data for 140 irrigators operating in the High Plains Aquifer portion of southcentral Kansas. We document adoption of different farm management practices, key challenges facing irrigators, information gaps, and qualitative information obtained from openended questions. Survey response patterns are discussed in the context of local water use conflicts and water governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of plain crepe dressing versus MgSO4 dressing in patients with cellulitis. Methods: This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was carried out in the General Surgery Department of PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad. Around 60 patients having cellulitis were enlisted in the study. Patients were divided in two groups by block randomization, group A (crepe dressing) group B (MgSO4 dressing). Efficacy was determined in terms of symptoms resolution after seven days of dressing. Results: Total 60 patients, 30 in each group were enlisted in the study including 36 (60%) male and 24 (40%) female. The mean ages of the patients were 39.53 +/- 11.22 years and 41.17 +/- 13.17 years in group A and B respectively (p-vale > 0.05). The efficacy was 30.0% in group and 63.3% in group B with (p-value 0.010). Conclusion: The study deduced that MgSO4 dressing is more effective than plain crepe dressing in treating patients with cellulitis. This finding has important implications for clinical practice, as it suggests that MgSO4 dressing may be a more appropriate treatment option for patients with this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meals in Narnia and Middle-earth feature an abundance of local, simple, natural fare. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien stated their own preferences for eating in just such a fashion. "Good plain food," Tolkien called it, while Warren 'Warnie' Lewis, describing his brother's tastes, used the similar term, "plain domestic cookery." Some commentators connect Lewis's and Tolkien's affinity for plain food to the food of their childhoods, as both men spent some time in idyllic rural settings, although those days ended for both in tragedy. Yet, before either author was born, the Victorians had effected radical transformation in the food supply: local fare had been supplemented, and even supplanted, by imported foods; homemade goods had largely been abandoned in favor of time-saving, cheap processed foods. By the time Tolkien and Lewis were creating meals in their secondary worlds, "good plain food" had been disappearing from English culture for over a hundred years. Like the homely fare of Narnia and Middle-earth, similar food is depicted in fantasy classics from 'The Golden Age' of British children's literature by authors Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932), Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) and A.A. Milne (1882-1956). Like Tolkien and Lewis, these Golden Age authors spent some of their childhoods in rural idylls; they also experienced the tragic loss of those innocent childhood days. The use of nostalgically simple and natural food by all five authors fulfils a similar longing, not necessarily for their actual childhoods, but for an imagined time and space, an Edenic England as it might have been. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper investigates the bond behavior between plain steel bars and high-performance concrete (HPC) to study the effect of embedment length and concrete compressive strength on bond performance. A total of 48 concrete specimens were cast and tested under uniaxial load. The main test parameters include the active bond length and concrete compressive strength. Test results show that the ratio of maximum bond stress to concrete compressive strength ranges from 0.12 to 0.17. Moreover, it can be concluded that the maximum bond stress is increased with an increase in concrete compressive strength and is decreased with a longer embedment length of plain steel bars. The adhesive bond stress is approximately 55% of the maximum bond stress. Finally, a new bond stress-slip model was proposed, and good agreement can be achieved between the test research and the theoretical prediction based on the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the decorative patterns present in the coarse ware of the plains around Verona (including the town of Verona itself) between the 4th and the 1st centuries BC, in the period in which the Celtic tribe of the Cenomani settled in this area. Incised, impressed, and relief decorations are documented. The most significant motifs (dotted and notched decorations covering the entire surface of the vase) are related to the western Celtic Po Valley area. Some decorations, however, refer to the Veneto and the Magré culture areas. Decorated vases have been found both in settlements and in tombs. The decorations appear mainly on small vases with drinking function. The decorated vessels can almost all be dated between LT C2 and LT D2. The most numerous attestations date to LT D1. This increase, which can also be found in the territory of the Insubri, could come from the desire to emphasize one's cultural tradition in a phase in which Rome's political and cultural presence was becoming increasingly felt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Times New Roman" font should be used in all fields of the article. Line spacing must be "single" in all article fields. There should be 12 nk space before the title, and 6 nk space after the title. The title should be written in 10 font size, bold, flat and left aligned. There should be no space before the text (paragraph), and 6 nk space should be left after the text (paragraph). The text should be written in 10 font size, plain and justified. In this section, a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 400 words in English should be written. In essence, the purpose, scope, research questions of the research should be included, methods, findings and results should be briefly mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—To reveal the features of the distribution of birds in Northern Eurasia, the results of surveys carried out in the period from 1880 to 2019 (with interruptions and mainly since 1960) averaged over the first half of summer (May 16–July 15) were analyzed. Three hundred and fifty-four researchers participated in the collection of material (over 110 years). Data processing was carried out using multivariate statistics methods, including cluster analysis and linear qualitative approximation of the connection matrices. The classification of bird species by their distribution accounts for 42% of its similarity. The information content of representations decreased by only 10–15% (by 12%, on average) with twice as many species analyzed, with a significantly larger number of surveyed habitats and area of the studied territory (as compared to the previously surveyed East European and West Siberian plains and Altai). This level of explanation can be considered satisfactory (the correlation coefficient is 0.65). The summer distribution of bird species, as well as the heterogeneity of their distribution on the whole, is determined by changes in the hydrothermal regime in the zonal belt and provincial aspects. The heat-to-moisture ratio determines the type of vegetation and its productivity both on land and in aquatic and semiaquatic habitats. The specificity of the vegetation type in territories and water areas, taking into account the anthropogenic transformation, coincides with the heterogeneity of the bird distribution and the formation of ornithocomplexes as a whole. With the division of geographical space into zones, subzones, and especially physical-geographic countries, the variability in the distribution of birds and their communities is associated to a lesser extent, occupying the second and third places in the hierarchy of significance, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa's paleo-climate change represents an "ecological black-box" along the evolutionary timeline of spoken language; a vocal hominid went in and, millions of years later, out came a verbal human. It is unknown whether or how a shift from forested, dense habitats towards drier, open ones affected hominid vocal communication, potentially setting stage for speech evolution. To recreate how arboreal proto-vowels and proto-consonants would have interacted with a new ecology at ground level, we assessed how a series of orangutan voiceless consonant-like and voiced vowel-like calls travelled across the savannah. Vowel-like calls performed poorly in comparison to their counterparts. Only consonant-like calls afforded effective perceptibility beyond 100 m distance without requiring repetition, as is characteristic of loud calling behaviour in nonhuman primates, typically composed by vowel-like calls. Results show that proto-consonants in human ancestors may have enhanced reliability of distance vocal communication across a canopy-to-ground ecotone. The ecological settings and soundscapes experienced by human ancestors may have had a more profound impact on the emergence and shape of spoken language than previously recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the model resolution is expected to be one way for improving air quality forecasts in urban areas. In this study, we evaluate the model performance in a large city at various resolutions to examine the best resolution for air pollution simulations. The comparison with measurements at a station near the traffic emissions shows the advantage of using high resolutions for capturing the extreme values. The statistical evaluation indicates that the highest model resolution (33 m) provides the best results for NOX concentration distributions near the traffic roads, while the improvement for roadside O3 with decreasing grid spacing stops at a certain point. The best model performance for the areas with a distance to the pollution sources is with the resolution of 100–300 m, at which the transport errors are equivalent to the emission biases. Plain Language Summary: As the increasing needs in the air quality forecasting in large cities, there is a trend in decreasing the model grid spacing to obtain more detailed pollutants distributions between neighborhoods or at street levels. To determine at which resolution the model can obtain the best representation of the pollutants' concentrations, we evaluate the model performance at different resolutions taking Hong Kong as an illustration. The analysis shows that the improvement with increasing model resolution is not monotonic for the areas far away from the intense emissions; however, the model with the highest resolution (33 m) reproduces the best results for the short‐lived species near the pollution sources. Key Points: Increasing horizontal resolution to 33 m improves the prediction of NOX near the traffic emissionsThe threshold of the model resolution is around 300 m for areas with a distance to the pollution sourcesThe changes of model performances with varied resolutions are different for NOX and O3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-grain production refers to the mode in which the farmland of grain cultivation is occupied by cash crops, forests, fruits, or the stock-breeding industry. It is very necessary to identify the spatial and temporal evolution of non-grain production and then to examine the carbon emission, particularly for the national food security and low-carbon green agriculture. However, it is still lacking in the different types and their carbon emission of non-grain production at a fine scale. Differentiated control and management have been hindered on the non-grain production from a low-carbon perspective. Taking the Tongxiang City of Zhejiang Province in east China as an example, this study aims to explore the different types of non-grain production in the cultivated land, including nursery plantation, pit-pond aquaculture, livestock and poultry farming, and greenhouse vegetable production. Their spatial and temporal evolution was also determined using remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis. Global Moran’s I index and local Moran’s I statistics were used to evaluate the spatial distribution and agglomeration of non-grain production types over the years. The life cycle and the opportunity cost method were then applied to assess the carbon emission using field survey data. The results showed that: 1) The non-grain production rate of cultivated land increased from 1.56% to 7.50% from 2005 to 2020, where the non-grain production area had a net increase of 2,464.74 hectares. In terms of the distribution of non-grain production, there was significant spatial clustering, where the high-value agglomerations were distributed in the far southwestern suburbs with a dense water network. 2) Pit-pond aquaculture accounted for the largest proportion of non-grain production, followed by nursery plantation and greenhouse vegetable production. The evolution of non-grain production was shifted from the dominant type of nursery plantation to the staggered distribution of multiple types in the end. 3) Carbon emissions due to non-grain production increased from 22 233.18 to 98 853.27 t from 2005 to 2020, of which pit-pond aquaculture contributed the most. Moreover, the carbon emission from the pit-pond aquaculture accounted for 83.7% of the total in 2020. The largest contributors to the carbon emissions of nursery plantation and greenhouse vegetable production were various fertilizer inputs and plastic film inputs, respectively, while the main sources of carbon emissions from the pit-pond aquaculture and livestock and poultry farming were direct emissions of CH4 and N2O. Meanwhile, the carbon emissions of non-grain production showed a trend of high-value agglomeration in the far southwest and low-value ring distribution in the central suburbs. The carbon emission should consider the different types of non-grain production for regional food security. The management of non-grain production should be implemented under the regional types. The synergistic development can be achieved in cultivated land protection and low-carbon emission reduction in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Neanderthals hunted and butchered straight-tusked elephants, the largest terrestrial mammals of the Pleistocene, in a lake landscape on the North European plain, 125,000 years ago, as recently shown by a study of the Last Interglacial elephant assemblage from Neumark-Nord (Germany). With evidence for a remarkable focus on adult males and on their extended utilization, the data from this location are thus far without parallel in the archaeological record. Given their relevance for our knowledge of the Neanderthal niche, we investigated whether the Neumark-Nord subsistence practices were more than a local phenomenon, possibly determined by local characteristics. Analyzing elephant remains from two other Last Interglacial archaeological sites on the North European plain, Gröbern and Taubach, we identified in both assemblages similar butchering patterns as at Neumark-Nord, demonstrating that extended elephant exploitation was a widespread Neanderthal practice during the (early part of the) Last Interglacial. The substantial efforts needed to process these animals, weighing up to 13 metric tons, and the large amounts of food generated suggest that Neanderthals either had ways of storing vast amounts of meat and fat and/or temporarily aggregated in larger groups than commonly acknowledged. The data do not allow us to rule out one of the two explanations, and furthermore both factors, short-term larger group sizes as well as some form of food preservation, may have played a role. What the data do show is that exploitation of large straight-tusked elephants was a widespread and recurring phenomenon amongst Last Interglacial Neanderthals on the North European plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we genetically analyse populations of ' Filopaludina bengalensis' from the Euphrates River (Iraq), more than 4,000 km from its type locality. By sequencing several mitochondrial and nuclear genes, we aimed to test whether this population indeed belongs to F. bengalensis from India and how it is related to other members of the genus. Our molecular phylogeny shows that the individuals from Iraq form a monophyletic group together with other populations of F. bengalensis from India and F. doliaris from Indochina. The haplotype network indicates closer affinities to populations from western India and further suggests, with support from subfossil records, that the Mesopotamian Plain was colonized by humans some centuries ago. However, given the very limited sampling across the Mesopotamian Plain, further studies are needed in order to obtain a more robust insight into the phylogeographical history of this species across the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of pedogenetic studies conducted on soddy-podzolic soils in Gryazovets district of Vologda oblast are presented. The modern soils of the study area are represented by soddy-podzolic soils (Albic Retisols) developed from loamy parent rocks with paleocryogenic features. The role of paleocryolithogenesis in the formation and evolution of modern soddy-podzolic soils in the northeast of the East European Plain is discussed. The considered set of paleocryolithopedogenic processes and paleofeatures in modern zonal soddy-podzolic soils allows us to reconstruct the conditions of soil formation in the periglacial area of the Valdai glaciation. The results obtained have expanded the understanding of the influence of the Late Pleistocene cryogenesis and lithogenesis on the evolution of modern soddy-podzolic soils. It is discussed that paleocryolithogenic soil combinations resulting from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene cryolithogenesis and pedogenesis can be distinguished in the soil cover patterns in the northern part of the East European Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work, experimental investigations of the compressive behavior of plain and fiber‐reinforced lightweight‐aggregate concrete have been carried out (this formed part of a wider study, which also examined tensile and flexural behaviors). Compression mechanical properties were established in the studies and a generic constitutive compressive σ–ε model for both plain and fibrous lightweight concrete was derived and validated against experimental results from the present studies and previous research in the literature involving different types of lightweight aggregates, concrete strengths, and steel fibers. The reliability of predictions of the constitutive model was also checked against existing fibrous concrete models. A fiber‐reinforcing factor was also introduced taking into account the fiber volume fraction, fiber length and diameter, the number of fiber bends, and concrete compressive strength. As such, this was considered a better descriptor of the material than simply using the fiber volume fraction. The lightweight aggregates examined in the experimental study were recycled from fly ash waste and the fibers were hooked‐ended with single, double, and triple bends (corresponding to DRAMIX steel fibers 3D, 4D, and 5D types, respectively). The fibers were added at volume fractions Vf of 1% and 2% and the experimental studies were carried out using standard cube and cylinder uniaxial compression test specimens. It was concluded that the higher the number of bends and fiber content, the more pronounced the enhancement provided by the fibers to the compressive strength and ductility responses. All steel fibers used in the present studies were found to significantly improve the compressive toughness, while only 4D and 5D fibers (i.e., those with double and triple end bends) enhanced the compressive strength by up to 12% and 15%, respectively. It was also found that the elastic properties of plain lightweight concrete remained unaffected by the addition of fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study deals with the vulnerability and the risks of pollution on the Amizour plain aquifer (north Algeria), already threatened by several sources of pollution (e.g., industries, agriculture, illegal dumping, etc.) that collapsed this region, without any planned environmental protection measures. In the aim to study the sensitivity of the Amizour plain against pollution two methods (DRASTIC and SINTACS models) were used and the results were compared and evaluated. The maps showed a similarity in the degrees of vulnerability ranged from high to medium. Most of the plain is affected by a high degree of vulnerability of 76% and 67% as estimated by DRASTIC and SINTACS, respectively. In fact, such remarkable degree is justified by the shallow position of the groundwater and the type of aquifer. The degree of groundwater vulnerability was 18% and 33% in the northern and southern part of the studied zone as estimated by DRASTIC and SINTACS methods, respectively. According to the DRASTIC approach, an area with a very high vulnerability (6%) was observed amidst the Amizour plain. Superimposing both maps of vulnerability and the pollution source sites allowed us through the risk map to frame the areas at high risk of groundwater contamination. This investigation will facilitate to make decisions in implementing of an accurate and urgent management project for safeguarding the studied zone. The applicability of these findings has been discussed and suggestions for attenuating the risk of contamination have been given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work on Hong Kong Cantonese has reported evidence of an incomplete neutralization between the labialized velar /kʷ/ and plain velar /k/, where both may be produced as a plain velar [k] before /ɔ/, although non-neutralized forms are also produced to some extent for some speakers (Bauer 1982, Zee 1999, To, Mcleod & Cheung 2015). The present study examines this phenomenon acoustically, and evaluates to what extent the properties of labialization are present in the neutralizing environment. Fourteen native speakers of Hong Kong Cantonese were recorded in a production experiment; these recordings were analyzed by examining formant values, duration, and rise time of intensity for vowels following target segments. Results reveal that while many acoustic differences between /kʷ/ and /k/ are maintained in the neutralizing environment, these speakers neutralize F3 and duration measures. Patterns of variation furthermore suggest that speakers utilize these acoustic properties differently, indicating greater degrees of (incomplete) neutralization for some speakers than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an acoustic description of the production of the plain uvular /q/ in the speech of eight speakers of South Bolivian Quechua. While this sound patterns phonologically as a stop, its primary realization is as a voiced continuant. Variation is documented with respect to segmental and prosodic position. Segmentally, a voiced continuant is the most common realization intervocalically and after a rhotic, while a voiceless continuant is comparatively more frequent after a voiceless sibilant, and voiced stops are most common after a nasal. In post-pausal position, voiced continuant productions are still attested and are particularly common for certain speakers, suggesting that this sound category has been reanalyzed as a continuant. For other speakers, voiceless stop productions are common or preferred in post-pausal position, reflecting a standard prosodically conditioned lenition pattern. Interestingly, voiced stops also show increased frequency in post-pausal position. The production of the plain uvular is analyzed in spontaneous speech collected in an interview format, as well as in scripted speech from a word list task. A second analysis compares the realization of /q/ to the other three stops /p t k/ in the language in spontaneous speech, and finds significantly more continuant productions for /q/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve air quality, China has implemented a series of the most stringent control measures ever in recent years. Quantitatively analyzing the contribution of emissions to the trend change in air pollutants is an essential scientific basis for verifying the effectiveness of air pollution control. We based our study on the air quality online monitoring data and meteorological element data of 11 cities in the Fenwei Plain from 2018 to 2022. We quantitatively investigated the changing patterns of NO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5 and their influencing factors in the major cities of the Fenwei Plain by using the KZ filtering and MLR modeling analysis methods. The results show the following: (1) The long-term fractions of NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 in the Fenwei Plain decreased by 10.5, 33.1, and 17.1 μg·m−3, with decreases of 25.8%, 29%, and 28.8%, respectively, from 2018 to 2022. The long-term fractions of O3 showed the characteristics of decreasing and then increasing, with 2020 as the dividing line. (2) The short-term components of NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 contributed the most to the total variance, with the proportion of short-term components ranging from 34.7% to 69.8%, 53% to 73%, and 43% to 58%, respectively. The seasonal components of O3 contributed the most to the total variance, with the proportion of short-term components ranging from 54% to 70.7%. (3) Most cities in the Fenwei Plain had unfavorable meteorological conditions with regard to NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 in 2018–2020 and favorable meteorological conditions in terms of NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 in 2020–2022. O3 showed different characteristics from the other three pollutants. Most cities in the Fenwei Plain had meteorological conditions in 2018–2019 that were unfavorable for improving O3 levels. In 2019–2021, meteorological conditions were favorable for improving O3 levels, while in 2021–2022, meteorological conditions were unfavorable for improving O3 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional atmospheric environmental problems have become increasingly prominent due to continuous urbanization in China. In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the California Puff (CALPUFF) air quality model was applied to analyze the spatial distribution and inter-city transport of primary and secondary PM2.5 concentrations from vehicles in the Guanzhong Plain (GZP) in January 2019. The results show that the secondary PM2.5 concentration emitted by vehicles was more easily dispersed than primary PM2.5. The maximum hourly average concentrations of primary PM2.5, secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA), and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) were about 18, 9, and 2 µg/m3, respectively. Exhaust emission and secondary NO3− were the main contributors to the total PM2.5 concentration from vehicles, accounting for about 52% and 32%, respectively. The maximum contribution of vehicle emissions to the ambient PM2.5 concentration was about 19%. Inter-city transport contributed about 33% of the total PM2.5 concentration from vehicles in cities in the GZP on average. Among the PM2.5 components transported in each city, SIA was the most abundant, followed by primary PM2.5, and SOA was the least. These findings will provide valuable insights for mitigating the regional PM2.5 pollution caused by near-surface sources in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]