Lower Cretaceous theropod tracks with the new ichnogenus and combination Lockleypus luanpingensis from the Dabeigou Formation of the Luanping Basin,Hebei Province,China

Theropod footprints from the Jingshang tracksite in the Lower Cretaceous Dabeigou Formation of the Luanping Basin, Hebei Province, China, are re-evaluated after new discoveries at this locality. They occur in a succession with sandstone, mudstone, and calcareous shale. The depositional environment was a shallow lake shore, comparable in age to the famous Jehol Biota. Based on the distinct morphology with peculiar features of the ratio of the outer digits, the footprints formerly assigned to Changpeipus carbonicus are now referred to the new ichnogenus and combination Lockleypus luanpingensis. The possible trackmaker was a relatively large ornithomimosaurian theropod thus far not known from the skeletal record of the Jehol Biota.     

Spatial patterns of landscape change in the Three Rivers Headwaters Region of China, 1987–2015

The Three Rivers Headwaters Region is one of the most import ecological protection regions and Tibetan inhabited regions in China. Located in the Qinghai province of China, the Region is the source of the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lantsang-Mekong Rivers. This study region was based on remote sensing imagery. An ecological landscape classification of the area is presented, as well as a suite of landscape indices for landscape pattern changes from 1987 to 2015. The influence of human activities on the landscape change of study area is discussed. The results showed landscape structure complexity, fragmentation gradually increased, while the indices of contagion and evenness were decreased. Structure characteristic of landscape change in this region are more obvious, especially, the difference in space distributions of part and the whole. There were trend of uniform distribution of different types and diversity gradually increased in the source of Yangtze River. And an opposite tendency is showing in the Yellow River and Lantsang-Mekong River. Physical-geographical conditions, climate change and government policy at study period were the main reasons of significant landscape pattern change. This study proposes management measures for sustainable development in the Three Rivers Headwaters Region.     

Building CT Radiomics Based Nomogram for Preoperative Esophageal Cancer Patients Lymph Node Metastasis Prediction

PURPOSE: To build and validate a radiomics-based nomogram for the prediction of pre-operation lymph node (LN) metastasis in esophageal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 197 esophageal cancer patients were enrolled in this study, and their LN metastases have been pathologically confirmed. The data were collected from January 2016 to May 2016; patients in the first three months were set in the training cohort, and patients in April 2016 were set in the validation cohort. About 788 radiomics features were extracted from computed tomography (CT) images of the patients. The elastic-net approach was exploited for dimension reduction and selection of the feature space. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was adopted to build the radiomics signature and another predictive nomogram model. The predictive nomogram model was composed of three factors with the radiomics signature, where CT reported the LN number and position risk level. The performance and usefulness of the built model were assessed by the calibration and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen radiomics features were selected to build the radiomics signature. The radiomics signature was significantly associated with the LN metastasis (P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of the radiomics signature performance in the training cohort was 0.806 (95% CI: 0.732-0.881), and in the validation cohort it was 0.771 (95% CI: 0.632-0.910). The model showed good discrimination, with a Harrell’s Concordance Index of 0.768 (0.672 to 0.864, 95% CI) in the training cohort and 0.754 (0.603 to 0.895, 95% CI) in the validation cohort. Decision curve analysis showed our model will receive benefit when the threshold probability was larger than 0.15. CONCLUSION: The present study proposed a radiomics-based nomogram involving the radiomics signature, so the CT reported the status of the suspected LN and the dummy variable of the tumor position. It can be potentially applied in the individual preoperative prediction of the LN metastasis status in esophageal cancer patients.     

Quantitative Biomarkers for Prediction of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: To predict epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status using quantitative radiomic biomarkers and representative clinical variables. METHODS: The study included 180 patients diagnosed as of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with their pre-therapy computed tomography (CT) scans. Using a radiomic method, 485 features that reflect the heterogeneity and phenotype of tumors were extracted. Afterwards, these radiomic features were used for predicting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status by a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) based on multivariable logistic regression. As a result, we found that radiomic features have prognostic ability in EGFR mutation status prediction. In addition, we used radiomic nomogram and calibration curve to test the performance of the model. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that the radiomic features had the potential to build a prediction model for EGFR mutation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the training cohort was 0.8618, and the AUC for the validation cohort was 0.8725, which were superior to prediction model that used clinical variables alone. CONCLUSION: Radiomic features are better predictors of EGFR mutation status than conventional semantic CT image features or clinical variables to help doctors to decide who need EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment.     

Alnus glutinosa – dominated wetland forests of the Baltic Region: community structure,syntaxonomy and conservation

Community structure, syntaxonomy and conservation aspects of Alnus glutinosa-dominated forests in the Baltic States, Central Europe, southern Fennoscandinavia and north-western part of the Commonwealth of Independent States are surveyed. Communities of the black alder wetlands, subjected to cluster analysis (TWINSPAN, GROUPAGE) and correspondence analysis (CANOCO) and synsystematically treated following the Braun-Blanquet approach, belong to Alnion (Carici elongatae-Alnetum Schwick. 33 with two subassociations, Sphagno squarrosi-Alnetum Sol.-Gorn. ex Pried. 96) and Alno-Ulmion (mainly Circaeo-Alnetum Oberd. 53) forests in the Baltic Region. The indicator values sensu Ellenberg, site ecology, floristic assemblages and the phytogeographical features point at a high affinity of these forests in a wide geographical area. Eleven syntaxonomical approaches by classifying central and north-eastern European alderwoods have been analysed. These differ in Alnion classification and distinguish from 2 to more than 10 syntaxa at the level of association. The actual distribution of less disturbed black alder wetlands and areas under these forests in Europe suggests that the SE part of the Baltic Region could be the key area for Alnus glutinosa-dominated wetlands. Thus, it deserves an establishment of an international network of standard protected areas so as to maintain the diverse community samples and elaborate the principles of sustainable management. Abbreviations: In figures CLT PALU means Caltha palustris, CAL PALU – Calla palustris. Abbreviations of all other species follow first 3 and 4 letters of the genus and species name, respectively. Nomenclature: Tabaka et al. (1988) for vascular plants, Abolina et al. (1984) for mosses.     

北京房山东甘池15000年以来炭屑分析及对火发生可能性的探讨

火是森林和草原生态系统的重要因子。本文通过北京房山东甘池１５０００ａＢ．Ｐ．沉积物的炭屑、孢粉及烧失量（ＬＯＩ）的分析,试图讨论北京地区１５０００ａＢ．Ｐ以来火发生的可能性,提出火与植被中某些成分的相互关系及影响火发生的一些因素,同时结合考古和历史地理资料说明人类活动引起火灾的情形和程度。     

Patterns in the diversity and endemism of extant Eocene age lineages across southern Africa

Southern Africa boasts a wealth of endemic fauna and flora, comprising both massive recent radiations such as those characteristic of the Cape flora, and solitary ancient species such as the peculiar desert gymnosperm Welwitschia. This study was undertaken to identify ancient biological lineages (tetrapod and vascular plant lineages of Eocene age or older) endemic to southern Africa, and to map their distribution across the region. Twenty‐seven (17 plant and ten animal) lineages were identified, and distribution maps were generated for each of them across 74 operational geographic units, which were then combined into total endemism and corrected weighted endemism per unit area. Total endemism peaked along South Africa's coast and Great Escarpment, but in the case of weighted endemism high values were also recorded along other portions of the Great Escarpment further north. A review of the lineages sister to southern African ancient endemic lineages showed that these are often globally widespread, and many of them differ substantially from the southern African ancient lineages in terms of morphology and ecology. The mechanisms of ancient lineage survival in the region are discussed, and their importance for conservation in southern Africa is emphasised.     

Current status and needs for life cycle assessment development in Asian/Pacific Regions

Conclusion  In conclusion, LCA that is conducted and used appropriately is an indispensable tool to assist decision-makers in making an informed decision about the environmental impacts of their activities, products or services. A global effort towards LCA use should be encouraged and countries in the Asian/Pacific Regions should not be left out. LCA-related activities reported in the symposium were described