| 1. |
- Kanoni, Stavroula, et al.
(författare)
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Implicating genes, pleiotropy, and sexual dimorphism at blood lipid loci through multi-ancestry meta-analysis.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Genome biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1474-760X .- 1465-6906 .- 1474-7596. ; 23:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery.To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N=1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3-5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism.Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk.
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| 2. |
- Liu, Linan, et al.
(författare)
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Silicon Effects on Biomass Carbon and Phytolith-Occluded Carbon in Grasslands Under High-Salinity Conditions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 11, s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Changes in climate and land use are causing grasslands to suffer increasingly fromabiotic stresses, including soil salinization. Silicon (Si) amendment has been frequentlyproposed to improve plant resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses and increaseecosystem productivity while controlling the biogeochemical carbon (C) cycle. However,the effects of Si on plant C distribution and accumulation in salt-suffering grasslandsare still unclear. In this study, we investigated how salt ions affected major elementalcomposition in plants and whether Si enhanced biomass C accumulation in grasslandspecies in situ. In samples from the margins of salt lakes, our results showed that thediffering distance away from the shore resulted in distinctive phytocoenosis, includinghalophytes and moderately salt-tolerant grasses, which are closely related to changingsoil properties. Different salinity (NaC/KC, ranging from 0.02 to 11.8) in plants causednegative effects on plant C content that decreased from 53.9 to 29.2% with theincrease in salinity. Plant Si storage [0.02–2.29 g Si m?2 dry weight (dw)] and plantSi content (0.53 to 2.58%) were positively correlated with bioavailable Si in soils(ranging from 94.4 to 192 mg kg?1). Although C contents in plants and phytoliths werenegatively correlated with plant Si content, biomass C accumulation (1.90–83.5 g Cm?2 dw) increased due to the increase of Si storage in plants. Plant phytolith-occludedcarbon (PhytOC) increased from 0.07 to 0.28h of dry mass with the increase of Sicontent in moderately salt-tolerant grasses. This study demonstrates the potential ofSi in mediating plant salinity and C assimilation, providing a reference for potentialmanipulation of long-term C sequestration via PhytOC production and biomass Caccumulation in Si-accumulator dominated grasslands.
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| 3. |
- Song, Zhaoliang, et al.
(författare)
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High potential of stable carbon sequestration in phytoliths of China's grasslands
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 28:8, s. 2736-2750
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Phytolith carbon (C) sequestration plays a key role in mitigating global climate change at a centennial to millennial time scale. However, previous estimates of phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) storage and potential in China's grasslands have large uncertainties mainly due to multiple data sources. This contributes to the uncertainty in predicting long-term C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems using Earth System Models. In this study, we carried out an intensive field investigation (79 sites, 237 soil profiles [0-100 cm], and 61 vegetation assessments) to quantify PhytOC storage in China's grasslands and to better explore the biogeographical patterns and influencing factors. Generally, PhytOC production flux and soil PhytOC density in both the Tibetan Plateau and the Inner Mongolian Plateau had a decreasing trend from the Northeast to the Southwest. The aboveground PhytOC production rate in China's grassland was 0.48 x 10(6) t CO2 a(-1), and the soil PhytOC storage was 383 x 10(6) t CO2. About 45% of soil PhytOC was stored in the deep soil layers (50-100 cm), highlighting the importance of deep soil layers for C stock assessments. Importantly, the Tibetan Plateau had the greatest contribution (more than 70%) to the PhytOC storage in China's grasslands. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that altitude and soil texture significantly influenced the spatial distribution of soil PhytOC, explaining 78.1% of the total variation. Soil phytolith turnover time in China's grasslands was mainly controlled by climatic conditions, with the turnover time on the Tibetan Plateau being significantly longer than that on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Our results offer more accurate estimates of the potential for phytolith C sequestration from ecological restoration projects in degraded grassland ecosystems. These estimates are essential to parameterizing and validating global C models.
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| 4. |
- Wang, Xi, et al.
(författare)
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Self-Constructed Multiple Plasmonic Hotspots on an Individual Fractal to Amplify Broadband Hot Electron Generation
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 15:6, s. 10553-10564
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plasmonic nanoparticles are ideal candidates for hot-electron-assisted applications, but their narrow resonance region and limited hotspot number hindered the energy utilization of broadband solar energy. Inspired by tree branches, we designed and chemically synthesized silver fractals, which enable self-constructed hotspots and multiple plasmonic resonances, extending the broadband generation of hot electrons for better matching with the solar radiation spectrum. We directly revealed the plasmonic origin, the spatial distribution, and the decay dynamics of hot electrons on the single-particle level by using ab initio simulation, dark-field spectroscopy, pump–probe measurements, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Our results show that fractals with acute tips and narrow gaps can support broadband resonances (400–1100 nm) and a large number of randomly distributed hotspots, which can provide unpolarized enhanced near field and promote hot electron generation. As a proof-of-concept, hot-electron-triggered dimerization of p-nitropthiophenol and hydrogen production are investigated under various irradiations, and the promoted hot electron generation on fractals was confirmed with significantly improved efficiency.
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| 5. |
- Xia, Shaopan, et al.
(författare)
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Storage, patterns and influencing factors for soil organic carbon in coastal wetlands of China
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 28:20, s. 6065-6085
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil organic carbon (SOC) in coastal wetlands, also known as "blue C," is an essential component of the global C cycles. To gain a detailed insight into blue C storage and controlling factors, we studied 142 sites across ca. 5000 km of coastal wetlands, covering temperate, subtropical, and tropical climates in China. The wetlands represented six vegetation types (Phragmites australis, mixed of P. australis and Suaeda, single Suaeda, Spartina alterniflora, mangrove [Kandelia obovata and Avicennia marina], tidal flat) and three vegetation types invaded by S. alterniflora (P. australis, K. obovata, A. marina). Our results revealed large spatial heterogeneity in SOC density of the top 1-m ranging 40-200 Mg C ha(-1), with higher values in mid-latitude regions (25-30 degrees N) compared with those in both low- (20 degrees N) and high-latitude (38-40 degrees N) regions. Vegetation type influenced SOC density, with P. australis and S. alterniflora having the largest SOC density, followed by mangrove, mixed P. australis and Suaeda, single Suaeda and tidal flat. SOC density increased by 6.25 Mg ha(-1) following S. alterniflora invasion into P. australis community but decreased by 28.56 and 8.17 Mg ha(-1) following invasion into K. obovata and A. marina communities. Based on field measurements and published literature, we calculated a total inventory of 57 x 10(6) Mg C in the top 1-m soil across China's coastal wetlands. Edaphic variables controlled SOC content, with soil chemical properties explaining the largest variance in SOC content. Climate did not control SOC content but had a strong interactive effect with edaphic variables. Plant biomass and quality traits were a minor contributor in regulating SOC content, highlighting the importance of quantity and quality of OC inputs and the balance between production and degradation within the coastal wetlands. These findings provide new insights into blue C stabilization mechanisms and sequestration capacity in coastal wetlands.
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| 6. |
- Guo, Weichao, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanisms Controlling Carbon Sinks in Semi-Arid Mountain Ecosystems
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - 0886-6236. ; 36:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Feedbacks between the intertwined water and carbon cycles in semi-arid mountain ecosystems can introduce large uncertainties into projections of carbon storage. In this study, we sought to understand the influence of key mechanisms on carbon balances, focusing on an ecosystem whose complex terrain and large interannual variability in precipitation adds to its vulnerability to warming. We applied a dynamic vegetation-ecosystem model (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator) to simulate water-carbon interactions in the 104,512 km2 Mediterranean-climate ecosystems of California's Sierra Nevada for 1950–2099. Our 48 scenarios include a combination of carbon dioxide (CO2) increase, air temperature change, and varying plant rooting depths. We found that with warming (+2 and +5°C), water limitations on growth and enhanced soil respiration reduce carbon storage; however, CO2 fertilization and associated enhanced water-use efficiency offset this loss. Using the 4 km model resolution to capture steep mountain precipitation gradients, plus accounting for the several meters of actual root-accessible water storage in the region, were also important. With warming accompanied by CO2 fertilization our projections show that the Sierra Nevada sequestering at least 200 Tg (2 kg m−2) carbon, versus carbon loss with warming alone. The increase reflects coniferous forests growing at high elevations, and some increase in broadleaved forests at low-to-intermediate elevations. Importantly, uncertainty in fire disturbance could shift our finding from carbon sink to source. The improved mechanistic understanding of these feedbacks can advance modeling of carbon-water interactions in mountain-ecosystem under a warmer and potentially drier climate.
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| 7. |
- Han, Mei, et al.
(författare)
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Promoted Self-construction of β-NiOOH in Amorphous High Entropy Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Catalysis B. - : Elsevier. - 0926-3373 .- 1873-3883. ; 301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The exploration of an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgently required for sustainable renewable-energy conversion and storage. Due to the increased chemical complexity, multimetallic catalysts provide flexibility to alter their electronic and crystal structure to attain a superior intrinsic catalytic activity via synergistic effects, which is seldom accomplished using single metal catalysts. However, the high chemical complexity increases the difficulty to prepare elemental homogenous catalysts and reveal their synergistic effect during OER process, which further hinder the design of multimetallic catalysts. Here, high entropy concept is utilized to design an NiFeCoMnAl oxide with amorphous structure as OER catalyst. The direct evidence of active Ni sites is provided by the operando Raman measurements and Fe can modify oxygen intermediates binding energy on Ni sites. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveal that the incorporation of Mn can construct the electron-rich environment of active Ni center, and the relatively lower oxidation state of Ni facilitates the self-construction of β-NiOOH intermediates, which shows promoted OER activity as confirmed by density functional theory calculations. Doping Co can enhance the conductivity and doping Al leads to the formation of nanoporous structure through dealloying process, thus each component is essential for improving OER performance. The optimized NiFeCoMnAl catalyst exhibits an overpotential of 190 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH solution, much superior to the ternary and quaternary counterparts. This work sheds light on understanding the origin of high entropy catalysts’ OER activity and thereby enables the rational design of multinary transition metallic catalysts.
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| 8. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(författare)
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Holocene carbon accumulation in lakes of the current east Asian monsoonal margin: Implications under a changing climate
- 2020
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 737, s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carbon (C) present in lake sediments is an important global sink for CO2; however, an in-depth understanding of the impact of climate variability and the associated changes in vegetation on sediment C dynamics is still lacking. A total of 13 lakes were studied to quantify the influence of climate and vegetation on the reconstructed Holocene C accumulation rate (CAR) in lake sediments of the modern East Asian monsoonal margin. The corresponding paleoclimate information was assessed, including the temperature (30–90°N in the Northern Hemisphere) and precipitation (indicated by the δ18O of the Sanbao, Dongge, and Hulu caves). The Holocene vegetation conditions were inferred by pollen records, including arboreal pollen/non-arboreal pollen and pollen percentages. The results showed that the peak CAR occurred during the mid-Holocene, coinciding with the strongest period of the East Asian summer monsoon and expansion of forests. Lakes in the temperate steppe (TS) regions had a mean CAR of 13.41 ± 0.88 g C m−2 yr−1, which was significantly greater than the CARs of temperate desert (TD) and highland meadow/steppe (HMS; 6.76 ± 0.29 and 7.39 ± 0.73 g C m−2 yr−1, respectively). The major influencing factor for the TS sub-region was vegetation dynamics, especially the proportion of arboreal vegetation, while temperature and vegetation coverage were more important for the HMS. These findings indicate that C accumulation in lake sediments is linked with climate and vegetation changes over long timescales; however, there was notable spatial heterogeneity in the CARs, such as opposing temporal changes and different major influencing factors among the three sub-regions during the mid-Holocene. Aridification and forest loss would decrease C storage. However, prediction of C accumulation remains difficult because of the spatial heterogeneity in CARs and the interaction between the CAR and various factors under future climate change conditions.
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| 9. |
- Hao, Qian, et al.
(författare)
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Silicon Affects Plant Stoichiometry and Accumulation of C, N, and P in Grasslands
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 11, s. 1-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silicon (Si) plays an important role in improving soil nutrient availability and plant carbon (C) accumulation and may therefore impact the biogeochemical cycles of C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in terrestrial ecosystems profoundly. However, research on this process in grassland ecosystems is scarce, despite the fact that these ecosystems are one of the most significant accumulators of biogenic Si (BSi). In this study, we collected the aboveground parts of four widespread grasses and soil profile samples in northern China and assessed the correlations between Si concentrations and stoichiometry and accumulation of C, N, and P in grasses at the landscape scale. Our results showed that Si concentrations in plants were significantly negatively correlated (p< 0.01) with associated C concentrations. There was no significant correlation between Si and N concentrations. It is worth noting that since the Si concentration increased, the P concentration increased from less than 0.10% to more than 0.20% and therefore C:P and N:P ratios decreased concomitantly. Besides, the soil noncrystalline Si played more important role in C, N, and P accumulation than other environmental factors (e.g., MAT, MAP, and altitude). These findings indicate that Si may facilitate grasses in adjusting the utilization of nutrients (C, N, and P) and may particularly alleviate P deficiency in grasslands. We conclude that Si positively alters the concentrations and accumulation of C, N, and P likely resulting in the variation of ecological stoichiometry in both vegetation and litter decomposition in soils. This study further suggests that the physiological function of Si is an important but overlooked factor in influencing biogeochemical cycles of C and P in grassland ecosystems.
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| 10. |
- Kang, Ying, et al.
(författare)
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Weak Bonds Joint Effects Catalyze the Cleavage of Strong C−C Bond of Lignin‐Inspired Compounds and Lignin in Air by Ionic Liquids
- 2020
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Ingår i: ChemSusChem. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1864-5631 .- 1864-564X. ; 13:22, s. 5945-5953
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oxidation of lignin to value‐added aromatics through selective C−C bond cleavage via metal‐free and mild strategies is promising but challenging. It was discovered that the cations of ionic liquids (ILs) could effectively catalyze this kind of strong bond cleavage by forming multiple weak hydrogen bonds, enabling the reaction conducted in air at temperature lower than 373 K without metal‐containing catalysts. The cation [CPMim]+ (1‐propylronitrile‐3‐methylimidazolium) afforded the highest efficiency in C−C bond cleavage, in which high yields (>90 %) of oxidative products were achieved. [CPMim]+ could form three ipsilateral hydrogen bonds with the oxygen atom of C=O and ether bonds at both sides of the C−C bond. The weak bonds joint effects could promote adjacent C−H bond cleave to form free radicals and thereby catalyze the fragmentation of the strong C−C. This work opens up an eco‐friendly and energy‐efficient route for direct valorization of lignin by enhancing IL properties via tuning the cation.
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