Recent Advances in Understanding Multi-scale Climate Variability of the Asian Monsoon.

Studies of the multi-scale climate variability of the Asian monsoon are essential to an advanced understanding of the physical processes of the global climate system. In this paper, the progress achieved in this field is systematically reviewed, with a focus on the past several years. The achievements are summarized into the following topics: (1) the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon; (2) the East Asian summer monsoon; (3) the East Asian winter monsoon; and (4) the Indian summer monsoon. Specifically, new results are highlighted, including the advanced or delayed local monsoon onset tending to be synchronized over the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Indochina Peninsula, and South China Sea; the basic features of the record-breaking mei-yu in 2020, which have been extensively investigated with an emphasis on the role of multi-scale processes; the recovery of the East Asian winter monsoon intensity after the early 2000s in the presence of continuing greenhouse gas emissions, which is believed to have been dominated by internal climate variability (mostly the Arctic Oscillation); and the accelerated warming over South Asia, which exceeded the tropical Indian Ocean warming, is considered to be the main driver of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall recovery since 1999. A brief summary is provided in the final section along with some further discussion on future research directions regarding our understanding of the Asian monsoon variability.

Leachate treatment using a demonstration aged refuse biofilter.

Approximately 7000 m3 of aged refuse (AR) with a placement of over eight years was excavated from Shanghai Refuse Landfill, the largest landfill in China, and used for the construction of a two-stage bioreactor (AR biofilter) media for the biological treatment of 100 m3 of refuse landfill leachate. It was found that over 64% of COD, 96.9%-99.8% of NH4+ -N, and 95.8%-99.8% of BOD5 could be removed by the AR biofilter, when the leachate with initial COD, BOD5, and NH4+ -N concentrations were 986-4128 mg/L, 264-959 mg/L, and 538-1583 mg/L, respectively. The corresponding concentrations in the effluent were reduced to below 300-400 mg/L, 2-12 mg/L, and 10-20 mg/L, respectively. The effluent was clear and pale yellow with suspended solid below 150 mg/L and color below 150 Pt/Co degree. Meanwhile, the total nitrogen removal was only 49%-63%, indicating a relative poor denitrification capacity of AR biofilter. The effluent pH was neutral and the population of Escherichia coli was less than 10(-1) CFU/mL. Hence, it was considered that the demonstration project can work well for the effective treatment of leachate.

[Studies on the chemical constituents of Ligularia macrophylla].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Ligularia macrophylla. METHODS: Isolation and purification were carried out on repeated silica gel column chromatography. The structures of the compounds were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral analyses. RESULTS: Eight compounds were isolated and identified as kaempferol (1), 2,4'-dihydroxy-5-methoxychalcone (2), 5-hydroxy-3,4', 7-trimethoxyflavone (3), isobutyl ester terephthalic acid (4), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), mono (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (6), lupeol (7), beta-sitosterol (8). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 - 7 are isolated from this plant for the first time.

Recovery of rare earth elements from coal fly ash by integrated physical separation and acid leaching.

Coal fly ash (CFA) is one of the most promising secondary sources of rare earth elements and yttrium (REY). This research first studied the modes of occurrence of REY in CFA collected from a China's power generation plant which utilizes a coal feedstock with an elevated REY content. The fact that rare earth minerals remain in CFA and REY associate with metal oxides was proved by emission-scanning electron microscope with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The technical feasibility of recovery of REY from CFA was then studied through conducting various physical separation methods followed by acid leaching. It was found that REY are concentrated in fine particle size, non-magnetic and middle density fractions. Using combined physical separation processes, the REY of CFA was enriched from 782 µg·g-1to 1025 µg g-1. The acid leaching process was optimized for various parameters via the Taguchi three-level experimental design. Upon optimization, the physical separation product was leached at the optimum condition and 79.85% leaching efficiency was obtained. Based on the obtained results, a conceptual process flowsheet was developed for recovery of REY from CFA. Such recovery maximizes REY resources utilization and enhances sustainability of CFA disposal.

Preventive control of odor emissions through manipulation of operational parameters during the active phase of composting.

Better understanding of the effects of key operational parameters or environmental factors on odor emission is of critical importance for minimizing the generation of composting odors. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to examine the effects of various operating conditions on odor emissions. The results revealed that airflow rates that were too high or too low could result in higher total odor emissions. An optimal flowrate for odor control would be approximately 0.6 L/min.kg dry matter with intermittent aeration and a duty cycle of 33%. Temperature setpoint at 60 degrees C appeared to be a turning point for odor emission. Below this point, odor emissions increased with increasing temperature setpoint; conversely, odor emissions decreased with increasing temperature setpoint above this point. With regard to the composting material properties, odor emissions were greatly affected by the initial moisture content of feedstock. Both peak odor concentration and emission rate generally increased with higher initial moisture content. Odor emission was significant only at moisture levels higher than 65%. An initial moisture level below 45% is not recommended due to concern with the resulting lower degree of biodegradation. Biodegradable volatile solids content (BVS) of feedstock had pronounced effect on odor emissions. Peak odor concentration and emission rate increased dramatically as BVS increased from 45% to 65%, thus, total odor emission increased exponentially with BVS.

A Study of Genomic Prediction of 12 Important Traits in the Domesticated Yak (Bos grunniens).

The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of applying GP to important economic traits in the domesticated yak, thus providing theoretical support for its molecular breeding. A reference population was constructed consisting of 354 polled yaks, measuring four growth traits and eight hematological traits related to resistance to disease (involved in immune response and phagocytosis). The Illumina bovine HD 770k chip was used to obtain SNP information of all the individuals. With these genotypes and phenotypes, GBLUP, Bayes B and Bayes Cπ methods were used to predict genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) and assess prediction capability. The correlation coefficient of the association of GEBV with estimated breeding value (EBV) was used as PA for each trait. The prediction accuracy varied from 0.043 to 0.281 for different traits. Each trait displayed similar PAs when using the three methods. Lymphocyte counts (LYM) exhibited the highest predictive accuracy (0.319) during all GP, while chest girth (CG) provided the lowest predictive accuracy (0.043). Our results showed moderate PA in most traits such as body length (0.212) and hematocrit (0.23). Those traits with lower PA could be improved by using SNP chips designed specifically for yak, a better optimized reference group structure, and more efficient statistical algorithms and tools.

Inclusion of Solar Elevation Angle in Land Surface Albedo Parameterization Over Bare Soil Surface.

Land surface albedo is a significant parameter for maintaining a balance in surface energy. It is also an important parameter of bare soil surface albedo for developing land surface process models that accurately reflect diurnal variation characteristics and the mechanism behind the solar spectral radiation albedo on bare soil surfaces and for understanding the relationships between climate factors and spectral radiation albedo. Using a data set of field observations, we conducted experiments to analyze the variation characteristics of land surface solar spectral radiation and the corresponding albedo over a typical Gobi bare soil underlying surface and to investigate the relationships between the land surface solar spectral radiation albedo, solar elevation angle, and soil moisture. Based on both solar elevation angle and soil moisture measurements simultaneously, we propose a new two-factor parameterization scheme for spectral radiation albedo over bare soil underlying surfaces. The results of numerical simulation experiments show that the new parameterization scheme can more accurately depict the diurnal variation characteristics of bare soil surface albedo than the previous schemes. Solar elevation angle is one of the most important factors for parameterizing bare soil surface albedo and must be considered in the parameterization scheme, especially in arid and semiarid areas with low soil moisture content. This study reveals the characteristics and mechanism of the diurnal variation of bare soil surface solar spectral radiation albedo and is helpful in developing land surface process models, weather models, and climate models.

An approach using ensemble empirical mode decomposition to remove noise from prototypical observations on dam safety.

It is very important for dam safety control to identify reasonably dam behavior according to the prototypical observations on deformation, seepage, stress, etc. However, there are many cases in which the noise corrupts the prototypical observations, and it must be removed from the data. Considering the nonlinear and non-stationary characteristics of data series with signal intermittency, an ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD)-based method is presented to remove noise from prototypical observations on dam safety. Its basic principle and implementation process are discussed. The key parameters and rules, which can adapt the noise removal requirements of prototypical observations on dam safety, are given. The displacement of one actual dam is taken as an example. The noise removal capability of EEMD-based method is assessed. It is indicated that the dam displacement feature can be reflected more clearly by removing noise from prototypical observations on dam displacement. The statistical model, which is built according to noise-removed data series, can provide the more precise forecast for structural behavior.

Quantitative Estimation of the Climatic Effects of Carbon Transferred by International Trade.

Carbon transfer via international trade affects the spatial pattern of global carbon emissions by redistributing emissions related to production of goods and services. It has potential impacts on attribution of the responsibility of various countries for climate change and formulation of carbon-reduction policies. However, the effect of carbon transfer on climate change has not been quantified. Here, we present a quantitative estimate of climatic impacts of carbon transfer based on a simple CO2 Impulse Response Function and three Earth System Models. The results suggest that carbon transfer leads to a migration of CO2 by 0.1-3.9 ppm or 3-9% of the rise in the global atmospheric concentrations from developed countries to developing countries during 1990-2005 and potentially reduces the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol by up to 5.3%. However, the induced atmospheric CO2 concentration and climate changes (e.g., in temperature, ocean heat content, and sea-ice) are very small and lie within observed interannual variability. Given continuous growth of transferred carbon emissions and their proportion in global total carbon emissions, the climatic effect of traded carbon is likely to become more significant in the future, highlighting the need to consider carbon transfer in future climate negotiations.

Protection of rats from thioacetamide-induced hepatic fibrosis by the extracts of a traditional Uighur medicine Cichorium glandulosum.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the protective effects of Cichorium glandulosum (CG) extracts on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced rat hepatic fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dry roots of CG were smashed and percolated with 95% ethanol, and the residual was prepared into petroleum ether extract (CG-V), ethyl acetate extract (CG-VI) and n-butyl alcohol extract (CG-VII). Thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a CG-V group (15 mg/kg), a CG-VI group (3 mg/kg), a CG-VII group (6 mg/kg) and a positive drug group (silibinin capsule, 8 mg/kg). Organ indices and serum levels of glutamic-oxaloacetic and glutamic-pyruvic transaminases of intragastrically administered rats were obtained. Expressions of FN, Smad3, IGFBPrP1 and TGF-ß1 genes were detected by Western Blot and immunohistochemical assays. Apoptosis was examined by TUNEL assay. RESULTS: Hepatic fibrosis of treatment groups was evidently mitigated. Expressions of FN, Smad3 and TGF-ß1 in administration groups were higher than those in normal group, and moreover were significantly higher in CG-V and CG-VII groups than those of model group. Apoptotic index of model group was significantly higher than that of normal group, but indices of CG-V and CG-VII groups were significantly lower than that of model group. Significantly more FN, Smad3 and IGFBPrP1 were expressed in treatment groups than those in normal group. CONCLUSION: CG extracts may function by altering TGF-ß/Smads signal transduction pathway.

Effect of Cichorium Glandulosum Extracts on CCl4-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Cichorium glandulosum (CG), which is a Compositae family plant, is a commonly used traditional Uighur medicine capable of cleansing liver and being cholagogue, strengthening stomach, promoting digestion, inducing diuresis and reducing edema. OBJECTIVES: To study the liver and spleen indices, the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and the histopathological changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were intragastrically administered with the extracts of a traditional Uighur medicine Cichorium glandulosum (CG). The expressions of FN, Smard3 IGFBPrPl and TGF-ß1 were detected. RESULTS: The liver and spleen indices of the CG-V group were significantly lower than those of the model group (P < 0.01). The hepatic fibrosis symptoms of the CG-V and CG-VII groups were significantly relieved, and more FN, Smard3 and IGFBPrPl were expressed than those in the normal group. The expressions of FN, Smard3 and TGF-ß1 in all treatment groups were significantly higher than those in the normal group, and the expressions in the CG-V and CG-VII groups were significantly different from those in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the normal group, the apoptotic index of the model group was significantly higher, but the indices of the CG-V and CG-VII groups were significantly lower than that of the model group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The extracts of CG probably exerted protective effects by influencing the TGF-ß/Smads signal transduction pathway.

Rate effect on mechanical properties of hydraulic concrete flexural-tensile specimens under low loading rates using acoustic emission technique.

Acoustic emission (AE) waveform is generated by dislocation, microcracking and other irreversible changes in a concrete material. Based on the AE technique (AET), this paper focuses on strain rate effect on physical mechanisms of hydraulic concrete specimens during the entire fracture process of three point bending (TPB) flexural tests at quasi-static levels. More emphasis is placed on the influence of strain rate on AE hit rate and AE source location around peak stress. Under low strain rates, namely 0.77×10(-7)s(-1), 1×10(-7)s(-1) to 1×10(-6)s(-1) respectively, the results show that the tensile strength increases as the strain rate increases while the peak AE hit rate decreases. Meanwhile, the specimen under a relatively higher strain rate shows a relatively wider intrinsic process zone in a more diffuser manner, lots of distributed microcracks relatively decrease stress intensity, thus delay both microcracking localization and macrocrack propagation. These phenomena can be attributed to Stéfan effect. In addition, further tests, namely the combination of AE monitoring and strain measuring systems was designed to understand the correlation between AE event activity and microfracture (i.e., microcracking and microcracking localization). The relative variation trend of cumulative AE events accords well with that of the load-deformation curve.