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Abstract The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is widely distributed worldwide and well adapted to various habitats. Animal genomes store clues about their pasts, and can reveal the genes underlying their evolutionary success. Here, we report the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of D. delphis. The assembled genome size was 2.56 Gb with a contig N50 of 63.85 Mb. Phylogenetically, D. delphis was close to Tursiops truncatus and T. aduncus. The genome of D. delphis exhibited 428 expanded and 1,885 contracted gene families, and 120 genes were identified as positively selected. The expansion of the HSP70 gene family suggested that D. delphis has a powerful system for buffering stress, which might be associated with its broad adaptability, longevity, and detoxification capacity. The expanded IFN-α and IFN-ω gene families, as well as the positively selected genes encoding tripartite motif-containing protein 25, peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1, and p38 MAP kinase, were all involved in pathways for antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antineoplastic mechanisms. The genome data also revealed dramatic fluctuations in the effective population size during the Pleistocene. Overall, the high-quality genome assembly and annotation represent significant molecular resources for ecological and evolutionary studies of Delphinus and help support their sustainable treatment and conservation.

Abstract Both regular flow and infrequent outburst floods shape the mountain landscape, but their relative contributions have been widely debated, in part due to the paucity of quantitative data on historical outburst floods. In June 2000, an outburst flood was triggered by a landslide-dam failure in a rapidly exhumed region of the Eastern Himalaya. To investigate the role of this kind outburst flood on landscape evolution, we employ topographic differencing, satellite imagery, and 2D hydraulic simulations to quantify the equivalent erosion and deposition within ~ 80 km flood route downstream of the breach. The flood lasted for ~ 10 h, with a peak discharge of 105 m3/s, leading to average erosion of 10 m, and contributed ~ 1–2 × 103 times more sediment than over long-term mean fluvial processes. The flood produced extensive lateral erosion, which triggered a threefold widening of the valley floor and abundant subsequent landslides. The ubiquitous boulder bars deposited in the channel inhibited incision, and facilitated lateral erosion after the flood. The resulting channel configuration and extensive bank erosion continue to affect fluvial dynamics until the next catastrophic flood that remobilizes the boulders. Our quantitative findings highlight the profound importance of recurrent outburst floods for gorge development and landscape evolution in Eastern Himalaya.

Significance As an important branch in earth system science, fluvial geomorphology is the study of fluvial erosion-transport-accumulation processes (source-to-sink system), temporal-spatial change in fluvial landscapes, and impact of tectonic, climate and human activities on river evolution. Rivers connect the erosional domain of orogens and the depositional domain of ocean basins, which plays a crucial role in the earth surface system. Progress On the basis of a sysnthesis of main research progress in fluvial geomorphology in recent decades, this article discusses the new direction of fluvial geomorphology. With the application of high-resolution topographic data, the scope of fluvial geomorphology has expanded and deepened over the past decades, including new methods used to calculate surface erosion rates, innovation in sediment dating techniques, and the development of numerical simulations. Studies on fluvial reorganization and influences of tectonics, climate change, and human activity on river evolution have been greatly advanced. Conclusion and Prospects In the new era, fluvial geomorphology will focus on the frontiers in earth surface systems and national needs, strengthen the understanding of the mechanics of river formation and reorganization, and address major global and regional social-ecological issues. Furthermore, it needs to carry out the discipline overlap, serve the national strategy, and enhance its role in the research of the earth surface system.

Objective: This study was to investigate whether annexin A7 (AnnexinA7, ANXA7) and its co-related protein tumor celldeath domain silencer [suppressor of death domains (SODD)] regulates the migratory phenotype of liver cancer cells.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, expression of ANXA7 in Hca-P cells, PANXA7 downregulatedcells and PANXA7 unrelated sequence cells was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chainreaction (PCR) at mRNA level and western blotting at protein level. Transwell migration and invasion assayswere performed to determine the migratory phenotype.Results: After inhibition of ANXA7 expression, expression of SODD protein was also significantly decreased (P

Abstract Background Moderate and late preterm (MLPT) birth accounts for the vast majority of preterm births, which is a global public health problem. The association between MLPT and neurobehavioral developmental delays in children and the underlying biological mechanisms need to be further revealed. The “placenta-brain axis” (PBA) provides a new perspective for gene regulation and risk prediction of neurodevelopmental delays in MLPT children. Methods The authors performed multivariate logistic regression models between MLPT and children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes, using data from 129 MLPT infants and 3136 full-term controls from the Ma’anshan Birth Cohort (MABC). Furthermore, the authors identified the abnormally regulated PBA-related genes in MLPT placenta by bioinformatics analysis of RNA-seq data and RT-qPCR verification on independent samples. Finally, the authors established the prediction model of neurodevelopmental delay in children with MLPT using multiple machine learning models. Results The authors found an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delay in children with MLPT at 6 months, 18 months, and 48 months, especially in boys. Further verification showed that APOE and CST3 genes were significantly correlated with the developmental levels of gross-motor domain, fine-motor domain, and personal social domain in 6-month-old male MLPT children. Conclusions These findings suggested that there was a sex-specific association between MLPT and neurodevelopmental delays. Moreover, APOE and CST3 were identified as placental biomarkers. The results provided guidance for the etiology investigation, risk prediction, and early intervention of neurodevelopmental delays in children with MLPT.

Abstract It is widely accepted that tectonics generally enhances river incision. However, why rivers have not incised further into orogenic plateaus to destroy terrains over long-time scales remains ambiguous. Here we hypothesize that the diverse nature of regional tectonics could have impeded river erosion, taking Yarlung River in Tibetan Plateau as a case. We constrain the incision history and effect of a tectonic rift on fluvial incision by low-temperature thermochronology. Results show focused cooling near the rift, but markedly reduced cooling in the upstream and downstream regions since ~7 Ma. This coincides with an episode of rapid exhumation of Eastern Himalaya Syntaxis downstream. We propose that these two co-phased tectonic systems resulting from accelerated extension of southern Tibetan Plateau prevented upstream migration of river knickpoints. Our study highlights that the activity of fault systems may hinder regional erosion, thereby facilitating the preservation of topography and high plateaus in active orogenic belts.

IntroductionEelgrass is a typical marine angiosperm that exhibits strong adaptability to high-salt environments. Previous studies have shown that various growth and physiological indicators were significantly affected after the nitrate reductase (NR) pathway for nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in eelgrass was blocked.MethodsTo analyze the molecular mechanism of NO on the adaptability to high-salt environment in eelgrass, we treated eelgrass with artificial seawater (control group) and artificial seawater with 1 mM/L Na2WO4 (experimental group). Based on transcriptomics and metabolomics, we explored the molecular mechanism of NO affecting the salt tolerance of eelgrass.ResultsWe obtained 326, 368, and 859 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by transcriptome sequencing in eelgrass roots, stems, and leaves, respectively. Meanwhile, we obtained 63, 52, and 36 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) by metabolomics in roots, stems, and leaves, respectively. Finally, through the combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome, we found that the NO regulatory mechanism of roots and leaves of eelgrass is similar to that of terrestrial plants, while the regulatory mechanism of stems has similar and unique features.DiscussionNO in eelgrass roots regulates osmotic balance and antioxidant defense by affecting genes in transmembrane transport and jasmonic acid-related pathways to improve the adaptability of eelgrass to high-salt environments. NO in eelgrass leaves regulates the downstream antioxidant defense system by affecting the signal transduction of plant hormones. NO in the stems of eelgrass regulates ion homeostasis by affecting genes related to ion homeostasis to enhance the adaptability of eelgrass to high-salt environments. Differently, after the NO synthesis was inhibited, the glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, as well as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, was regulated by glucose metabolism as a complementary effect to cope with the high-salt environment in the stems of eelgrass. These are studies on the regulatory mechanism of NO in eelgrass, providing a theoretical basis for the study of the salt tolerance mechanism of marine plants and the improvement of terrestrial crop traits. The key genes discovered in this study can be applied to increase salt tolerance in terrestrial crops through cloning and molecular breeding methods in the future.

Abstract Background Preterm birth (PTB) is the main driver of newborn deaths. The identification of pregnancies at risk of PTB remains challenging, as the incomplete understanding of molecular mechanisms associated with PTB. Although several transcriptome studies have been done on the placenta and plasma from PTB women, a comprehensive description of the RNA profiles from plasma and placenta associated with PTB remains lacking. Methods Candidate markers with consistent trends in the placenta and plasma were identified by implementing differential expression analysis using placental tissue and maternal plasma RNA-seq datasets, and then validated by RT-qPCR in an independent cohort. In combination with bioinformatics analysis tools, we set up two protein–protein interaction networks of the significant PTB-related modules. The support vector machine (SVM) model was used to verify the prediction potential of cell free RNAs (cfRNAs) in plasma for PTB and late PTB. Results We identified 15 genes with consistent regulatory trends in placenta and plasma of PTB while the full term birth (FTB) acts as a control. Subsequently, we verified seven cfRNAs in an independent cohort by RT-qPCR in maternal plasma. The cfRNA ARHGEF28 showed consistence in the experimental validation and performed excellently in prediction of PTB in the model. The AUC achieved 0.990 for whole PTB and 0.986 for late PTB. Conclusions In a comparison of PTB versus FTB, the combined investigation of placental and plasma RNA profiles has shown a further understanding of the mechanism of PTB. Then, the cfRNA identified has the capacity of predicting whole PTB and late PTB.

From the start of river incision onward, the abandoned terrace surface is only reached by floods during peak discharges. Two main flood facies are distinguished: a relatively high-energetic, coarse-grained facies and a relatively low-energetic, fine-grained facies. In general, the flood deposits become gradually finer-grained and the finer-grained facies relatively more prominent when the river incises progressively deeper. This signifies a delayed and prolonged effect of channel incision and flood deposition compared with the climate changes that initiated the incision. However, these long-term trends may be interrupted by shorter-term events of flooding or non-deposition. Those short events are expressed by cycles of coarse-grained deposits from small/shallow flooding channels due to short peak discharges or fine-grained suspended sediment and incipient soils during periods of low flow. These short events may be attributed to short climatic episodes or intermittent intrinsic river evolution.

Effective conservation protection requires the consideration of biological information and socioeconomic costs during the planning stage of reserve development, especially when coastal species occupy habitats that overlap with intensive human activities. Because of the public and liquid nature of the maritime environment, it is difficult to obtain data on its protection costs. Therefore, it is feasible to select a reasonable surrogate cost. This study explored how the spatial priority of marine protected areas changed under three different protection surrogate costs: habitat area, number of ships, and marine zone function; protection targets were set at 5 % and 10 %. This analysis was based on the distribution data of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in Xiamen Bay, a highly urbanised coastal city in southeast China. Using habitat area as a cost surrogate, the protection boundary length was the largest, but the projected protection area was the smallest, and function loss was also considerable. Using the number of ships as a cost surrogate, both the protection area and function loss were the largest. Using marine zone function as a cost surrogate, the optimal scenario was achieved in which the protection area was of moderate size and the boundary cost and function loss were the smallest. The higher the protection target percentage, the greater the correlation between the results of different protection cost scenarios; the marine zone functional cost scenario had the highest correlation with that of the habitat area cost scenario, while the correlation between the number of ships cost scenario and the habitat area cost scenario was the lowest. The predicted spatial distribution of protected areas differed under the same protection target and cost scenario, owing to seasonal variation in suitable habitats for S. chinensis. Our results suggested that the Jiulong River estuary should be protected and that the currently protected area of Tongan Bay needs to be expanded in the dry season. In the wet season, the southern part of the existing protected area, the marine habitats of the Jiulong River estuary, the northwestern part of Wuyu, and the southern part of Dadeng-Xiaodeng need to be expanded. This study demonstrated a utilitarian exploration of the Marxan model to aid in the protection of rare marine species in coastal areas, providing reference data for the conservation planning of S. chinensis and other marine species.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is of global concern, which poses serious threats to various marine organisms, including many threatened apex predators. In this study, MPs were investigated from nine cetaceans of four different species, comprising one common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), two pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps), one ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens), and five Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded along the western coast of the Taiwan Strait from the East China Sea based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. Mean abundances of 778 identified MPs items were 86.44 ± 12.22 items individual−1 and 0.43 ± 0.19 items g−1 wet weight of intestine contents, which were found predominantly to be transparent, fiber-shaped polyethylene terephthalate (PET) items usually between 0.5 and 5 mm. The abundance of MPs was found at a slightly higher level and significantly correlated with intestine contents mass (p = 0.0004*). The MPs source was mainly likely from synthetic fibers-laden sewage discharged from intense textile industries. Our report represents the first study of MPs in pelagic and deep-diving cetaceans in China, which not only adds baseline data on MPs for cetaceans in Asian waters but also highlights the further risk assessment of MPs consumption in these threatened species.

To explore the ameliorative effect of Acanathopanax senticosus polysaccharides (ASPs) on depressive behavior and possible mechanism, Wistar rats were divided into normal control group, model control group, fluoxetine hydrochloride group (2.1 mg/kg) and low-dose and high-dose ASPs groups (60 and 120 mg/kg, n=10). The depression model was established by solitary confinement and chronic mild unknown stress stimulation for 28 d, and the rats were given intragastric administration on the first day of modeling. Depressive behaviors were evaluated by open box experiment, sugar water preference experiment and forced swimming experiment. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to detect hippocampal histopathology, and the indexes changes of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3 kinases (p-PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) in each group were compared. The results proved that compared with normal control group, the number of horizontal activities and sugar water preference of model control group were significantly decreased (P

The Jinsha River, upstream of the Yangtze River, flows through the southeastern margin of the plateau, providing an opportunity to study the plateau uplift relative to the Sichuan basin through fluvial geomorphology. Eight tributaries of the Jinsha River located at the transition boundary from the plateau to the basin were analyzed for the feature of longitudinal profile and its evolution. The spatial distribution of slope-break knickpoints in the catchment was determined by slope-area analysis and integration analysis. Further, the magnitude and timing of the base level lowering (i.e., uplift of the Tibetan Plateau) were estimated by reconstructing the river longitudinal profile. The results show that there are two levels of slope-break knickpoints, with average elevations of 2865 m and 1523 m, corresponding to base levels relatively lowering of 1400 m and 1100 m, respectively. With reference to the long-term downcutting rate of the Jinsha River, the timings of these two phases base level lowering and uplifts are estimated to be ∼21–24 and ∼7–13 Ma, respectively. These are close to the timing of two uplifts revealed by inversion modeling of river longitudinal profiles. Therefore, the uplift of the studied region on the Tibetan Plateau can be divided into two stages, the early stage (∼20 Ma) uplift from 1500 to 2900 m and the late stage (∼10 Ma) uplift from 2900 to 4000 m, which further supports the staged outside uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential molecule for plants, and we have found that NO is mainly synthesized by the nitrate reductase (NR) pathway in eelgrass. To understand the influence of NO on eelgrass, the proline content, the expression of the Na+/H+ antiporter and H+-ATPase, and antioxidant activities were examined under different conditions. The results showed that NO significantly affected these physiological indicators in eelgrass, which played a positive role in eelgrass adaptation to the marine environment. Using RNA-seq, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the genes involved in the NO effects on eelgrass adaptation to high salinity environments. The expression of myosin and glutamine dumper decreased most significantly after inhibiting the NR-dependent NO synthesis. This study shows that the physiological metabolic activities in eelgrass, such as signal transduction process and amino acid metabolism, are closely related to NO under high salinity.

Microplastics (MPs) pose serious threats to various marine organisms, including many threatened apex predators such as cetaceans. However, information on microplastic contamination in cetaceans from Asian waters is limited. Based on the analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), we reported MPs from finless porpoise intestinal samples and from their habitats along the Fujian coast of the East China Sea. MPs proved to be ubiquitous in both intestinal and habitat water samples. Most intestinal MPs were fibers (86.90%), transparent (51.19%), small sizes (

Abstract The Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is a vulnerable marine mammal species that inhabits shallow, coastal waters from Southeast China, southward throughout Southeast Asia, and westward around the Bay of Bengal to eastern India. Polymorphic microsatellites are useful for elucidating ecological and population genetics‐related questions. Here, 18 new polymorphic microsatellites were developed from S. chinensis genomic DNA by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Population genetic analyses were conducted on 42 S. chinensis individuals from three geographic locations, including the Xiamen Bay of China, the Western Gulf of Thailand, and Andaman Sea. Our microsatellite data revealed a strong and significant population structure among the three sampling regions (overall FST = 0.371, p = .001). Pairwise mutual information index also demonstrated high levels of genetic differentiation between different region pairs (values range from 0.272 to 0.339, p

A magnitude (Mw) 7.4 Maduo earthquake occurred on 22 May 2021 in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with predominantly left-lateral strike-slip faulting and a component of normal faulting within the Bayan Har Block. The co-seismic surface rupture extended in a NWW direction for ~160 km with a complicated geometry along a poorly known young fault: the Jiangcuo Fault. The main surface rupture propagated bilaterally from the epicenter and terminated eastward in horsetail splays. The main rupture can be divided into five segments with two rupture gaps. Field surveys and detailed mapping revealed that the co-seismic surface ruptures were characterized by a series of left-lateral offsets, en echelon tensional cracks and fissures, compressional mole tracks, and widespread sand liquefication. The observed co-seismic left-lateral displacements ranged from 0.2 m to ~2.6 m, while the vertical displacements ranged from 0.1 m to ~1.5 m, much lower than the InSAR inverse slip maximum of 2–6 m. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the causative fault geometry and the tectonic structure of the northern Bayan Har Block, this study suggests that the multiple NWW trending sub-faults, including the Jiangcuo Fault, developed from the East Kunlun fault northeast of the Bayan Har Block could be regarded as the sub-faults of the East Kunlun Fault system, constituting a broad and dispersive northern boundary of the Block, controlling the inner strain distribution and deformation.

The interaction of surface erosion (e.g., fluvial incision) and tectonic uplift shapes the landform in the Tibetan Plateau. The Lhasa River flows toward the southwest across the central Gangdese Mountains in the southern Tibetan Plateau, characterized by a low-relief and high-elevation landscape. However, the evolution of low-relief topography and the establishment of the Lhasa River remain highly under debate. Here, we collected thermochronological ages reported in the Lhasa River drainage, using a 3D thermokinematic model to invert both late Cenozoic denudation and relief history of the Lhasa River drainage. Our results show that the Lhasa River drainage underwent four-phase denudation history, including two-stage rapid denudation at ∼25–16 Ma (with a rate of ∼0.42 km/Ma) and ∼16–12 Ma (with a rate of ∼0.72 km/Ma). In the latest Oligocene–early Miocene, uplift of the Gangdese Mountains triggered the rapid denudation and the formation of the current main drainage of the Lhasa River. In the middle Miocene, the second stage of the rapid denudation and the high relief were associated with intense incision of the Lhasa River, which is probably due to the enhanced Asian summer monsoon precipitation. This later rapid episode was consistent with the records of regional main drainage systems. After ∼12 Ma, the denudation rate decreases rapidly, and the relief of topography in the central Gangdese region was gradually subdued. This indicates that the fluvial erosion resulting from Asian monsoon precipitation increase significantly impacts on the topographic evolution in the central Gangdese region.

Abstract The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is an endangered, small cetacean species which is widely distributed in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters throughout the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. Despite the extensive distribution of this species, little is known of individual movements or genetic exchange among regions in Thailand. Here, we evaluate the genetic diversity and genetic structure of O. brevirostris in the eastern, northern and western Gulf of Thailand, and Andaman Sea. Although phylogenetic relationships and network analysis based on 15 haplotypes obtained from 32 individuals reveal no obvious divergence, significant genetic differentiation in mitochondrial DNA (overall FST = 0.226, P < 0.001; ΦST = 0.252, P < 0.001) is apparent among regions. Of 18 tested microsatellite loci, 10 are polymorphic and successfully characterized in 28 individuals, revealing significant genetic differentiation (overall FST = 0.077, P < 0.05) among the four sampling sites. Structure analysis reveals two inferred genetic clusters. Additionally, Mantel analysis demonstrates individual-by-individual genetic distances and geographic distances follow an isolation-by-distance model. We speculate that the significant genetic structure of O. brevirostris in Thailand is associated with a combination of geographical distribution patterns, environmental and anthropogenic factors, and local adaptations.

Confined by the eastern and western boundary faults, Lu Mountain has long been considered a block mountain uplifted due to Mesozoic and Cenozoic crustal deformation in East China. However, the formation and evolution of this block mountain are still debated. In this study, the eastern boundary fault is investigated to confirm the tectonic style of the block mountain. In addition, the burial ages of sediments on the fans of the eastern piedmont are measured by 26Al/10Be dating to evaluate the denudation rate. Field evidence indicates the presence of a reverse fault (Xingzi reverse fault) acting as the eastern boundary fault, which demonstrates that the block mountain is not a horst as once thought but an extrusion structure. Corrected 26Al/10Be burial ages show that the sediments on the high-level fans were deposited at approximately 1.1–1.2 Ma, which indicates denudation rates ranging from 0.033 to 0.082 m/kyr. The vertical displacement along the Xingzi reverse fault is estimated to be at least 1,100 m. The hanging wall could have been eroded to its present position within 13–33 Myr at the above denudation rates. Combining our results with regional geological and geomorphological evidence, we suggest that Lu Mountain was mainly uplifted in the Miocene due to crustal compression deformation, which may have been a response to the movement of the Pacific plate.

Summary: The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is a small inshore species of odontocete cetacean listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Here, we report on the evolution of S. chinensis chromosomes from its cetruminant ancestor and elucidate the evolutionary history and population genetics of two neighboring S. chinensis populations. We found that breakpoints in ancestral chromosomes leading to S. chinensis could have affected the function of genes related to kidney filtration, body development, and immunity. Resequencing of individuals from two neighboring populations in the northwestern South China Sea, Leizhou Bay and Sanniang Bay, revealed genetic differentiation, low diversity, and small contemporary effective population sizes. Demographic analyses showed a marked decrease in the population size of the two investigated populations over the last ~4,000 years, possibly related to climatic oscillations. This study implies a high risk of extinction and strong conservation requirement for the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

Insulin and glucagon are hormones secreted by pancreatic β and α cells, respectively, which together regulate glucose homeostasis. Dysregulation of insulin or glucagon can result in loss of blood glucose control, characterized by hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. To better understand the endocrine physiology of cetaceans, we cloned and characterized the insulin and glucagon genes from pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). We obtained the complete coding sequences of the preproinsulin and preproglucagon genes, which encodes the preproinsulin protein of 110 amino acid (aa) residues and encodes the preproglucagon protein of 179 aa residues, respectively. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that protein structures were similar to other mammalian orthologs. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining using insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin antibodies allowed analysis of pygmy sperm whale islet distribution, architecture, and composition. Our results showed the pygmy sperm whale islet was irregularly shaped and randomly distributed throughout the pancreas. The architecture of α, β, and δ cells of the pygmy sperm whale was similar to that of artiodactyls species. This is the first report about insulin and glucagon genes in cetaceans, which provides new information about the structural conservation of the insulin and glucagon genes. Furthermore, offers novel information on the properties of endocrine cells in cetacean for further studies.

The Wufo Basin at the margin of the northeastern Tibet Plateau connects the upstream reaches of the Yellow River with the lowland catchment downstream, and the fluvial terrace sequence in this basin provides crucial clues to understand the evolution history of the Yellow River drainage system in relation to the uplift and outgrowth of the Tibetan Plateau. Using field survey and analysis of Digital Elevation Model/Google Earth imagery, we found at least eight Yellow River terraces in this area. The overlying loess of the highest terrace was dated at 1.2 Ma based on paleomagnetic stratigraphy (two normal and two reversal polarities) and the loess-paleosol sequence (12 loess-paleosol cycles). This terrace shows the connections of drainage parts in and outside the Tibetan Plateau through its NE margin. In addition, we review the previously published data on the Yellow River terraces and ancient large lakes in the basins. Based on our new data and previous researches, we conclude that the modern Yellow River, with headwaters in the Tibet Plateau and debouching in the Bohai Sea, should date from at least 1.2 Ma. Ancient large lakes (such as the Hetao and Sanmen Lakes) developed as exorheic systems and flowed through the modern Yellow River at that time.

Previous numerical–analytical approaches have suggested that the main range divide prefers to migrate towards the high uplift flank in the asymmetric tectonic uplift pattern. However, natural examples recording these processes and further verifying the numerical simulations results, are still lacking. In this study, the landscape features, and the probable drainage evolution history of the Zhongtiao Shan, a roughly west-east trending, half-horst block on the southernmost tip of the Shanxi Graben System, were investigated through the geomorphic analyses (i.e., slope and steepness distributions, and the Gilbert and χ metrics). The topographic slope and steepness results indicate that the Zhongtiao Shan, controlled by the north Zhongtiao Shan normal fault, experiences asymmetric uplift and erosion patterns, with higher uplift and erosion on the north range. In addition, the Gilbert and χ metrics suggest that the western part of the main divide is currently stable, while the eastern divide is moving southward. According to the drainage divide stability criteria, we suggest that the uplift and erosion, on the fault side, balance each other well on the western part of the range, while on the eastern part, the uplift is outpaced by the erosion. In addition, a dynamic divide migration model in the asymmetric uplift condition is proposed, indicating that the interaction between uplift and erosion controls the migration and/or stability of the main divide. Deducing through this dynamic model, we suggested that the eastern segment of the north Zhongtiaoshan Fault must have experienced higher activities in the geological history, and the western fault may remain its activity along with the mountain relief generation. This gives a case that specific information on asymmetric neotectonic history and landscape evolution in an orogenic mountain can be uncovered by the proposed dynamic model.

The Pleistocene sediments of Nihewan Basin in NE China are intensively studied since ca. 100 years because of its rich mammalian fossil record and abundant stone-artifact-bearing layers. To better understand the mechanisms underlying past climate and environmental changes in the basin, three sediment sections at the Dachangliang location were investigated using a multi-proxy toolbox of sedimentological, magnetic susceptibility (MS) and micropalaeontological analyses. The exposed sediments are lithologically mostly relatively homogeneous, with grain sizes in a relatively small range. However, variations in colour, bedding structures, concentrations of magnetic minerals and the ostracod assemblage were used to correlate the three sections to form the synthetic NH-T section of 86.2-m total length. The sediments mainly represent varicoloured silt of probably reworked loess deposits, partially interbedded with fine sand layers and minor contributions of clay particles. These sediments are interpreted to have accumulated in wetlands alternating with deposition on an alluvial plain, and with a lacustrine setting which probably existed from time to time. These different depositional settings are expressed in the three dominant fine to coarse silt-sized components and the ostracod-assemblage changes (mostly Limnocythere flexa, Ilyocypris spp. and Leucocythere sp.). The recorded ostracods of laterally apparently consistent white marl beds (dominantly Cytherissa lacustris) were used to stratigraphically correlate these sections. The resulting NH-T section was further correlated with the three proximal artefact-bearing sections Majuangou, Banshan and Xiantai which have published magnetostratigraphic data. The correlation shows that the investigated sedimentary sequence was probably formed between ca. 1.7 and 0.9 Ma. The relatively continuous synthetic sequence NH-T represents three main wetter periods with three intervening drier intervals, possibly synchronous with interglacial (S23-S20, S15-S13 and S10-S9) and glacial (L20- L18, L17-L16 and L13-L11) periods which were previously inferred from the palaeoclimatic records of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) in the SW of the Nihewan Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]