| 1. |
- An, Wenling, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced Recent Local Moisture Recycling on the Northwestern Tibetan Plateau Deduced From Ice Core Deuterium Excess Records
- 2017
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres. - 2169-897X .- 2169-8996. ; 122:23, s. 12541-12556
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Local moisture recycling plays an essential role in maintaining an active hydrological cycle of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Previous studies were largely limited to the seasonal time scale due to short and sparse observations, especially for the northwestern TP. In this study, we used a two-component mixing model to estimate local moisture recycling over the past decades from the deuterium excess records of two ice cores (i.e., Chongce and Zangser Kangri) from the northwestern TP. The results show that on average almost half of the precipitation on the northwestern TP is provided by local moisture recycling. In addition, the local moisture recycling ratio has increased evidently on the northwestern TP, suggesting an enhanced hydrological cycle. This recent increase could be due to the climatic and environmental changes on the TP in the past decades. Rapid increases in temperature and precipitation have enhanced evaporation. Changes of land surface of plateau have significantly increased evapotranspiration. All of these have intensified local moisture recycling. However, the mixing model used in this study only includes a limited number of climate factors. Some of the extreme values of moisture recycling ratio could be caused by large-scale atmospheric circulation and other climatic and weather events. Moreover, the potential mechanisms for the increase in local recycling need to be further examined, since the numeric simulations from climate models did not reproduce the increased contribution of local moisture recycling in precipitation.
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| 2. |
- Hou, Qiong, et al.
(author)
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A triphenylamine-based four-armed molecule for solution-processed organic solar cells with high photo-voltage
- 2013
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In: JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 1:16, s. 4937-4940
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new four-armed molecule Th-4(DTPAB) with a triphenylamine-benzothiadiazole-triphenylamine unit as the core and 4-hexylthiophene as arms was synthesized. Solution-processed organic solar cells based on blends of Th-4(DTPAB) and PC71BM demonstrate a power conversion efficiency of 3.18% with a high open circuit voltage of 0.96 V.
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| 3. |
- Hou, Yandong, et al.
(author)
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Sahara's surface transformation forced an abrupt hydroclimate decline and Neolithic culture transition in northern China
- 2024
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In: The Innovation. - 2666-6758. ; 5:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The remote forcing from land surface changes in the Sahara is hypothesized to play a pivotal role in modulating the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) through ocean-atmospheric teleconnections. This modu-lation has far-reaching consequences, particularly in facilitating societal shifts documented in northern China. Here, we present a well-dated lake-level record from the Daihai Lake Basin in northern China, providing quantitative assessments of Holocene monsoonal precipitation and the consequent mi-grations of the northern boundary of the EASM. Our reconstruction, informed by a water-and-energy balance model, indicates that annual precipitation reached -700 mm during 8-5 ka, followed by a rapid decline to -550 mm be-tween 5 and 4 ka. This shift coherently aligns with a significant -300 km northwestward movement of the EASM northern boundary during the Middle Holocene (MH), in contrast to its current position. Our findings underscore that these changes cannot be entirely attributed to orbital forcing, as corrob-orated by simulation tests. Climate model simulations deployed in our study suggest that the presence of the Green Sahara during the MH significantly strengthened the EASM and led to a northward shift of the monsoon rainfall belt. Conversely, the Sahara's reversion to a desert landscape in the late Ho-locene was accompanied by a corresponding southward retraction of monsoon influence. These dramatic hydroclimate changes during -5-4 ka likely triggered or at least contributed to a shift in Neolithic cultures and societal transformation in northern China. With decreasing agricultural pro-ductivity, communities transitioned from millet farming to a mixed rainfed agriculture and animal husbandry system. Thus, our findings elucidate not only the variability of the EASM but also the profound implications of a remote forcing, such as surface transformations of the Sahara, on climatic changes and cultural evolution in northern China.
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| 4. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 5. |
- Li, Yaohui, et al.
(author)
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Improved efficiency of organic solar cell using MoS2 doped poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT) as hole transport layer
- 2022
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In: Applied Surface Science. - : ELSEVIER. - 0169-4332 .- 1873-5584. ; 590
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report an efficient hole transporting layer (HTL) for organic solar cell (OSC) based on solution-processed organic-inorganic hybrid composed of ultrasonic-exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets and dopamine-copolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) derivative (DA-P). The OSCs based on this new hybrid HTL show a marked performance improvement over those with single-component HTLs, and they retain up to 80% of their original power conversion efficiency after 35 days. Our investigations reveal that the boost in performance is due to a synergistic effect that improves both hole transport and extraction ability. This effect is mainly due to the doping of exfoliated-MoS2 nanosheets on DA-P. We employ a comprehensive range of spectroscopies to uncover that the dopant is derived from the oxidation products of MoS2 nanosheets during the ultrasonic exfoliation. Our work demonstrates an efficient hybrid HTL and offers new insights into the interaction of exfoliated-MoS2 nanosheets and the PEDOT derivatives.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Zebin, et al.
(author)
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Whole-genome resequencing reveals signatures of selection and timing of duck domestication
- 2018
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In: GigaScience. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 2047-217X. ; 7:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The genetic basis of animal domestication remains poorly understood, and systems with substantial phenotypic differences between wild and domestic populations are useful for elucidating the genetic basis of adaptation to new environments as well as the genetic basis of rapid phenotypic change. Here, we sequenced the whole genome of 78 individual ducks, from two wild and seven domesticated populations, with an average sequencing depth of 6.42X per individual. Results: Our population and demographic analyses indicate a complex history of domestication, with early selection for separate meat and egg lineages. Genomic comparison of wild to domesticated populations suggests that genes that affect brain and neuronal development have undergone strong positive selection during domestication. Our F-ST analysis also indicates that the duck white plumage is the result of selection at the melanogenesis-associated transcription factor locus. Conclusions: Our results advance the understanding of animal domestication and selection for complex phenotypic traits.
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| 7. |
- Zhen, Hongyu, et al.
(author)
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Solution-processed bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells employing Ir complexes as electron donors
- 2014
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 2:31, s. 12390-12396
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To explore enhancing photocurrent in organic solar cells (OSCs) via harvesting triplet excitons, two novel bicycloiridium complexes (R-1 and R-2) are designed and synthesized. Conventional bulk-heterojunction triplet OSCs are solution processed using R-1 or R-2 as sole electron donors and phenyl-C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the electron acceptor. A decent short circuit current (J(sc)) of 6.5 mA cm(-2) is achieved though the overlap between the absorption spectrum (with similar to 550 nm absorption onset) of R-2 and the solar flux is relatively small. With an open circuit voltage of 0.74 V and a fill factor of 0.42, an encouraging power conversion efficiency of 2.0% is achieved in the OSCs based on R-2 and PC71BM without any processing additives and post-treatments. Our preliminary result demonstrates the possibility of utilizing Ir complexes as sole electron donors in OSCs, which extends available soluble small molecules for OSCs.
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