Journal articles on the topic 'Ulva Island (N.Z.)'

Objective: this study is aimed to develop marine resources which is focused on the determination of phytochemical composition and exploration of seaweeds Ulva Lactuca and Eucheuma cotonii, as a potential anti-breast cancer and anti-colorectal cancer agents. Methods: Seaweeds Ulva Lactuca collected from Parangtritis beach, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. Whereas Eucheuma cottonii collected from Salemo island, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Seaweeds U. lactuca and E. cottonii were macerated in organic solvents, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol, respectively. After maceration for three days, the mixture was filtered, the filtrate was concentrated by rotary evaporator. The concentrated extract of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and chloroform were then analyzed by thin layer chromatography. Phytochemical test of the concentrated extract were conducted to identify the metabolites containing in the seaweeds. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activity of the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and chloroform extract of Ulva Lactuca and Eucheuma cotonii were evaluated as a growth inhibitor of breast MCF-7 and colorectal HCT-116 cancer cells by MTT cell proliferation assay. Results: Phytochemical test for the concentrated extracts of Ulva Lactuca showed the positive result for metabolites of steroids, glycosides, flavonoid,and tannin. While the concentrated extracts of E. cottonii showed positive result for metabolites of steroids, glycosides, and flavonoid. Both concentrated extracts of Ulva lactuca and Eucheuma cotonii exhibited anticancer activity against breast MCF-7 and colorectal HCT-116 cells with IC50 ranging of 21 µg/mL to 99 µg/mL . Conclusion: Our results clearly demonstrate seaweeds Ulva Lactuca and Eucheuma cotonii as a promising candidates for the new anti-breast and anti-colorectal cancer agents. Keywords: Phytochemistry, Ulva Lactuca, Eucheuma cotonii , anticancer, breast MCF-7, colorectal HCT-116

The Aderidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) of New Zeland are revised to include four genera and fourteen species. Three genera are described as new: one distributed throughout the Australasian region (Zenascus gen. n.) one endemic to the north and south islands of New Zealand (Transrenus gen. n.), and one that is endemic to the south island of New Zealand (Pseudozena gen. n.). Six species are also newly described (Pseudozena denticulata sp. n., Transrenus thulater sp. n., Zenascus roberti sp. n., Z. incensum sp. n., Z. elenae sp. n., Z. aurum sp. n.). All previously described New Zealand species of aderids contained in the preoccupied genus Xylophilus are transferred to the newly erected genus Zenascus, resulting in six new combinations (Z. antennalis (Broun), comb. n.; Z. coloratus (Broun), comb. n.; Z. luniger (Champion), comb. n.; Z. nitidus (Broun), comb. n.; Z. obscurus (Broun), comb. n.; Z. xenarthrus (Broun, 1910: 54), comb. n.). Holotype and lectotype designations are made or verified for all previously described species. The New Zealand species Xylophilus pictipes Broun is synonymized with Zenascus obscurus, syn. n. and Scraptogetus nigricans is synonymized with Scraptogetus anthracinus, syn. n. The Australian genus Pseudananca Blackburn 1893 is synonymized with the New Zealand genus Scraptogetus Broun, syn. n. Keys to the genera and species are included. Phenotypic characters previously employed in the higher classification of the Aderidae, including secondary sexually dimorphic characters, are discussed and a phylogenetic analysis for the ten New Zealand species of Zenascus is performed to reconstruct trait evolution in males, which display extreme dimorphic antennomere modifications.

Vize Island, located in the northern part of the Kara Sea (79°30’N, 76°59’E), is one of the least studied islands of the Russian High Arctic in terms of its biota. Hundreds of live and freshly dead individuals of Larch Budmoth Zeiraphera griseana (Hübner, 1799) were observed on this island from 16 July–2 August 2020. This is the first and the only terrestrial invertebrate ever discovered on Vize Island. The moths were likely transported to the island by air currents from the northern part of the Krasnoyarsk region, where an outbreak of Z. griseana was reported on over 75,000 ha. The distance travelled by moths approached 1200 km. Thus, the high Arctic islands are less isolated from insect migrants than was commonly thought. These islands will be colonised by boreal insects as soon as changing environmental conditions allow the establishment of local populations.

A new species of the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826, Zodarion imroz spec. nov. is described based on a male from Gökçeada Island, Turkey. A new synonymy is established: Zodarion tireboluensis Danışman & Rubio, 2017 n. syn. = Zodarion abantense Wunderlich, 1980. New taxonomic images of the type specimens (male and female) of Z. abantense are given. Its distribution is summarized and discussed.

AbstractSpheniscidite is a new phosphate mineral occurring in a soil profile in an area of nesting penguins on Elephant Island. It is the NH4-dominant analogue of leucophosphite and has the formula (NH4,K)(Fe3+,Al)2 (PO4)2(OH) · 2H2O. It is monoclinic, P21/n with unit cell parameters a = 9.75, b = 9.63, c = 9.70 Å, β = 102° 34′, and Z = 4. The strongest X-ray lines are 6.79(100), 5.99(90), 3.05(45), 7.62(40) Å. Spheniscidite is thought to have formed by the interaction of ammonium phosphate solutions from penguin guano with micaceous and chloritic minerals in the soil. The name is for Sphenisciformes, the order name for penguins, and has been approved by the IMA Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names.

AbstractThe aim of the study was to assess the quality of carcasses and meat from selected native breeds and breeding lines of hens after using them for laying eggs in terms of their usefulness as raw material in traditional old polish cuisine. hens included in the programme for the protection of genetic resources were the object of this study. they belonged to the following breeds/breeding lines: greenleg partridge (Z-11), rhode Island red (r-11), new hampshire (n-11) and Barred rock (WJ-44) – 30 hens from each line. the hens were kept in a closed hen house under standard raising conditions. eight hens were selected from 56-week-old hens of each line which were subjected to analysis after being slaughtered. as a result of the research conducted, it was found that:– Among the hens under study, heavier layers, i.e. Barred rock (WJ-44), new hampshire (n-11) and rhode Island red (r-11), which are characterized by good muscling and dressing percentage similar to that of broiler chickens, proved to be most suitable for use as meat.– The meat from WJ-44 hens contained most cholesterol and least protein, and the meat from Z-11 birds had the least fat compared to the other lines.– At the end of the laying period, meat and broth from WJ-44, n-11 and r-11 hens obtained better sensory scores than those from the carcasses of Z-11 hens, which makes them an attractive raw material for traditional polish cuisine.

Comparative genome hybridization using the pan-Neisseria microarray identified genes from the gonococcal genetic island (GGI) within Neisseria meningitidis strains of serogroups W-135, H, and Z. While some of these strains contain nearly all of the genes of the GGI, there are differences in the presence of some of these genes between the strains, including between those of the same serogroup. Attempts were then made to determine the location of the GGI in these meningococci. Sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain MS11 revealed that the GGI is a conjugative plasmid that can be chromosomally integrated at the dif sites near ung and can also be present in its circularized form. In N. meningitidis, a dif site is present in this location and also serves as the point of chromosomal integration of the GGI in this species.

Fifty-eight taxa of Odonata are herewith reported from Batanta Island (including Arefi and Birie Islands). One new species is described: Argiolestes varga sp. nov. The following ten species are new to the Raja Ampat Islands: Papuagrion magnanimum (Selys, 1876), Gynacantha rosenbergi Kaup, 1867, Palaeosynthemis cf. cervula (Lieftinck, 1938), Diplacina smaragdina Selys, 1878, Nannophlebia amphicyllis Lieftinck, 1933, Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798), Rhodothemis nigripes Lohmann, 1984, Rhyothemis regia (Brauer, 1867), Tramea transmarina propinqua Lieftinck, 1942, Zyxomma multinervorum Carpenter, 1897, and fifteen are new to Batanta: Selysioneura cornelia Lieftinck, 1953, P. magnanimum, Agyrtacantha dirupta (Karsch, 1889), Anax maclachlani Förster, 1898, G. rosenbergi, P. cf. cervula, D. smaragdina, N. amphicyllis, Nesoxenia mysis (Selys, 1878), P. flavescens, R. nigripes, R. regia, Tetrathemis irregularis Brauer, 1868, T. transmarina propinqua, Z. multinervorum. Metagrion postnodale (Selys, 1878) and Selysioneura cf. cervicornu Förster, 1900 are deleted from the faunal lists of Odonata of Raja Ampat and Batanta Islands. The total number of species recorded for Batanta Island is 62.

Sexual dimorphism in the Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) on Guadalupe Island was evaluated during the breeding seasons of 2015–2018 by measuring and comparing 10 morphological attributes: cranial length, bill length, nostril length, cranial width, bill height, bill width, tarsus length, closed wing length, opened wing length, and wingspan length in reproductive adults (n = 135). Males were larger than females across all traits (Student’s t-test, p < 0.05, p < 0.05). We created a logistic model using stepwise regression to predict sex based on morphological variables. This model indicated four significant morphological predictor variables (z < 0.05) and was able to successfully predict the sex of P. immutabilis individuals in more than 90% of the cases. Based on these predictor variables, a web app was developed to determine the sex of the Laysan albatross in the field, providing a non-invasive method for rapid data collection that reduces costs and handling times while improving conservation efforts. We tracked Laysan albatross (n = 36) during breeding seasons and found no significant differences between females and males for either trip length (GLMM, F = 0.017, DF = 1, 1, p = 0.917 > 0.05) or maximum trip distance (GLMM, F = 0.374, DF = 1, 1, p = 0.651 > 0.05). Our results suggest that both sexes show a strong preference to travel to highly productive coastal waters northeast of the breeding colony that are influenced by the California Current. The present research will serve to establish a baseline to protect this species on Guadalupe Island and highlights the importance of understanding sexual dimorphism in at-risk seabird species.

New taxonomic data on the ground spiders of the family Gnaphosidae from the island of Cyprus are presented. Three species are proposed as new to science (Drassyllus cyprius sp. n., Setaphis mccowani sp. n., Zelotes limnatis sp. n.). The male of Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 and the female of Zelotes zekharya Levy, 2009 are described for the first time. The transfer of Zelotes helvolus (O.P. Cambridge, 1872) and Z. helvoloides Levy, 1998 (the latter not recorded in Cyprus) to Cryptodrassus is proposed. The mismatching of male and female of C. helvoloides is discussed, and the female originally described as C. helvoloides is transferred to C. helvolus. Micaria pallipes (Lucas, 1846) is here recorded and the synonymy with Castanilla marchesii Caporiacco, 1936 is rejected, while the paralectotype of Castanilla marchesii is here assigned to Leptodrassex algericus Dalmas, 1919. Finally a male Poecilochroa still not attributed to a known or new species is described.

For the synthesis of superheavy elements, it is indispensable to divide the fusion process into two steps : Overcoming the Coulomb barrier and passing over the conditional saddle or the ridgeline. To facilitate the understanding of the mechanism which explains the fusion hindrance, we first employ an analytic model with an inverted parabola for the saddle. Then, results by realistic calculations are given for the cold fusion. Ambiguities of the model are also discussed for future investigations. Since the model is general, it is applied to incident channels with neutron-rich projectiles and/or targets. These are necessary for synthesis of nucleides in so-called superheavy island around Z =114 and N =184.

A controlled introduction of second-phase Y2BaCuO5 (211) nanoparticles into YBa2Cu3O7−δ (123) thin films was achieved for the first time for the purpose of increasing flux pinning. The island-growth mode of 211 on 123 was utilized to obtain an area particle density >1011 cm-2 of 211 thick-disk-shaped nanoparticles in individual layers. Composite layered structures of (211y nanoparticles/123z)×N were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO3 substrates, with N bilayers = 24 to 100, y thickness = 1 to 2 nm, and z thickness = 6 to 15 nm (assuming continuous layer coverage). With 211 addition, the critical current densities at 77 K were higher at magnetic fields as low as 0.1 T and increased as much as approximately 300% at 1.5 T. The superconducting transition temperature was reduced by approximately 2 to 4 K for 211 volume fraction <20%. Reinitiation of 123 growth after every 211 layer resulted in a smooth and flat surface finish on the films and also greatly reduced surface particulate formation especially in thicker films (∼ μm).

The alpha decay and heavy particle radioactivity of the isotopes of even–even superheavy nuclei with Z = 122–132 have been studied within Coulomb and proximity potential model. The predicted half-lives using our model are found to be in agreement with universal formula for cluster decay of Poenaru et al., the universal decay law of Qi et al., and the scaling law of Horoi et al., and most of the estimated values are well within the experimental upper limit (T1/2 < 1030 s). Our work targets the shell closure properties in the superheavy region. From the plots for log10(T1/2) against the neutron number of the daughter nuclei, three prominent minima are observed at N = 178, 184, and 194. The results show that in addition to N = 184, the neutron numbers N = 178 and 194 exhibit extra stability as compared to their neighbours. Based on these important observations, we have identified the possibility of N = 194 being a magic neutron number next to N = 184. Further, a new island of stability in the superheavy region has been predicted around the doubly magic 304120 superheavy nuclei and thus established the role of neutron shell closure in heavy particle decays very well.

A new material on the subfamilies Pteroplistinae, Phaloriinae and Cacoplistinae from the Indo-Malayan and Afrotropical regions of the Old World is considered. Nineteen new taxa of these subfamilies are described: Pteroplistes malaccanus sp. nov. from Malacca, P. borneoensis sabahi subsp. nov. from Borneo, Tramlapiola? bugiamap sp. nov. from Vietnam [Pteroplistinae]; Trellius (Zatrellius) kinabalu sp. nov., T. (Z.) crocker sp. nov. and T. (Z.) tawau sp. nov. from Borneo, T. (Neotrellius) logunovi sp. nov. and T. (N.) simulator sp. nov. from Vietnam, Borneloria spinosa gen. et sp. nov. and B. moorei occidentalis subsp. nov. from Borneo, Phaloria (Papuloria) multa sp. nov. from Sulawesi and a nearest island [Phaloriinae: Phaloriini]; Subtiloria semota sp. nov. and S. succinea korup subsp. nov. from Cameroon, Schizotrypus conradti nigericus subsp. nov. from Nigeria, Afrophaloria malawi sp. nov. from Malawi, A. dja sp. nov. from Cameroon [Phaloriinae: Subtiloriini]; Homoeogryllus ambo sp. nov. from Ethiopia, H. reticulatus limbe subsp. nov. from Cameroon [Cacoplistinae: Homoeogryllini]. New data on distribution of some other species are also given.

Many species of Talaromyces of marine origin could be considered as non-toxigenic fungal cell factory. Some strains could produce water-soluble active biopigments in submerged cultures. These fungal pigments are of interest due to their applications in the design of new pharmaceutical products. In this study, the azaphilone red pigments and ergosterol derivatives produced by a wild type of Talaromyces sp. 30570 (CBS 206.89 B) marine-derived fungal strain with industrial relevance were described. The strain was isolated from the coral reef of the Réunion island. An alternative extraction of the fungal pigments using high pressure with eco-friendly solvents was studied. Twelve different red pigments were detected, including two pigmented ergosterol derivatives. Nine metabolites were identified using HPLC-PDA-ESI/MS as Monascus-like azaphilone pigments. In particular, derivatives of nitrogen-containing azaphilone red pigment, like PP-R, 6-[(Z)-2-Carboxyvinyl]-N-GABA-PP-V, N-threonine-monascorubramin, N-glutaryl-rubropunctamin, monascorubramin, and presumed N-threonyl-rubropunctamin (or acid form of the pigment PP-R) were the major pigmented compounds produced. Interestingly, the bioproduction of these red pigments occurred only when complex organic nitrogen sources were present in the culture medium. These findings are important for the field of the selective production of Monascus-like azaphilone red pigments for the industries.

Abstract Prior to the start of experimental oil production in the Kashagan field (northern part of the Caspian Sea), n-alkanes and carboxylic acids contained in samples obtained from bottom sediments in the area of artificial island “D” were investigated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Concentrations of 10 n-alkanes (composed of C10-C13, C15-C20) and 11 carboxylic acids (composed of C6-C12, C14-C16) were identified and measured. Concentrations of individual alkanes and carboxylic acids in bottom sediments of the various samples varied between 0.001 ÷ 0.88 μg/g and 0.001 ÷ 1.94 μg/g, respectively. Mass spectra, in particular the M+ molecular ion peak and the most intense peaks of fragment ions, are given. The present study illustrates the stability of molecular ions to electronic ionisation and the main fragment ions to the total ion current and shows that the initial fragmentation of alkanes implies radical cleavage of C2H5 rather than CH3. All aliphatic monocarboxylic acids studied were characterised by McLafferty rearrangement leading to the formation of F4 cation-radical with m/z 60 and F3 cation-radical with m/z 88 in the case of ethylhexanoic acid. The formation of oxonium ions presents another important aspect of acid fragmentation. Using mass numbers of oxonium ions and rearrangement ions allows determination of the substitution character in α- and β- C atoms. The essence of our approach is to estimate the infiltration of hydrocarbon fluids from the enclosing formation into sea water, comprising an analysis of derivatives of organic compounds in bottom sediments. Thus, concentrations of derived organic molecules can serve as a basis for estimates of the depth at which hydrocarbon fluids leak, i.e., to serve as an auxiliary technique in the search for hydrocarbon deposits and to repair well leaks.

Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV) is a well-known virus belonging to the genus Nepovirus, but unlike most members of this genus, it is not known to be transmitted by nematodes but only through seeds and pollen. Since its first description in 1955 on Prunus avium L. in England (1), CLRV has been shown to have a worldwide distribution and a wide natural host range. During a survey of plant viruses in the French sub-Antarctic islands, samples from nasturtium plants (Tropaeolum majus), an introduced plant species, showing symptoms of leaf mosaic, deformation, and veinal necrosis were collected on Amsterdam Island. Upon mechanical transmission with sap extracts, necrotic ringspot and oak-leaf symptoms typical of Nepovirus infection were observed on the leaves of inoculated Nicotiana clevelandii and N. tabacum plants. Inoculation of healthy nasturtium plants resulted in mosaic and pin-point necrosis symptoms. Electron microscopy on negatively stained sap extracts revealed the presence of icosahedral virions, 28 to 30 nm in diameter, in the symptomatic Nicotiana leaves. Amplification by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with a polyvalent test, which identifies viruses belonging to the family Comoviridae (2), yielded the expected 248-bp fragment. Sequencing of the cloned amplicon showed 80% nucleotide and 90% amino acid identity with a part of the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of CLRV (CAE83562). To confirm the presence of CLRV, an approximate 4.6-kbp cDNA fragment was PCR amplified from double-stranded RNAs purifed from infected Nicotiana plants using the sense primer 5′-GTGGGACTGCCATGCACCTACTC-3′ and an oligo-T25 as antisense primer. This PCR product (GenBank Accession No. GU167974) spans the region between the VPg gene and the polyA tail at the 3′ end of the genome and thus provides approximately 2.8 kb of new internal sequence information on RNA1 of CLRV. The presence of CLRV in the initial nasturtium samples was confirmed with a CLRV-specific RT-PCR assay that amplifies the 3′ non-coding region of the CLRV genome (3). Sequence of the amplified fragment showed it to be identical to the corresponding part of the 3′ non-coding region of 4.6-kbp clone obtained from the CLRV isolate mechanically transmitted to the N. tabacum and N. clevelandii plants. Experimental infection of nasturtium by CLRV has been reported (4), but to the best of our knowledge these results represent the first report of natural infection of T. majus by CLRV. Given its seed transmissible character in many hosts, CLRV likely was introduced in infected seeds of T. majus imported to the remote sub-Antarctic Amsterdam Island. References: (1) R. Cropley. Ann. Appl. Biol. 49:524, 1961. (2) V. Maliogka et al. J. Phytopathol. 152:404, 2004. (3) K. Rebenstorf et al. J. Virol. 80:2453, 2006. (4) K. Schmelzer. Phytopathol. Z. 55:317, 1966.

Akter, Z., Pageni, B. B., Lupwayi, N. Z. and Balasubramanian, P. M. 2014. Biological nitrogen fixation and nif H gene expression in dry beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 203–212. Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the least efficient nitrogen (N2) fixers among legumes (approximately 30 to 50 kg N ha−1). To identify efficient N2 fixers, 22 dry bean genotypes were screened for symbiotic N2-fixation in potted low-N soil in the greenhouse under four treatments: (1) uninoculated, (2) inoculated with commercial Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli inoculant Nitrastik-D®, (3) inoculated with commercial Rhizobium inoculant Nodulator®, and (4) fertilizer N added. Expression of nitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene in selected uninoculated genotypes (nodulated by indigenous rhizobia) was quantified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to know if expression of this gene was an indicator of N2-fixation. Nitrogen fixation potential varied among the genotypes and between the rhizobia inoculants. Genotypes differed in shoot (5.17 to 8.39 g plant−1) and root (1.71 to 6.44 g plant−1) dry weights, nodule number (0 to 155 nodules plant−1) and mass (0.055 to 0.250 mg plant−1), and N2-fixed (0 to 129 mg N plant−1). Genotypes GH–196, FR 266 and AC Redbond fixed the most N2 (60 to 112 mg N plant−1) with either rhizobial inoculant, and Viva fixed the highest amount (129 mg N plant−1) when inoculated with Nitrastik-D. In contrast, AC Black Diamond, Island, Winchester, AC Polaris, LEF 2RB and SEA 5 had low N2-fixing potential (3 to 23 mg N plant−1) in inoculated treatments. The qRT-PCR analysis indicated that nifH gene expression was 5 fold higher in GH-196 compared to the non-nodulating mutant R99, which further confirmed the high N2-fixation capacity of GH-196. After confirmation in the field, dry bean genotypes with improved N2-fixation potential identified in this study may be used as parents in breeding programs in the development of future cultivars. The nifH gene expression may be used as a rapid test to select dry beans with high N2-fixation potential.

Background Inappropriate nutrition knowledge and feeding practices of caregivers are among several important causes of persistent malnutrition problems in young children. Thus, it is essential to provide caregivers with the necessary knowledge to help them modify their feeding practices. Objective To examine the effectiveness of two different nutrition education methods, weekly intensive nutrition education (INE) and monthly nonintensive nutrition education (NNE), designed for caregivers of mildly wasted children (weight-for-height z-score ≥ −1.5 to < −1) aged ≥ 6 to < 60 months on Nias Island, Indonesia. Methods To assess the impact of the two different nutrition education approaches on nutrition knowledge and practice of caregivers with their children, respondents were assigned to receive either weekly INE ( n = 114) or monthly NNE ( n = 96). The knowledge and practice levels of the mothers in each group were assessed and compared using a pretested validated questionnaire at admission and after the intervention period. Results At admission, the knowledge and practice levels of caregivers in both groups were not statistically significantly different. After participating in the nutrition education program, the percentage of correct answers on nutrition knowledge and practice in the INE group was significantly higher than that in the NNE group. Significant improvement in knowledge and practice scores was observed in the INE group after the intervention ( p < 0.001), whereas only a significant improvement in knowledge was found in the NNE group ( p < .05). Conclusions In comparison with NNE, the INE approach was significantly better in bringing about a positive change in knowledge and practice of caregivers of mildly wasted children in the study area.

A fundamental outcome of modern nuclear theory is the prediction of the "island of stability" in the region of hypothetical superheavy elements. A significant enhancement in nuclear stability at approaching the closed shells with Z = 114 (possibly 120 and 122) and N = 184 is expected for the nuclei with large neutron excess. For this reason, for the synthesis of nuclei with Z = 112-116 and 118, we chose the reactions 238U, 242,244Pu, 243Am, 245,248Cm, and 249Cf + 48Ca, which are characterized by fusion products with a maximal neutron excess. The formation and decay properties of the heaviest nuclei were registered with the use of a gas-filled recoil separator installed at a 48Ca-beam of the heavy-ion cyclotron. The new nuclides mainly undergo sequential α-decay, which ends with spontaneous fission (SF). The total time of decay ranges from 0.5 ms to ~1 d, depending on the proton and neutron numbers in the synthesized nuclei. The atomic number of the new elements 115 and 113 was confirmed also by an independent radiochemical experiment based on the identification of the neutron-rich isotope 268Db (TSF ~ 30 h), the final product in the chain of α-decays of the odd-odd parent nucleus 288115. The comparison of the decay properties of 29 new nuclides with Z = 104-118 and N = 162-177 gives evidence of the decisive influence of the structure of superheavy elements on their stability with respect to different modes of radioactive decay. The investigations connected with the search for superheavy elements in Nature are also presented.The experiments were carried out at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (JINR, Dubna) in collaboration with the Analytical and Nuclear Chemistry Division of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (USA).

Performance and Egg Quality of Hens from Conservation Flocks Fed a Diet Containing Maize Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)The objective of the study was to evaluate laying performance and quality indices of consumption and hatching eggs in hens from conservation flocks fed a diet containing maize distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). A total of 360 Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red (R-11) hens, included in the genetic resources conservation programme in Poland, were investigated. The good performance obtained by layers fed the DDGS diet indicates that maize distillers dried grains with solubles can serve as a useful source of protein in the nutrition of hens from conservation flocks, partly replacing imported soybean meal. The dietary inclusion of DDGS improved laying performance while maintaining hatchability traits and the quality of consumption eggs. The DDGS diet had an effect on nutritionally important egg quality traits, i.e. increased protein content of egg albumen and increased concentration of oleic and linoleic acids in yolk lipids, with a simultaneous increase in n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio. Dietary inclusion of DDGS also increased yolk colour intensity and Haugh units while having no effect on eggshell quality.

The study area is located at coastal and offshore Kundur and Adjacent Area, geographically located at coordinates of 0º 39'00 "0º 50'00" N and 103º 10'00 "103º 25 '00" S. Rare earth elements are found in seven seafloor surfacial sediment and 3 core samples are Cerium (15.41 to 16.88 ppm), Lanthanum (5.40 to 6.80 ppm), Ytrium (5.18 to 5, 58 ppm), Zirconium (5.05 to 5.95 ppm) and Neodymium 20.25 to 20.95 ppm). The minerals that containing of rare earth elements at the study area are apatite, zircon, monazite, and pyrochlore and xenotime. Seafloor surfacial sediment at Kundur are composed by silt (Z), sandy silt (sZ), sandy gravel, mud and sand. Silt unit covering nearly 55% of the study area and followed by sandy gravel, sand, silt and sandy silt. Seafloor morphology varies those are flat morphology with gradually depth changes and a regularly shaped identation curves and holes likely a result of sand mining. Coastal characteristics consists of: sandy and muddy beach. Sandy beach has medium relief (5° - 8°), composed by medium to coarse sand, brownish yellow. The muddy beach has low relief (1° - 5°) where the edges of the beach is mangroves planted by the local peoples. Key words : rare earth elements, seabed sediments, sea floor morphology, and Kundur Island Daerah penelitian terletak di kawasan pantai dan lepas pantai perairan Pulau Kundur dan Sekitarnya. Secara geografis terletak pada koordinat 0º 39’00” - 0º 50'00” LU dan 103º 10'00”- 103º 35' 00”BT. Mineral di daerah penelitian yang mengandung unsur tanah jarang adalah mineral apatit, zirkon, monazit, dan mineral pyrochlore. Unsur tanah jarang yang dijumpai pada tujuh contoh sedimen permukaan dasar laut dan 3 contoh bor inti adalah Cerium (15,41 – 16,88 ppm), Lanthanum (5,40 – 6,80 ppm), Ytrium (5,18-5,58 ppm), Zirkonium ( 5,05-5,95 ppm) dan Neodimium 20,25 – 20,95 ppm). Sedimen permukaan dasar laut di perairan Kundur tersusun oleh lanau (Z), lanau pasiran (sZ), kerikil pasiran, lumpur dan pasir. Satuan lanau menutupi hampir 55% dari seluruh daerah penelitian diikuti oleh krikil pasiran , pasir, lumpur dan lanau pasiran. Morfologi permukaan dasar laut sangat bervariasi ada yang landai dengan perubahan kedalaman yang teratur ada juga yang berbentuk lekukan lekukan dan lubang lubang besar kemungkinan akibat dari penambangan pasir. Karakteristik pantainya terdiri dari : pantai berpasir dan pantai berlumpur.  Pantai berpasir, berelief sedang (5° - 8°), tersusun oleh pasir ukuran butir sedang sampai kasar, berwarna kuning kecoklatan. Pantai berlumpur berelief rendah berkisar antara (1° - 5°) dimana pada bagian tepinya ditanami bakau oleh penduduk setempat. Kata kunci: unsur tanah jarang, sedimen permukaan dasar laut, morfologi permukaan dasar laut, dan Pulau Kundur

AbstractThe objective of the study was to determine the effect of breed (A) and free-range production system (B) on quality of meat from hens of two breeds, Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red (R-11), which are under the biodiversity conservation programme in Poland. Subjects were 120 hens of each breed, which were assigned to two treatment groups differing in the housing system: 60 layers were kept on litter without outdoor access (C) and 60 layers were raised on litter with access to free range (FR). At 56 weeks of age, 8 hens were randomly chosen from each group, slaughtered, and subjected to slaughter analysis. It was found from the study that carcasses from 56-week-old multi-purpose hens are characterized by poor muscle development and considerable fat content. After the first year of egg production, the meat of hens was characterized by low tenderness, high water holding capacity, and a fatty acid profile that was desirable from the viewpoint of human nutrition. In the meat of hens that completed their first year of egg production, the profile of fatty acids was beneficial from the standpoint of human nutrition. The free-range production system reduced carcass fatness, enhanced carcass and meat yellowness, and increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (both n-6 and n-3) in breast and leg muscles while causing no significant changes in the content of saturated fatty acids. The meat of the native Z-11 breed was found to contain less saturated and more unsaturated fatty acids compared to the meat of R-11 hens. There was no statistically significant effect of the production system on the sensory evaluation of cooked meat and broth.

Abstract The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that eggs from native breed laying hens fed a diet containing increased amounts of local feed materials are not inferior in quality to eggs from laying hens receiving a standard diet but raised without outdoor access. The study involved Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red hens (R-11). Within each breed, the control group (C) consisted of 60 hens kept on litter without outdoor access, stocked at 5 birds/m2 and fed a diet containing 65.3% of local feed materials. The experimental group (E) contained 60 layers maintained on litter with access to an outdoor area (11 m2 per bird) and fed a diet containing 77.1% of local feed materials. Eggs from hens of both breeds, which received diets containing increased proportions of local feed materials had lower weight but higher yolk percentage. The quality of eggshells from hens fed the diet with increased amounts of local materials was similar to that of eggshells from confined hens. Egg yolk lipids from experimental groups were characterized by a more beneficial n-6/n-3 acid ratio and elevated vitamin A levels. These eggs had better sensory scores for colour, flavour and aroma, which suggests that it is appropriate to raise native breeds of chickens with outdoor access and local feed materials can be used in extensive husbandry systems.

Abstract. Atmospheric water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) is a subset of the complex organic matter in aerosols and rainwater, which impacts cloud condensation processes and aerosol chemical and optical properties, and may play a significant role in the biogeochemical cycle of N. However, its sources, composition, connections to inorganic N, and variability are largely unknown. Rainwater samples were collected on the island of Bermuda (32.27° N, 64.87° W), which experiences both anthropogenic and marine influenced air masses. Samples were analyzed by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to chemically characterize the WSON. Elemental compositions of 2455 N containing compounds were determined over the mass range m/z+ 50 to 500. The five compound classes with the largest number of elemental formulas identified, in order from the highest number of formulas to the lowest, contained carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON+), CHON compounds that contained sulfur (CHONS+), CHON compounds that contained phosphorous (CHONP+), CHON compounds that contained both sulfur and phosphorous (CHONSP+), and compounds that contained only carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen (CHN+). No organonitrates or nitrooxy-organosulfates were detected, but there was an increased presence of organic S and organic P containing compounds in the marine rainwater. Compared to rainwater collected in the continental USA, average O:C ratios of all N containing compound classes were lower in the marine samples whereas double bond equivalent values were higher, suggesting a reduced role of secondary formation mechanisms. Cluster analysis showed a clear chemical distinction between samples collected during the cold season (October to March) which have anthropogenic air mass origins and samples collected during the warm season (April to September) with remote marine air mass origins. This, in conjunction with patterns identified in van Krevelen diagrams, suggests that the cold season WSON is a mixture of organic matter with both marine and anthropogenic sources while in the warm season the WSON appears to be dominated by marine sources. These findings indicate that, although the concentrations and percent contribution of WSON to total N is fairly consistent across diverse geographic regions, the chemical composition of WSON varies strongly as a function of source region and atmospheric environment.

Abstract. Atmospheric water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) is a subset of the complex organic matter in aerosols and rainwater, which impacts cloud condensation processes and aerosol chemical and optical properties and may play a significant role in the biogeochemical cycle of N. However, its sources, composition, connections to inorganic N, and variability are largely unknown. Rainwater samples were collected on the island of Bermuda (32.27° N, 64.87° W), which experiences both anthropogenic and marine influenced air masses. Samples were analyzed by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to chemically characterize the WSON. Elemental compositions of 2281 N containing compounds were determined over the mass range m/z+ 50 to 500. The five compound classes with the largest number of elemental formulas identified, in order from the highest number of formulas to the lowest, contained carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON+), CHON compounds that contained sulfur (CHONS+), CHON compounds that contained phosphorus (CHONP+), CHON compounds that contained both sulfur and phosphorus (CHONSP+), and compounds that contained only carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen (CHN+). Compared to rainwater collected in the continental USA, average O:C ratios of all N containing compound classes were lower in the marine samples whereas double bond equivalent values were higher, suggesting a reduced role of secondary formation mechanisms. Despite their prevalence in continental rainwater, no organonitrates or nitrooxy-organosulfates were detected, but there was an increased presence of organic S and organic P containing compounds in the marine rainwater. Cluster analysis showed a clear chemical distinction between samples collected during the cold season (October to March) which have anthropogenic air mass origins and samples collected during the warm season (April to September) with remote marine air mass origins. This, in conjunction with patterns identified in van Krevelen diagrams, suggests that the cold season WSON is a mixture of organic matter with both marine and anthropogenic sources while in the warm season the WSON appears to be dominated by marine sources. These findings indicate that, although the concentrations and percent contribution of WSON to total N is fairly consistent across diverse geographic regions, the chemical composition of WSON varies strongly as a function of source region and atmospheric environment.

Professor Walter Greiner, our mentor, colleague, and friend, passed away in the age of eighty. During his lifetime, the search for elements beyond uranium started and elements up to the so far heaviest one with atomic number 118 were discovered. In this talk I will present a short history from early searches for ‘trans-uraniums’ up to the production and safe identification of shell-stabilized ‘Super-Heavy Nuclei’ (SHN). The nuclear shell model reveals that these nuclei should be located in a region with closed shells for the protons at Z = 114, 120 or 126 and for the neutrons at N = 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical SHN. Systematic studies of heavy ion reactions for the synthesis of SHN revealed production cross-sections which reached values down to one picobarn and even below for the heaviest species. The systematics of measured cross-sections can be understood only on the basis of relatively high fission barriers as predicted for nuclei in and around the island of SHN. A key role in answering some of the open questions plays the synthesis of isotopes of element 120. Attempts aiming for synthesizing this element at the velocity filter SHIP will be reported.

AbstractObjectiveYoung children are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition as nutrition transition progresses. The present study aimed to document the prevalence, coexistence and correlates of nutritional status (stunting, overweight/obesity and anaemia) in Samoan children aged 24–59 months.DesignA cross-sectional community-based survey. Height and weight were used to determine prevalence of stunting (height-for-age Z-score <−2) and overweight/obesity (BMI-for-age Z-score >+2) based on WHO growth standards. Anaemia was determined using an AimStrip Hemoglobin test system (Hb <110 g/l).SettingTen villages on the Samoan island of Upolu.SubjectsMother–child pairs (n 305) recruited using convenience sampling.ResultsModerate or severe stunting was apparent in 20·3 % of children, 16·1 % were overweight/obese and 34·1 % were anaemic. Among the overweight/obese children, 28·6 % were also stunted and 42·9 % anaemic, indicating dual burden of malnutrition. Stunting was significantly less likely among girls (OR=0·41; 95 % CI 0·21, 0·79, P<0·01) than boys. Overweight/obesity was associated with higher family socio-economic status and decreased sugar intake (OR per 10 g/d=0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·99, P=0·032). The odds of anaemia decreased with age and anaemia was more likely in children with an anaemic mother (OR=2·20; 95 % CI 1·22, 3·98, P=0·007). No child, maternal or household characteristic was associated with more than one of the nutritional status outcomes, highlighting the need for condition-specific interventions in this age group.ConclusionsThe observed prevalences of stunting, overweight/obesity and anaemia suggest that it is critical to invest in nutrition and develop health programmes targeting early childhood growth and development in Samoa.

AbstractThe new mineral oskarssonite (IMA2012-088), with ideal formula AlF3, was found in August 2009 at the surface of fumaroles on the Eldfell volcano, Heimaey Island, Iceland (GPS coordinates 63°25′58.9″N 20°14′50.3″W). It occurs as sub-micron-sized crystals forming a white powder in association with anhydrite, bassanite, gypsum, jarosite, anatase, hematite, opal, ralstonite, jakobssonite and meniaylovite. Chemical analyses by energy-dispersive spectrometry with a scanning electronmicroscope produced the following mean elemental composition: Al, 31.70; F, 58.41; O, 9.22; total 99.33 wt.%. The empirical chemical formula is AlF2.6(OH)0.5 which suggests partial substitution of F by OH. Oskarssonite is rhombohedral, space group Rc, with ah = 4.9817(4) Å, c = 12.387(1) Å, Vuc = 266.23(5) Å3, Z = 6. The five strongest lines in the powder diffraction diagram [d in Å(I) (hkl)] are as follows: 3.54 (100) (012), 2.131 (13) (113), 1.771 (20) (024), 1.59 (15) (116), 1.574 (10) (122). Rietveld refinement confirms the identity of oskarssonite with the synthetic rhombohedral form of AlF3. Its structure can be described as a rhombohedral deformation of the idealized cubic perovskitetype octahedral framework of corner-sharing AlF6 groups. Oskarssonite appears in the surface part of the fumaroles where fluorides are abundant. At greater depths (below 10 cm) sulfates dominate among the fumarolic minerals. In accordance with its occurrence, we surmise that oskarssonite forms in the later stages of the fumarolic activity in an environment poor in alkalies and Mg. Ralstonite (NaxMgxAl1−xF3(H2O)y), which, unlike oskarssonite, contains Na and Mg as important constituents, dominated in the first-formed fumaroles, but now, 41 years after the eruption of Eldfell, is only a minor phase. The new mineral is named after the Icelandic volcanologist Niels Oskarsson.

Abstract Tseng, C-T., Su, N-J., Sun, C-L., Punt, A. E., Yeh, S-Z., Liu, D-C., and Su, W-C. 2013. Spatial and temporal variability of the Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) distribution in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 991–999. Logbook data for the Taiwanese Pacific saury fishery and multi-sensor satellite images for 2006–2010 were used to characterize the habitat of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) in the northwestern Pacific (NWP). An empirical cumulative distribution function (ECDF) approach identified that high cpue (catch per unit of effort) of Pacific saury occurred when sea surface temperature (SST) ranged from 14 to 16°C, chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl a) ranged from 0.4 to 0.6 mg m−3, and net primary production (NPP) ranged from 600 to 800 mg C m−2 d−1. A generalized additive model (GAM) and spatial non-stationary geographically weighted regression (GWR) were applied to predict the habitats of Pacific saury in the NWP. The spatial distributions of Pacific saury in the NWP estimated using the two approaches were similar and matched the nominal cpue distributions and those inferred from preferred habitat ranges based on ECDF. The density of Pacific saury is higher in coastal waters close to the island of Hokkaido and near the southern Kuril Islands than in the open sea. SST, Chl a, and NPP were substantially higher in the fishing grounds for Pacific saury during the main fishing season (September and October), corresponding to a high cpue for Pacific saury (23.1 t fishing day−1). The GAM explained more variability in spatial distribution (35.7%) than GWR (20.5%) VGPM (Vertically Generalized Production Model). Results derived from this study could improve our understanding of Pacific saury habitat distributions, which could be used to forecast fishing grounds and to develop fishery management advice based on oceanographic conditions that might be impacted by climate change.

A leaf curling disease was observed on 7% of tobacco plants during December 2005 in research plots in the Cangshan District of Fuzhou, Fujian, China. Tobacco plants were infested with Bemisia tabaci, suggesting begomovirus etiology. To identify possible begomoviruses, total DNA was extracted from four symptomatic leaf samples (F1, F2, F3, and F4). The degenerate primers PA and PB were used to amplify part of the intergenic region and AV2 gene of DNA-A-like molecules (3). A 500-bp DNA fragment was amplified by PCR from all four samples. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced (GenBank Accession Nos. EF531601–EF531603 and EF527823). Alignment of the 500-bp sequences for the four isolates indicated that they shared 98.5 to 99.6% nt identity, suggesting that the plants were all infected by the same virus. Overlapping primers TV-Full-F (5′-GGATCCTCTTTTGAACGAGTTTCC-3′) and TV-Full-R (5′-GGATCCCACATGTTTAAAATAATAC-3′) were then designed to amplify the full-length DNA-A from sample F2. The sequence was 2,754 nucleotides long (GenBank Accession No. EF527823). A comparison with other begomoviruses indicated the F2 DNA-A had the highest nucleotide sequence identity (95.7%) with Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV; GenBank Accession No. X74516) from Singapore. To further test whether DNAβ was associated with the four viral isolates, a universal DNAβ primer pair (beta 01 and beta 02) was used (4). An amplicon of approximately 1.3 kb was obtained from all samples. The DNAβ molecule from F2 was then cloned and sequenced. F2 DNAβ was 1,345 nucleotides long (GenBank Accession No. EF527824), sharing the highest nucleotide sequence identity with the DNAβ of Tomato leaf curl virus (97.2%) from Taiwan (GenBank Accession No. AJ542495) and AYVV (88.8%) from Singapore (GenBank Accession No. AJ252072). The disease agent was transmitted to Nicotiana tabacum, N. glutinosa, Ageratum conyzoides, Oxalis corymbosa, and Phyllanthus urinaria plants by whiteflies (B. tabaci) when field infected virus isolate F2 was used as inoculum. In N. tabacum and N. glutinosa plants, yellow vein symptoms were initially observed in young leaves. However, these symptoms disappeared later during infection and vein swelling and downward leaf curling symptoms in N. tabacum and vein swelling and upward leaf curling in N. glutinosa were observed. In A. conyzoides, O. corymbosa, and P. urinaria plants, typical yellow vein symptoms were observed. The presence of the virus and DNAβ in symptomatic plants was verified by PCR with primer pairs TV-Full-F/TV-Full-R and beta 01/beta 02, respectively. The above sequence and whitefly transmission results confirmed that the tobacco samples were infected by AYVV. In China, Tobacco leaf curl Yunnan virus, Tobacco curly shoot virus, and Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus were reported to be associated with tobacco leaf curl disease (1,3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of AYVV infecting tobacco in China. A. conyzoides is a widely distributed weed in south China and AYVV was reported in A. conyzoides in Hainan Island, China (2). Therefore, this virus may pose a serious threat to tobacco production in south China. References: (1) Z. Li et al. Phytopathology 95:902, 2005. (2) Q. Xiong et al. Phytopathology 97:405, 2007. (3) X. Zhou et al. Arch. Virol. 146:1599, 2001. (4) X. Zhou et al. J. Gen. Virol. 84:237, 2003.

The history of the plant cover studies of the Far North in the Komarov Botanical Institute (BIN) and its predecessors dates back to the second third of the XIX century and it is associated with the names of two eminent botanists — A. Schrenk and F. Ruprecht, who in 1837 and 1841 years made their long trips to the north of the European part of Russia. A long break in the study of the Arctic, which came after that, has been resumed within our institute only in the Soviet period. Already before the Great Patriotic war the scientific expeditions were organized both on the European North and on the Asian part of the Arctic up to the eastern borders of the country. In the 1920–1930th the brightest star in the sky of the Russian tundrology – B. N. Gorodkov worked on the vast area fr om the Kola Peninsula up to the Wrangel Island. This vigorous activity resulted in excellent descriptions of plant cover, and the classic, still actively quoted monograph «The vegetation of the tundra zone of the USSR» was published in 1935. In 1930–1931 years a lot of scientists (F. V. Sambuk, A. I. Leskov, K. N. Igoshina, M. N. Avramchik, V. P. Savich, Z. N. Smirnova and others) participated in various botanical expeditions (the Franz Josef Land, the Novaya Zemlya, the Kolguev Isl., the Malozemelskaya tundra, the interior parts of Taymyr Peninsula). The Great Patriotic war had interrupted botanical work in the Arctic. However the numerous expeditions took place as early as in the first post-war years (1946– 1949). At that time, besides mentioned researchers, B. A. Tikhomirov has already participated in these studies. Later (1952) B. A. headed the Sector of North, transformed in 1960 into the Laboratory of the vegetation of Far North. This Laboratory is the exclusive botanical team not only in Russia but throughout the world, which all over its existence was being specialized in comprehensive study of plant cover in the Arctic, coordinating the northern investigations within the whole country. The outstanding achievement, received international recognition, is undoubtedly the multi-volume edition «Arctic Flora of the USSR» (1960–1987), initiated by the eminent botanist A. I. Tolmachev and completed through intense activity by B. A. Yurtsev. This great work, later translated into English, was done during the large-scale floristic studies in different regions of the Asian Arctic fr om the Yamal, Gydan and Taymyr peninsulas in the west to Chukotka in the east. The implementation of annual field work became possible due to the establishment of Polar Expedition, funded by a «separate item» within the budget of the Institute. A period fr om 1966 to 1991 year without exaggeration may be called as «golden age» in the study of vegetation of the Russian Arctic. This was a time when not only numerous research teams carrying out the floristic studies, but up to 3 long-term research stations simultaneously worked in one field season. The durable stationary studies were performed in the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (Sivaya Maska), on the Taymyr Peninsula (Tareya and Agapa settlements and Ary-Mas forest «island»), Putorana plateau (Kapchuk lake) and Wrangel Island (Somnitelnaya Bay). According to the results of these stationary studies 11 collective Proceedings have been published. Most lasting (1965–1977) and large-scale investigations were biogeocenological studies at the «Tareya» station, wh ere in the period of the International Biological Program the organizational skills by B. A. Tikhomirov collected up to 40 specialists from different branches of biology and ecology. In the years 1972–1991 these works were continued on Taymyr Peninsula at 6 short-term field stations at the latitudinal gradient from southern tundra up to polar deserts, which became the basis for a comprehensive study of zonation display in the living cover. As a result of extensive studies by the method of concrete floras the data on the composition of vascular plants for nearly 170 sites in all latitude-zonal stripes of Asian North from Yamal up to Chukotka has been obtained. At present these data are the fundamental basis for work on the detailed floristic subdivisions that was started by the great trio — B. A. Yurtsev, A. I. Tolmachev and O. V. Rebristaya in their famous paper «Arctic floristic region» (1978). The end of the last and the beginning of this century became a time of summing up the study of arctic flora and vegetation. The checklists of fungi, lichens, mosses and liverworts of Russian Arctic were compiled; the monographs on the vascular flora of Chukotka and Yamal as well as the book on mosses of Chukotka were published. The electronic version of Pan-Arctic flora and the Circumpolar vegetation map of the Arctic were prepared with the active participation of BIN florists and geobotanists. In the last ten years the obvious lack of information on the diversity of plant communities at the vast arctic territory is being compensated by publishing the numerous papers on syntaxonomy. The intensity of field works, declined sharply in the early 1990s, still continues, albeit in smaller scale. For the first time in the history of the study of the Far North nature the recurrent botanical observations were made in few sites wh ere many-sided studies were performed in the past. This allows assessing the dynamics in the flora and vegetation in situ. The changes in plant cover are well recorded by the earth’s surface remote sensing using multispectral satellite imagery. The analysis of image series allows us to monitor changes in intra-landscape vegetation patterns as well as some technological and cryogenic transformations. In the development of the concepts of classical Arctic and Antarctic geobotanical subdivision suggested by V. D. Aleksandrova for higher system units, the work on the designation of the lower units is being intensified presently. An assessment of current environmental safety of Arctic ecosystems in the areas with heavy anthropogenic load caused by oil and gas production will be the most required in the nearest future. However, there are still large areas within the vast Arctic territories wh ere classic fundamental studies are necessary to close the «white spots» in our knowledge of plant cover. The growing geopolitical interest to the Arctic region gives the hope for the revival of full-scale researches, which are impossible without adequate funding. More than one and a half century of brilliant botanical investigations in the Arctic were carried out by our famous predecessors. This fact allows us to look optimistically for the future and expect the growth of the scientific activities in the Far North.

Rapid urbanization rates impact significantly on the nature of Land Cover patterns of the environment, which has been evident in the depletion of vegetal reserves and in general modifying the human climatic systems (Henderson, et al., 2017; Kumar, Masago, Mishra, & Fukushi, 2018; Luo and Lau, 2017). This study explores remote sensing classification technique and other auxiliary data to determine LULCC for a period of 50 years (1967-2016). The LULCC types identified were quantitatively evaluated using the change detection approach from results of maximum likelihood classification algorithm in GIS. Accuracy assessment results were evaluated and found to be between 56 to 98 percent of the LULC classification. The change detection analysis revealed change in the LULC types in Minna from 1976 to 2016. Built-up area increases from 74.82ha in 1976 to 116.58ha in 2016. Farmlands increased from 2.23 ha to 46.45ha and bared surface increases from 120.00ha to 161.31ha between 1976 to 2016 resulting to decline in vegetation, water body, and wetlands. The Decade of rapid urbanization was found to coincide with the period of increased Public Private Partnership Agreement (PPPA). Increase in farmlands was due to the adoption of urban agriculture which has influence on food security and the environmental sustainability. The observed increase in built up areas, farmlands and bare surfaces has substantially led to reduction in vegetation and water bodies. The oscillatory nature of water bodies LULCC which was not particularly consistent with the rates of urbanization also suggests that beyond the urbanization process, other factors may influence the LULCC of water bodies in urban settlements. Keywords: Minna, Niger State, Remote Sensing, Land Surface Characteristics References Akinrinmade, A., Ibrahim, K., & Abdurrahman, A. (2012). Geological Investigation of Tagwai Dams using Remote Sensing Technique, Minna Niger State, Nigeria. Journal of Environment, 1(01), pp. 26-32. Amadi, A., & Olasehinde, P. (2010). Application of remote sensing techniques in hydrogeological mapping of parts of Bosso Area, Minna, North-Central Nigeria. International Journal of Physical Sciences, 5(9), pp. 1465-1474. Aplin, P., & Smith, G. (2008). Advances in object-based image classification. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 37(B7), pp. 725-728. Ayele, G. T., Tebeje, A. K., Demissie, S. S., Belete, M. A., Jemberrie, M. A., Teshome, W. M., . . . Teshale, E. Z. (2018). Time Series Land Cover Mapping and Change Detection Analysis Using Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing, Northern Ethiopia. Air, Soil and Water Research, 11, p 1178622117751603. Azevedo, J. A., Chapman, L., & Muller, C. L. (2016). Quantifying the daytime and night-time urban heat island in Birmingham, UK: a comparison of satellite derived land surface temperature and high resolution air temperature observations. Remote Sensing, 8(2), p 153. Blaschke, T., Hay, G. J., Kelly, M., Lang, S., Hofmann, P., Addink, E., . . . van Coillie, F. (2014). Geographic object-based image analysis–towards a new paradigm. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 87, pp. 180-191. Bukata, R. P., Jerome, J. H., Kondratyev, A. S., & Pozdnyakov, D. V. (2018). Optical properties and remote sensing of inland and coastal waters: CRC press. Camps-Valls, G., Tuia, D., Bruzzone, L., & Benediktsson, J. A. (2014). Advances in hyperspectral image classification: Earth monitoring with statistical learning methods. IEEE signal processing magazine, 31(1), pp. 45-54. Chen, J., Chen, J., Liao, A., Cao, X., Chen, L., Chen, X., . . . Lu, M. (2015). Global land cover mapping at 30 m resolution: A POK-based operational approach. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 103, pp. 7-27. Chen, M., Mao, S., & Liu, Y. (2014). Big data: A survey. Mobile networks and applications, 19(2), pp. 171-209. Cheng, G., Han, J., Guo, L., Liu, Z., Bu, S., & Ren, J. (2015). Effective and efficient midlevel visual elements-oriented land-use classification using VHR remote sensing images. IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing, 53(8), pp. 4238-4249. Cheng, G., Han, J., Zhou, P., & Guo, L. (2014). Multi-class geospatial object detection and geographic image classification based on collection of part detectors. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 98, pp. 119-132. Coale, A. J., & Hoover, E. M. (2015). Population growth and economic development: Princeton University Press. Congalton, R. G., & Green, K. (2008). Assessing the accuracy of remotely sensed data: principles and practices: CRC press. Corner, R. J., Dewan, A. M., & Chakma, S. (2014). Monitoring and prediction of land-use and land-cover (LULC) change Dhaka megacity (pp. 75-97): Springer. Coutts, A. M., Harris, R. J., Phan, T., Livesley, S. J., Williams, N. S., & Tapper, N. J. (2016). Thermal infrared remote sensing of urban heat: Hotspots, vegetation, and an assessment of techniques for use in urban planning. Remote Sensing of Environment, 186, pp. 637-651. Debnath, A., Debnath, J., Ahmed, I., & Pan, N. D. (2017). Change detection in Land use/cover of a hilly area by Remote Sensing and GIS technique: A study on Tropical forest hill range, Baramura, Tripura, Northeast India. International journal of geomatics and geosciences, 7(3), pp. 293-309. Desheng, L., & Xia, F. (2010). Assessing object-based classification: advantages and limitations. Remote Sensing Letters, 1(4), pp. 187-194. Dewan, A. M., & Yamaguchi, Y. (2009). Land use and land cover change in Greater Dhaka, Bangladesh: Using remote sensing to promote sustainable urbanization. Applied Geography, 29(3), pp. 390-401. Dronova, I., Gong, P., Wang, L., & Zhong, L. (2015). Mapping dynamic cover types in a large seasonally flooded wetland using extended principal component analysis and object-based classification. Remote Sensing of Environment, 158, pp. 193-206. Duro, D. C., Franklin, S. E., & Dubé, M. G. (2012). A comparison of pixel-based and object-based image analysis with selected machine learning algorithms for the classification of agricultural landscapes using SPOT-5 HRG imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 118, pp. 259-272. Elmhagen, B., Destouni, G., Angerbjörn, A., Borgström, S., Boyd, E., Cousins, S., . . . Hambäck, P. (2015). Interacting effects of change in climate, human population, land use, and water use on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecology and Society, 20(1) Farhani, S., & Ozturk, I. (2015). Causal relationship between CO 2 emissions, real GDP, energy consumption, financial development, trade openness, and urbanization in Tunisia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(20), pp. 15663-15676. Feng, L., Chen, B., Hayat, T., Alsaedi, A., & Ahmad, B. (2017). The driving force of water footprint under the rapid urbanization process: a structural decomposition analysis for Zhangye city in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 163, pp. S322-S328. Fensham, R., & Fairfax, R. (2002). Aerial photography for assessing vegetation change: a review of applications and the relevance of findings for Australian vegetation history. Australian Journal of Botany, 50(4), pp. 415-429. Ferreira, N., Lage, M., Doraiswamy, H., Vo, H., Wilson, L., Werner, H., . . . Silva, C. (2015). Urbane: A 3d framework to support data driven decision making in urban development. Visual Analytics Science and Technology (VAST), 2015 IEEE Conference on. Garschagen, M., & Romero-Lankao, P. (2015). Exploring the relationships between urbanization trends and climate change vulnerability. Climatic Change, 133(1), pp. 37-52. Gokturk, S. B., Sumengen, B., Vu, D., Dalal, N., Yang, D., Lin, X., . . . Torresani, L. (2015). System and method for search portions of objects in images and features thereof: Google Patents. Government, N. S. (2007). Niger state (The Power State). Retrieved from http://nigerstate.blogspot.com.ng/ Green, K., Kempka, D., & Lackey, L. (1994). Using remote sensing to detect and monitor land-cover and land-use change. Photogrammetric engineering and remote sensing, 60(3), pp. 331-337. Gu, W., Lv, Z., & Hao, M. (2017). Change detection method for remote sensing images based on an improved Markov random field. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 76(17), pp. 17719-17734. Guo, Y., & Shen, Y. (2015). Quantifying water and energy budgets and the impacts of climatic and human factors in the Haihe River Basin, China: 2. Trends and implications to water resources. Journal of Hydrology, 527, pp. 251-261. Hadi, F., Thapa, R. B., Helmi, M., Hazarika, M. K., Madawalagama, S., Deshapriya, L. N., & Center, G. (2016). Urban growth and land use/land cover modeling in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia: Colombo-Srilanka, ACRS2016. Hagolle, O., Huc, M., Villa Pascual, D., & Dedieu, G. (2015). A multi-temporal and multi-spectral method to estimate aerosol optical thickness over land, for the atmospheric correction of FormoSat-2, LandSat, VENμS and Sentinel-2 images. Remote Sensing, 7(3), pp. 2668-2691. Hegazy, I. R., & Kaloop, M. R. (2015). Monitoring urban growth and land use change detection with GIS and remote sensing techniques in Daqahlia governorate Egypt. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 4(1), pp. 117-124. Henderson, J. V., Storeygard, A., & Deichmann, U. (2017). Has climate change driven urbanization in Africa? Journal of development economics, 124, pp. 60-82. Hu, L., & Brunsell, N. A. (2015). A new perspective to assess the urban heat island through remotely sensed atmospheric profiles. Remote Sensing of Environment, 158, pp. 393-406. Hughes, S. J., Cabral, J. A., Bastos, R., Cortes, R., Vicente, J., Eitelberg, D., . . . Santos, M. (2016). A stochastic dynamic model to assess land use change scenarios on the ecological status of fluvial water bodies under the Water Framework Directive. Science of the Total Environment, 565, pp. 427-439. Hussain, M., Chen, D., Cheng, A., Wei, H., & Stanley, D. (2013). Change detection from remotely sensed images: From pixel-based to object-based approaches. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 80, pp. 91-106. Hyyppä, J., Hyyppä, H., Inkinen, M., Engdahl, M., Linko, S., & Zhu, Y.-H. (2000). Accuracy comparison of various remote sensing data sources in the retrieval of forest stand attributes. Forest Ecology and Management, 128(1-2), pp. 109-120. Jiang, L., Wu, F., Liu, Y., & Deng, X. (2014). Modeling the impacts of urbanization and industrial transformation on water resources in China: an integrated hydro-economic CGE analysis. Sustainability, 6(11), pp. 7586-7600. Jin, S., Yang, L., Zhu, Z., & Homer, C. (2017). A land cover change detection and classification protocol for updating Alaska NLCD 2001 to 2011. Remote Sensing of Environment, 195, pp. 44-55. Joshi, N., Baumann, M., Ehammer, A., Fensholt, R., Grogan, K., Hostert, P., . . . Mitchard, E. T. (2016). A review of the application of optical and radar remote sensing data fusion to land use mapping and monitoring. Remote Sensing, 8(1), p 70. Kaliraj, S., Chandrasekar, N., & Magesh, N. (2015). Evaluation of multiple environmental factors for site-specific groundwater recharge structures in the Vaigai River upper basin, Tamil Nadu, India, using GIS-based weighted overlay analysis. Environmental earth sciences, 74(5), pp. 4355-4380. Koop, S. H., & van Leeuwen, C. J. (2015). Assessment of the sustainability of water resources management: A critical review of the City Blueprint approach. Water Resources Management, 29(15), pp. 5649-5670. Kumar, P., Masago, Y., Mishra, B. K., & Fukushi, K. (2018). Evaluating future stress due to combined effect of climate change and rapid urbanization for Pasig-Marikina River, Manila. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 6, pp. 227-234. Lang, S. (2008). Object-based image analysis for remote sensing applications: modeling reality–dealing with complexity Object-based image analysis (pp. 3-27): Springer. Li, M., Zang, S., Zhang, B., Li, S., & Wu, C. (2014). A review of remote sensing image classification techniques: The role of spatio-contextual information. European Journal of Remote Sensing, 47(1), pp. 389-411. Liddle, B. (2014). Impact of population, age structure, and urbanization on carbon emissions/energy consumption: evidence from macro-level, cross-country analyses. Population and Environment, 35(3), pp. 286-304. Lillesand, T., Kiefer, R. W., & Chipman, J. (2014). Remote sensing and image interpretation: John Wiley & Sons. Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Peng, J., Du, Y., Liu, X., Li, S., & Zhang, D. (2015). Correlations between urbanization and vegetation degradation across the world’s metropolises using DMSP/OLS nighttime light data. Remote Sensing, 7(2), pp. 2067-2088. López, E., Bocco, G., Mendoza, M., & Duhau, E. (2001). Predicting land-cover and land-use change in the urban fringe: a case in Morelia city, Mexico. Landscape and urban planning, 55(4), pp. 271-285. Luo, M., & Lau, N.-C. (2017). Heat waves in southern China: Synoptic behavior, long-term change, and urbanization effects. Journal of Climate, 30(2), pp. 703-720. Mahboob, M. A., Atif, I., & Iqbal, J. (2015). Remote sensing and GIS applications for assessment of urban sprawl in Karachi, Pakistan. Science, Technology and Development, 34(3), pp. 179-188. Mallinis, G., Koutsias, N., Tsakiri-Strati, M., & Karteris, M. (2008). Object-based classification using Quickbird imagery for delineating forest vegetation polygons in a Mediterranean test site. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 63(2), pp. 237-250. Mas, J.-F., Velázquez, A., Díaz-Gallegos, J. R., Mayorga-Saucedo, R., Alcántara, C., Bocco, G., . . . Pérez-Vega, A. (2004). Assessing land use/cover changes: a nationwide multidate spatial database for Mexico. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 5(4), pp. 249-261. Mathew, A., Chaudhary, R., Gupta, N., Khandelwal, S., & Kaul, N. (2015). Study of Urban Heat Island Effect on Ahmedabad City and Its Relationship with Urbanization and Vegetation Parameters. International Journal of Computer & Mathematical Science, 4, pp. 2347-2357. Megahed, Y., Cabral, P., Silva, J., & Caetano, M. (2015). Land cover mapping analysis and urban growth modelling using remote sensing techniques in greater Cairo region—Egypt. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4(3), pp. 1750-1769. Metternicht, G. (2001). Assessing temporal and spatial changes of salinity using fuzzy logic, remote sensing and GIS. Foundations of an expert system. Ecological modelling, 144(2-3), pp. 163-179. Miller, R. B., & Small, C. (2003). Cities from space: potential applications of remote sensing in urban environmental research and policy. Environmental Science & Policy, 6(2), pp. 129-137. Mirzaei, P. A. (2015). Recent challenges in modeling of urban heat island. Sustainable Cities and Society, 19, pp. 200-206. Mohammed, I., Aboh, H., & Emenike, E. (2007). A regional geoelectric investigation for groundwater exploration in Minna area, north west Nigeria. Science World Journal, 2(4) Morenikeji, G., Umaru, E., Liman, S., & Ajagbe, M. (2015). Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System in Monitoring the Dynamics of Landuse in Minna, Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(6), pp. 320-337. Mukherjee, A. B., Krishna, A. P., & Patel, N. (2018). Application of Remote Sensing Technology, GIS and AHP-TOPSIS Model to Quantify Urban Landscape Vulnerability to Land Use Transformation Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development (pp. 31-40): Springer. Myint, S. W., Gober, P., Brazel, A., Grossman-Clarke, S., & Weng, Q. (2011). Per-pixel vs. object-based classification of urban land cover extraction using high spatial resolution imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 115(5), pp. 1145-1161. Nemmour, H., & Chibani, Y. (2006). Multiple support vector machines for land cover change detection: An application for mapping urban extensions. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 61(2), pp. 125-133. Niu, X., & Ban, Y. (2013). Multi-temporal RADARSAT-2 polarimetric SAR data for urban land-cover classification using an object-based support vector machine and a rule-based approach. International journal of remote sensing, 34(1), pp. 1-26. Nogueira, K., Penatti, O. A., & dos Santos, J. A. (2017). Towards better exploiting convolutional neural networks for remote sensing scene classification. Pattern Recognition, 61, pp. 539-556. Oguz, H., & Zengin, M. (2011). Analyzing land use/land cover change using remote sensing data and landscape structure metrics: a case study of Erzurum, Turkey. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 20(12), pp. 3258-3269. Pohl, C., & Van Genderen, J. L. (1998). Review article multisensor image fusion in remote sensing: concepts, methods and applications. International journal of remote sensing, 19(5), pp. 823-854. Price, O., & Bradstock, R. (2014). Countervailing effects of urbanization and vegetation extent on fire frequency on the Wildland Urban Interface: Disentangling fuel and ignition effects. Landscape and urban planning, 130, pp. 81-88. Prosdocimi, I., Kjeldsen, T., & Miller, J. (2015). Detection and attribution of urbanization effect on flood extremes using nonstationary flood‐frequency models. Water resources research, 51(6), pp. 4244-4262. Rawat, J., & Kumar, M. (2015). Monitoring land use/cover change using remote sensing and GIS techniques: A case study of Hawalbagh block, district Almora, Uttarakhand, India. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 18(1), pp. 77-84. Rokni, K., Ahmad, A., Solaimani, K., & Hazini, S. (2015). A new approach for surface water change detection: Integration of pixel level image fusion and image classification techniques. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 34, pp. 226-234. Sakieh, Y., Amiri, B. J., Danekar, A., Feghhi, J., & Dezhkam, S. (2015). Simulating urban expansion and scenario prediction using a cellular automata urban growth model, SLEUTH, through a case study of Karaj City, Iran. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 30(4), pp. 591-611. Santra, A. (2016). Land Surface Temperature Estimation and Urban Heat Island Detection: A Remote Sensing Perspective. Remote Sensing Techniques and GIS Applications in Earth and Environmental Studies, p 16. Shrivastava, L., & Nag, S. (2017). MONITORING OF LAND USE/LAND COVER CHANGE USING GIS AND REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES: A CASE STUDY OF SAGAR RIVER WATERSHED, TRIBUTARY OF WAINGANGA RIVER OF MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA. Shuaibu, M., & Sulaiman, I. (2012). Application of remote sensing and GIS in land cover change detection in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. J Technol Educ Res, 5, pp. 43-55. Song, B., Li, J., Dalla Mura, M., Li, P., Plaza, A., Bioucas-Dias, J. M., . . . Chanussot, J. (2014). Remotely sensed image classification using sparse representations of morphological attribute profiles. IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing, 52(8), pp. 5122-5136. Song, X.-P., Sexton, J. O., Huang, C., Channan, S., & Townshend, J. R. (2016). Characterizing the magnitude, timing and duration of urban growth from time series of Landsat-based estimates of impervious cover. Remote Sensing of Environment, 175, pp. 1-13. Tayyebi, A., Shafizadeh-Moghadam, H., & Tayyebi, A. H. (2018). Analyzing long-term spatio-temporal patterns of land surface temperature in response to rapid urbanization in the mega-city of Tehran. Land Use Policy, 71, pp. 459-469. Teodoro, A. C., Gutierres, F., Gomes, P., & Rocha, J. (2018). Remote Sensing Data and Image Classification Algorithms in the Identification of Beach Patterns Beach Management Tools-Concepts, Methodologies and Case Studies (pp. 579-587): Springer. Toth, C., & Jóźków, G. (2016). Remote sensing platforms and sensors: A survey. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 115, pp. 22-36. Tuholske, C., Tane, Z., López-Carr, D., Roberts, D., & Cassels, S. (2017). Thirty years of land use/cover change in the Caribbean: Assessing the relationship between urbanization and mangrove loss in Roatán, Honduras. Applied Geography, 88, pp. 84-93. Tuia, D., Flamary, R., & Courty, N. (2015). Multiclass feature learning for hyperspectral image classification: Sparse and hierarchical solutions. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 105, pp. 272-285. Tzotsos, A., & Argialas, D. (2008). Support vector machine classification for object-based image analysis Object-Based Image Analysis (pp. 663-677): Springer. Wang, L., Sousa, W., & Gong, P. (2004). Integration of object-based and pixel-based classification for mapping mangroves with IKONOS imagery. International journal of remote sensing, 25(24), pp. 5655-5668. Wang, Q., Zeng, Y.-e., & Wu, B.-w. (2016). Exploring the relationship between urbanization, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in different provinces of China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, pp. 1563-1579. Wang, S., Ma, H., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Exploring the relationship between urbanization and the eco-environment—A case study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Ecological Indicators, 45, pp. 171-183. Weitkamp, C. (2006). Lidar: range-resolved optical remote sensing of the atmosphere: Springer Science & Business. Wellmann, T., Haase, D., Knapp, S., Salbach, C., Selsam, P., & Lausch, A. (2018). Urban land use intensity assessment: The potential of spatio-temporal spectral traits with remote sensing. Ecological Indicators, 85, pp. 190-203. Whiteside, T. G., Boggs, G. S., & Maier, S. W. (2011). Comparing object-based and pixel-based classifications for mapping savannas. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 13(6), pp. 884-893. Willhauck, G., Schneider, T., De Kok, R., & Ammer, U. (2000). Comparison of object oriented classification techniques and standard image analysis for the use of change detection between SPOT multispectral satellite images and aerial photos. Proceedings of XIX ISPRS congress. Winker, D. M., Vaughan, M. A., Omar, A., Hu, Y., Powell, K. A., Liu, Z., . . . Young, S. A. (2009). Overview of the CALIPSO mission and CALIOP data processing algorithms. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 26(11), pp. 2310-2323. Yengoh, G. T., Dent, D., Olsson, L., Tengberg, A. E., & Tucker III, C. J. (2015). Use of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to Assess Land Degradation at Multiple Scales: Current Status, Future Trends, and Practical Considerations: Springer. Yu, Q., Gong, P., Clinton, N., Biging, G., Kelly, M., & Schirokauer, D. (2006). Object-based detailed vegetation classification with airborne high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 72(7), pp. 799-811. Zhou, D., Zhao, S., Zhang, L., & Liu, S. (2016). Remotely sensed assessment of urbanization effects on vegetation phenology in China's 32 major cities. Remote Sensing of Environment, 176, pp. 272-281. Zhu, Z., Fu, Y., Woodcock, C. E., Olofsson, P., Vogelmann, J. E., Holden, C., . . . Yu, Y. (2016). Including land cover change in analysis of greenness trends using all available Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images: A case study from Guangzhou, China (2000–2014). Remote Sensing of Environment, 185, pp. 243-257.

Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettias) are commonly infected with Poinsettia mosaic virus (PnMV), which resembles the Tymovirus genus in its morphology and viral properties (2) but is closer to the Marafivirus genus at the sequence level (1). Symptoms induced by PnMV range from leaf mottling and bract distortion to symptomless (2). The presence of PnMV in plants imported into New Zealand had never been proven. Leaves of 10 E. pulcherrima samples and six samples from other Euphorbia spp. (E. atropurpurea, E. lambii, E. leuconeura, E. mellifera, E. milii, and E. piscatorial) were collected in the Auckland area, North Island in 2002. Isometric particles of 26 to 30 nm in diameter were observed with electron microscopy in 3 of 10 E. pulcherrima samples. These three samples produced systemic chlorosis and crinkling symptoms on mechanically inoculated Nicotiana benthamiana, which tested PnMV positive by double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA (Agdia, Elkart, IN). No particles or symptoms on N. benthamiana were observed with the other Euphorbia spp., which were also PnMV-negative by DAS-ELISA. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed to further characterize PnMV. Specific primers were designed from the PnMV complete genome sequence (Genbank Accession No. AJ271595) using the Primer3 web-based software (4). Primer PnMV-F1 (5′-CCTGTATTGTCTCTTGCCGTCC-3′) and primer PnMV-R1 (5′-AGAGGAAAGGAAAAGGTGGAGG-3′) amplified a 764-bp product from nt 5291 of the 5′-end RNA polymerase gene to nt 6082 of the 3′-untranslated region (UTR). Total RNA was extracted from leaf samples using the Qiagen Plant RNeasy Kit (Qiagen Inc., Chastworth, CA). RT was carried out by using PnMV-R1 primer and MMLV reverse transcriptase (Promega, Madison, WI). The PCR was performed in a 20-μl volume reaction containing 2 μl cDNA, 1× Taq reaction buffer, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM dNTPs, 0.2 μM PnMV-F1 primer, and 1 U of Taq polymerase (Promega) with a denaturation step (94°C for 5 min), 30 amplification cycles (94°C for 30 s; 55°C for 30 s; 72°C for 1 min), and a final elongation (72°C for 5 min). The sequence of the RT-PCR product (Genbank Accession No. DQ462438) had 98.7% amino acid identity to PnMV. PCR products were obtained from two of three PnMV ELISA-positive E. pulcherrima and three of three PnMV ELISA-positive symptomatic N. benthamiana. The failure to amplify the fragment from all ELISA-positive PnMV is likely because of the presence of inhibitors and latex in E. pulcherrima (3) that make the RNA extraction difficult. Thus, while RT-PCR may be useful for further characterizing PnMV isolate sequences, ELISA may be more reliable for virus detection. In conclusion, to our knowledge, this is the first report of PnMV in E. pulcherrima but not in other Euphorbia spp. in New Zealand. E. pulcherrima plants have been imported into New Zealand for nearly 40 years, and the virus is probably widespread throughout the country via retail nursery trading. References: (1) B. G. Bradel et al. Virology 271:289, 2000. (2) R. W. Fulton and J. L. Fulton. Phytopathology 70:321, 1980. (3) D.-E. Lesemann et al. Phytopathol. Z. 107:250, 1983. (4) S. Rozen and S. Skaletsky. Page 365 in: Bioinformatics Methods and Protocols: Methods in Molecular Biology. S. Krawetz and S. Misener, eds. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2000.

Abstract. Free tropospheric aerosol was sampled at the Pico Mountain Observatory located at 2225 m a.m.s.l. on Pico Island of the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic. The observatory (38°28'15'' N; 28°24'14'' W) is located ∼3900 km east and downwind of North America, which enables studies of free tropospheric air transported over long distances, mainly from North America. Aerosol samples collected on filters from June to October 2012 were analyzed to characterize organic carbon, elemental carbon and inorganic ion species. The average ambient concentration of aerosol was 0.9 μg m−3; on average organic aerosol contributes the majority of mass (57%), followed by sulfate (21%) and nitrate (17%). Filter-collected aerosol measurements were positively correlated (with an r2 ≥ 0.80) with continuous aerosol measurements of black carbon, aerosol light scattering and number concentration. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) species extracted from two aerosol samples (9/24 and 9/25) collected consecutively during a pollution event were analyzed using ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. FLEXPART retroplume analysis shows the sampled air masses were very aged (average plume age > 12 days). Approximately 4000 molecular formulas were assigned to each of the mass spectra in the range of m/z 100–1000. The majority of the assigned molecular formulas have unsaturated structures with CHO and CHNO elemental compositions. These aged WSOC compounds have an average O / C ratio of ∼0.45, which is relatively low compared to O / C ratios of other aged aerosol and might be the result of evaporation and increased fragmentation during long-range transport. The increase in aerosol loading during the measurement period of 9/24 was linked to biomass burning emissions from North America by FLEXPART retroplume analysis and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire counts. This was confirmed with biomass burning markers detected in WSOC species and with the morphology and mixing state of particles as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of markers characteristic of aqueous-phase reactions of biomass burning phenolic species suggests that the aerosol collected at the Pico Mountain Observatory had undergone cloud processing before reaching the site. Finally, the air masses on 9/25 were more aged (∼15 days) and influenced by marine emissions, as indicated by organosulfates and other species characteristic for marine aerosol such as fatty acids. The change in air masses for the two samples was corroborated by the changes in ozone and the non-methane hydrocarbons ethane and propane, morphology of particles, as well as by the FLEXPART retroplume simulations. This manuscript presents the first detailed molecular characterization of free tropospheric aged aerosol intercepted at a lower free troposphere remote location in the North Atlantic.

Climate change induced sea-level rise (SLR) is on its increase globally. Regionally the lowlands of China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and islands of the Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos are among the world’s most threatened regions. Sea-level rise has major impacts on the ecosystems and society. It threatens coastal populations, economic activities, and fragile ecosystems as mangroves, coastal salt-marches and wetlands. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge of sea level-rise and its effects on both human and natural ecosystems. The focus is on coastal urban areas and low lying deltas in South-East Asia and Vietnam, as one of the most threatened areas in the world. About 3 mm per year reflects the growing consensus on the average SLR worldwide. The trend speeds up during recent decades. The figures are subject to local, temporal and methodological variation. In Vietnam the average values of 3.3 mm per year during the 1993-2014 period are above the worldwide average. Although a basic conceptual understanding exists that the increasing global frequency of the strongest tropical cyclones is related with the increasing temperature and SLR, this relationship is insufficiently understood. Moreover the precise, complex environmental, economic, social, and health impacts are currently unclear. SLR, storms and changing precipitation patterns increase flood risks, in particular in urban areas. Part of the current scientific debate is on how urban agglomeration can be made more resilient to flood risks. Where originally mainly technical interventions dominated this discussion, it becomes increasingly clear that proactive special planning, flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery are important, but costly instruments. Next to the main focus on SLR and its effects on resilience, the paper reviews main SLR associated impacts: Floods and inundation, salinization, shoreline change, and effects on mangroves and wetlands. The hazards of SLR related floods increase fastest in urban areas. This is related with both the increasing surface major cities are expected to occupy during the decades to come and the increasing coastal population. In particular Asia and its megacities in the southern part of the continent are increasingly at risk. The discussion points to complexity, inter-disciplinarity, and the related uncertainty, as core characteristics. An integrated combination of mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures is currently considered as the most indicated way to resist SLR today and in the near future.References Aerts J.C.J.H., Hassan A., Savenije H.H.G., Khan M.F., 2000. Using GIS tools and rapid assessment techniques for determining salt intrusion: Stream a river basin management instrument. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Part B: Hydrology, Oceans and Atmosphere, 25, 265-273. Doi: 10.1016/S1464-1909(00)00014-9. Alongi D.M., 2002. Present state and future of the world’s mangrove forests. Environmental Conservation, 29, 331-349. Doi: 10.1017/S0376892902000231 Alongi D.M., 2015. The impact of climate change on mangrove forests. Curr. Clim. Change Rep., 1, 30-39. Doi: 10.1007/s404641-015-0002-x. Anderson F., Al-Thani N., 2016. Effect of sea level rise and groundwater withdrawal on seawater intrusion in the Gulf Coast aquifer: Implications for agriculture. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 4, 116-124. Doi: 10.4236/gep.2016.44015. Anguelovski I., Chu E., Carmin J., 2014. Variations in approaches to urban climate adaptation: Experiences and experimentation from the global South. Global Environmental Change, 27, 156-167. Doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.05.010. Arustienè J., Kriukaitè J., Satkunas J., Gregorauskas M., 2013. Climate change and groundwater - From modelling to some adaptation means in example of Klaipèda region, Lithuania. In: Climate change adaptation in practice. P. Schmidt-Thomé, J. Klein Eds. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK., 157-169. Bamber J.L., Aspinall W.P., Cooke R.M., 2016. A commentary on “how to interpret expert judgement assessments of twenty-first century sea-level rise” by Hylke de Vries and Roderik S.W. Van de Wal. Climatic Change, 137, 321-328. Doi: 10.1007/s10584-016-1672-7. Barnes C., 2014. Coastal population vulnerability to sea level rise and tropical cyclone intensification under global warming. BSc-thesis. Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge, Alberta Canada. Be T.T., Sinh B.T., Miller F., 2007. Challenges to sustainable development in the Mekong Delta: Regional and national policy issues and research needs. The Sustainable Mekong Research Network, Bangkok, Thailand, 1-210. Bellard C., Leclerc C., Courchamp F., 2014. Impact of sea level rise on 10 insular biodiversity hotspots. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23, 203-212. Doi: 10.1111/geb.12093. Berg H., Söderholm A.E., Sönderström A.S., Nguyen Thanh Tam, 2017. Recognizing wetland ecosystem services for sustainable rice farming in the Mekong delta, Vietnam. Sustainability Science, 12, 137-154. Doi: 10.1007/s11625-016-0409-x. Bilskie M.V., Hagen S.C., Medeiros S.C., Passeri D.L., 2014. Dynamics of sea level rise and coastal flooding on a changing landscape. Geophysical Research Letters, 41, 927-934. Doi: 10.1002/2013GL058759. Binh T.N.K.D., Vromant N., Hung N.T., Hens L., Boon E.K., 2005. Land cover changes between 1968 and 2003 in Cai Nuoc, Ca Mau penisula, Vietnam. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 7, 519-536. Doi: 10.1007/s10668-004-6001-z. Blankespoor B., Dasgupta S., Laplante B., 2014. Sea-level rise and coastal wetlands. Ambio, 43, 996- 005.Doi: 10.1007/s13280-014-0500-4. Brockway R., Bowers D., Hoguane A., Dove V., Vassele V., 2006. A note on salt intrusion in funnel shaped estuaries: Application to the Incomati estuary, Mozambique.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 66, 1-5. Doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2005.07.014. Cannaby H., Palmer M.D., Howard T., Bricheno L., Calvert D., Krijnen J., Wood R., Tinker J., Bunney C., Harle J., Saulter A., O’Neill C., Bellingham C., Lowe J., 2015. Projected sea level rise and changes in extreme storm surge and wave events during the 21st century in the region of Singapore. Ocean Sci. Discuss, 12, 2955-3001. Doi: 10.5194/osd-12-2955-2015. Carraro C., Favero A., Massetti E., 2012. Investment in public finance in a green, low carbon economy. Energy Economics, 34, S15-S18. Castan-Broto V., Bulkeley H., 2013. A survey ofurban climate change experiments in 100 cities. Global Environmental Change, 23, 92-102. Doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.07.005. Cazenave A., Le Cozannet G., 2014. Sea level rise and its coastal impacts. GeoHealth, 2, 15-34. Doi: 10.1002/2013EF000188. Chu M.L., Guzman J.A., Munoz-Carpena R., Kiker G.A., Linkov I., 2014. A simplified approach for simulating changes in beach habitat due to the combined effects of long-term sea level rise, storm erosion and nourishment. Environmental modelling and software, 52, 111-120. Doi.org/10.1016/j.envcsoft.2013.10.020. Church J.A. et al., 2013. Sea level change. In: Climate change 2013: The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Eds: Stocker T.F., Qin D., Plattner G.-K., Tignor M., Allen S.K., Boschung J., Nauels A., Xia Y., Bex V., Midgley P.M., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Connell J., 2016. Last days of the Carteret Islands? Climate change, livelihoods and migration on coral atolls. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 57, 3-15. Doi: 10.1111/apv.12118. Dasgupta S., Laplante B., Meisner C., Wheeler, Yan J., 2009. The impact of sea level rise on developing countries: A comparative analysis. Climatic Change, 93, 379-388. Doi: 10.1007/s 10584-008-9499-5. Delbeke J., Vis P., 2015. EU climate policy explained, 136p. Routledge, Oxon, UK. DiGeorgio M., 2015. Bargaining with disaster: Flooding, climate change, and urban growth ambitions in QuyNhon, Vietnam. Public Affairs, 88, 577-597. Doi: 10.5509/2015883577. Do Minh Duc, Yasuhara K., Nguyen Manh Hieu, 2015. Enhancement of coastal protection under the context of climate change: A case study of Hai Hau coast, Vietnam. Proceedings of the 10th Asian Regional Conference of IAEG, 1-8. Do Minh Duc, Yasuhara K., Nguyen Manh Hieu, Lan Nguyen Chau, 2017. Climate change impacts on a large-scale erosion coast of Hai Hau district, Vietnam and the adaptation. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 21, 47-62. Donner S.D., Webber S., 2014. Obstacles to climate change adaptation decisions: A case study of sea level rise; and coastal protection measures in Kiribati. Sustainability Science, 9, 331-345. Doi: 10.1007/s11625-014-0242-z. Driessen P.P.J., Hegger D.L.T., Bakker M.H.N., Van Renswick H.F.M.W., Kundzewicz Z.W., 2016. Toward more resilient flood risk governance. Ecology and Society, 21, 53-61. Doi: 10.5751/ES-08921-210453. Duangyiwa C., Yu D., Wilby R., Aobpaet A., 2015. Coastal flood risks in the Bangkok Metropolitan region, Thailand: Combined impacts on land subsidence, sea level rise and storm surge. American Geophysical Union, Fall meeting 2015, abstract#NH33C-1927. Duarte C.M., Losada I.J., Hendriks I.E., Mazarrasa I., Marba N., 2013. The role of coastal plant communities for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Nature Climate Change, 3, 961-968. Doi: 10.1038/nclimate1970. Erban L.E., Gorelick S.M., Zebker H.A., 2014. Groundwater extraction, land subsidence, and sea-level rise in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Environmental Research Letters, 9, 1-20. Doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/9/8/084010. FAO - Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2007.The world’s mangroves 1980-2005. FAO Forestry Paper, 153, Rome, Italy. Farbotko C., 2010. Wishful sinking: Disappearing islands, climate refugees and cosmopolitan experimentation. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 51, 47-60. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2010.001413.x. Goltermann D., Ujeyl G., Pasche E., 2008. Making coastal cities flood resilient in the era of climate change. Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on flood defense: Managing flood risk, reliability and vulnerability, 148-1-148-11. Toronto, Canada. Gong W., Shen J., 2011. The response of salt intrusion to changes in river discharge and tidal mixing during the dry season in the Modaomen Estuary, China.Continental Shelf Research, 31, 769-788. Doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2011.01.011. Gosian L., 2014. Protect the world’s deltas. Nature, 516, 31-34. Graham S., Barnett J., Fincher R., Mortreux C., Hurlimann A., 2015. Towards fair outcomes in adaptation to sea-level rise. Climatic Change, 130, 411-424. Doi: 10.1007/s10584-014-1171-7. COASTRES-D-12-00175.1. Güneralp B., Güneralp I., Liu Y., 2015. Changing global patterns of urban expoàsure to flood and drought hazards. Global Environmental Change, 31, 217-225. Doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.01.002. Hallegatte S., Green C., Nicholls R.J., Corfee-Morlot J., 2013. Future flood losses in major coastal cities. Nature Climate Change, 3, 802-806. Doi: 10.1038/nclimate1979. Hamlington B.D., Strassburg M.W., Leben R.R., Han W., Nerem R.S., Kim K.-Y., 2014. Uncovering an anthropogenic sea-level rise signal in the Pacific Ocean. Nature Climate Change, 4, 782-785. Doi: 10.1038/nclimate2307. Hashimoto T.R., 2001. Environmental issues and recent infrastructure development in the Mekong Delta: Review, analysis and recommendations with particular reference to large-scale water control projects and the development of coastal areas. Working paper series (Working paper No. 4). Australian Mekong Resource Centre, University of Sydney, Australia, 1-70. Hibbert F.D., Rohling E.J., Dutton A., Williams F.H., Chutcharavan P.M., Zhao C., Tamisiea M.E., 2016. Coral indicators of past sea-level change: A global repository of U-series dated benchmarks. Quaternary Science Reviews, 145, 1-56. Doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.04.019. Hinkel J., Lincke D., Vafeidis A., Perrette M., Nicholls R.J., Tol R.S.J., Mazeion B., Fettweis X., Ionescu C., Levermann A., 2014. Coastal flood damage and adaptation costs under 21st century sea-level rise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111, 3292-3297. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1222469111. Hinkel J., Nicholls R.J., Tol R.S.J., Wang Z.B., Hamilton J.M., Boot G., Vafeidis A.T., McFadden L., Ganapolski A., Klei R.J.Y., 2013. A global analysis of erosion of sandy beaches and sea level rise: An application of DIVA. Global and Planetary Change, 111, 150-158. Doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.09.002. Huong H.T.L., Pathirana A., 2013. Urbanization and climate change impacts on future urban flooding in Can Tho city, Vietnam. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 379-394. Doi: 10.5194/hess-17-379-2013. Hurlimann A., Barnett J., Fincher R., Osbaldiston N., Montreux C., Graham S., 2014. Urban planning and sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise. Landscape and Urban Planning, 126, 84-93. Doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.12.013. IMHEN-Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, 2011. Climate change vulnerability and risk assessment study for Ca Mau and KienGiang provinces, Vietnam. Hanoi, Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN), 250p. IMHEN-Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, Ca Mau PPC, 2011. Climate change impact and adaptation study in The Mekong Delta - Part A: Ca Mau Atlas. Hanoi, Vietnam: Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN), 48p. IPCC-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. Fifth assessment report. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Jevrejeva S., Jackson L.P., Riva R.E.M., Grinsted A., Moore J.C., 2016. Coastal sea level rise with warming above 2°C. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113, 13342-13347. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1605312113. Junk W.J., AN S., Finlayson C.M., Gopal B., Kvet J., Mitchell S.A., Mitsch W.J., Robarts R.D., 2013. Current state of knowledge regarding the world’s wetlands and their future under global climate change: A synthesis. Aquatic Science, 75, 151-167. Doi: 10.1007/s00027-012-0278-z. Jordan A., Rayner T., Schroeder H., Adger N., Anderson K., Bows A., Le Quéré C., Joshi M., Mander S., Vaughan N., Whitmarsh L., 2013. Going beyond two degrees? The risks and opportunities of alternative options. Climate Policy, 13, 751-769. Doi: 10.1080/14693062.2013.835705. Kelly P.M., Adger W.N., 2000. Theory and practice in assessing vulnerability to climate change and facilitating adaptation. Climatic Change, 47, 325-352. Doi: 10.1023/A:1005627828199. Kirwan M.L., Megonigal J.P., 2013. Tidal wetland stability in the face of human impacts and sea-level rice. Nature, 504, 53-60. Doi: 10.1038/nature12856. Koerth J., Vafeidis A.T., Hinkel J., Sterr H., 2013. What motivates coastal households to adapt pro actively to sea-level rise and increased flood risk? Regional Environmental Change, 13, 879-909. Doi: 10.1007/s10113-12-399-x. Kontgis K., Schneider A., Fox J;,Saksena S., Spencer J.H., Castrence M., 2014. Monitoring peri urbanization in the greater Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area. Applied Geography, 53, 377-388. Doi: 10.1016/j.apgeogr.2014.06.029. Kopp R.E., Horton R.M., Little C.M., Mitrovica J.X., Oppenheimer M., Rasmussen D.J., Strauss B.H., Tebaldi C., 2014. Probabilistic 21st and 22nd century sea-level projections at a global network of tide-gauge sites. Earth’s Future, 2, 383-406. Doi: 10.1002/2014EF000239. Kuenzer C., Bluemel A., Gebhardt S., Quoc T., Dech S., 2011. Remote sensing of mangrove ecosystems: A review.Remote Sensing, 3, 878-928. Doi: 10.3390/rs3050878. Lacerda G.B.M., Silva C., Pimenteira C.A.P., Kopp Jr. R.V., Grumback R., Rosa L.P., de Freitas M.A.V., 2013. Guidelines for the strategic management of flood risks in industrial plant oil in the Brazilian coast: Adaptive measures to the impacts of sea level rise. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 19, 104-1062. Doi: 10.1007/s11027-013-09459-x. Lam Dao Nguyen, Pham Van Bach, Nguyen Thanh Minh, Pham Thi Mai Thy, Hoang Phi Hung, 2011. Change detection of land use and river bank in Mekong Delta, Vietnam using time series remotely sensed data. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2, 370-374. Doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-764x.2011.04.011. Lang N.T., Ky B.X., Kobayashi H., Buu B.C., 2004. Development of salt tolerant varieties in the Mekong delta. JIRCAS Project, Can Tho University, Can Tho, Vietnam, 152. Le Cozannet G., Rohmer J., Cazenave A., Idier D., Van de Wal R., de Winter R., Pedreros R., Balouin Y., Vinchon C., Oliveros C., 2015. Evaluating uncertainties of future marine flooding occurrence as sea-level rises. Environmental Modelling and Software, 73, 44-56. Doi: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2015.07.021. Le Cozannet G., Manceau J.-C., Rohmer J., 2017. Bounding probabilistic sea-level projections with the framework of the possible theory. Environmental Letters Research, 12, 12-14. Doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa5528.Chikamoto Y., 2014. Recent Walker circulation strengthening and Pacific cooling amplified by Atlantic warming. Nature Climate Change, 4, 888-892. Doi: 10.1038/nclimate2330. Lovelock C.E., Cahoon D.R., Friess D.A., Gutenspergen G.R., Krauss K.W., Reef R., Rogers K., Saunders M.L., Sidik F., Swales A., Saintilan N., Le Xuan Tuyen, Tran Triet, 2015. The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise. Nature, 526, 559-563. Doi: 10.1038/nature15538. MA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being: Current state and trends. Island Press, Washington DC, 266p. Masterson J.P., Fienen M.N., Thieler E.R., Gesch D.B., Gutierrez B.T., Plant N.G., 2014. Effects of sea level rise on barrier island groundwater system dynamics - ecohydrological implications. Ecohydrology, 7, 1064-1071. Doi: 10.1002/eco.1442. McGanahan G., Balk D., Anderson B., 2007. The rising tide: Assessing the risks of climate changes and human settlements in low elevation coastal zones.Environment and urbanization, 19, 17-37. Doi: 10.1177/095624780707960. McIvor A., Möller I., Spencer T., Spalding M., 2012. Reduction of wind and swell waves by mangroves. The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International, 1-27. Merryn T., Pidgeon N., Whitmarsh L., Ballenger R., 2016. Expert judgements of sea-level rise at the local scale. Journal of Risk Research, 19, 664-685. Doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2015.1043568. Monioudi I.N., Velegrakis A.F., Chatzipavlis A.E., Rigos A., Karambas T., Vousdoukas M.I., Hasiotis T., Koukourouvli N., Peduzzi P., Manoutsoglou E., Poulos S.E., Collins M.B., 2017. Assessment of island beach erosion due to sea level rise: The case of the Aegean archipelago (Eastern Mediterranean). Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 449-466. Doi: 10.5194/nhess-17-449-2017. MONRE - Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 2016. Scenarios of climate change and sea level rise for Vietnam. Publishing House of Environmental Resources and Maps Vietnam, Hanoi, 188p. Montz B.E., Tobin G.A., Hagelman III R.R., 2017. Natural hazards. Explanation and integration. The Guilford Press, NY, 445p. Morgan L.K., Werner A.D., 2014. Water intrusion vulnerability for freshwater lenses near islands. Journal of Hydrology, 508, 322-327. Doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.11.002. Muis S., Güneralp B., Jongman B., Aerts J.C.H.J., Ward P.J., 2015. Science of the Total Environment, 538, 445-457. Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.068. Murray N.J., Clemens R.S., Phinn S.R., Possingham H.P., Fuller R.A., 2014. Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment, 12, 267-272. Doi: 10.1890/130260. Neumann B., Vafeidis A.T., Zimmermann J., Nicholls R.J., 2015a. Future coastal population growth and exposure to sea-level rise and coastal flooding. A global assessment. Plos One, 10, 1-22. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118571. Nguyen A. Duoc, Savenije H. H., 2006. Salt intrusion in multi-channel estuaries: a case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, European Geosciences Union, 10, 743-754. Doi: 10.5194/hess-10-743-2006. Nguyen An Thinh, Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Luong Thi Tuyen, Luc Hens, 2017. Tourism and beach erosion: Valuing the damage of beach erosion for tourism in the Hoi An, World Heritage site. Journal of Environment, Development and Sustainability. Nguyen An Thinh, Luc Hens (Eds.), 2018. Human ecology of climate change associated disasters in Vietnam: Risks for nature and humans in lowland and upland areas. Springer Verlag, Berlin.Nguyen An Thinh, Vu Anh Dung, Vu Van Phai, Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Pham Minh Tam, Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, Le Trinh Hai, Nguyen Viet Thanh, Hoang Khac Lich, Vu Duc Thanh, Nguyen Song Tung, Luong Thi Tuyen, Trinh Phuong Ngoc, Luc Hens, 2017. Human ecological effects of tropical storms in the coastal area of Ky Anh (Ha Tinh, Vietnam). Environ Dev Sustain, 19, 745-767. Doi: 10.1007/s/10668-016-9761-3. Nguyen Van Hoang, 2017. Potential for desalinization of brackish groundwater aquifer under a background of rising sea level via salt-intrusion prevention river gates in the coastal area of the Red River delta, Vietnam. Environment, Development and Sustainability. Nguyen Tho, Vromant N., Nguyen Thanh Hung, Hens L., 2008. Soil salinity and sodicity in a shrimp farming coastal area of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Environmental Geology, 54, 1739-1746. Doi: 10.1007/s00254-007-0951-z. Nguyen Thang T.X., Woodroffe C.D., 2016. Assessing relative vulnerability to sea-level rise in the western part of the Mekong River delta. Sustainability Science, 11, 645-659. Doi: 10.1007/s11625-015-0336-2. Nicholls N.N., Hoozemans F.M.J., Marchand M., Analyzing flood risk and wetland losses due to the global sea-level rise: Regional and global analyses.Global Environmental Change, 9, S69-S87. Doi: 10.1016/s0959-3780(99)00019-9. Phan Minh Thu, 2006. Application of remote sensing and GIS tools for recognizing changes of mangrove forests in Ca Mau province. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Geoinformatics for Spatial Infrastructure Development in Earth and Allied Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 9-11 November, 1-17. Reise K., 2017. Facing the third dimension in coastal flatlands.Global sea level rise and the need for coastal transformations. Gaia, 26, 89-93. Renaud F.G., Le Thi Thu Huong, Lindener C., Vo Thi Guong, Sebesvari Z., 2015. Resilience and shifts in agro-ecosystems facing increasing sea-level rise and salinity intrusion in Ben Tre province, Mekong Delta. Climatic Change, 133, 69-84. Doi: 10.1007/s10584-014-1113-4. Serra P., Pons X., Sauri D., 2008. Land cover and land use in a Mediterranean landscape. Applied Geography, 28, 189-209. Shearman P., Bryan J., Walsh J.P., 2013.Trends in deltaic change over three decades in the Asia-Pacific Region. Journal of Coastal Research, 29, 1169-1183. Doi: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-12-00120.1. SIWRR-Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, 2016. Annual Report. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ho Chi Minh City, 1-19. Slangen A.B.A., Katsman C.A., Van de Wal R.S.W., Vermeersen L.L.A., Riva R.E.M., 2012. Towards regional projections of twenty-first century sea-level change based on IPCC RES scenarios. Climate Dynamics, 38, 1191-1209. Doi: 10.1007/s00382-011-1057-6. Spencer T., Schuerch M., Nicholls R.J., Hinkel J., Lincke D., Vafeidis A.T., Reef R., McFadden L., Brown S., 2016. Global coastal wetland change under sea-level rise and related stresses: The DIVA wetland change model. Global and Planetary Change, 139, 15-30. Doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.12.018. Stammer D., Cazenave A., Ponte R.M., Tamisiea M.E., 2013. Causes of contemporary regional sea level changes. Annual Review of Marine Science, 5, 21-46. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-121211-172406. Tett P., Mee L., 2015. Scenarios explored with Delphi. In: Coastal zones ecosystems services. Eds., Springer, Berlin, Germany, 127-144. Tran Hong Hanh, 2017. Land use dynamics, its drivers and consequences in the Ca Mau province, Mekong delta, Vietnam. PhD dissertation, 191p. VUBPRESS Brussels University Press, ISBN 9789057186226, Brussels, Belgium. Tran Thuc, Nguyen Van Thang, Huynh Thi Lan Huong, Mai Van Khiem, Nguyen Xuan Hien, Doan Ha Phong, 2016. Climate change and sea level rise scenarios for Vietnam. Ministry of Natural resources and Environment. Hanoi, Vietnam. Tran Hong Hanh, Tran Thuc, Kervyn M., 2015. Dynamics of land cover/land use changes in the Mekong Delta, 1973-2011: A remote sensing analysis of the Tran Van Thoi District, Ca Mau province, Vietnam. Remote Sensing, 7, 2899-2925. Doi: 10.1007/s00254-007-0951-z Van Lavieren H., Spalding M., Alongi D., Kainuma M., Clüsener-Godt M., Adeel Z., 2012. Securing the future of Mangroves. The United Nations University, Okinawa, Japan, 53, 1-56. Water Resources Directorate. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2016. Available online: http://www.tongcucthuyloi.gov.vn/Tin-tuc-Su-kien/Tin-tuc-su-kien-tong-hop/catid/12/item/2670/xam-nhap-man-vung-dong-bang-song-cuu-long--2015---2016---han-han-o-mien-trung--tay-nguyen-va-giai-phap-khac-phuc. Last accessed on: 30/9/2016. Webster P.J., Holland G.J., Curry J.A., Chang H.-R., 2005. Changes in tropical cyclone number, duration, and intensity in a warming environment. Science, 309, 1844-1846. Doi: 10.1126/science.1116448. Were K.O., Dick O.B., Singh B.R., 2013. Remotely sensing the spatial and temporal land cover changes in Eastern Mau forest reserve and Lake Nakuru drainage Basin, Kenya. Applied Geography, 41, 75-86. Williams G.A., Helmuth B., Russel B.D., Dong W.-Y., Thiyagarajan V., Seuront L., 2016. Meeting the climate change challenge: Pressing issues in southern China an SE Asian coastal ecosystems. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 8, 373-381. Doi: 10.1016/j.rsma.2016.07.002. Woodroffe C.D., Rogers K., McKee K.L., Lovdelock C.E., Mendelssohn I.A., Saintilan N., 2016. Mangrove sedimentation and response to relative sea-level rise. Annual Review of Marine Science, 8, 243-266. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-122414-034025.

Zonal tundra vegetation occupies slightly sloped watershed surfaces, weakly convex tops and gentle slopes of moraine hills and ridges with moderate snow cover and loamy soils (plakors). Environmental conditions of such sites are most relevant to macroclimate (Aleksandrova, 1971; Matveyeva, 1998). For the East European sector of the Arctic this vegetation was described in 30–70 years of last century by the Soviet geobotanists V. D. Aleksandrova (1956), ­ V. N. Andreyev (1932), I. D. Bogdanovskaya-Giye­nef (1938), A. A. Dedov (2006), A. E. Katenin (1972), Z. N. Smirnova (1938), who, following the dominant approach, attributed the described associations mainly to the moss vegetation type. In the Asian sector of the Arctic (Yamal and Taymyr peninsulas, Arctic Yakutia, Wrangel Isl.) and in Alaska some associations of zonal communities with Carex bigelowii s. str., C. bigelowii subsp. arctisibi­rica and C. lugens have been described according to Braun-Blanquet approach: Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietum alaskani Matveyeva 1994, Dryado integrifoliae–Caricetum bigelowii Walker et al. 1994, Salici polaris–Hylocomietum alaskani Matveyeva 1998, Carici lugentis–Hylocomietum alaskani Sekretareva 1998 ex Kholod 2007, Salici polaris–Sanionietum uncinatae Kholod 2007, Tephrosero atropurpureae–Vaccinietum vitis-idaeae Telyatnikov et Pristyazhnyuk 2012, Festuco brachyphyllae–Hylocomietum alaskani Lashchinskiy ex Telyatnikov et al. 2014. Our study area in the East European tundras (730 km of south–north and 550 km of west–east directions) covers 3 tundra subzones (arctic, typical and southern) and two floristic subprovinces (Kanin-Pechora and Ural-Novaya Zemlya) (Fig. 1). 7 associations (one with 5 subassociations) based upon 101 authors’ relevés as well 95 ones by geobotanists-predecessors were described or validated on plakors and habitats close to these. Zonal communities are comprised by thick multi-species moss layer formed by mesophylous bryophytes (Aulacomnium turgidum, Hylocomium splendens, Ptilidium ciliare, Racomitrium lanuginosum and Tomentypnum nitens), the presence of Carex bigelowii subsp. arctisibirica, Deschampsia borealis or D. glauca in the herb layer, the high abundance of dwarf-shrubs, the presence, but not always, of Dryas octopetala and shrubby willows. Their plant cover is closed or discontinuous with frost-boils (3-component module of patch of bare ground – rim – trough or 2-component one of flat surface – patches of bare ground — see Fig. 2, 3). Zonal syntaxa are the richest in species number, compare to all others because the placor habitats are moderate in such important environmental characters as moisture and nutrition of soil and snow depth. That’s why they contain, with the same constancy and sometimes abundance, some character species of alliances and classes of intrazonal vegetation: Kobresio-Dryadion Nordh. 1943 (dryad fell-fields on well drained snowless or poor snowy habitats with slightly carbonated loamy-gravelly soils at outcrops of bedrock) and Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii Ohba 1974, Loiseleurio-Arctostaphylion Kalliola ex Nordhagen 1943 (dwarf-shrub and dwarf-shrub-lichen (often with Betula nana) communities on sandy soils) and Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea Eggler ex Schubert 1960, Rubo chamaemori–Dicranion elongati Lavrinenko et Lavrinenko 2015 (dwarf-shrub-cloudberry-moss (Dicranum elongatum, Polytrichum strictum)-lichen communities of oligotrophic palsa and polygon peatlands) and Oxycocco-Sphagnetea Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex Westhoff et al. 1946. The basic syntaxon, whose communities occupy the placor habitats in the arctic tundra subzone (southern­ variant) is Salici polaris–Polytrichetum juniperini Aleksandrova 1956, described on the Southern Island of Novaya Zemlya (Table 1). Similar syntaxa in the typical tundra subzone are Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietum splendentis Andreyev 1932 nom. mut. propos. hoc loco (Table 5, Fig. 14–17) and Dryado octopetalae–Hylocomietum splendentis Andreyev 1932 nom. mut. propos. hoc loco salicetosum nummulariae (Bogdanov­skaya-Giyenef 1938) subass. nov. (stat. nov.), nom. corr. hoc loco, described by us and earlier by I. D. Bogdanov­skaya-Giyenef (1938) and Z. N. Smirnova (1938) on the Kolguyev Isl. (Table 2, Fig. 3, 5, 6); D. o.–H. s. caricetosum redowskianae subass. nov. hoc loco and D. o.–H. s. caricetosum arctisibiricae (Koroleva et Kulyugina in Chytrý et al. 2015) subass. nov. (stat. nov.) hoc loco (Table 4, Fig. 4, 9–13) — in the most eastern part of the studied area (Vaygach Isl., Yugorskiy Peninsula and Pay-Khoy Range); D. o.–H. s. typicum subass. nov. hoc loco (Tab­le 3), described by us with use the V. N. Andreyev (1932) relevés on Vangureymusyur Upland (Bolshezemelskaya tundra). In the southern tundra subzone the basic zonal association is Calamagrostio lapponicae–Hylocomietum splenden­tis ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 6, Fig. 20–22). Even small deviations from placor habitat conditions are reflected in the community species composition. In such habitats the following syntaxa are described: Deschampsio borealis–Limprichtietum revolventis Aleksandrova 1956 nom. mut. propos. hoc loco and Flavocet­rario nivalis–Dryadetum octopetalae Aleksandrova 1956 nom. mut. propos. hoc loco on gentle slopes and loamy soils, not in moderate soil moisture, but in wet or, on the contrary, well-drained ecotopes on the Novaya Zemlya (Table 1); Dryado octopetalae–Hylocomietum splendentis caricetosum capillaris subass. nov. hoc loco — on the deluvial tails, in the mid and lower parts of the gentle slopes in Bolshezemelskaya and Malozemelskaya tundras (Table 4, Fig. 2, 7, 8); Oxytropido sordidae–Hylocomietum splendentis ass. nov. hoc loco — in the Pakhancheskaya Bay area (the northern part of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra) on strongly sloping well drained slopes (Table 6, Fig. 18, 19). We attributed these syntaxa to zonal vegetation due to the presence of such taxa of its differential combination as shrub Salix glauca, dwarf-shrub Salix polaris, herbs Bistorta major, Carex bigelowii subsp. arctisibirica, Deschampsia borealis, D. glauca, Eriophorum brachyantherum, Juncus biglumis, Luzula arcuata, Pedicularis lapponica, Petasites frigidus, Poa arctica, Saxifraga hieracifolia, S. hirculus, Stellaria peduncularis, Valeriana capitata, mosses Aulacomnium turgidum, Hylocomium splendens, Ptilidium ciliare, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Tomentypnum nitens and lichens Lobaria linita, Nephroma expallidum, Protopannaria pezizoides, Psoroma hypnorum. This combination of taxa differentiates (by the presence, constancy, abundance) the zonal communities in studied area from vegetation of other classes (Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii, Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea, Oxycocco-Sphagnetea) (Table 7). The borders of many species area distribution are held in the East European tundras, so the variation of the community species composition along the latitudinal and longitude gradients is quite natural. Thus, in zonal communities Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens and Salix phylicifolia occur and Betula nana as well as hypoarctic dwarf-shrubs Arctous alpina, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Vaccinium uliginosum subsp. microphyllum­ and V. vitis-idaea subsp. minus are most active only in the southern tundra subzone; Salix polaris (its activity increases to the north) and, in some syntaxa, Dryas octopetala are common in the subzones of typical and arctic tundras. In zonal conditions shrubs Salix glauca, Betula nana (prostrate) and all hypoarctic dwarf-shrubs occur in the typical tundra subzone on the mainland and on Kolguyev Isl., while in the northern part of this subzone on Vaygach Isl. they are already absent, ­except the Vaccinium spp. (with low constancy). In the arctic tundra subzone there are no shrubs and hypoarctic dwarf-shrubs on plakors, while Salix polaris is abundant. We believe that these floristic differences of zonal communities can be considered as markers of their subzonal affiliation. A similar shift in species distribution on the latitudinal gradient is established (Matveyeva, 1998) for the zonal biotopes on Taymyr Peninsula. Some species (Arctagrostis latifolia, Cerastium regelii subsp. caespitosum, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Silene acaulis) have high constancy in zonal communities within the Ural-Novaya Zemlya subprovince, as opposed to the Kanin-Pechora one. Herbs Oxyria digyna, Papaver polare, Parrya nudicaulis, Pedicularis sudetica subsp. arctoeuropaea, Saxifraga cernua and S. cespitosa occur with high constancy only in zonal communities on Novaya Zemlya that brings them closer to syntaxa described in the arctic and typical tundra subzones on Taymyr Peninsula (Matveyeva, 1994, 1998). Already in 1994, N. V. Matveyeva stated the need to describe a new class for zonal vegetation. The name Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani cl. prov. has been reserved for this class in Yalta’s conference on the classification of Russian vegetation (Lavrinenko et al., 2016), Prague’s “Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Archive and Classification Workshop” (presentation by N. V. Matveyeva) and “Arctic Science Summit Week 2017” (Lavrinenko et al., 2017). We do not attribute the newly described syntaxa to alliance Dryado octopetalae–Caricion arctisibiricae Koroleva et Kulyugina in Chytrý et al. 2015, which was described at the base of 15 relevés by geobotanists-predecessors (V. N. Andreyev, A. A. Dedov) and as well the 11 ones by E. E. Kulyugina for zonal habitats in the East European tundras (Koroleva, Kulyugina, 2015). At least, it is necessary to revise this alliance, since the name of ass. Pediculari oederi–Dryadetum octopetalae (Andreev 1932) Koroleva et Kulyugina 2015 are not legitimate (nomen superfluum), ass. Salici reticulatae–Dryadetum octopetalae Koroleva et Kulyugina 2015 need to be revised and the rank of the third one (Dryado octopetalae–Caricetum arctisibiricae Koroleva et Kulyugina in Chytrý et al. 2015 was lowered by us (in this paper) to subass. Dryado octopetalae–Hylocomietum splendentis caricetosum arctisibiricae; the definitions of both vegetation and habitats are not quite appropriate to the nature reality; diagnostic species were selected randomly. The current position of this alliance within the Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii is debatable, because this makes vague the syntaxonomical content and expands the syntaxonomical boundaries of class whose communities occur in the intrazonal habitats (fell-fields and dwarf-scrub graminoid stands on base-rich substrates). New higher units of zonal vegetation with sedges Carex bigelowii subsp. arctisibirica, C. bige­lowii s. str. and C. lugens, and, most likely, with cotton grass Eriophorum vaginatum, need to be described in the near future, since the data for this are available from various sectors of the Arctic.

Study of petrological and geochemical characteristics of mantle peridotite xenoliths in Pliocene alkaline basalt in Nghia Dan (West Nghe An) was carried out. Rock-forming clinopyroxenes, the major trace element containers, were separated from the xenoliths to analyze for major, trace element and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions. The data were interpreted for source geochemical characteristics and geodynamic processes of the lithospheric mantle beneath the region. The peridotite xenoliths being mostly spinel-lherzolites in composition, are residual entities having been produced following partial melting events of ultramafic rocks in the asthenosphere. They are depleted in trace element abundance and Sr-Nd isotopic composition. Some are even more depleted as compared to mid-ocean ridge mantle xenoliths. Modelled calculation based on trace element abundances and their corresponding solid/liquid distribution coefficients showed that the Nghia Dan mantle xenoliths may be produced of melting degrees from 8 to 12%. Applying various methods for two-pyroxene temperature- pressure estimates, the Nghia Dan mantle xenoliths show ranges of crystallization temperature and pressure, respectively, of 1010-1044°C and 13-14.2 kbar, roughly about 43km. A geotherm constructed for the mantle xenoliths showed a higher geothermal gradient as compared to that of in the western Highlands (Vietnam) and a conductive model, implying a thermal perturbation under the region. The calculated Sm-Nd model ages for the clinopyroxenes yielded 127 and 122 Ma. If the age is meaningful it suggests that there was a major geodynamic process occurred beneath Western Nghe An in the middle- Early Cretaceous that was large enough to cause perturbation in the evolutional trend of the Sm-Nd isotopic system.ReferencesAn A-R., Choi S.H., Yu Y-g., Lee D-C., 2017. Petrogenesis of Late Cenozoic basaltic rocks from southern Vietnam. Lithos, 272-273 (2017), 192-204.Anders E., Grevesse N., 1989. Abundances of the elements: meteorite and solar. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 53, 197-214.Anderson D.L, 1994. The subcontinental mantle as the source of continental flood basalts; the case against the continental lithosphere mantle and plume hear reservoirs. Earth and Planetary Science Letter, 123, 269-280.Arai S., 1994. Characterization of spinel peridotites by olivine-spinel compositional relationships: review and interpretation. Chemical Geology, 113, 191-204.Ballhaus C., Berry R.G., Green D.H., 1991. High pressure experimental calibration of the olivine orthopyroxene-spinel oxygen geobarometer: implications for the oxidation state of the upper mantle. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 107, 27-40.Barr S.M. and MacDonald A.S., 1981. Geochemistry and geochronology of late Cenozoic basalts of southeast Asia: summary. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 92, 508-512.Brey G.P., Köhler T., 1990. Geothermobarometry in four-phase lherzolite II. New thermobarometers, and practical assessment of existing thermobarometers. Journal of Petrology, 31, 1353-1378.Briais A., Patriat P., Tapponnier P., 1993. Updated interpretation of magnetic anomalies and seafloor spreading stages in the South China Sea, implications for the Tertiary tectonics of SE Asia. Journal of Geophysical Research, 98, 6299-6328.Carlson R.W., Irving A.J., 1994. Depletion and enrichment history of subcontinental lithospheric mantle: an Os, Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic study of ultramafic xenoliths from the northwestern Wyoming Craton. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 126, 457-472.Carlson R.W., Lugmair G.W., 1979. Sm-Nd constraints on early lunar differentiation and the evolution of KREEP. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 45, 123-132.Carlson R.W., Lugmair G.W., 1981. Sm-Nd age of lherzolite 67667: implications for the processes involved in lunar crustal formation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 56, 1-8.Choi H.S., Mukasa S.B., Zhou X-H., Xian X-G.H., Andronikov A.V., 2008. Mantle dynamics beneath East Asia constrained by Sr, Nd, Pb and Hf isotopic systematics of ultramafic xenoliths and their host basalts from Hannuoba, North China. Chemical Geology, 248, 40-61.Choi S.H., Jwa Y.-J., Lee H.Y., 2001. Geothermal gradient of the upper mantle beneath Jeju Island, Korea: evidence from mantle xenoliths. Island Arc, 10, 175-193.Choi S.H., Kwon S-T., Mukasa S.B., Sagon H., 2005. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope and trace element systematics of mantle xenoliths from Late Cenozoic alkaline lavas, South Korea. Chemical Geology, 22, 40-64.Cox K.G., Bell J.D., Pankhurst R.J., 1979. The Interpretation of Igneous Rocks. George Allen & Unwin.Cung Thuong Chi, Dorobek S.L., Richter C., Flower M., Kikawa E., Nguyen Y.T., McCabe R., 1998. Paleomagnetism of Late Neogene basalts in Vietnam and Thailand: Implications for the Post-Miocene tectonic history of Indochina. In: Flower M.F.J., Chung, S.L., Lo, C.H., (Eds.). Mantle Dynamics and Plate Interactions in East Asia. Geodynamics Ser, American Geophysical Union, 27, 289-299.De Hoog J.C.M., Gall L., Cornell D.H., 2010. Trace-element geochemistry of mantle olivine and application to mantle petrogenesis and geothermobarometry. Chemical Geology, 270, 196-215.DePaolo D. J., 1981. Neodymium isotopes in the Colorado Front Range and crust - mantle evolution in the Proterozoic. Nature, 291, 193-197.DePaolo D.J., Wasserburg G.J., 1976. Nd isotopic variations and petrogenetic models. Geophysical Research Letters, 3(5), 249-252. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.13.1.11.Embey-Isztin A., Dobosi G., Meyer H.-P., 2001. Thermal evolution of the lithosphere beneath the western Pannonian Basin: evidence from deep-seat xenoliths. Tectonophysics, 331, 285-306.Fedorov P.I., Koloskov A.V., 2005. Cenozoic volcanism of Southeast Asia. Petrologiya, 13(4), 289-420.Frey F.A., Prinz M., 1978. Ultramafic inclusions from San Carlos, Arizona: Petrologic and geochemical data bearing on their Petrogenesis. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 38, 129-176.Garnier V., Ohmenstetter D., Giuliani G., Fallick A.E., Phan T.T., Hoang Q.V., Pham V.L., Schawarz D., 2005. Basalt petrology, zircon ages and sapphire genesis from Dak Nong, southern Vietnam. Mineralogical Magazine, 69(1), 21-38.Gast P.W., 1968. Trace element fractionation and the origin of tholeiitic and alkaline magma types. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 32, 1057-1086.Gorshkov A.P, Ivanenko A.N., Rashidov V.A., 1984. Hydro-magnetic investigations of submarine volcanic zones in the marginal seas of Pacific Ocean (Novovineisky and Bien Dong seas). Pacific Ocean Geology, 1, 13-20.Gorshkov A.P., 1981. Investigation of submarine volcanoes during the 10th course of scientific research vessel ‘Volcanolog’. Volcanology and Seismology, 6, 39-45 (in Russian).Hart S.R., 1988. Heterogeneous mantle domains: signatures, genesis and mixing chronologies. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 90, 273-296.Hirose K., Kushiro I., 1993. Partial melting of dry peridotites at high pressures: determination of composition of melts segregated from peridotite using aggregate of diamond. Earth Planet Science Letters, 114, 477-489.Hoang-Thi H.A., Choi S.H., Yongjae Yu Y-g., Pham T.H., Nguyen K.H., Ryu J-S., 2018. Geochemical constraints on the spatial distribution of recycled oceanic crust in the mantle source of late Cenozoic basalts, Vietnam. Lithos, 296-299 (2018), 382-395.Izokh A.E., Smirnov S.Z., Egorova V.V., Tran T.A., Kovyazin S.V., Ngo T.P., Kalinina V.V., 2010. The conditions of formation of sapphire and zircon in the areas of alkali-basaltoid volcanism in Central Vietnam. Russian Geology and Geophysics, 51(7), 719-733.Johnson K.T., Dick H.J.B. and Shimizu N., 1990. Melting in the oceanic upper mantle: An ion microprobe study of diopsides in abyssal peridotites. Journal of Geophysical Research (solid earth), 95, 2661-2678.Kölher T.P., Brey G.P., 1990. Calcium exchange between olivine and clinopyroxene calibrated as a geothermobarometer for natural peridotites from 2 to 60 kb with applications. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 54(9), 2375-2388.Kushiro I., 1996. Partial melting of a fertile mantle peridotite at high pressure: An experimental study using aggregates of diamond. In: A. Basu and S.R. Hart (Eds.), Earth Processes: Reading the Isotopic Code. AGU Monograph, 95, 109-122.Kushiro I., 1998. Compositions of partial melts formed in mantle peridotites at high pressures and their relation to those of primitive MORB. Physics of Earth and Planetary Interiors, 107, 103-110.Latin D., White N., 1990. Generating melt during lithospheric extension: Pure shear vs. simple shear. Geology, 18, 327-331.Lee T.-y. and Lawver L., 1995. Cenozoic plate reconstruction of Southeast Asia. In: M.F.J. Flower, R.J. McCabe and T.W.C. Hilde (Editors), Southeast Asia Structure, Tectonics, and Magmatism. Tectonophysics, 85-138.Li C-F., et al., 2015. Seismic stratigraphy of the central South China Sea basin and implications for neotectonics. Journal of Geophysical Research (solid earth), 120, 1377-1399. Doi:10.1002/2014JB011686.Li C.-F., et al., 2014. Ages and magnetic structures of the South China Sea constrained by deep tow magnetic surveys and IODP Expedition 349 Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14, 4958-4983.Malinovsky A.I., Rashidov V.A., 2015. Compositional characteristics of sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary rocks of Phu Quy-Catwick island group in the continental shelf of Vietnam. Bulletin of Kamchatka Regional Association of ‘Educational - Scientific’ Center, Earth Sciences, 27(3), 12-34 (in Russian with English summary).McCulloch M.T., Wasserburg G.J., 1978. Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr chronology of continental crust formation. Science, 200(4345), 1003-1011.Menzies M.A., Arculus R.L., Best M.G., et al., 1987. A record of subduction process and within-plate volcanism in lithospheric xenoliths of the southwestern USA. In P.H. Nixon (Editor), Mantle Xenoliths, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 59-74.Nguyen Hoang, Ogasawara M., Tran Thi Huong, Phan Van Hung, Nguyen Thi Thu, Cu Sy Thang, Pham Thanh Dang, Pham Tich Xuan, 2014. Geochemistry of Neogene Basalts in the Nghia Dan district, western Nghe An. J. Sci. of the Earth, 36, 403 -412.Nguyen Kinh Quoc, Nguyen Thu Giao, 1980. Cenozoic volcanic activity in Viet Nam. Geology and Mineral Resources, 2, 137-151 (in Vietnamese with English abstract).Nixon P.H., 1987 (Editor). Mantle xenoliths. John Wiley and Sons, 844p.Norman M.D. and Garcia M.O., 1999. Primitive magmas and source characteristics of the Hawaiian plume: petrology and geochemistry of shield picrites. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 168, 27-44.Pollack H.N., Chapman D.S., 1977. On the regional variation of heat flow, geotherms and lithospheric thickness. Tectonophysics, 38, 279-296.Putirka K., 2008. Thermometers and Barometers for Volcanic Systems. In: Putirka, K., Tepley, F. (Eds.), Minerals, Inclusions and Volcanic Processes, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Mineralogical Soc. Am., 69, 61-120. Putirka K.D., 2017. Down the craters: where magmas stored and why they erupt. Methods and Further Reading. Supplement to February 2017 issue of Elements, 3(1), 11-16.Putirka K.D., Johnson M., Kinzler R., Longhi J., Walker D., 1996. Thermobarometry of mafic igneous rocks based on clinopyroxene-liquid equilibria, 0-30 kbar. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 123, 92-108. Putirka K.D., Mikaelian H., Ryerson F., Shaw H., 2003. New clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometers for mafic, evolved, and volatile-bearing lava compositions, with applications to lavas from Tibet and the Snake River Plain, Idaho. American Mineralogist, 88, 1542-1554. Qi Q., Taylor L.A., Zhou X., 1995. Petrology and geochemistry of mantle peridotite xenoliths from SE China. Journal of Petrology, 36, 55-79.Sachtleben T.H., Seck H.A., 1981. Chemical control on the Al-solubility in orthopyroxene and its implications on pyroxene geothermometry. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 78, 157-65.Shaw D.M., 1970. Trace element fractionation during anataxis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 34, 237-243.Sun S-S, McDonough W.F., 1989. Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: implications for mantle composition and processes. In Saunders A.D. and Norry, M.J. (eds) Magmatism in the Ocean Basins. Geological Society Special Publication, 42, 313-345.Takahashi E., 1986. Melting of a dry peridotite KLB-1 up to 14 Gpa: implications on the origin of peridotite upper mantle. J. Geophysical Research, 91, 9367-9382.Takahashi E., Kushiro I., 1983. Melting of a dry peridotite at high pressure and basalt magma genesis. American Mineralogist, 68, 859-879.Tamaki K., 1995. Upper mantle extrusion tectonics of southeast Asia and formation of western Pacific backarc basins. In: International Workshop: Cenozoic Evolution of the Indochina Peninsula, Hanoi/Do Son, April, p.89 (Abstract with Programs).Tapponnier P., Lacassin R., Leloup P.H., Shärer U., Dalai Z., Haiwei W., Xiaohan L., Shaocheng J., Lianshang Z., Jiayou Z., 1990. The Ailao Shan/Red River metamorphic belt: Tertiary left-lateral shear between Indochina and South China. Nature, 343(6257), 431-437.Tapponnier P., Peltzer G., La Dain A.Y., Armijo R., Cobbold P., 1982. Propagating extrusion tectonics in Asia: New insights from simple experiments with plasticine. Geology, 7, 611-616.Tatsumoto M., Basu A.R., Huang W., Wang J., Xie G., 1992. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes of ultramafic xenoliths in volcanic rocks of eastern China: enriched components EMI and EMII in subcontinental lithosphere. Earth Planet Sci. Letters, 113, 107-128.Taylor S.R., McLennan S.M., 1981. The composition and evolution of the continental crust: rare earth element evidence from sedimentary rocks. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 301, 381-399.Tu K., Flower M.F.J., Carlson R.W., Xie G-H., 1991. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions of Hainan basalt (south China): Implications for a subcontinental lithosphere Dupal source. Geology, 19, 567-569.Tu K., Flower M.F.J., Carlson R.W., Xie G-H., Zhang M., 1992. Magmatism in the South China Basin 1. Isotopic and trace-element evidence for an endogenous Dupal component. Chemical Geology, 97, 47-63.Warren J.M., 2016. Global variations in abyssal peridotite compositions. Lithos, 248-251, 193-219.Webb S.A., Wood B.J., 1986. Spinel pyroxene- garnet relationships and their dependence on Cr/Al ratio. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 92, 471-480.Wells P.R.A., 1977. Pyroxene thermometry in simple and complex systems. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 62, 129-139.Whitford-Stark J.L., 1987. A survey of Cenozoic olcanism on mainland Asia, special paper, 213. Geological Society of America, 74p.Workman R.K., Hart S.R., 2005. Major and trace element composition of the depleted MORB mantle (DMM). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 231, 53-72.Zhou P., Mukasa S., 1997. Nd-Sr-Pb isotopic, and major- and trace-element geochemistry of Cenozoic lavas from the Khorat Plateau, Thailand, sources and petrogenesis. Chemical Geology, 137, 175-193.Zindler A., Hart S.R., 1986. Chemical geodynamics. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 14, 493-571.

-Sidney W. Mintz, Paget Henry ,C.L.R. James' Caribbean. Durham: Duke University Press, 1992. xvi + 287 pp., Paul Buhle (eds)-Allison Blakely, Jan M. van der Linde, Over Noach met zijn zonen: De Cham-ideologie en de leugens tegen Cham tot vandaag. Utrecht: Interuniversitair Instituut voor Missiologie en Oecumenica, 1993. 160 pp.-Helen I. Safa, Edna Acosta-Belén ,Researching women in Latin America and the Caribbean. Boulder CO: Westview, 1993. x + 201 pp., Christine E. Bose (eds)-Helen I. Safa, Janet H. Momsen, Women & change in the Caribbean: A Pan-Caribbean Perspective. Bloomington: Indiana University Press; Kingston: Ian Randle, 1993. x + 308 pp.-Paget Henry, Janet Higbie, Eugenia: The Caribbean's Iron Lady. London: Macmillan, 1993. 298 pp.-Kathleen E. McLuskie, Moira Ferguson, Subject to others: British women writers and Colonial Slavery 1670-1834. New York: Routledge, 1992. xii + 465 pp.-Samuel Martínez, Senaida Jansen ,Género, trabajo y etnia en los bateyes dominicanos. Santo Domingo: Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Programa de Estudios se la Mujer, 1991. 195 pp., Cecilia Millán (eds)-Michiel Baud, Roberto Cassá, Movimiento obrero y lucha socialista en la República Dominicana (desde los orígenes hasta 1960). Santo Domingo: Fundación Cultural Dominicana, 1990. 620 pp.-Paul Farmer, Robert Lawless, Haiti's Bad Press. Rochester VT: Schenkman Press, 1992. xxvii + 261 pp.-Bill Maurer, Karen Fog Olwig, Global culture, Island identity: Continuity and change in the Afro-Caribbean Community of Nevis. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1993. xi + 239 pp.-Viranjini Munasinghe, Kevin A. Yelvington, Trinidad Ethnicity. Knoxville: University of Tennesee Press, 1993. vii + 296 pp.-Kevin K. Birth, Christine Ho, Salt-water Trinnies: Afro-Trinidadian Immigrant Networks and Non-Assimilation in Los Angeles. New York: AMS Press, 1991. xvi + 237 pp.-Steven Gregory, Andrés Isidoro Pérez y Mena, Speaking with the dead: Development of Afro-Latin Religion among Puerto Ricans in the United States. A study into the Interpenetration of civilizations in the New World. New York: AMS Press, 1991. xvi + 273 pp.-Frank Jan van Dijk, Mihlawhdh Faristzaddi, Itations of Jamaica and I Rastafari (The Second Itation, the Revelation). Miami: Judah Anbesa Ihntahnah-shinahl, 1991.-Derwin S. Munroe, Nelson W. Keith ,The Social Origins of Democratic Socialism in Jamaica. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992. xxiv + 320 pp., Novella Z. Keith (eds)-Virginia Heyer Young, Errol Miller, Education for all: Caribbean Perspectives and Imperatives. Washington DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 1992. 267 pp.-Virginia R. Dominguez, Günter Böhm, Los sefardíes en los dominios holandeses de América del Sur y del Caribe, 1630-1750. Frankfurt: Vervuert, 1992. 243 pp.-Virginia R. Dominguez, Robert M. Levine, Tropical diaspora: The Jewish Experience in Cuba. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1993. xvii + 398 pp.-Aline Helg, John L. Offner, An unwanted war: The diplomacy of the United States and Spain over Cuba, 1895-1898. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992. xii + 306 pp.-David J. Carroll, Eliana Cardoso ,Cuba after Communism. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 1992. xiii + 148 pp., Ann Helwege (eds)-Antoni Kapcia, Ian Isadore Smart, Nicolás Guillén: Popular Poet of the Caribbean. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1990. 187 pp.-Sue N. Greene, Moira Ferguson, The Hart Sisters: Early African Caribbean Writers, Evangelicals, and Radicals. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1993. xi + 214 pp.-Michael Craton, James A. Lewis, The final campaign of the American revolution: Rise and fall of the Spanish Bahamas. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1991. xi + 149 pp.-David Geggus, Clarence J. Munford, The black ordeal of slavery and slave trading in the French West Indies, 1625-1715. Lewiston NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1991. 3 vols. xxii + 1054 pp.-Paul E. Sigmund, Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley, Guerillas and Revolution in Latin America: A comparative Study of Insurgents and Regimes since 1956. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992. xx + 424 pp.-Robert E. Millette, Patrick A.M. Emmanuel, Elections and Party Systems in the Commonwealth Caribbean, 1944-1991. St. Michael, Barbados: Caribbean Development Research Services, 1992. viii + 111 pp.-Robert E. Millette, Donald C. Peters, The Democratic System in the Eastern Caribbean. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 1992. xiv + 242 pp.-Pedro A. Cabán, Arnold H. Liebowitz, Defining status: A comprehensive analysis of United States Territorial Relations. Boston & Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 1989. xxii + 757 pp.-John O. Stewart, Stuart H. Surlin ,Mass media and the Caribbean. New York: Gordon & Breach, 1990. xviii + 471 pp., Walter C. Soderlund (eds)-William J. Meltzer, Antonio V. Menéndez Alarcón, Power and television in Latin America: The Dominican Case. Westport CT: Praeger, 1992. 199 pp.

Can Gio mangrove forest (CGM) is located downstream of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), situated between an estuarine system of Dong Nai - Sai Gon river and a part of Vam Co river. The CGM is the largest restored mangrove forest in Vietnam and the UNESCO’s Mangrove Biosphere Reserve. The CGM has been gradually facing to numeric challenges of global climate change, environmental degradation and socio-economic development for the last decades. To evaluate sediment quality in the CGM, we collected 13 cores to analyze for sediment grain size, organic matter content, and trace element concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn. Results showed that trace element concentrations ranged from uncontaminated (Cd, Cu, and Zn) to very minor contaminated (Cr, Ni, and Pb). The concentrations were gradually influenced by suspended particle size and the mangrove plants.ReferencesAnh M.T., Chi D.H., Vinh N.N., Loan T.T., Triet L.M., Slootenb K.B.-V., Tarradellas J., 2003. Micropollutants in the sediment of Sai Gon – Dong Nai rivers: Situation and ecological risks. Chimia International Journal for Chemistry, 57, 09(0009–4293), 537–541.Baruddin N.A., Shazili N.A., Pradit S., 2017. Sequential extraction analysis of heavy metals in relation to bioaccumulation in mangroves, Rhizophora mucronata from Kelantan delta, Malaysia. AACL Bioflux, 10(2), 172-181. Retrieved from www.bioflux.com/aacl.Bravard J.-P., Goichot M., Tronchere H., 2014. An assessment of sediment transport processes in the lower Mekong river based on deposit grain size, the CM technique and flow energy data. Geomorphology, 207, 174-189.Cang L.T., Thanh N.C. 2008. Importing and exporting sediment to and from mangrove forest at Dong Trang estuary, Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh city. Science & Technology Development, 11(04), 12-18.Carignan J., Hild P., Mevelle G., Morel J., Yeghicheyan D., 2001. Routine analyses of trace elements in geological samples using flow injection and low-pressure on-line liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS: A study of geochemical reference materials BR, DR-N, UB-N, AN-G and GH. The Journal of Geo standard and Geoanalysis, 187-198.Carlson P.R., Yarbro L.A., Zimmermann C.F., Montgomery J.R., 1983. Pore water chemistry of an overwash mangrove island. Academy Symposium: Future of the Indian River System, 46(3/4), 239-249. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24320336.Chatterjee M., Canário J., Sarkar S.K., Branco V., Godhantaraman N., Bhattacharya B.D., Bhattacharya A., 2012. Biogeochemistry of mercury and methylmercury in sediment cores from Sundarban mangrove wetland, India—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Environ Monit Assess, 184, 5239–5254.Claudia R., Huy N.V., 2004. Water allocation policies for the Dong Nai river basin in Viet Nam: An integrated perspective. EPTD Discussion Paper, 127, 01-52.Folk R.L., Ward W.C., 1957. Brazos River bar: A study in the significance of grain size parameters. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 27(1), 3-26.Furukawaa K., Wolanski E., Mueller H., 1997. Currents and sediment transport in mangrove forests. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 44, 301-310.Hai H.Q., Tuyen N.N., 2011. Coastal Erosion of Can Gio district Ho Chi Minh City due to the global climate change. The journal of development of technology and science, 14, 17-28.HCM SO S.O., 2015. Annual statistic data in 2015 for HCM city. Ho Chi Minh city: Statistic office of HCM city.HCMC, 2017. Decision No. 3901 on approving the areas of forest and land in HCM city in 2016. Ho Chi Minh: The people's committee of HCM city.Herut B., Sandler A., 2006. Normalization methods for pollutants in marine sediments: review and recommendations for the Mediterranean. Haifa 31080: Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research: IOLR Report H18/2006.Hong P.N., San H.T., 1993. Mangroves of Vietnam: Chapter VI Human impacts on the mangrove ecosystem. Bangkok 10501: IUCN - The International Union for Conservation of Nature, ISBN: 2-8317-0166-x.Hubner R., Astin K.B., Herbert R.J., 2009. Comparison of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for the assessment of metal contamination in marine and estuarine environments. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 11, 713–722.IAEA, 2003. Collection and preparation of bottom sediment samples for analysis of radionuclides and trace elements. Vienna, Austria: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA-TECDOC-1360, ISBN 92–0–109003–X.Jingchun L., Chongling Y., Ruifeng Z., Haoliang L., Guangqiu Q., 2008. Speciation changes of Cd in mangrove (Kandelia Candel L.) rhizosphere sediments. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 231-236. Doi:10.1007/s00128-007-9351-z.Kalaivanan R., Jayaprakash M., Nethaji S., Arya V., Giridharan L., 2017. Geochemistry of Core Sediments from Tropical Mangrove Region of Tamil Nadu: Implications on Trace Metals. Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change, ISSN: 2157-7617., 8(1.1000385), 1-10. Doi:10.4172/2157-7617.1000385.Kathiresan K., Saravanakumar K., Mullai P., 2014. Bioaccumulation of trace elements by Avicennia marina. Journal of Coastal Life Medicine, 2(11), 888-894.Kitazawa T., Nakagawa T., Hashimoto T., Tateishi M., 2006. Stratigraphy and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of a Quaternary sequence along the Dong Nai River, southern Vietnam. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 27, 788–804.Lacerda L.D., 1998. Trace metals of biogeochemistry and diffuse pollution in mangrove (M. Vannucci, Ed.) Mangrove ecosystem occassional papers (ISSN: 0919-1348), 2, 1-72.Laura H., Probsta A., Probsta J.L., Ulrich E., 2003. Heavy metal distribution in some French forest soils: evidence for atmospheric contamination. The Science of Total Environment, 195-210.Li R., Li R., Chai M., Shen X., Xu H., Qiu G., 2015. Heavy metal contamination and ecological risk in Futian mangrove forest sediment in Shenzhen Bay, South China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 101, 448–456.Long E., Morgan L.G., 1990. The potential for biological effects of sediment-sorted contaminants tested in the national status and trends program. Seattle, Washington: NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OMA 52.Long E.R., Field L.J., MacDonald D.D., 1998. Predicting toxicity in marine sediments with numerical sediment quality guidelines. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 17, 714–727. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.5620170428/abstract;jsessionid=C5264A1AD0.7ACCA9B4EF9A088BE2EDE9.f04t04Long E.R., MacDonald D.D., Smith S.L., Calder F.D., 1995. Incidence of adverse biological effects within ranges of chemical concentration in marine and estuarine sediments. Environmental management, 19, 81-97.Maiti S.K., Chowdhury A., 2013. Effects of Anthropogenic Pollution on Mangrove Biodiversity: A Review. Journal of Environmental Protection, 4, 1428-1434.Marchand C., Allenbach M., Lallier-Verges E., 2011. Relation between heavy metal distribution and organic matter cycling in mangrove sediments (Conception Bay, New Caledonia). Geoderma, Elsevier, 160 (3-4), 444-456.Mohd F.N., Nor R.H., 2010. Heavy metal concentrations in an important mangrove species, Sonneratia caseolaris, in Peninsular Malaysia. Environment Asia, 3, 50-53.Muller G., 1979. Schwermetalle in den Sedimenten des Rheins - Veränderungen seit 1971. Umschau, 778-783.Nam V.N., 2007. Restoration of Can Gio mangrove forest: Its structure and function in comparison between the ecosytems of plantion and nature mangrove forest. Workshop on the thesis between Germany and Vietnam.Nickerson N.H., Thibodeau F.R., 1985. Association between pore water sulfide concentrations and the distribution of mangroves. Biogeochemistry, 1, 183-192.Ong Che R.G., 1999. Concentration of 7 Heavy Metals in Sediments and Mangrove Root Samples from Mai Po, Hong Kong. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 39, 269-279.Passega R., 1957. Texture as characteristics of clastic deposition. Publisher: American Association of Petroleum Geologists.Passega R., 1964. Grain size representation by CM patterns as a geological tool. J Sediment Petrol, 34, 830–847.Phuoc V.L., An D.T., Cang L.T., Chung B.N., Tien N.V., 2010. Study the sediment dynamics in Can Gio mangrove forest (Nang Hai site, Ho Chi Minh city). Ho Chi Minh city: The final report of National University Ho Chi Minh city, No. B2009-18-36.Pumijumnong N., Danpradit S., 2016. Heavy metal accumulation in sediments and mangrove forest stems from Surat Thani province, Thailand. The Malaysian forester, 79(1&2), 212-228.QCVN43:2012/BTNMT, 2012. QCVN43:2012/BTNMT: National technical regulation on the sediment quality, Ha Noi: Ministry of natural resources and environment of Vietnam.Qiao S., Shi X., Fang X., Liu S., Kornkanitnan N., Gao J., Yu Y., 2015. Heavy metal and clay mineral analyses in the sediments of Upper Gulf of Thailand and their implications on sedimentary provenance and dispersion pattern. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 114, 488–496.Rollinson H. R., 1993. Using geochemical data for evaluation, presentation and interpretation. UK: Longman Group UK Limited ISBN-0-582-06701-4.Spalding M., Blasco F., Field C., 2010. World atlas of mangrove. Cambridge: Earthscan in UK and US, ISBN: 978-1-84407-657-4.Strady E., Dang V.B., Némery J., Guédron S., Dinh Q.T., Denis H., Nguyen P.D., 2016. Baseline seasonal investigation of nutrients and trace metals in surface waters and sediments along the Saigon River basin impacted by the megacity of HCM, Viet Nam. Environ Sci Pollut Res, 1-18. doi:10.1007/s11356-016-7660-7.Tam N.F., Wong Y.S., 1996. Retention and distribution of heavy metals in mangrove soils receiving wastewater. Environment pollution, 94(5), 283-291.Thomas N., Lucas R., Bunting P., Hardy A., Rosenqvist A., Simard M., 2017. Distribution and drivers of global mangrove forest change, 1996– 2010. PLoS ONE, 12(6): e0179302, 1-14. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0179302.Thuy H.T., Loan T.T., Vy N.N., 2007. Study on environmental geochemistry of heavy metals in urban canal sediments of Ho Chi Minh city. Science and Technology Development, 10(01), 1-9.Toan T.T., Bay N.T., 2006. A study on the tendency of accretion and erosion in Can Gio coastal zone. Vietnam-Japan estuary workshop, 184-194.Tri N.H., Hong P.N., Cuc L.T., 2000. Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve Ho Chi Minh city, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Ha Noi: Hanoi University Publisher.Truong T.V., 2007. Planning for water source of Dong Nai river basin. Retrieved from Water Resources Planning: http://siwrp.org.vn/tin-tuc/quy-hoach-tai-nguyen-nuoc-luu-vuc-song-dong-nai_143.html.Tuan L.D., Oanh T.T., Thanh C.V., Quy N.D., 2002. Can Gio mangrove biosphere reserve. HCM city, Vietnam: Agriculture Publisher.Tue N.T., Quy T.D., Amono A., 2012. Historical profiles of trace element concentrations in Mangrove sediments from the Ba Lat estuary, Red river, Vietnam. Water, Air & Soil Pollution, ISSN 0049-6979, 223(3), 1315-1330.Twilley R., Chen R., Hargis T., 1992. Carbon sinks in mangroves and their implications to carbon budget of tropical coastal ecosystems. Water, Air & Soil pollution, Netherland, 64, 265-288.UN Environment Program, 2006. Methods for sediment sampling and analysis. Palermo (Sicily), Italy: United Nation Environment Program.UNESCO, 2000. List of Biosphere reserves approved by MAB committee belonging to UNESCO. Retrieved from United Nations, Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO): http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific.Vandenberghe N., 1975. An evaluation of CM patterns for grain size studies of fine grained sediments. Sedimentology, 22, 615-622.Vinh B.T., Ichiro D., 2012. Erosion mechanism of cohesive river bank and bed of Soai Rap river (Ho Chi Minh city). J. Sci. of the Earth, 34(2), 153-161.Wang J., Du H., Xu Y., Chen K., Liang J., Ke H., Cai M., 2016. Environmental and Ecological Risk Assessment of Trace Metal Contamination in Mangrove Ecosystems. BioMed Research International, Article ID 2167053, 1-14. Doi:10.1155/2016/2167053.Wedepohl K.H., 1995. The composition of the continental crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59(7), 1217-1232.Woodroffe C., Rogers K., McKee K., Lovelock C., Mendelssohn I., Saintilan N., 2016. Mangrove sedimentation and response to relative sea level rise. The Annual Review of Marine Science, 8, 243-266.Zhang J., Liu C.L., 2002. Riverine Composition and Estuarine Geochemistry of Particulate Metals in China-Weathering Features, Anthropogenic Impact and Chemical Fluxes. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 54(6), 1051-1070.Zhang W., Feng H., Chang J., Qu J., Xie H., Yu L., 2009. Heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Yangtze River intertidal zone: An assessment from different indexes. Environmental Pollution, 157, 1533-1543.Zheng W.-j., Xiao-yong C., Peng L., 1997. Accumulation and biological cycling of heavy metal elements in Rhizophora stylosa mangroves in Yingluo Bay, China. Marine ecology progress series, 159, 293-301.

Starch quality is one of the most important agronomic traits in rice (Oryza sativa L). In this study, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Waxy and Alk genes of eight rice varieties and their associations with starch physicochemical properties.vi.e.vamylose content (AC) and gelatinization temperature (GT). Seven Sri Lankan rice varieties, Pachchaperumal, Herathbanda, At 354, Bg 352, Balasuriya, H 6 and Bw 295-5 were detected as high amylose varieties while Nipponbare exhibited low amylose content. In silico analysis of the Waxy gene revealed that all tested Sri Lankan varieties possessed ‘G’ (Wxa allele) instead of ‘T’ in the first intron which could explain varieties with high and intermediate amylose content. All Sri Lankan varieties had ‘A’ instead of ‘C’ in exon 6 of the Waxy gene and this fact was tally with the varieties showing high amylose content. Therefore, possessing the Wxa allele in the first intron and ‘A’ in exon 6 could be used as a molecular marker for the selection of high amylose varieties as validated using several Sri Lankan varieties. All Sri Lankan varieties except, Bw 295-5 exhibited the intermediate type of GT which could not be explained using the so far reported allelic differences in the Alk gene. However, Bw 295-5 which is a low GT variety had two nucleotide polymorphisms in the last exon of the Alk gene, i.e. ‘G’ and ‘TT’ that represent low GT class. Therefore, it can be concluded that sequence variations of Waxy and Alk genes reported in this study are useful in breeding local rice varieties with preferential amylose content and GT class.Key word Alk gene, amylose content, single nucleotide polymorphism, Waxy gene.INTRODUCTIONRice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the leading food crops of the world. More than half of the world’s population relies on rice as the major daily source of calories and protein (Sartaj and Suraweera, 2005). After grain yield, quality is the most important aspect of rice breeding. Grain size and shape largely determine the market acceptability of rice, while cooking quality is influenced by the properties of starch. In rice grains starch is the major component that primarily controls rice quality. Starch consists of two forms of glucose polymers, relatively unbranched amylose and a highly branched amylopectin. Starch-synthesizing genes may contribute to variation in starch physicochemical properties because they affect the amount and structure of amylose and amylopectin in rice grain (Kharabian-Masouleh et al., 2012). Amylose content (AC), gelatinization temperature (GT) and gel consistency (GC) is the three most important determinants of eating and cooking quality. Amylose content is the ratio of amylose amount present in endosperm to total starch content. Rice varieties are grouped based on their amylose content into waxy (0-2%), very low (3-9%), low (10-19%), intermediate (20-25%), and high (> 25%) (Kongseree and Juliano, 1972). The most widely used method for amylose determination is a colorimetric assay where iodine binds with amylose to produce a blue-purple color, which is measured spectrophotometrically at a single wavelength (620nm). Low amylose content is usually associated with tender, cohesive and glossy cooked rice; while, high amylose content is associated with firm, fluffy and separate grains of cooked rice. The Waxy (Wx) gene, which encodes granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI), is the major gene controlling AC in rice (Nakamura, 2002). The Waxy gene is located on chromosome six and various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Wx were found, including a ‘G’ to ‘T’ SNP of the first intron, ‘A’ to ‘C’ SNP of the sixth exon and ‘C’ to ‘T’ SNP of the tenth exon (Larkin and Park, 2003). The ‘AGGTATA’ sequence at the 5’splice-junction coincides with the presence of the Wxa allele, while the ‘AGTTATA’ sequence coincides with the presence of the Wxb allele. Therefore, all intermediate and high amylose cultivars had ‘G’ nucleotide while low amylose cultivars had ‘T’ nucleotide at the putative leader intron 5′ splice site. The cytosine and thymidine (CT) dinucleotide repeats in the 5’- untranslated region (UTR) of the Waxy gene were reported to be a factor associated with AC. However, the relationship between these polymorphisms and amylose contents is not clear. Amylopectin chain length distribution plays a very important role to determine GT in cooked rice. The time required for cooking is determined by the gelatinization temperature of starch. It is important because it affects the texture of cooked rice and it is related to the cooking time of rice. The gelatinization temperature is estimated by the alkali digestibility test. It is measured by the alkali spreading value (ASV). The degree of spreading value of individual milled rice kernels in a weak alkali solution (1.7% KOH) is very closely correlated with gelatinized temperature. According to the ASV, rice varieties may be classified as low (55 to 69°C), intermediate (70 to 74°C) and high (> 74°C) GT classes. In a breeding program ASV is extensively used to estimate the gelatinization temperature. The synthesis of amylopectin is more complex than that of amylose. Polymorphisms in the starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) gene which is recognized as the Alk gene are responsible for the differences in GT in rice (Umemoto and Aoki, 2005; Waters et al., 2006). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the last exon of the Alk gene are responsible for the differences in GT in rice. The biochemical analysis clearly showed that the function of the amino acids caused by these two SNPs is essential for SSIIa enzyme activity (Nakamura et al., 2005) and those are ‘G’/‘A’ SNP at 4424 bp position and ‘GC’/‘TT’ SNPs at 4533/4534 bp position with reference to Nipponbare rice genomic sequence. Based on the SNPs, Low SSIIa enzyme activity results in S-type amylopectin, which is enriched in short chains whereas high SSIIa enzyme activity produces L-type amylopectin (Umemoto et al., 2004). Therefore, the combination of ‘G’ at SNP3 and ‘GC’ at SNP4 is required to produce L-type rice starch and this has a higher GT relative to S-type starch. GC is a standard assay that is used in rice improvement programs to determine the texture of softness and firmness in high amylose rice cultivars. Intermediate and low amylose rice usually has soft gel consistency. Sequence variation in exon 10 of the Waxy gene associates with GC (Tran et al., 2011).OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to detect polymorphisms in major starch synthesizing genes among several rice cultivars as models and to determine the relationship between their SNP variations and starch physicochemical properties. Also, we analyzed major starch synthesizing gene sequences of several Sri Lankan rice varieties in silico aiming at utilizing this information in rice breeding programs.MATERIALS AND METHODSPlant materials: Seeds of eight Oryza sativa L. accessions were obtained from the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI), Bathalagoda, Sri Lanka and Gene Bank of Plant Genetic Resource Center (PGRC), Gannoruwa.Characterization of grain physical parameters: Grain length and width were determined using a vernier caliper. Ten grains from each sample were collected randomly and measured to obtain the average length and width of the milled rice. The average length and width were recorded as their length and width. Based on the length and width of the grains, the milled rice grains were classified into four classes (table 1) according to the method accepted by RRDI Bathalagoda, Sri Lanka.According to the scale L/S – Long Slender, L/M – Long Medium, I/B – Intermediate Bold and S/R –Short RoundAnalysis of amylose content: Initially, rice samples were dehusked and polished prior to milling. Ten whole – milled rice kernels of eight rice samples were ground separately by using mortar and pestle. Amylose content per 100 mg was determined by measuring the blue value of rice varieties as described by Juliano (1971). About 100mg rice sample was shifted into a 100 mL volumetric flask and 1mL of 95% ethanol was added. Then 9mL of 1N NaOH was added and the content was boiled for 20min. at boiling temperature to gelatinize the starch. After cooling the content, the volume was made up to 100mL and 5mL of starch solution was pipetted out into a 100mL volumetric flask. The blue color was developed by adding 1mL of 1N acetic acid and 2 mL of iodine solution (0.2g iodine and 2.0g potassium iodine in 10 mL aqueous solution). Then volume was made up to 100mL with distilled water and the solution was kept for 20min. after shaking. Finally, the absorbance of the solution was measured at 620nm using Spectrophotometer T80 (PG Instruments Limited) as described by Juliano (1971). The standard curve was prepared using 40mg of potato-amylose to calculate the amylose content of rice varieties through absorbance values. Forty mg of potato amylose was put into a 100 mL of volumetric flask and 1ml of 95% ethanol and 9mL of NaOH were added and content was heated for 20min at boiling temperature. After cooling the content volume of the solution was made up to 100mL using distilled water. Then 1mL, 2mL, 3mL, 4mL and 5mL of amylose solution were pipetted out into 100mL flasks. Then 0.2mL, 0.4mL, 0.6mL, 0.8mL and 1mL of 1N acetic acid were added to the flasks respectively. Finally, 2mL of iodine solution was added to each flask and volume was made up to 100mL with distilled water. Solutions were stood up for 20min. after shaking and absorbance values were measured at 620nm. Measured absorbance values were plotted at 620nm against the concentration of anhydrous amylose (mg).Analysis of gelatinization temperature: GT was indirectly measured on rice by the alkali spreading value. Husked and polished seeds per accession were used for the analysis. Selected duplicate sets of six milled grains without cracks of each sample were put into Petri dishes. About 10mL of 1.7% KOH was added and grains were spread in the petri dish to provide enough space. The constant temperature at 30°C was maintained to ensure better reproducibility. After 23hrs, the degree of disintegration was quantified by a standard protocol with a numerical scale of 1–7 (table 2) as reported by Cruz and Khush (2000). As reported by Juliano (2003), GT of rice was determined using the alkaline spreading scale, where 1.0-2.5: High (74-80 °C), 2.6-3.4: High-intermediate (70-74 °C), 3.5-5.4: Intermediate (70-74 °C) and 5.5-7.0 Low: (55-70 °C).Bioinformatics and statistical analysis: The available literature was used to identify the most likely candidate genes associated with rice starch quality and their SNPs of each gene (Hirose et al., 2006; Waters and Henry, 2007; Tran et al., 2011). In all the tested varieties except Bg 352 and At 354, the DNA sequence of each gene was retrieved from the Rice SNP Seek database (http://snp-seek.irri.org/). The gene sequences of At 354 and Bg 352 were obtained from the National Research Council 16-016 project, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. Multiple sequence alignment was conducted for the DNA sequence using Clustal Omegavsoftware (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/clustalo/). Starch physiochemical data obtained were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) to determine the statistical differences among varieties at the significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Statistical analysis was done using SAS version 9.1 (SAS, 2004).ESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Physical properties of rice grains: Physical properties such as length, width, size, shape and pericarp color of rice grains obtained from eight different rice varieties are given in table 3. Classification of rice grains was carried out, according to their sizes and shapes based on Juliano (1985). The size of the rice grains was determined as per grain length while grain shape was determined by means of length and width ratio of the rice kernel. In the local market, rice is classified as Samba (short grain), Nadu (intermediate grain) and Kora (long/medium) based on the size of the grain (Pathiraje et al., 2010). Lengths of rice kernels were varied from 5.58 to 6.725 mm for all varieties. The highest grain length and width were given by At 354 and Pachchaperumal respectively. The varieties, Bw 295-5 and H 6 showed a length: width ratio over 3 which is considered as slender in grain shape. Bw 295-5, H 6, At 354, Bg 352 and Nipponbare possessed white pericarp and others possessed red pericarp.Relationship between amylose content and SNPs variation of waxy loci in selected varieties: Amylose content was measured in seven Sri Lankan rice varieties and one exotic rice variety. Amylose content of the evaluated varieties varied significantly with p ≤ 0.05 with the lowest of 15.11% and highest of 28.63% which were found in Nipponbare and Bw 295-5, respectively (table 4). The majority of the evaluated varieties fell into the high AC category (between 25-28%). Only Nipponbare could be clearly categorized under the low amylose group (table 4). The amylose content of Bg 352, Pachchaperumal and Herathbanda have already been determined by early studies of Rebeira et al. (2014) and Fernando et al. (2015). Most of the data obtained in the present experiment has agreed with the results of previous studies. Major genes such as Waxy and their functional SNPs have a major influence on amylose in rice (Nakamura et al., 2005). Accordingly, single nucleotide polymorphism, ‘G’/‘T’, at the 5’ leader intron splice site of the GBSSI has explained the variation in amylose content of varieties. Accordingly, high and intermediate amylose varieties have ‘AGGTATA’ while low amylose varieties have the sequence ‘AGTTATA’, which might lead to a decrease in the splicing efficiency. Therefore, the GBSSI activity of Nipponbare might be considerably weak and resulted in starch with low amylose content. Hence, producing ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism clearly differentiates low amylose rice varieties, as reported by Nakamura et al. (2005). In GBSSI, Larkin and Park (2003) identified an ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 and a ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon 10 which resulted in non- synonymous amino acid change. Chen et al. (2008) reported that the non-synonymous ‘A’/‘C’ SNP at exon 6 had the highest possible impact on GBSSI. Accordingly, the ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 causes a tyrosine/serine amino acid substitution while the ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon 10 causes a serine/proline amino acid substitution. In view of this information, there is a relationship between the polymorphism detected by in silico analysis and amylose content obtained from our experiment. Out of the eight tested rice varieties, only one variety, Nipponbare was categorized as low amylose variety (10-19%) and it exhibited ‘T’ nucleotide at the intron splice site (table 4; figure 1). Varieties such as Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, Bw 295-5, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 which contained high amylose (> 25%), had ‘G’ and ‘A’ nucleotides at intron splice site and exon 6 respectively (table 4; figure 1). The predominant allelic pattern of intron splice site and exon 6 are different in varieties containing intermediate amylose content (20-25%) which showed ‘G’ and ‘C’ nucleotides respectively. Of these selected rice varieties, none of the intermediate type amylose variety was found.Relationship between gel consistency and SNPs variation in Waxy loci: In this study, GC data of Herathbanda, Hondarawalu, Kuruluthuda, Pachchaperumal and Bg 352 were obtained from Fernando et al. (2015). The results of Tran et al. (2011) showed that the exon 10 ‘C’/‘T’ SNP of Wx has mainly affected GC. Accordingly, rice with a ‘C’ at exon 10 had soft and viscous gels once cooked. However, a sample with a ‘T’ had short and firm gels. In this study, Herathbanda, Hondarawalu, Kuruluthuda and Pachchaperumal had ‘C’ nucleotide and Bg 352 had ‘T’ nucleotide in exon 10 (table 5; figure 2). However, ‘C’/‘T’ substitution analysis could not be used to explain the GC of tested varieties.Relationship between gelatinized temperature and SNPs variation of Alk loci in selected rice varieties: Although there were differences in the scores, the degree of disintegration of all samples was saturated at 23 hrs. Most of the selected rice varieties showed the intermediate disintegration score. Varieties, Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 were categorized into intermediate GT class (70–74°C) as indicated by an alkali spreading (AS) value of 5 (table 6; figure 3). Nipponbare and Bw 295-5 showed the highest disintegration score indicating the dispersion of all grains. Hence these varieties were categorized into low GT class (55-69°C) as indicated by an AS value of 6 (table 6; figure 3). However, high GT class rice varieties (> 74°C) were not found in the tested samples. Chromosomal mutation within the Alk gene has led to a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Umemoto et al. (2004) identified four SNPs in Alk gene. Thus, SNP3 and SNP4 may be important genetic polymorphisms that are associated with GT class. According to the SNP3 and SNP4, eight rice varieties could be classified into either high GT or low GT types. If there is ‘A’ instead of ‘G’ at 4424 bp position of Alk gene with reference to Nipponbare rice genomic sequence, it codes methionine instead of valine amino acid residue in SSIIa, whilst two adjacent SNPs at bases 4533 and 4534 code for either leucine (‘GC’) or phenylalanine (‘TT’). Rice varieties with high GT starch had a combination of valine and leucine at these residues. Rice varieties with low GT starch had a combination of either methionine and leucine or valine and phenylalanine at these same residues. Nipponbare carried the ‘A’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides, while Bw 295-5 carried the ‘G’ and ‘TT’ nucleotides. Hence these varieties were classified into low GT class. Varieties such as Pachchaperumal, Balasuriya, H 6, Herathbanda, At 354 and Bg 352 carried ‘G’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides and these varieties were classified into high GT rice varieties. However, intermediate GT status could not be determined by SNP3 and SNP4 mutation of Alk gene (table 6; figure 4).In silico analysis of the polymorphisms in GBSSI gene and Alk genes of rice varieties retrieved from Rice-SNP-database: In this study, GBSSI gene and Alk gene were compared with the sequences retrieved from the Rice-SNP-Seek database to validate the SNPs further. As previously reported by Ayres et al. (1997), all low amylose varieties had the sequence ‘AGTTATA’ in exon 1. In agreement with preliminary work done by Larkin and Park (2003), all of the intermediate amylose varieties have the allelic pattern of GCC. All of the high amylose varieties have either the GAC or GAT allele of GBSSI. Among 42 rice accessions with the Sri Lankan pedigree, four allelic patterns were found; TAC, GCC, GAC and GAT (table 7). In this allelic pattern, the first letter corresponds to the ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism in 5’ leader intron splice-junction, the second letter corresponds to the ‘A’/‘C’ polymorphism in exon 6 and the third letter corresponds to the ‘C’/‘T’ polymorphism in exon10 of Waxy gene. Analysis of the ‘G’/‘T’ polymorphism in the Wx locus showed that 41 rice cultivars shared the same ‘AGGTATA’ sequence at the 5’ leader intron splice-junction. But only 1 rice cultivar, Puttu nellu was found with ‘T’ nucleotide in intron1/exon1 junction site, which could be categorized as a low amylose variety (table 7). As discussed above, varieties with an intermediate level of apparent amylose could be reliably distinguished from those with higher apparent amylose based on a SNP in exon 6. Hence, only three rice varieties Nalumoolai Karuppan, Pannithi and Godawel with ‘C’ nucleotide in exon 6 exhibited the possibility of containing intermediate amylose content (table 7). High activity of GBSSI produces high amylose content leading to a non-waxy, non-sticky or non-glutinous phenotype. Therefore, according to the in silico genotypic results, rest of the 38 rice varieties may produce high amylose content in the endosperm (table 7). Proving this phenomenon. Abeysekera et al. (2017) has reported that usually, most of Sri Lankan rice varieties contain high amylose content. Targeted sequence analysis of exon 8 of the Alk gene in 42 different rice cultivars were found with three SNP polymorphisms that resulted in a changed amino acid sequence and, of these three SNPs, two SNPs were reported to be correlated with possible GT differences. Accordingly, Puttu nellu and 3210 rice varieties carried the ‘G’ and ‘TT’ nucleotides in SNP3 and SNP4 respectively (table 7). Hence these varieties can be classified into low GT class and except these two; other rice varieties carried the ‘G’ and ‘GC’ nucleotides in SNP3 and SNP4 respectively. Therefore, those varieties can possibly be classified into high GT rice varieties (table 7). However, further experiments are necessary to check the phenotypic variations for grain amylose content and GT class of in silico analyzed rice varieties. CONCLUSION Present results revealed the relationship between SNPs variation at Waxy loci and the amylose content of selected rice varieties. Accordingly, Pachchaperumal, At 354, Bg 352, Herathbanda, H 6, Balasuriya and Bw 295-5 with high amylose content had ‘G’ instead of ‘T’ in the first intron exhibiting the presence of Wxa allele with reference to Nipponbare which had low amylose content. Also all tested varieties had ‘A’ in exon 6 of the Waxy gene. Thus present findings i.e. presence of Wxa allele and SNP ‘A’ in exon 6 could be used as a potential molecular marker for the selection of high amylose varieties. In addition, Bw 295-5 which is a low GT variety, had two SNPs variations in the last exon of the Alk gene i.e. ‘G’ and ‘TT’ which is likely to be used to represent low GT class. Accordingly, sequence variations identified in Waxy and Alk genes could be utilized in the future rice breeding programs for the development of varieties with preferential amylose content and GT class.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSDirector and staff of the Gene Bank, Plant Genetic Resources Center, Gannoruwa are acknowledged for giving rice accessions.CONFLICT OF INTERESTAuthors have no conflict of interest.REFERENCESAbeysekera, W., G. Premakumara, A. Bentota and D. S. Abeysiriwardena, 2017. Grain amylose content and its stability over seasons in a selected set of rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka. Journal of agricultural sciences Sri Lanka, 12(1): 43-50.Ayres, N., A. McClung, P. Larkin, H. Bligh, C. Jones and W. Park, 1997. Microsatellites and a single-nucleotide polymorphism differentiate apparentamylose classes in an extended pedigree of us rice germ plasm. Theoretical applied genetics, 94(6-7): 773-781.Chen, M.-H., C. Bergman, S. Pinson and R. Fjellstrom, 2008. Waxy gene haplotypes: Associations with apparent amylose content and the effect by the environment in an international rice germplasm collection. Journal of cereal science, 47(3): 536-545.Cruz, N. D. and G. Khush, 2000. Rice grain quality evaluation procedures. Aromatic rices, 3: 15-28.Fernando, H., T. Kajenthini, S. Rebeira, T. Bamunuarachchige and H. Wickramasinghe, 2015. Validation of molecular markers for the analysis of genetic diversity of amylase content and gel consistency among representative rice varieties in sri lanka. Tropical agricultural research, 26(2): 317-328.Hirose, T., T. Ohdan, Y. Nakamura and T. Terao, 2006. Expression profiling of genes related to starch synthesis in rice leaf sheaths during the heading period. Physiologia plantarum, 128(3): 425-435.Juliano, B., 1971. A simplified assay for milled rice amylose. Journal of cereal science today, 16: 334-360.Juliano, B. O., 1985. Rice: Chemistry and technology. The american association of cereal chemists. Inc. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 774.Juliano, B. O., 2003. Rice chemistry and quality. Island publishing house. Island publishing house, Manila: 1-7.Kharabian-Masouleh, A., D. L. Waters, R. F. Reinke, R. Ward and R. J. Henry, 2012. Snp in starch biosynthesis genes associated with nutritional and functional properties of rice. Scientific reports, 2(1): 1-9.Kongseree, N. and B. O. Juliano, 1972. Physicochemical properties of rice grain and starch from lines differing in amylose content and gelatinization temperature. Journal of agricultural food chemistry, 20(3): 714-718.Larkin, P. D. and W. D. Park, 2003. Association of waxy gene single nucleotide polymorphisms with starch characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Molecular Breeding, 12(4): 335-339.Nakamura, Y., 2002. Towards a better understanding of the metabolic system for amylopectin biosynthesis in plants: Rice endosperm as a model tissue. Plant cell physiology, 43(7): 718-725.Nakamura, Y., P. B. Francisco, Y. Hosaka, A. Sato, T. Sawada, A. Kubo and N. Fujita, 2005. Essential amino acids of starch synthase iia differentiate amylopectin structure and starch quality between Japonica and Indica rice varieties. Plant molecular biology, 58(2): 213-227.Pathiraje, P., W. Madhujith, A. Chandrasekara and S. Nissanka, 2010. The effect of rice variety and parboiling on in vivo glycemic response. Journal of tropical agricultural research, 22(1): 26-33.Rebeira, S., H. Wickramasinghe, W. Samarasinghe and B. Prashantha, 2014. Diversity of grain quality characteristics of traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in sri lanka. Tropical agricultural research, 25(4): 470-478.Sartaj, I. Z. and S. A. E. R. Suraweera, 2005. Comparison of different parboiling methods on the quality characteristics of rice. Annals of the Sri Lankan Department of Agriculture, 7: 245-252.Tran, N., V. Daygon, A. Resurreccion, R. Cuevas, H. Corpuz and M. Fitzgerald, 2011. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the waxy gene explains a significant component of gel consistency. Theoretical applied genetics, 123(4): 519-525.Umemoto, T. and N. Aoki, 2005. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in rice starch synthase iia that alter starch gelatinisation and starch association of the enzyme. Functional plant biology, 32(9): 763-768.Umemoto, T., N. Aoki, H. Lin, Y. Nakamura, N. Inouchi, Y. Sato, M. Yano, H. Hirabayashi and S. Maruyama, 2004. Natural variation in rice starch synthase iia affects enzyme and starch properties. Functional plant biology, 31(7): 671-684.Waters, D. L. and R. J. Henry, 2007. Genetic manipulation of starch properties in plants: Patents 2001-2006. Recent patents on biotechnology, 1(3): 252-259.Waters, D. L., R. J. Henry, R. F. Reinke and M. A. Fitzgerald, 2006. Gelatinization temperature of rice explained by polymorphisms in starch synthase. Plant biotechnology journal, 4(1): 115-122.

AbstractThe macroecological variable of patchiness (Lloyd’s Ip index of patchiness, P) has recently been shown to be related inter- and intraspecifically to those of abundance (numbers m−2, A), and occupancy (% occurrence in samples, O) in lower latitude seagrass macrofaunas. For the first time in higher latitudes, intraspecific relationships between three spatial variables were investigated in the intertidal mudflat macrobenthos of the Scolt Head barrier island, southern North Sea (53° N, 01° E). Sampling was conducted between early July and late September 2009–2013 using 710-µm mesh for sample processing. Strong positive interspecific A-O and negative interspecific P-O and P-A relationships were present. Two of the most numerous and widespread assemblage components, however, occurred with effectively constant occupancy (Peringia ulvae, 100%, and Tubificoides benedii, 93%) across the whole 20-ha locality and therefore could not show intraspecific relationships of occupancy with other macroecological metrics. These two apart, only one other dominant species failed to show a significant positive intraspecific A-O relationship; no species showed significant P-A relations of any form; and only two showed the negative P-O ones that have been described elsewhere. The intraspecific A-O patterns appear to contrast with those of an earlier study at another North Sea locality (the Dutch Wadden Sea), although differences are more apparent than real, but the Scolt Head fauna showed fewer intraspecific P-O and P-A relations than those characterising similar circumstances in the two lower-latitude localities previously investigated. Neither developmental mode nor variation in local abundance appears to influence these patterns. A-O-P relations therefore seem widespread but may be subject to latitudinal modification.

AbstractBased on examination of the male genitalia, in particular the structure of the inner sac, a new species of Pelor is described: Zabrus (Pelor) hiekei sp. n. (type locality: island of Kefalonia, Greece). The new species is an insular endemic and adelphotaxon of Z. (P.) incrassatus. The male genitalia of Z. (P.) incrassatus and Z. (P.) bischoffi are also illustrated and described. Three species are gathered in a distinct subgroup within Pelor. Zabrus (P.) incrassatus tuleschkovi Mařan, 1933 is treated as junior synonym of Z. (P.) incrassatus incrassatus (Ahrens, 1814).

Abstract. Salim G, Handayani KR, Indarjo A, Ransangan J, Atieqah N. 2020. Growth, mortality and exploitation rate of Pampus argenteus, Parastromateus niger and Scomberomorus commerson in Sebatik Waters, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5363-5372. The economic revenue of the local government of the Indonesian Sebatik Island relies much on the exploitation of its rich marine biodiversity. One of the important economic activities is the capture fisheries of commercially important fishes such as the white pomfret (Pampus argenteus) and black pomfret (Parastromateus niger), and mackerel fish (Scomberomorus commerson). The current study aims to estimate the growth, condition factor, and exploitation rate of the fish species for developing sustainable fishery management. Fish samplings were conducted in the Sebatik Waters, Nunukan District, North Kalimantan Province, Indonesia from June to July 2020. The fish were caught using gillnet at daytime (pomfrets) and nighttime (mackerel), respectively. Then, 82, 73, and 83 specimens of white pomfret, black pomfret, and mackerel were randomly selected for the length-weight relationship, condition factor, and exploitation rate analysis, respectively. The results revealed that the size distribution of the white pomfret population in the coastal waters of Sebatik Island ranged from 220.0 to 351.0 mm, black pomfret ranged from 231.0 to 362.0 mm and mackerel, ranged from 242.0 to 432.0 mm. All the fish species exhibited negative allometric (b<3) weight and length relationship with moderate to strong correlation. About 50% and 53.42% of the white pomfrets and black pomfrets were characterized by thin body shape. However, 49.40% of the mackerels were characterized by fat body shape. The asymptotic length (L∞) for white pomfrets was recorded at 359.133 mm; k value of 0.0427 mm/year with r-value of 0.9918 and the t0 value of 1.11/year. For black pomfret, the L∞ was estimated at 370.22 mm; k value of 0.043 mm/year with r-value at 0.9919 and the t0 value of 1.104/year. For mackerel, the L∞ value was estimated at 492.724 mm, k-value of 0.0246 mm/year with r-value of 0.9634, and the t0 value of 1.322/year. The total mortality, fishing mortality and natural mortality (Z, F, and N, respectively) and exploitation rate (E) for white fish were recorded at 113.76%, 80.58%, 33.18%, and 70.83%, respectively. For black pomfret, it recorded 113.15% (Z), 79.97% (F), 32.75% (N) and 70.67% (E). For mackerel, it recorded 109.87% (Z), 66.29% (F), 43.58% (N) and 60.33% (E). The high exploitation rate (>50%) and fishing mortality (>60%) of all the fish species analyzed in this study indicate that there is a sign of overfishing to these fish resources in the coastal waters of Sebatik island. Hence, sustainable fishing management is timely needed to prevent depletion of these important fishery resources. Such management can include fishing restrictions for small-sized and first mature fish, close fishing season, and strict requirement for fishing permits.

AbstractThe Japanese islands represent one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Their geological history and present geography resulted in a high number of endemic species in nearly all major metazoan clades. We investigated the phylogeography of three different intertidal mite species from the Ryukyu islands and southern mainland by means of morphometry and molecular genetics. None of the species represents an endemic, nearly all show distributions ranging over at least the southern and central Ryukyus. Two species, Fortuynia shibai and F. churaumi sp. n. clearly represent sister species that are derived from a common Eastern ancestor. Molecular genetic results indicate that these species separated approx. 3 Ma before the opening of the Okinawa trough, whereas F. shibai most likely showed an ancestral distribution stretching from the central Ryukyus across the Tokara strait to Japanese mainland, whereas F. churaumi probably evolved somewhere south of the Tokara strait. Phylogenetic data further indicates that long periods of isolation resulted in heterogeneous genetic structure but subsequent low sea level stands during Pleistocene allowed recent expansion and gene flow between island populations. Comparing these patterns with those of other animals, these tiny wingless mites apparently show better dispersal abilities than partially volant terrestrial organism groups.

Abstract Background Offering financial incentives promotes increases in fruit and vegetable purchases in farmers’ markets and supermarkets. Yet, little is understood about whether food-insecure adults purchase more fruits and vegetables as a result of receiving financial incentives in mobile produce market settings. Methods In 2018–2019, Food on the Move provided a 50% discount to customers using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase fruit and vegetables from 16 market locations in Rhode Island (n = 412 market occasions). We used mixed multivariable linear regression to estimate the difference in total dollar sales per transaction per month between SNAP transactions and non-SNAP transactions. We also estimated the difference in out-of-pocket dollar sales per transaction per month between SNAP and non-SNAP transactions, less the 50% discount. This reflects the actual amount spent on fresh fruits and vegetables purchased per visit. In both models, we controlled for the number of market sites per month, with fixed effects for quarter and year. We estimated random intercept variance for date of transaction and market site to adjust for clustering. Results In 2018–2019, the majority of market transactions (total n = 13,165) were SNAP transactions [n = 7.988 (63.0%)]. On average, customers spent $17.38 (SD = 16.69) on fruits and vegetables per transaction per month. However, customers using SNAP benefits spent significantly more on FVs per transaction per month [$22.01 (SD = 17.97)] compared to those who did not use SNAP benefits [9.81 (SD = 10.68)] (β = $10.88; 95% CI: 10.18, 11.58). Similarly, out-of-pocket dollar sales per SNAP transaction per month (i.e., less the 50% discount) were significantly higher [$11.42 (SD = 9.44)] relative to non-SNAP transactions [$9.40 (SD = 9.33)] (β = $1.85; 95% CI: 1.44, 2.27). Conclusions Financial incentives contributed to higher fruit and vegetable purchases among low-income customers who shop at mobile produce markets by making produce more affordable. Higher spending on fruits and vegetables may promote healthy diet behaviors and reduce chronic disease risk among food-insecure adults.