Funeral Epitaph of Zhao Rugua (1170-1231), the Author of Zhufan zhi (“Records of Foreign Peoples”; 1225). Structural-Descriptive and Archaelogical Analysis of the Source

The present work is a continuation of two previously published articles in which the biography of Zhao Rugua 趙汝适 (1170-1231), the author of Zhufan zhi 諸蕃志 (Records of Foreign Peoples; 1225) an important historical geographical source about the foreign lands during the Song dynasty (960-1279), was studied through the usage of the text of his funeral epitaph as well as other historical sources. They also included the translation of the text of inscription into Russian and English [1; 2]. The goal of this article is to deepen the study of Zhao Ruguas funeral epitaph by researching the material features of the source, analyzing the structure of the text and comparing it with other similar sources of Medieval China. In contrast with the previous works the inscription in this article is analyzed both as a textual source and as an object of material culture which enables to understand the context of the creation of the source as well as the extent of detalization of the deceaseds biography.

First Glimpse of Gut Microbiota of Quarantine Insects in China

Quarantine insects are economically important pests that frequently invade new habitats. A rapid and accurate monitoring method to trace the geographical source of invaders is therefore needed for prevention, detection, and eradication. Current methods based on insect genetics are often too slow. We developed a novel tracing method based on insect gut microbiota. The source location of microbiota of insects can be used to rapidly determine the insects’ geographic origin. We analyzed 179 gut microbiota samples belonging to 591 individuals of 22 quarantine insect species collected from 36 regions in China and abroad. The gut microbiotas of these insects mainly included Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Tenericutes. The diversity of the insect gut microbiota was closely related to geographic and environmental factors. Different insect species could be distinguished at the phylum level of microbiota. Populations of individual insect species from different regions could be distinguished at the genus level of microbiota. A method for determining the geographical origin of invasive insect species was tentatively established, but its practical applicability requires further study.

Microbial map of the world’s vineyards: Applying the concept of microbial terroir on a global scale

The specific microbial biodiversity linked to a particular vineyard location is reported to be a crucial aspect, in conjunction with edaphic, climatic and human factors, in the concept of wine terroir. These biogeographical patterns are known as microbial terroirs.This study applied an HTS amplicon library approach in order to conduct a global survey of vineyards’ soil microbial communities. In all, soil samples from 200 vineyards on four continents were analysed in an attempt to establish the basis for the development of a vineyard soil microbiome map to represent microbial wine terroirs on a global scale.This study established links between vineyard locations and microbial biodiversity on different scales: between continents and countries, and between different wine regions within the same country. Geography had a strong effect on the composition of microbial communities on a global scale, which was also maintained on a country scale. Furthermore, a predictive model was developed, based on random forest analyses, to discriminate between microbial patterns in order to identify the geographical source of the samples with reasonable precision. Finally this study is the first to describe the microbial community of new and northern wine-producing regions, such as Denmark, that could be of great interest for viticulture adaptation in a context of climate change.

Determination of Heavy Metals inAlpinia oxyphyllaMiq. Collected from Different Cultivation Regions

20 batches ofAlpinia oxyphyllaMiq. were collected from Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan province in China. The contents of heavy metals of As, Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cu were determined and compared. The results indicated that geographical source might be a major factor to influence the contents of heavy metals of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) inAlpinia oxyphyllaMiq. Compared to the criteria of heavy metals, the contents of As, Hg, Pb, and Cd in almost all the samples were in accordance with The Green Trade Standards. The contents of Cu were higher than the criteria for heavy metals except the samples from Changxing town, Qiongzhong county, Maoyang town, Qiongzhong county, Wupo town, Tunchang county, and Nanlv town, Tunchang county, in Hainan province. The best cultivation regions ofAlpinia oxyphyllaMiq. were from Changxing town, Qiongzhong county, Maoyang town, Qiongzhong county, Wupo town, Tunchang county, and Nanlv town, Tunchang county, in Hainan province. This research would provide the scientific basis for quality control and standardization ofAlpinia oxyphyllaMiq.

Emplacement of ideas. The development of geographical thought in Brazil in the early 20th century

This paper looks at the circulation of modern geographical ideas in Brazil. The focus is on the relationship between geographical source models and the target model of domestic modernization. Three corresponding "mechanisms" provided the translation from one to the other: gradualism, adaptation and essentialism.