Luminescence chronology and age model application for the upper part of the Chumbur-Kosa loess sequence in the Sea of Azov, Russia

A reliable chronology is essentially critical for correlating loess records with other paleoenvironmental time series, as well as for continuing improvements in the reconstruction of paleoenvironment and paleoclimate changes. It is exactly that the scarcity of chronologies across the Sea of Azov has limited the interpretation of climatic and environmental information in the East European Plain. In view of this, this paper conducted an exploratory study to investigate whether the optically stimulated luminescence(OSL) dating of medium-grained quartz could be used to obtain a set of chronologies and the age models could be used to establish an independent time scale since the Late Pleistocene for the Sea of Azov loess. The results showed that an internally consistent set of optical ages for the Azov loess deposited up to ~76 ka. In addition, the ages developed based on magnetic susceptibility and grain size ages models showed good comparability with independent OSL ages at an acceptable range, suggesting that it might be practicable to establish an independent time scale using age models at the Sea of Azov loess, at least for the uppermost part of the Chumbur-Kosa section. Comparison with the ages based on two age models,the grain size ages using fine-grain fractions may provide a more reliable chronological sequence at the Azov loess since the Late Pleistocene. With the help of absolute ages and climate proxies(magnetic susceptibility and grain size), paleoclimatic change in the Sea of Azov have been traced for the Late Pleistocene.

Differential selection in HIV-1 gp120 between subtype B and East Asian variant B'

HIV-1 evolves strongly and undergoes geographic differentiation as it spreads in diverse host populations around the world.For instance,distinct genomic backgrounds can be observed between the pandemic subtype B,prevalent in Europe and North-America,and its offspring clade B＇ in East Asia.Here we ask whether this differentiation affects the selection pressure experienced by the virus.To answer this question we evaluate selection pressure on the HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 at the level of individual codons using a simple and fast estimation method based on the ratio ka/ks of amino acid changes to synonymous changes.To validate the approach we compare results to those from a state-of-the-art mixed-effect method.The agreement is acceptable,but the analysis also demonstrates some limitations of the simpler approach.Further,we find similar distributions of codons under stabilizing and directional selection pressure in gp120 for subtypes B and B＇ with more directional selection pressure in variable loops and more stabilizing selection in the constant regions.Focusing on codons with increased ka/ks values in B＇,we show that these codons are scattered over the whole of gp120,with remarkable clusters of higher density in regions flanking the variable loops.We identify a significant statistical association of glycosylation sites and codons with increased ka/ks values.

Simulation of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet Stream with GFDL AGCM (AM2.1)

The present study validated the capability of the AM2.1,a model developed at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL),in reproducing the fundamental features of the East Asian Subtropical Westerly Jet Stream (EASWJ).The main behaviors of the EASWJ are also investigated through the reanalysis of observational NCEP/NCAR data.The mean state of the EASWJ,including its intensity,location,structure,and seasonal evolution is generally well-portrayed in the model.Compared with the observation,the model tends to reproduce a weaker jet center.And,during summer,the simulated jet center is northward-situated.Results also demonstrate the model captures the variability of EASWJ during summer well.The results of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) applied on the zonal wind at 200 hPa (U200) over East Asia for both the observation and simulation indicate an inter-decadal shift around the late 1970s.The correlation coefficient between the corresponding principle components is as great as 0.42 with significance at the 99% confidence level.

Chemical Variation in Essential Oils of Salvia Officmalis L, Ecotypes Cultivated in Albania

Salvia officinalis L. was cultivated in different geographic locations of Albania. Sage plants originated from imported seeds and wild Albanian plants. Around 30 chemical compounds were identified in the essential oils of all cultivated sage plants; the latter were found to be very rich in camphen, fl-thujone, a-pinene, eucaliptol, rich to moderate in β-pinene and camphor, and less rich in a-thujone and limonene. Sharp differences in chemical composition patterns and content of individual chemical compounds were noticed between and within cultivation sites. Cultivated sage was poorer in α-thujone versus wild plants. Cultivated sage, of Albanian wild plants origin, was the richest in α-thujone （18.45%） versus imported seeds sage. β-thujone over-dominated α-thujone in all cultivated sage plants. Volatile characters of cultivated sage were indicative of the species but not of the geographic origin of plant material. Variation in essential oils composition and chemical compounds＇ content （biosynthetic pathways） in cultivated sage is related more to the genetic background than the environmental factors. If cultivating sage in Albania, then wild local ecotypes would be best to use as α-thujone is maintained at satisfactory levels, local natural base is preserved, unnecessary hybridization with imported seeds sage is prevented, and are more resistant and cost effective.