ALBERT

Description: The performance of Beijing Climate Center Climate system model (BCC_CSM) with 2 horizontal resolutions in simulating the precipitation seasonal variation over Eastern China has been evaluated. The possible reasons related to the differences in the simulations of BCC_CSM1.1 m model with fine resolution and BCC_CSM1.1 model with coarse resolution also have been addressed and discussed. Results show that the the improved simulation of the timing and amount of precipitation in dry seasons except for larger biases during rainy seasons can be noted in BCC_CSM1.1 m model relative to BCC_CSM1.1 model. The occurrence time of the precipitation annual peaks in BCC_CSM1.1 m model shows better agreements with the observation compared to BCC_CSM1.1 model. Mechanism analysis indicates that BCC_CSM1.1 produced earlier East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) onset and northward jump of Western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), leading to the earlier start of the rainy seasons and occurrence time of the precipitation annual peaks over Eastern China comparing with the observation and BCC_CSM1.1 m simulation. The improved EASM onset and northward jump of WPSH in BCC_CSM1.1 m model resulted in better simulation of precipitation seasonal transition and occurrence time of the precipitation annual peaks. However, compared to BCC_CSM1.1 model, the much more underestimated summer precipitation over most Eastern China in BCC_CSM1.1 m model is mainly due to the weakly simulated northeastward water vapor transport which is resulted from the much stronger WPSH with farther northwest location and weaker land sea thermal contrast (LSTC).

Description: The performance of Beijing Climate Center Climate system model with different horizontal resolutions (BCC_CSM1.1 with coarse resolution and BCC_CSM1.1m with fine resolution) in simulating the summer precipitation over China during the recent half century is evaluated and the possible underlying physical mechanisms related to the model biases are also further analyzed and discussed. Results show that increasing horizontal resolution does improve the summer precipitation simulation over most part of China especially in western China due to the more realistic description of the topography. However, the summer precipitation amount (PA) over eastern China characterized by monsoonal climates is much more underestimated in the finer resolution model. It's also noted that the improvement (deterioration) of the summer PA over western (eastern) China in BCC_CSM1.1m model is mainly due to the better (worse) simulation of the moderate and heavy precipitation relative to BCC_CSM1.1 model. In addition, increasing model horizontal resolution can significantly improve the convective precipitation simulation especially over western China but shows very limited improvement in the large scale precipitation simulation. The much more underestimated summer PA over eastern China in BCC_CSM1.1m model relative to BCC_CSM1.1 model is due to the significantly reduced positive biases of the convective PA but few changes in the negative biases of the large scale PA. Further mechanism analysis suggests that both the underestimated land-sea thermal contrast and the overestimated Western Pacific subtropical high result in much less northeastward water vapor transport and summer PA over eastern China in BCC_CSM1.1m model than in BCC_CSM1.1 model.

Description: ABSTRACT Aerosol trends and rates of change were analysed between 2003 and 2013, over both land and ocean, using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) monthly aerosol optical thickness (AOT) products (MYD08). Unlike previous research, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was implemented in this study. Results show that sustained positive or negative trends are globally observed in most areas during the study period. However, increasing rates were decelerated and even became downward trends over western North America, central South America, East China Sea and southeastern China. Comparing EEMD results with linear regression, it is evident that the increasing and decreasing rates from the EEMD method are much stronger. Zonally averaged trends clearly indicate an opposite trend between the southern and northern hemispheres. In addition, this study demonstrates that linear regression may not fit trends statistically in some areas, such as central South America and part of the Indian Ocean. Around 32.74% (12 816) of pixels exhibit low correlation ( r 2  = 0.5) between linear and nonlinear trends from EEMD. Approximately 12.46% (4877), 6.56% (2567) and 1.85% (724) of pixels experience significant variations against the F -test, autoregressive process of the first-order for EEMD and linear regression, respectively. The rates of change observed in this study can be used in analysing the long-term effects of aerosols on climate change and earth's radiative budget.

Description: Acetylcholine (ACh) protected against cardiac injury via promoting autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis, however, the involvement of mitophagy in ACh-elicited cardioprotection remains unknown. In the present study, H9c2 cardiomyocytes were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and ACh treatment during reoxygenation. Mitophagy markers PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin translocation were examined using western blot and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also detected with fluorescence staining. We found that H/R-treated cells exhibited reduced levels of PINK1 and Parkin in mitochondria, accompanied with decreased autophagy flux (reduced LC3-II/LC3-I and increased p62). Conversely, ACh increased PINK1 and Parkin translocation to mitochondria and enhanced autophagy proteins. Confocal imaging of Parkin and MitoTracker Green-labeled mitochondria further confirmed ACh-induced mitochondrial translocation of Parkin, which was reversed by methoctramine and M 2 receptor siRNA, suggesting ACh could induce mitophagy by M 2 receptor after H/R. Mitophagy inhibitor 3-methaladenine abolished ACh-induced mitoprotection, manifesting as aggravated mitochondrial morphology disruption, ATP and membrane potential depletion, increased ROS overproduction and apoptosis. Furthermore, PINK1/Parkin siRNA attenuated the protective effects of ACh against ATP loss and oxidative stress due to mitochondrial-dependent injury. Taken together, ACh promoted mitochondrial translocation of PINK1/Parkin to stimulate cytoprotective mitophagy via M 2 receptor, which may provide beneficial targets in the preservation of cardiac homeostasis against H/R injury. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: Five satellite precipitation products, including Climate Prediction Center Morphing Technique (CMOPRH), Precipitation Estimation From Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Network (PERSIANN), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Missing (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) version 7 products 3B41RTV7, 3B42RTV7, and 3B42V7, are systematically evaluated by comparing to the daily precipitation data collected from ~2400 gauge stations over China during January 2000 to December 2014. Satellite estimates generally capture the overall spatial-temporal variation of precipitation over China with relatively better ability in warm seasons than in cold seasons. Meanwhile, satellite precipitation estimates also tend to show better agreement with gauge observations over humid regions than over arid and alpine regions. Analysis of the systematic and random error components suggests that the uncertainties in both TRMM3B42RTV7 and TRMM3B42V7 precipitation estimates are significantly reduced over most parts of China compared to the other 3 satellite products. Among the five products, the research product TRMM3B42V7 with bias adjustments agrees the most with the gauge observation in terms of spatio-temporal variation, amplitude and pattern of variability, occurrence of rainy events, and probability distribution function of the precipitation amount for different rain rates over most parts of China; the near-real-time product TRMM3B42RTV7 with the application of improved retrieval algorithms and more satellite data performs the second best over most sub-regions of eastern China. The improvements of TRMM3B42RTV7 without bias adjustments over eastern China relative to CMORPH, PERSIANN and TRMM3B41RTV7 are encouraging and favorable for the operational applications.

Description: Er 3+ ions-doped germano-gallate oxyfluoride glass-ceramic containing BaF 2 nanocrystals was prepared through conventional melt quenching and subsequent thermal treatment method. X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscope images confirmed the formation of BaF 2 nanocrystals in glass-ceramics. Preferential incorporation of Er 3+ ions into the BaF 2 nanocrystals were confirmed by the absorption spectra and emission spectra, and enhanced upconversion emission and infrared emission were observed. Relatively high transmittance in the mid-infrared region indicated great potential of this germano-gallate oxyfluoride glass-ceramics as host materials for the efficient mid-infrared emission from rare-earth ions.

Description: [1]  The Qinling–Dabie orogenic collage, central China, constitutes the geographic, geologic, and cultural heart of China; it plays a key role in understanding the amalgamation and break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent and the subduction and exhumation of continental crust under ultrahigh-pressure conditions. Herein, we investigate the Proterozoic evolution of the Qinling–Dabie orogenic collage and surrounding segments of the bounding South China craton (SCC) and North China craton (NCC), employing published and new U/Th–Pb geochronology. The Kongling, Hong'an–Dabie, and Douling–Foping complexes constitute the nucleus of the Yangtze block, recording a common ~2.0 Ga orogenic event that integrated the Yangtze block into the supercontinent Columbia. The ~1.10–0.95 Ga Miaowan ‘ophiolite’–Shennongjia arc association of the Huangling dome–Shennongjia massif seems to have split and reassembled that nucleus. It formed earlier than or contemporaneously with the Sibao orogeny along the southeastern margin of the Yangtze block. The ~0.95–0.80 Ga Mian–Lue complex comprises an oceanic accretionary wedge that formed outboard of an associated fore-arc–arc system represented by the Bikou–Hannan–Micangshan massifs along the north(western) margin of the Yangtze block. The Qinling complex, currently sandwiched between the SCC and NCC, lacks pre-Mesoproterozoic cratonal basement and its igneous rocks intruded a ~1.7–1.0 Ga old clastic wedge that incorporates meta-basites; it might have been part of the extended passive margin of East Antarctica and/or Australia. Neoproterozoic Qinling-complex magmatism spanned ~260 Myr and evolved from partial melting of the thick clastic sequence over an arc to a rift setting; most Qinling-complex paragneisses are erosional products of these igneous rocks. The ~1.0–0.85 Ga Qinling-complex magmatism formed independently from that along the north(west)ern Yangtze-block margin, but its ~0.8–0.7 Ga magmatism, peaking at ~750 Ma, is widespread throughout the Yangtze block; this suggest post- ~ 825 Ma accretion of the Qinling complex to the Yangtze block. The Daba and Wudang Shan, Douling, and Hong'an–Dabie areas of the northern Yangtze block are dominated by ~0.8–0.6 Ga bimodal continental-rift igneous rocks; in accordance with similar ages in the Qinling complex and the entire SCC, continental rifting appears to have been most active at ~750 Ma. Our Rodinia scenario suggests that the Qinling–Dabie orogenic collage records the final stages of the assemblage of the core of Rodinia and this was completed not earlier than ~825 Ma, and its break-up, which was most active at ~750 Ma.

Description: Author(s): Zhao Yang, Shiyuan Gao, Qi Ouyang, and Hongli Wang We investigated scroll waves in an inhomogeneous excitable 3D system with gradient of excitability. The gradient promotes twisting of the scroll waves. Sufficiently large excitability gradient enhances the twisting and causes simple scroll waves to transition to meandering scroll waves. For the twis... [Phys. Rev. E 86, 056209] Published Wed Nov 14, 2012

Description: Author(s): Xiao-Jin Liu, Wen Zhao, Yang Zhang, and Zong-Hong Zhu Relic gravitational waves (RGWs) generated in the early universe form a stochastic GW background, which can be directly probed by measuring the timing residuals of millisecond pulsars. In this paper, we investigate the constraints on the RGWs and on the inflationary parameters by the observations of… [Phys. Rev. D 93, 024031] Published Fri Jan 15, 2016