| 1. |
- Piao, S. L., et al.
(author)
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The carbon budget of terrestrial ecosystems in East Asia over the last two decades
- 2012
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In: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4189. ; 9:9, s. 3571-3586
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes regional study provides a synthesis of the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems in East Asia, a region comprised of China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Mongolia. We estimate the current terrestrial carbon balance of East Asia and its driving mechanisms during 1990-2009 using three different approaches: inventories combined with satellite greenness measurements, terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle models and atmospheric inversion models. The magnitudes of East Asia's terrestrial carbon sink from these three approaches are comparable: -0.293 +/- 0.033 PgC yr(-1) from inventory-remote sensing model-data fusion approach, -0.413 +/- 0.141 PgC yr(-1)(not considering biofuel emissions) or -0.224 +/- 0.141 PgC yr(-1) (considering biofuel emissions) for carbon cycle models, and -0.270 +/- 0.507 PgC yr(-1) for atmospheric inverse models. Here and in the following, the numbers behind +/- signs are standard deviations. The ensemble of ecosystem modeling based analyses further suggests that at the regional scale, climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 together resulted in a carbon sink of -0.289 +/- 0.135 PgC yr(-1), while land-use change and nitrogen deposition had a contribution of -0.013 +/- 0.029 PgC yr(-1) and -0.107 +/- 0.025 PgC yr(-1), respectively. Although the magnitude of climate change effects on the carbon balance varies among different models, all models agree that in response to climate change alone, southern China experienced an increase in carbon storage from 1990 to 2009, while northern East Asia including Mongolia and north China showed a decrease in carbon storage. Overall, our results suggest that about 13-27% of East Asia's CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning have been offset by carbon accumulation in its terrestrial territory over the period from 1990 to 2009. The underlying mechanisms of carbon sink over East Asia still remain largely uncertain, given the diversity and intensity of land management processes, and the regional conjunction of many drivers such as nutrient deposition, climate, atmospheric pollution and CO2 changes, which cannot be considered as independent for their effects on carbon storage.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Yin, Y. Y., et al.
(author)
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Quantifying Water Scarcity in Northern China Within the Context of Climatic and Societal Changes and South-to-North Water Diversion
- 2020
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In: Earths Future. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2328-4277. ; 8:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the increasing pressure from population growth and economic development, northern China (NC) faces a grand challenge of water scarcity, which can be further exacerbated by climatic and societal changes. The South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) project is designed to mitigate the water scarcity in NC. However, few studies have quantified the impact of the SNWD on water scarcity within the context of climatic and societal changes and its potential effects on economic and agricultural food in the region. We used water supply stress index (WaSSI) to quantify water scarcity within the context of environmental change in NC and developed a method to estimate the economic and agricultural impacts of the SNWD. Focuses were put on alleviating the water supply shortage and economic and agricultural benefits for the water-receiving NC. We find that societal changes, especially economic growth, are the major contributors to water scarcity in NC during 2009-2099. To completely mitigate the water scarcity of NC, at least an additional water supply of 13 billion m(3)/year (comparable to the annual diversion water by SNWD Central Route) will be necessary. Although SNWD alone cannot provide the full solution to NC's water shortage in next few decades, it can significantly alleviate the water supply stress in NC (particularly Beijing), considerably increasing the agricultural production (more than 115 Tcal/year) and bringing economic benefits (more than 51 billion RMB/year) through supplying industrial and domestic water use. Additionally, the transfer project could have impacts on the ecological environment in the exporting regions.
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| 4. |
- Zeng, Z., et al.
(author)
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Deforestation-induced warming over tropical mountain regions regulated by elevation
- 2021
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In: Nature Geoscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 14, s. 23-29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Agriculture is expanding in tropical mountainous areas, yet its climatic effect is poorly understood. Here, we investigate how elevation regulates the biophysical climate impacts of deforestation over tropical mountainous areas by integrating satellite-observed forest cover changes into a high-resolution land–atmosphere coupled model. We show that recent forest conversion between 2000 and 2014 increased the regional warming by 0.022±0.002°C in the Southeast Asian Massif, 0.010±0.007°C in the Barisan Mountains (Maritime Southeast Asia), 0.042±0.010°C in the Serra da Espinhaço (South America) and 0.047±0.008°C in the Albertine Rift mountains (Africa) during the local dry season. The deforestation-driven local temperature anomaly can reach up to 2°C where forest conversion is extensive. The warming from mountain deforestation depends on elevation, through the intertwined and opposing effects of increased albedo causing cooling and decreased evapotranspiration causing warming. As the elevation increases, the albedo effect increases in importance and the warming effect decreases, analogous to previously highlighted decreases of deforestation-induced warming with increasing latitude. As most new croplands are encroaching lands at low to moderate elevations, deforestation produces higher warming from suppressed evapotranspiration. Impacts of this additional warming on crop yields, land degradation and biodiversity of nearby intact ecosystems should be incorporated into future assessments.
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| 5. |
- Zeng, Z. K., et al.
(author)
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A new Buttiauxella phytase continuously hydrolyzes phytate and improves amino acid digestibility and mineral balance in growing pigs fed phosphorous-deficient diet
- 2016
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In: Journal of Animal Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0021-8812 .- 1525-3163. ; 94:2, s. 629-638
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ten ileal T-cannulated pigs (19.26 ± 1.06 kg) were used to evaluate the effects of a novel Buttiauxella phytase on apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of AA and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and hindgut disappearance of DM, GE, CP, crude fiber, NDF, and ADF as well as minerals balance. Pigs were fed in a duplicated 5 × 4 incomplete Latin square design (5 diets with 4 periods). Each period consisted of a 5-d adjustment period followed by a 3-d total collection of feces and urine and then a 2-d collection of ileal digesta. The 5 diets included a P-deficient basal diet (0.43% Ca and 0.38% total P) that was supplemented with 0 (negative control [NC]), 500, 1,000, or 20,000 phytase units (FTU)/kg phytase and a positive control (PC) diet that was P adequate (0.64% Ca and 0.52% total P). The addition of phytase to the NC diet improved (P < 0.05) AID of phytate from 11.1 to 62.8, 70.6, and 90.5% at the inclusion rates of 500, 1,000, and 20,000 FTU/kg, respectively. In general, phytase supplementation at a dose of 20,000 FTU/kg further increased (P < 0.05) AID of Ca, total P, and phytate and reduced (P < 0.05) the ileal phytate concentration compared with diets with 500 or 1,000 FTU/kg phytase. Pigs fed the diet with 20,000 FTU/kg phytase but not diets with 500 and 1,000 FTU/kg phytase showed improved (P < 0.05) ATTD of CP and AID of DM, GE, CP, Leu, Lys, Thr, Val, Asp, and Ser compared with pigs fed the PC or NC diet. However, hindgut disappearance of crude fiber and NDF (P < 0.05) were reduced in pigs fed the diet with 20,000 FTU/kg phytase compared with pigs fed the PC or NC diet. Pigs fed diets with 500 or 1,000 FTU/ kg phytase had greater ATTD and retention of Ca and P than pigs fed the NC diet but less compared with pigs fed the diet with 20,000 FTU/kg phytase. Supplementation of 20,000 FTU/kg phytase to the NC diet improved (P < 0.05) digestibility of Na, Mn, and Zn as well as retention (%) of Zn. Increasing phytase supplementation doses from 0 to 1,000 FTU/kg linearly improved (P < 0.05) retention of Mg; meanwhile, digestibility of Mg and Mn and AID of Thr showed a linear increase trend (P = 0.084). In conclusion, supplementation of the novel Buttiauxella phytase at doses up to 20,000 FTU/kg hydrolyzed most of the phytate (90%) and consequently further improved mineral and protein utilization.
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| 6. |
- Li, Y., et al.
(author)
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Widespread spring phenology effects on drought recovery of Northern Hemisphere ecosystems
- 2023
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In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 13, s. 182-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The authors reveal complex drought recovery responses to phenology shifts, in that early spring can shorten or lengthen recovery, while delayed spring following drought events delays it. These effects suggest a need to incorporate phenology aspects into resilience models. The time required for an ecosystem to recover from severe drought is a key component of ecological resilience. The phenology effects on drought recovery are, however, poorly understood. These effects centre on how phenology variations impact biophysical feedbacks, vegetation growth and, ultimately, recovery itself. Using multiple remotely sensed datasets, we found that more than half of ecosystems in mid- and high-latitudinal Northern Hemisphere failed to recover from extreme droughts within a single growing season. Earlier spring phenology in the drought year slowed drought recovery when extreme droughts occurred in mid-growing season. Delayed spring phenology in the subsequent year slowed drought recovery for all vegetation types (with importance of spring phenology ranging from 46% to 58%). The phenology effects on drought recovery were comparable to or larger than other well-known postdrought climatic factors. These results strongly suggest that the interactions between vegetation phenology and drought must be incorporated into Earth system models to accurately quantify ecosystem resilience.
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| 7. |
- Piao, H. L., et al.
(author)
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Affinity-matured recombinant immunotoxin targeting gangliosides 3 '-isoLM1 and 3 ', 6 '-isoLD1 on malignant gliomas
- 2013
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In: Mabs. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1942-0862 .- 1942-0870. ; 5:5, s. 748-762
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- About 60 percent of glioblastomas highly express the gangliosides 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1 on the cell surface, providing ideal targets for brain tumor immunotherapy. A novel recombinant immunotoxin, DmAb14m-(scFv)-PE38KDEL (DmAb14m-IT), specific for the gangliosides 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1, was constructed with improved affinity and increased cytotoxicity for immunotherapeutic targeting of glioblastoma. We isolated an scFv parental clone from a previously established murine hybridoma, DmAb14, that is specific to both 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1. We then performed in vitro affinity maturation by CDR hotspot random mutagenesis. The binding affinity and specificity of affinity-matured DmAb14m-IT were measured by surface-plasmon resonance, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical analysis. In vitro cytotoxicity of DmAb14m-IT was measured by protein synthesis inhibition and cell death assays in human cell lines expressing gangliosides 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1 (D54MG and D336MG) and xenograft-derived cells (D2224MG). As a result, the K-D of DmAb14m-IT for gangliosides 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1 was 2.6 x 10(-9)M. Also, DmAb14m-IT showed a significantly higher internalization rate in cells expressing 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1. The DmAb14m-IT IC50 was 80 ng/mL (1194 pM) on the D54MG cell line, 5 ng/ml (75 pM) on the D336MG cell line, and 0.5 ng/ml (7.5 pM) on the D2224MG xenograft-derived cells. There was no cytotoxicity on ganglioside-negative HEK293 cells. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the specific apparent affinity of DmAb14m-IT with 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1. In conclusion, DmAb14m-IT showed specific binding affinity, a significantly high internalization rate, and selective cytotoxicity on glioma cell lines and xenograft-derived cells expressing 3-isoLM1 and 3,6-isoLD1, thereby displaying robust therapeutic potential for testing the antitumor efficacy of DmAb14m-IT at the preclinical level and eventually in the clinical setting.
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| 8. |
- Piao, X., et al.
(author)
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Oxidized cellulose nanofibrils-based surimi gel enhancing additives : Interactions, performance and mechanisms
- 2022
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In: Food Hydrocolloids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0268-005X .- 1873-7137. ; 133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Surimi-based products with preferred textural properties and high nutritional value are fashionable throughout the market. Enhancing surimi gel characteristics is of key importance for enabling the following processing and warranting the end-product quality, but challenging due to the lack of energy- and performance-efficient processes and the elusive mechanisms underpinned such enhancements. Focusing on enhancing surimi gel properties by introducing sustainable additives, we successfully explore functionalized cellulose nanofibrils as a textural enhancer in surimi gels and establish a new model to expound the interaction mechanisms. Firstly, TEMPO-mediated oxidation prior to homogenization harvests functionalized cellulose nanofibrils with unique fibrillary shape, uniform nano-size, high surface hydrophilicity and activated -COO- groups, highly suited for the additive use in surimi gels (Monto et al., 2021). Secondly, the innovative application of oxidized cellulose nanofibrils at a remarkably low concentrations (0.1 g/100 g surimi) greatly improve the whiteness, microstructure, water holding capacity, gel strength and thermal stability of the surimi gels, through a synergistic effect of matrix-reinforcing, water binding and entrapping, covalent interactions (disulfide bonds, amide bonds), non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds) and favorable protein conformational changes within the network. Next, a new mechanism model toward the high-performance surimi gels is concluded to better elucidate the interactions between oxidized cellulose nanofibrils and myosin molecules. We expect that this work can provide guidelines on designing novel and high-quality cellulose-additive foods and understanding the roles of food additives in meat gel systems, for advancing the applications of new additives and gelation mechanisms in the food industry.
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| 9. |
- Quintana, C., et al.
(author)
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High Speed Electro-Absorption Modulator for Long Range Retroreflective Free Space Optics
- 2017
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In: IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. - 1041-1135 .- 1941-0174. ; 29:9, s. 707-710
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this letter, we present the design and implementation of a pixelated electro-absorption modulator-based modulating retroreflector (MRR) for high-speed optical wireless communications. The modulator is based on a multiple quantum well structure embedded in an asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity. This MRR was used in an outdoor link, operating at 150 Mb/s with a bit error rate (BER) of 1.22 × 10-6 at a range of 200 m. The system was also tested in laboratory-controlled conditions achieving a data rate of 200 Mb/s with a BER of 2 × 10-4. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fastest retroreflective free-space optics demonstration in both the indoor and outdoor environments.
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| 10. |
- Shen, M., et al.
(author)
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Evaporative cooling over the Tibetan plateau induced by vegetation growth
- 2015
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 112:30, s. 9299-9304
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the Arctic, climate warming enhances vegetation activity by extending the length of the growing season and intensifying maximum rates of productivity. In turn, increased vegetation productivity reduces albedo, which causes a positive feedback on temperature. Over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), regional vegetation greening has also been observed in response to recent warming. Here, we show that in contrast to arctic regions, increased growing season vegetation activity over the TP may have attenuated surface warming. This negative feedback on growing season vegetation temperature is attributed to enhanced evapotranspiration (ET). The extra energy available at the surface, which results from lower albedo, is efficiently dissipated by evaporative cooling. The net effect is a decrease in daily maximum temperature and the diurnal temperature range, which is supported by statistical analyses of in situ observations and by decomposition of the surface energy budget. A daytime cooling effect from increased vegetation activity is also modeled from a set of regional weather research and forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model simulations, but with a magnitude smaller than observed, likely because the WRF model simulates a weaker ET enhancement. Our results suggest that actions to restore native grasslands in degraded areas, roughly one-third of the plateau, will both facilitate a sustainable ecological development in this region and have local climate cobenefits. More accurate simulations of the biophysical coupling between the land surface and the atmosphere are needed to help understand regional climate change over the TP, and possible larger scale feedbacks between climate in the TP and the Asian monsoon system.
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