Neural stem cell-derived exosomes promote mitochondrial biogenesis and restore abnormal protein distribution in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.We previously showed that neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles improved mitochondrial function in the cortex of AP P/PS1 mice.Because Alzheimer’s disease affects the entire brain,further research is needed to elucidate alterations in mitochondrial metabolism in the brain as a whole.Here,we investigated the expression of several important mitochondrial biogenesis-related cytokines in multiple brain regions after treatment with neural stem cell-derived exosomes and used a combination of whole brain clearing,immunostaining,and lightsheet imaging to clarify their spatial distribution.Additionally,to clarify whether the sirtuin 1(SIRT1)-related pathway plays a regulatory role in neural stem cell-de rived exosomes interfering with mitochondrial functional changes,we generated a novel nervous system-SIRT1 conditional knoc kout AP P/PS1mouse model.Our findings demonstrate that neural stem cell-de rived exosomes significantly increase SIRT1 levels,enhance the production of mitochondrial biogenesis-related fa ctors,and inhibit astrocyte activation,but do not suppress amyloid-βproduction.Thus,neural stem cell-derived exosomes may be a useful therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s disease that activates the SIRT1-PGC1αsignaling pathway and increases NRF1 and COXIV synthesis to improve mitochondrial biogenesis.In addition,we showed that the spatial distribution of mitochondrial biogenesis-related factors is disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease,and that neural stem cell-derived exosome treatment can reverse this effect,indicating that neural stem cell-derived exosomes promote mitochondrial biogenesis.

Variability of Raindrop Size Distribution during a Regional Freezing Rain Event in the Jianghan Plain of Central China

The characteristics of the raindrop size distribution(DSD)during regional freezing rain(FR)events that occur throughout the phase change(from liquid to solid)are poorly understood due to limited observations.We investigate the evolution of microphysical parameters and the key formation mechanisms of regional FR using the DSDs from five disdrometer sites in January 2018 in the Jianghan Plain(JHP)of Central China.FR is identified via the size and velocity distribution measured from a disdrometer,the discrete Fréchet distancemethod,surface temperature,human observations,and sounding data.With the persistence of precipitation,the emergence of graupel or snowflakes significantly reduces the proportion of FR.The enhancement of this regional FR event is mainly dominated by the increase in the number concentration of raindrops but weakly affected by the diameters.To improve the accuracy of quantitative precipitation estimation for the FR event,a modified second-degree polynomial relation between the shapeμand slopeΛof gamma DSDs is derived,and a new Z-R(radar reflectivity to rain rate)relationship is developed.The mean values of mass-weighted mean diameters(D_(m))and generalized intercepts(lgN_(w))in FR are close to the stratiform results in the northern region of China.Both the melting of tiny-rimed graupels and large-dry snowflakes are a response to the formation of this regional FR process in the JHP,dominated by the joint influence of the physical mechanism of warm rain,vapor deposition,and aggregation/riming coupled with the effect of weak convective motion in some periods.

Retrieval and Regional Distribution Analysis of Ammonia,Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide in the Urban Environment Using Ultraviolet DOAS Algorithm

Aiming at the in situ and mobile observation of urban environmental air pollution,a portable instrument using ultraviolet spectrum retrieval algorithm was developed based on the basis of Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy(DOAS)and multiple-pass cell technique.Typical trace gas pollutants,NH3,SO2,and NO2,were explored using their optical spectral characteristics in deep ultraviolet wavelength range from 210 to 215 nm.The gas concentration was retrieved by Lambert-Beer’s law and nonlinear least square method.With an optimized optical alignment,the detection limits of NH3,SO2,NO2 were estimated to be 2.2,2.3,and 36.2 ppb,respectively.The system was used in carrying out some cruise observations in Chengdu,China.During the entire period,the polluted gases showed varied distribution and typical daily average concentrations ofNH3,SO2,NO2 were 23.2,3.5,and 106.0 ppb,respectively.The contributions from different sources were analyzed combined with the HYSPLIT model.Results show that the portable DOAS system is a convenient and effective tool for regional distribution measurement and pollution source monitoring.

Effect of Pore Morphology and Regional Distribution of Liquid Diffusion Directionality in Nonwoven Fabrics

The effect of pore morphology and regional distribution on liquid diffusion directionality in nonwoven fabrics was investigated in this study.Pore orientation angle(POA) and pore aspect ratio(PAR) were proposed to characterize the pore morphology,and α-region,β-region,and αβ-region were used to describe the characteristics of the pore regional distribution.The directional characteristics of macroscopic diffusion of liquid in nonwoven fabrics were characterized by the indicator of primary diffusion orientation angle(PDOA).Ten kinds of spunlaced nonwoven fabrics were selected.Firstly,the data of pore characteristic indices of each sample were obtained through scanning electron microscope(SEM) and the image processing technology as well,and the pore regional distribution map of each sample was further acquired.Then,the PDOA of each sample was obtained through the droplet method and image processing technology.Based on the data and statistical analysis,it was found that the PDOA of a certain volume of liquid in the nonwoven fabrics presented a significant linear relationship with the average POA of the nonwoven fabrics.And the characteristics of pore distribution affected the directionality of liquid diffusion in the nonwoven fabrics.The samples with a large proportion of α-region and good distribution had prominent liquid diffusion along the direction of laying-up,and the difference in liquid diffusion of the samples was more obvious between the directions of laying-up and vertical laying-up.

Spatiotemporal distribution of regional landslides and erosion rates in Southeastern Tibet

The difficulty in estimating ages of regional landslides hampers to assess frequency of landslides and hence to quantitatively assess regional landslide hazard.In this study,we used radiocarbon dating of organic sediment on boulder rock varnish to estimate landslide ages in Langxian(LX)arid region in southeastern Tibet.Samples of rock varnish with organic sediment were collected on site for radiocarbon dating,leading to landslide ages from 1880±30 to 18,430±30 yr B.P.To measure surface roughness characteristics of 109 remotely-mapped large bedrock landslide deposits,we estimated average standard deviation of slope(SDS)over an area of~640 km^(2) by calculating the slope gradient of each raster cell and using a rectangular moving window method in Arc Map from a 5 m-resolution Digital Elevation Model generated from helicopterobtained photographs.Combing estimated landslide ages(t)with average surface roughness of mapped landslide deposits(R)quantified by SDS,we fit an exponential landslide deposits surface roughness-age function(t=1.47×10^(6)×e^(-1).46R,r2=0.63)that was used to estimate regional landslide ages in LX.We conclude that three periods with clusters of regional landslides in LX were revealed by different surface roughness of landslide deposits combing roughness-age function,with the values of 5563-7455 yr B.P.,1724-4151 yr B.P.,and 960-1287 yr B.P..Furthermore,we used our estimates of landslide ages to quantify landslide erosion rates of three corresponding hillslopes in LX ranging from 0.50 to 2.42 mm yr-1.Although rock varnish radiocarbon dating provides us a feasible option for timing regional landslides of arid regions,the epistemic uncertainty in the dating method should arouse our attention,which could be reduced by increasing the number of samples.

China’s urban green innovation:Regional differences,distribution dynamics,and convergence

Urban green innovation(UGI)is essential to environmental protection,ecological conservation,and high quality economic growth.Using green patents,our study assessed the level of UGI of 287 Chinese cities at and above the prefecture level.Then,using the Dagum Gini coefficient,kernel density estimation(KDE),and con‐vergence models,we examined regional differences,distribution dynamics,and convergence of UGI across China.The study’s findings are as follows:(1)Overall,regional differences in UGI tended to narrow,and the main contributor to these differences was the difference between economic zones.(2)KDE showed that the level of UGI was rising,which was polarized within each economic zone.(3)The national UGI in economic zones other than the Northeast and Middle Yellow River Economic Zones featured significantσconvergence,while each economic zone showed absolute and conditionalβconvergence.

Does digitalization mitigate regional inequalities?Evidence from China

Regional inequality significantly influences sustainable development and human well-being.In China,there exists pronounced regional disparities in economic and digital advancements;however,scant research delves into the interplay between them.By analyzing the economic development and digitalization gaps at regional and city levels in China,extending the original Cobb-Douglas production function,this study aims to evaluate the impact of digitalization on China's regional inequality using seemingly unrelated regression.The results indicate a greater emphasis on digital inequality compared to economic disparity,with variable coefficients of 0.59 for GDP per capita and 0.92 for the digitalization index over the past four years.However,GDP per capita demonstrates higher spatial concentration than digitalization.Notably,both disparities have shown a gradual reduction in recent years.The southeastern region of the Hu Huanyong Line exhibits superior levels and rates of economic and digital advancement in contrast to the northwestern region.While digitalization propels economic growth,it yields a nuanced impact on achieving balanced regional development,encompassing both positive and negative facets.Our study highlights that the marginal utility of advancing digitalization is more pronounced in less developed regions,but only if the government invests in the digital infrastructure and education in these areas.This study's methodology can be utilized for subsequent research,and our findings hold the potential to the government's regional investment and policy-making.

FPGA-based position reconstruction method for neutron beam flux spatial distribution measurement in BNCT

A new measurement method for the spatial distribution of neutron beam flux in boron neutron capture therapy(BNCT)is being developed based on the two-dimensional Micromegas detector.To address the issue of long processing times in traditional offline position reconstruction methods,this paper proposes a field programmable gate array based online position reconstruction method utilizing the micro-time projection chamber principle.This method encapsulates key technical aspects:a self-adaptive serial link technique built upon the dynamical adjustment of the delay chain length,fast sorting,a coordinate-matching technique based on the mapping between signal timestamps and random access memory(RAM)addresses,and a precise start point-merging technique utilizing a circular combined RAM.The performance test of the selfadaptive serial link shows that the bit error rate of the link is better than 10-12 at a confidence level of 99%,ensuring reliable data transmission.The experiment utilizing the readout electronics and Micromegas detector shows a spatial resolution of approximately 1.4 mm,surpassing the current method’s resolution level of 5 mm.The beam experiment confirms that the readout electronics system can obtain the flux spatial distribution of neutron beams online,thus validating the feasibility of the position reconstruction method.The online position reconstruction method avoids traditional methods,such as bubble sorting and traversal searching,simplifies the design of the logic firmware,and reduces the time complexity from O(n2)to O(n).This study contributes to the advancement in measuring neutron beam flux for BNCT.

Construction and Application of a Regional Kilometer-Scale Carbon Source and Sink Assimilation Inversion System(CCMVS-R)

CO_(2)is one of the most important greenhouse gases(GHGs)in the earth’s atmosphere.Since the industrial era,anthropogenic activities have emitted excessive quantities of GHGs into the atmosphere,resulting in climate warming since the 1950s and leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather and climate events.In 2020,China committed to striving for carbon neutrality by 2060.This commitment and China’s consequent actions will result in significant changes in global and regional anthropogenic carbon emissions and therefore require timely,comprehensive,and objective monitoring and verification support(MVS)systems.The MVS approach relies on the top-down assimilation and inversion of atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations,as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)Inventory Guidelines in 2019.However,the regional high-resolution assimilation and inversion method is still in its initial stage of development.Here,we have constructed an inverse system for carbon sources and sinks at the kilometer level by coupling proper orthogonal decomposition(POD)with four-dimensional variational(4DVar)data assimilation based on the weather research and forecasting-greenhouse gas(WRF-GHG)model.Our China Carbon Monito ring and Verification Support at the Regional level(CCMVS-R)system can continuously assimilate information on atmospheric CO_(2)and other related information and realize the inversion of regional and local anthropogenic carbon emissions and natural terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange.Atmospheric CO_(2)data were collected from six ground-based monito ring sites in Shanxi Province,China to verify the inversion effect of regio nal anthropogenic carbon emissions by setting ideal and real experiments using a two-layer nesting method(at 27 and 9 km).The uncertainty of the simulated atmospheric CO_(2)decreased significantly,with a root-mean-square error of CO_(2)concentration values between the ideal value and the simulated after assimilation was close to 0.The total anthropogenic carbon emissions in Shanxi Province in 2019 from the assimilated inversions were approximately 28.6%(17%-38%)higher than the mean of five emission inventories using the bottomup method,showing that the top-down CCMVS-R system can obtain more comprehensive information on anthropogenic carbon emissions.

Federated Learning Model for Auto Insurance Rate Setting Based on Tweedie Distribution

In the assessment of car insurance claims,the claim rate for car insurance presents a highly skewed probability distribution,which is typically modeled using Tweedie distribution.The traditional approach to obtaining the Tweedie regression model involves training on a centralized dataset,when the data is provided by multiple parties,training a privacy-preserving Tweedie regression model without exchanging raw data becomes a challenge.To address this issue,this study introduces a novel vertical federated learning-based Tweedie regression algorithm for multi-party auto insurance rate setting in data silos.The algorithm can keep sensitive data locally and uses privacy-preserving techniques to achieve intersection operations between the two parties holding the data.After determining which entities are shared,the participants train the model locally using the shared entity data to obtain the local generalized linear model intermediate parameters.The homomorphic encryption algorithms are introduced to interact with and update the model intermediate parameters to collaboratively complete the joint training of the car insurance rate-setting model.Performance tests on two publicly available datasets show that the proposed federated Tweedie regression algorithm can effectively generate Tweedie regression models that leverage the value of data fromboth partieswithout exchanging data.The assessment results of the scheme approach those of the Tweedie regressionmodel learned fromcentralized data,and outperformthe Tweedie regressionmodel learned independently by a single party.

Synergetic optimization operation method for distribution network based on SOP and PV

The integration of distributed generation brings in new challenges for the operation of distribution networks,including out-of-limit voltage and power flow control.Soft open points(SOP)are new power electronic devices that can flexibly control active and reactive power flows.With the exception of active power output,photovoltaic(PV)devices can provide reactive power compensation through an inverter.Thus,a synergetic optimization operation method for SOP and PV in a distribution network is proposed.A synergetic optimization model was developed.The voltage deviation,network loss,and ratio of photovoltaic abandonment were selected as the objective functions.The PV model was improved by considering the three reactive power output modes of the PV inverter.Both the load fluctuation and loss of the SOP were considered.Three multi-objective optimization algorithms were used,and a compromise optimal solution was calculated.Case studies were conducted using an IEEE 33-node system.The simulation results indicated that the SOP and PVs complemented each other in terms of active power transmission and reactive power compensation.Synergetic optimization improves power control capability and flexibility,providing better power quality and PV consumption rate.

Spatial distribution of shallow landslides caused by Typhoon Lekima in 2019 in Zhejiang Province, China

In recent years, the coastal region of Southeast China has witnessed a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events associated with landfalling typhoons. The hilly and mountainous terrain of this area, combined with rapid rainfall accumulation, has led to a surge in flash floods and severe geological hazards. On August 10, 2019, Typhoon Lekima made landfall in Zhejiang Province, China, and its torrential rainfall triggered extensive landslides, resulting in substantial damage and economic losses. Utilizing high-resolution satellite images, we compiled a landslide inventory of the affected area, which comprises a total of 2,774 rainfallinduced landslides over an area of 2965 km2. The majority of these landslides were small to mediumsized and exhibited elongated, clustered patterns. Some landslides displayed characteristics of high-level initiation, obstructing or partially blocking rivers, leading to the formation of debris dams. We used the inventory to analyze the distribution pattern of the landslides and their relationship with topographical, geological, and hydrological factors. The results showed that landslide abundance was closely related to elevation, slope angle, faults, and road density. The landslides were predominantly located in hilly and low mountainous areas, with elevations ranging from 150 to 300 m, slopes of 20 to 30 degrees, and a NE-SE aspect. Notably, we observed the highest Landslide Number Density(LND) and Landslide Area Percentage(LAP) in the rhyolite region. Landslides were concentrated within approximately 4 km on either side of fault zones, with their size and frequency negatively correlated with distances to faults, roads, and river systems. Furthermore, under the influence of typhoons, regions with denser vegetation cover exhibited higher landslide density, reaching maximum values in shrubland areas. In areas experiencing significantly increased concentrated rainfall, landslide density also showed a corresponding rise. In terms of spatial distribution, the rainfall-triggered landslides primarily occurred in the northeastern part of the study area, particularly in regions characterized by complex topography such as Shanzao Village in Yantan Town, Xixia Township, and Shangzhang Township. The research findings offer crucial data on the rainfallinduced landslides triggered by Typhoon Lekima, shedding light on their spatial distribution patterns. These findings provide valuable references for mitigating risks and planning reconstruction in typhoon-affected area.

Coseismic deformation and fault slip distribution of the 2023 M_(W)7.8 and M_(W)7.6 earthquakes in Türkiye

On February 6,2023,a devastating earthquake with a moment magnitude of M_(W)7.8 struck the town of Pazarcik in south-central Türkiye,followed by another powerful earthquake with a moment magnitude of M_(W)7.6 that struck the nearby city of Elbistan 9 h later.To study the characteristics of surface deformation caused by this event and the influence of fault rupture,this study calculated the static coseismic deformation of 56 stations and dynamic displacement waveforms of 15 stations using data from the Turkish national fixed global navigation satellite system(GNSS)network.A maximum static coseismic displacement of 0.38 m for the M_(W)7.8 Kahramanmaras earthquake was observed at station ANTE,36 km from the epicenter,and a maximum dynamic coseismic displacement of 4.4 m for the M_(W)7.6 Elbistan earthquake was observed at station EKZ1,5 km from the epicenter.The rupture-slip distributions of the two earthquakes were inverted using GNSS coseismic deformation as a constraint.The results showed that the Kahramanmaras earthquake rupture segment was distinct and exposed on the ground,resulting in significant rupture slip along the Amanos and Pazarcik fault segments of the East Anatolian Fault.The maximum slip in the Pazarcik fault segment was 10.7 m,and rupture occurred at depths of 0–15 km.In the Cardak fault region,the Elbistan earthquake caused significant ruptures at depths of 0–12 km,with the largest amount of slip reaching 11.6 m.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Kahramanmaras earthquake rupture along the Cardak fault segment was approximately 2 bars,and the area of increased Coulomb stress corresponded to the subsequent rupture region of the M_(W)7.6 earthquake.Thus,it is likely that the M_(W)7.8 earthquake triggered or promoted the M_(W)7.6 earthquake.Based on the cumulative stress impact of the M_(W)7.8 and M_(W)7.6 events,the southwestern segment of the East Anatolian Fault,specifically the Amanos fault segment,experienced a Coulomb rupture stress change exceeding 2 bars,warranting further attention to assess its future seismic hazard risk.

Enhancing Autonomy Capability in Regional Power Grids:A Strategic Planning Approach with Multiple Autonomous Evaluation Indexes

After the integration of large-scale DistributedGeneration(DG)into the distribution network,the randomness and volatility of its output result in a reduction of spatiotemporal alignment between power generation and demand in the distribution network,exacerbating the phenomenon of wind and solar power wastage.As a novel power system model,the fundamental concept of Regional Autonomous Power Grids(RAPGs)is to achieve localized management and energy autonomy,thereby facilitating the effective consumption of DGs.Therefore,this paper proposes a distributed resource planning strategy that enhances the autonomy capabilities of regional power grids by considering multiple evaluation indexes for autonomy.First,a regional Energy Storage(ES)configuration strategy is proposed.This strategy can select a suitable reference value for the upper limit of ES configuration based on the regional load andDGoutput to maximize the elimination of source load deviations in the region as the upper limit constraint of ES capacity.Then,a control strategy for regional ES is proposed,the charging and discharging reference line of ES is set,and multiple autonomy and economic indexes are used as objective functions to select different proportions of ES to control the distributed resources of the regional power grid and establish evaluation indexes of the internal regional generation and load power ratio,the proportion of power supply matching hours,new energy consumption rate and tie line power imbalance outside the region to evaluate changes in the regional autonomy capabilities.The final simulation results showthat in the real regional grid example,the planning method in the planning year in the region of the overall power supply matching hour ratio and new energy consumption rate increased by 3.9%and 4.8%on average,and the power imbalance of the tie line decreased by 7.8%on average.The proposed planning approach enables the maximization of regional autonomy while effectively smoothing the fluctuation of power exchange between the regional grid and the higher-level grid.This presents a rational and effective planning solution for the regional grid,facilitating the coordinated development between the region and the distribution network.

Integrative biogeography: Validating hypotheses of species distribution

DEAR EDITOR,Biogeography is a scientific field dedicated to the investigation of the origins and distribution patterns of organisms,as well as predicting future alterations in their geographical distributions(Cox&Moore,2005).However,the majority of conclusions drawn within the field of biogeography are hypothetical.Rigorous testing of these biogeographic hypotheses remains a considerable challenge.This paper presents the concept of“integrative biogeography”,which emphasizes the experimental testing of biogeographic hypotheses through studies on geological history,as well as biotic and abiotic factors(Figure 1).

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Hydrocarbon accumulation and orderly distribution of whole petroleum system in marine carbonate rocks of Sichuan Basin,SW China

Based on the situation and progress of marine oil/gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin,SW China,the whole petroleum system is divided for marine carbonate rocks of the basin according to the combinations of hydrocarbon accumulation elements,especially the source rock.The hydrocarbon accumulation characteristics of each whole petroleum system are analyzed,the patterns of integrated conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon accumulation are summarized,and the favorable exploration targets are proposed.Under the control of multiple extensional-convergent tectonic cycles,the marine carbonate rocks of the Sichuan Basin contain three sets of regional source rocks and three sets of regional cap rocks,and can be divided into the Cambrian,Silurian and Permian whole petroleum systems.These whole petroleum systems present mainly independent hydrocarbon accumulation,containing natural gas of affinity individually.Locally,large fault zones run through multiple whole petroleum systems,forming a fault-controlled complex whole petroleum system.The hydrocarbon accumulation sequence of continental shelf facies shale gas accumulation,marginal platform facies-controlled gas reservoirs,and intra-platform fault-and facies-controlled gas reservoirs is common in the whole petroleum system,with a stereoscopic accumulation and orderly distribution pattern.High-quality source rock is fundamental to the formation of large gas fields,and natural gas in a whole petroleum system is generally enriched near and within the source rocks.The development and maintenance of large-scale reservoirs are essential for natural gas enrichment,multiple sources,oil and gas transformation,and dynamic adjustment are the characteristics of marine petroleum accumulation,and good preservation conditions are critical to natural gas accumulation.Large-scale marginal-platform reef-bank facies zones,deep shale gas,and large-scale lithological complexes related to source-connected faults are future marine hydrocarbon exploration targets in the Sichuan Basin.

COVID-19 and regional resilience:Trends,priorities,and the geography of research

The global economic crisis of 2008-2013 led to the emergence of the concept of resilience,which focuses on the ability of socio-economic system store cover socially,economically,and environmentally after external impacts.The COVID-19 pandemic spurred scholarly interest in regional resilience as a new conceptual framework for the sustainability theory.This paper aims to examine the influence of the pandemic on the trends and geography of regional resilience studies.We analyzed data derived from Science Direct and used vOSviewer to perform clus-tering and bibliometric network analysis.The countries that suffered the most from the pandemic and showed the largest regional socioeconomic disparities have become new centers of knowledge on regional resilience.Moreover,the pandemic has led to a visible shift in the research focus.Thus,after 2020,more attention has been paid to the structural and topological characteristics of regions that enable them to reorganize their resources more effectively in times of crisis.This study investigates the potential of the resilient development concept as a framework for gaining insights into the factors supporting regional adaptability.

Influence of Topography on the Distribution and Structure of Woody Plants in the Senegalese Sahel (Sandy Ferlo)

This study describes the floristic composition and structure of a woody stand in the Senegalese Sahel, paying particular attention to the edaphic factors of its floristic composition. A stratified inventory considering the different relief units was adopted. Woody vegetation was surveyed using a dendrometric approach. The results obtained show that the flora is dominated by a few species adapted to drought, such as Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del., Calotropis procera Ait. and Boscia senegalensis (Pers.). The distribution of this flora and the structure of the ligneous plants are linked to the topography. In the lowlands, the flora is more diversified and the ligneous plants reach their optimum level of development compared with the higher relief areas. In the lowlands, there are a few woody species which, in the past, were indicative of better climatic conditions. These are Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.), Commiphora africana (A. Rich.), Feretia apodanthera Del., Loeseneriella africana (A. Smith), Mitragyna inermis (Willd.) and Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich). It is important that their reintroduction into reforestation projects takes account of their edaphic preference.

Diversity of Orchids in Terms of Their Distribution, Uses and Conservation in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal

The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), the first conservation area and the largest protected area (PA) in Nepal, is incredibly rich in biodiversity. Notwithstanding this, orchids in the ACA have not been explored enough yet thus making the need for ambitious research to be carried out. Previous study only included 81 species of orchids within ACA. This study aims to update the record of species and genera richness in the ACA. In total 198 species of orchids, belonging to 67 genera (40% and 62% of the total recorded orchid species and genera in Nepal) has been recorded in ACA. This represents an increase of 144% in species and 56% in genera over the previous data. Out of the 198 species, 99 were epiphytes, 6 were holomycotrophic and 93 were terrestrial. Among the 67 genera, Bulbophyllum (17) species were dominant, followed by Dendrobium (16), Herminium (10), Coelogyne, Plantanthera (9 each), Eria, Habenaria, Oberonia (8 each), Calanthe (7), and Liparis (6). Fifty-six species were found to be ornamentally significant and 85 species medicinally significant.