Management and Outcomes of Patients With High-Risk (Congenital Lung Malformation Volume Ratio≥ 1.6) Congenital Lung Malformations.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital lung malformations (CLMs) have a variable natural history. Larger lesions with CLM volume ratio (CVR) ≥ 1.6 are associated with hydrops and fetal mortality. The purpose of this study is to describe the management and outcomes of high-risk (CVR ≥ 1.6) CLM patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed for all fetuses evaluated between May 2015 and May 2022. Demographics, prenatal imaging factors, prenatal and postnatal treatment, and outcomes were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the cohorts. RESULTS: Of 149 fetal CLM patients referred to our fetal center, 21/149 (14%) had CVR ≥ 1.6. One CLM patient had intrauterine fetal demise, and 2 patients were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 18 patients, 11/18 (67%) received maternal steroids. Seven out of 18 patients (39%) underwent resection at the time of delivery with 1/7 (14%) undergoing exutero intrapartum treatment (EXIT)-to-resection, 5/7 (71%) undergoing EXIT-to-exteriorization-to-resection, and 1/7 (14%) undergoing a coordinated delivery to resection; among those undergoing resection, there were 2 fatalities (28.5%). Seven out of 18 (39%) patients required urgent neonatal open lobectomies, and the remaining 4/18 (22%) patients underwent elective thoracoscopic lobectomies with no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The natural history and outcomes of severe CLM patients remain highly variable. The EXIT-to-exteriorization-to-resection procedure may be a safe and effective approach for a subset of CLM patients with persistent symptoms of mass effect and severe mediastinal shift due to the observed decreased operative time requiring placental support observed in our study.

Novel Clinical Algorithm for Prenatal Monitoring of Congenital Lung Malformations.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital lung malformations (CLMs) are readily identified early in pregnancy with a variable natural history. Monitoring for lesion size and mediastinal shift (MS) is recommended following diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to propose a risk-stratified clinical algorithm for prenatal monitoring of CLM. METHODS: After ethical approval, all fetuses with CLMs evaluated at our fetal center from January 2015 to June 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, imaging characteristics, and fetal interventions were collected. Lesions were stratified by congenital lung malformation volume ratio (CVR) and the presence of MS. Descriptive statistics and receiver operating characteristic curves were employed in the analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed 111 patients with a mean of 23.4 wk gestational age, a median CVR of 0.5 (interquartile range, 0.3-1.2), and MS in 76 of 111(68%) patients on initial evaluation. Among low-risk patients (CVR ≤1.1), 96% remained low-risk on final evaluation. No patients transitioned from low to high risk during the growth period. Patients with CVR >1.1 often had persistent MS (P < 0.001). Hydrops (5/111, 5%) and fetal intervention (4/111, 4%) only occurred in patients with CVR >1.1 (P < 0.001, P = 0.002) and MS (P = 0.144, P = 0.214). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, initial CVR >1.1 had 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value for hydrops and fetal intervention. CONCLUSIONS: CLMs with initial CVR ≤1.1 are low risk for hydrops and fetal intervention. We propose a risk-stratified algorithm for the monitoring of CLM during the growth period based on CVR. While our experience suggests that patients with CLM and MS are at higher risk, the current subjective assessment of MS is not adequately predictive. Incorporating an MS grading system may further refine risk stratification in the management of CLM.

Use of discarded corneo-scleral rims to create cornea-like tissue.

BACKGROUND: Corneal disease is a major cause of blindness. Transplantation of cadaver-derived corneas (keratoplasty) is still the current therapy of choice; however, the global shortage of donor corneas continues to drive a search for alternatives. To this end, biosynthetic corneal substitutes have recently begun to gain importance. Here, we present a novel method for the generation of a cornea-like tissue (CLT), using corneo-scleral rims discarded after keratoplasty. METHODS AND RESULTS: Type I collagen was polymerized within the corneo-scleral rim, which functioned as a 'host' mould, directing the 'guest' collagen to polymerize into disc-shaped cornea-like material (CLM), displaying the shape, curvature, thickness, and transparency of normal cornea. This polymerization of collagen appears to derive from some morphogenetic influence exerted by the corneo-scleral rim. Once the CLM had formed naturally, we used collagen crosslinking to fortify it, and then introduced cells to generate a stratified epithelial layer to create cornea-like tissue (CLT) displaying characteristics of native cornea. Through the excision and reuse of rims, each rim turned out to be useful for the generation of multiple cornea-shaped CLTs. CONCLUSIONS: The approach effectively helps to shorten the gap between demand and supply of CLMs/CLTs for transplantation. We are exploring the surgical transplantation of this CLT into animal eyes, as keratoprostheses, as a precursor to future applications involving human eyes. It is possible to use either the CLM or CLT, for patients with varying corneal blinding diseases.

Congenital lung malformations: a nationwide survey on management aspects by the Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Over the years, congenital lung malformations (CLM) management remains a controversial topic in pediatric thoracic surgery. The Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery performed a national survey to study the current management variability among centers, trying to define national guidelines and a standardized approach of children with congenital lung malformations. METHODS: Following a National Society approval, an electronic survey including 35 items on post-natal management was designed, focusing on surgical, anesthesiology, radiology and pneumology aspects. The survey was conducted contacting all pediatric surgical units performing thoracic surgery. RESULTS: 39 pediatric surgery units (97.5%) participated in the study. 13 centers (33.3%) were classified as high-volume (Group A), while 26 centers (66.7%) were low volume (Group B). Variances in diagnostic imaging protocols were observed, with Group A performing fewer CT scans compared to Group B (p = 0.012). Surgical indications favored operative approaches for asymptomatic CLM and pulmonary sequestrations in both groups, while a wait-and-see approach was common for congenital lobar emphysema. Surgical timing for asymptomatic CLM differed significantly, with most high-volume centers operating on patients younger than 12 months (p = 0.02). Thoracoscopy was the preferred approach for asymptomatic CLM in most of centers, while postoperative long-term follow-up was not performed in most of the centers. CONCLUSION: Thoracoscopic approach seems uniform in asymptomatic CLM patients and variable in symptomatic children. Lack of uniformity in surgical timing and preoperative imaging assessment has been identified as key areas to establish a common national pattern of care for CLM.

Climate-ecosystem modelling made easy: The Land Sites Platform.

Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) provide a state-of-the-art process-based approach to study the complex interplay between vegetation and its physical environment. For example, they help to predict how terrestrial plants interact with climate, soils, disturbance and competition for resources. We argue that there is untapped potential for the use of DGVMs in ecological and ecophysiological research. One fundamental barrier to realize this potential is that many researchers with relevant expertize (ecology, plant physiology, soil science, etc.) lack access to the technical resources or awareness of the research potential of DGVMs. Here we present the Land Sites Platform (LSP): new software that facilitates single-site simulations with the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator, an advanced DGVM coupled with the Community Land Model. The LSP includes a Graphical User Interface and an Application Programming Interface, which improve the user experience and lower the technical thresholds for installing these model architectures and setting up model experiments. The software is distributed via version-controlled containers; researchers and students can run simulations directly on their personal computers or servers, with relatively low hardware requirements, and on different operating systems. Version 1.0 of the LSP supports site-level simulations. We provide input data for 20 established geo-ecological observation sites in Norway and workflows to add generic sites from public global datasets. The LSP makes standard model experiments with default data easily achievable (e.g., for educational or introductory purposes) while retaining flexibility for more advanced scientific uses. We further provide tools to visualize the model input and output, including simple examples to relate predictions to local observations. The LSP improves access to land surface and DGVM modelling as a building block of community cyberinfrastructure that may inspire new avenues for mechanistic ecosystem research across disciplines.

Short-term outcomes of thoracoscopic versus open lobectomy for congenital lung malformations.

PURPOSE: Thoracoscopic and open approaches for the management of congenital lung malformations (CLM) has been debated. The aim of this study is to compare 30-day outcomes for non-emergent lobectomies in children. METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database was queried for patients undergoing CLM resection from 2013 to 2020. Outcomes were compared by operative technique in an intention-to-treat model and then propensity matched. RESULTS: 2157 patients met inclusion criteria and underwent non-emergent pulmonary lobectomy for CLM. The intended operative approach was thoracoscopic in 57.7% of patients. Patients in the open group compared to the thoracoscopic were more likely to be born premature, have chronic lung disease, require preoperative oxygen support, and be ventilator dependent. After propensity matching, there was no statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality, unplanned readmission, and other complications between the thoracoscopic and open groups. Thoracoscopic approach was associated with a shorter length of stay. The proportion of cases approached via thoracoscopy increased over time from 48.8% in 2013 to 69.9% in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: This large multicenter retrospective matched analysis demonstrates thoracoscopic lobectomy in children has similar favorable 30-day outcomes and shorter length of stay for the non-emergent management of CLM, compared to open thoracotomy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Retrieving Soil Physical Properties by Assimilating SMAP Brightness Temperature Observations into the Community Land Model.

This paper coupled a unified passive and active microwave observation operator-namely, an enhanced, physically-based, discrete emission-scattering model-with the community land model (CLM) in a data assimilation (DA) system. By implementing the system default local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) algorithm, the Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) brightness temperature TBp (p = Horizontal or Vertical polarization) assimilations for only soil property retrieval and both soil properties and soil moisture estimates were investigated with the aid of in situ observations at the Maqu site. The results indicate improved estimates of soil properties of the topmost layer in comparison to measurements, as well as of the profile. Specifically, both assimilations of TBH lead to over a 48% reduction in root mean square errors (RMSEs) for the retrieved clay fraction from the background compared to the top layer measurements. Both assimilations of TBV reduce RMSEs by 36% for the sand fraction and by 28% for the clay fraction. However, the DA estimated soil moisture and land surface fluxes still exhibit discrepancies when compared to the measurements. The retrieved accurate soil properties alone are inadequate to improve those estimates. The discussed uncertainties (e.g., fixed PTF structures) in the CLM model structures should be mitigated.

Nitrification and denitrification in the Community Land Model compared with observations at Hubbard Brook Forest.

Models of terrestrial system dynamics often include nitrogen (N) cycles to better represent N limitations on terrestrial carbon (C) uptake, but simulating the fate of N in ecosystems has proven challenging. Here, key soil N fluxes and flux ratios from the Community Land Model version 5.0 (CLM5.0) are compared with an extensive set of observations from the Hubbard Brook Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site in New Hampshire. Simulated fluxes include microbial immobilization and plant uptake, which compete with nitrification and denitrification, respectively, for available soil ammonium (NH4 + ) and nitrate (NO3 - ). In its default configuration, CLM5.0 predicts that both plant uptake and immobilization are strongly dominated by NH4 + over NO3 - , and that the model ratio of nitrification:denitrification is ~1:1. In contrast, Hubbard Brook observations suggest that NO3 - plays a more significant role in plant uptake and that nitrification could exceed denitrification by an order of magnitude. Modifications to the standard CLM5.0 at Hubbard Brook indicate that a simultaneous increase in the competitiveness of nitrifying microbes for NH4 + and reduction in the competitiveness of denitrifying bacteria for NO3 - are needed to bring soil N flux ratios into better agreement with observations. Such adjustments, combined with evaluation against observations, may help to improve confidence in present and future simulations of N limitation on the C cycle, although C fluxes, such as gross primary productivity and net primary productivity, are less sensitive to the model modifications than soil N fluxes.

Divergent FUS phosphorylation in primate and mouse cells following double-strand DNA damage.

Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a RNA/DNA protein involved in multiple nuclear and cytoplasmic functions including transcription, splicing, mRNA trafficking, and stress granule formation. To accomplish these many functions, FUS must shuttle between cellular compartments in a highly regulated manner. When shuttling is disrupted, FUS abnormally accumulates into cytoplasmic inclusions that can be toxic. Disrupted shuttling of FUS into the nucleus is a hallmark of ~10% of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) cases, the neuropathology that underlies frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Multiple pathways are known to disrupt nuclear/cytoplasmic shuttling of FUS. In earlier work, we discovered that double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) trigger DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) to phosphorylate FUS (p-FUS) at N-terminal residues leading to the cytoplasmic accumulation of FUS. Therefore, DNA damage may contribute to the development of FTLD pathology with FUS inclusions. In the present study, we examined how DSBs effect FUS phosphorylation in various primate and mouse cellular models. All cell lines derived from human and non-human primates exhibit N-terminal FUS phosphorylation following calicheamicin γ1 (CLM) induced DSBs. In contrast, we were unable to detect FUS phosphorylation in mouse-derived primary neurons or immortalized cell lines regardless of CLM treatment, duration, or concentration. Despite DNA damage induced by CLM treatment, we find that mouse cells do not phosphorylate FUS, likely due to reduced levels and activity of DNA-PK compared to human cells. Taken together, our work reveals that mouse-derived cellular models regulate FUS in an anomalous manner compared to primate cells. This raises the possibility that mouse models may not fully recapitulate the pathogenic cascades that lead to FTLD with FUS pathology.

Carbon sequestration and biodiversity co-benefits of preserving forests in the western United States.

Forest carbon sequestration via forest preservation can be a viable climate change mitigation strategy. Here, we identify forests in the western conterminous United States with high potential carbon sequestration and low vulnerability to future drought and fire, as simulated using the Community Land Model and two high carbon emission scenario (RCP 8.5) climate models. High-productivity, low-vulnerability forests have the potential to sequester up to 5,450 Tg CO2 equivalent (1,485 Tg C) by 2099, which is up to 20% of the global mitigation potential previously identified for all temperate and boreal forests, or up to ~6 yr of current regional fossil fuel emissions. Additionally, these forests currently have high above- and belowground carbon density, high tree species richness, and a high proportion of critical habitat for endangered vertebrate species, indicating a strong potential to support biodiversity into the future and promote ecosystem resilience to climate change. We stress that some forest lands have low carbon sequestration potential but high biodiversity, underscoring the need to consider multiple criteria when designing a land preservation portfolio. Our work demonstrates how process models and ecological criteria can be used to prioritize landscape preservation for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and preserving biodiversity in a rapidly changing climate.

Proteogenomic characterization and comprehensive integrative genomic analysis of human colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Proteogenomic characterization and integrative and comparative genomic analysis provide a functional context to annotate genomic abnormalities with prognostic value. METHODS: Here, we analyzed the proteomes and performed whole exome and transcriptome sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism array profiling for 2 sets of triplet samples comprised of normal colorectal tissue, primary CRC tissue, and synchronous matched liver metastatic tissue. RESULTS: We identified 112 CNV-mRNA-protein correlated molecules, including up-regulated COL1A2 and BGN associated with prognosis, and four strongest hot spots (chromosomes X, 7, 16 and 1) driving global mRNA abundance variation in CRC liver metastasis. Two sites (DMRTB1R202H and PARP4V458I) were revealed to frequent mutate only in the liver metastatic cohort and displayed dysregulated protein abundance. Moreover, we confirmed that the mutated peptide number has potential prognosis value and somatic variants displayed increased protein abundance, including high MYH9 and CCT6A expression, with clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our proteogenomic characterization and integrative and comparative genomic analysis provides a new paradigm for understanding human colon and rectal cancer liver metastasis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials, NCT02917707. Registered 28 September 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02917707 .

Modelled biophysical impacts of conservation agriculture on local climates.

Including the parameterization of land management practices into Earth System Models has been shown to influence the simulation of regional climates, particularly for temperature extremes. However, recent model development has focused on implementing irrigation where other land management practices such as conservation agriculture (CA) has been limited due to the lack of global spatially explicit datasets describing where this form of management is practiced. Here, we implement a representation of CA into the Community Earth System Model and show that the quality of simulated surface energy fluxes improves when including more information on how agricultural land is managed. We also compare the climate response at the subgrid scale where CA is applied. We find that CA generally contributes to local cooling (~1°C) of hot temperature extremes in mid-latitude regions where it is practiced, while over tropical locations CA contributes to local warming (~1°C) due to changes in evapotranspiration dominating the effects of enhanced surface albedo. In particular, changes in the partitioning of evapotranspiration between soil evaporation and transpiration are critical for the sign of the temperature change: a cooling occurs only when the soil moisture retention and associated enhanced transpiration is sufficient to offset the warming from reduced soil evaporation. Finally, we examine the climate change mitigation potential of CA by comparing a simulation with present-day CA extent to a simulation where CA is expanded to all suitable crop areas. Here, our results indicate that while the local temperature response to CA is considerable cooling (>2°C), the grid-scale changes in climate are counteractive due to negative atmospheric feedbacks. Overall, our results underline that CA has a nonnegligible impact on the local climate and that it should therefore be considered in future climate projections.

Comparing optimal and empirical stomatal conductance models for application in Earth system models.

Earth system models (ESMs) rely on the calculation of canopy conductance in land surface models (LSMs) to quantify the partitioning of land surface energy, water, and CO2 fluxes. This is achieved by scaling stomatal conductance, gw , determined from physiological models developed for leaves. Traditionally, models for gw have been semi-empirical, combining physiological functions with empirically determined calibration constants. More recently, optimization theory has been applied to model gw in LSMs under the premise that it has a stronger grounding in physiological theory and might ultimately lead to improved predictive accuracy. However, this premise has not been thoroughly tested. Using original field data from contrasting forest systems, we compare a widely used empirical type and a more recently developed optimization-type gw model, termed BB and MED, respectively. Overall, we find no difference between the two models when used to simulate gw from photosynthesis data, or leaf gas exchange from a coupled photosynthesis-conductance model, or gross primary productivity and evapotranspiration for a FLUXNET tower site with the CLM5 community LSM. Field measurements reveal that the key fitted parameters for BB and MED, g1B and g1M, exhibit strong species specificity in magnitude and sensitivity to CO2 , and CLM5 simulations reveal that failure to include this sensitivity can result in significant overestimates of evapotranspiration for high-CO2 scenarios. Further, we show that g1B and g1M can be determined from mean ci /ca (ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration). Applying this relationship with ci /ca values derived from a leaf δ13 C database, we obtain a global distribution of g1B and g1M , and these values correlate significantly with mean annual precipitation. This provides a new methodology for global parameterization of the BB and MED models in LSMs, tied directly to leaf physiology but unconstrained by spatial boundaries separating designated biomes or plant functional types.

Influence of winter precipitation on spring phenology in boreal forests.

Understanding the variations in spring vegetation phenology associated with preseason climate conditions can significantly improve our knowledge on ecosystem dynamics and biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Recent studies have shown that wet winters can delay the start date of the vegetation growing season (SOS) in the high latitudes. However, associated underlying mechanisms remain unclear due to the lack of observation sites as well as complex interactions between various climate and ecosystem variables. In this study, the impact of winter precipitation on year-to-year variations of the SOS in boreal forests from 1982 to 2005 was investigated. Two experiments were performed using the Community Land Model version 4.5. In the control experiment, observed precipitation was used; in the sensitivity experiment, precipitation in the year 1982 was repeated throughout the period. The SOS in the control experiment shows high temporal correlations with the SOS estimated from the satellite-retrieved leaf area index, indicating that the land model is capable of simulating realistic response of vegetation to interannual climate variability. The effects of winter precipitation on the SOS are examined by comparing the two model experiments for wet- and dry winters. After wet winters, the SOS was delayed by 2.7 days over 70.1% of the boreal forests than after dry winters; this accounts for 42.5% of the interannual variation in the SOS. The SOS delay is related to the decrease in the growing degree-days (GDD) based on soil temperatures, suggesting that the effects of heat exposure on vegetation growth is strongly modulated by winter precipitation. The GDD decrease is related to both the increase in snowmelt heat flux and reduced absorption of solar radiation, which are proportional to the amount of winter precipitation and the ratio of short plants to tall trees, respectively. Our results provide a physical basis for the winter precipitation-SOS relationship, suggesting that an increase in winter precipitation can alleviate strong advancing trends in spring vegetation growth in conjunction with global warming even for temperature-limited ecosystems.

Complex lipid globules in early-life nutrition improve long-term metabolic phenotype in intra-uterine growth-restricted rats.

Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with adverse metabolic outcome later in life. Healthy mice challenged with a Western-style diet (WSD) accumulated less body fat when previously fed a diet containing large lipid globules (complex lipid matrix (CLM)). This study was designed to clarify whether an early-life CLM diet mitigates 'programmed' visceral adiposity and associated metabolic sequelae after IUGR. In rats, IUGR was induced either by bilateral uterine vessel ligation (LIG) or sham operation (i.e. intra-uterine stress) of the dam on gestational day 19. Offspring from non-operated (NOP) dams served as controls. Male offspring of all groups were either fed CLM or 'normal matrix' control diet (CTRL) from postnatal days (PND) 15 to 42. Thereafter, animals were challenged with a mild WSD until dissection (PND 98). Fat mass (micro computer-tomograph scan; weight of fat compartments), circulating metabolic markers and expression of 'metabolic' genes (quantitative real-time PCR) were assessed. CLM diet significantly reduced visceral fat mass in LIG at PND 40. At dissection, visceral fat mass, fasted blood glucose, TAG and leptin concentrations were significantly increased in LIG-CTRL v. NOP-CTRL, and significantly decreased in LIG-CLM v. LIG-CTRL. Gene expression levels of leptin (mesenteric fat) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (liver) were significantly reduced in LIG-CLM v. LIG-CTRL. In conclusion, early-life CLM diet mitigated the adverse metabolic phenotype after utero-placental insufficiency. The supramolecular structure of dietary lipids may be a novel aspect of nutrient quality that has to be considered in the context of primary prevention of obesity and metabolic disease in at-risk populations.

18F-FDG PET as novel imaging biomarker for disease progression after ablation therapy in colorectal liver metastases.

PURPOSE: Recurrent disease following thermal ablation therapy is a frequently reported problem. Preoperative identification of patients with high risk of recurrent disease might enable individualized treatment based on patients' risk profile. The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of metabolic parameters derived from the pre-ablation 18F-FDG PET/CT as imaging biomarkers for recurrent disease in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM). METHODS: Included in this retrospective study were all consecutive patients with CLM treated with percutaneous or open thermal ablation therapy who had a pre-treatment baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT available. Multivariable cox regression for survival analysis was performed using different models for the metabolic parameters (SULpeak, SULmean, SULmax, partial volume corrected SULmean (cSULmean), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) corrected for tumour and procedure characteristics. The study endpoints were defined as local tumour progression free survival (LTP-FS), new intrahepatic recurrence free survival (NHR-FS) and extrahepatic recurrence free survival (EHR-FS). Clinical and imaging follow-up data was used as the reference standard. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients with 90 lesions were selected. Univariable cox regression analysis resulted in eight models. Multivariable analysis revealed that after adjusting for lesion size and the approach of the procedure, none of the metabolic parameters were associated with LTP-FS or EHR-FS. Percutaneous approach was significantly associated with a shorter LTP-FS. It was demonstrated that lower values of SULpeak, SULmax, SULmean , and cSULmean are associated with a significant better NHR-FS, independent of the lesion size and number and prior chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: We found no association between the metabolic parameters on pre-ablation 18F-FDG PET/CT and the LTP-FS. However, low values of the metabolic parameters were significantly associated with improved NHR-FS. The clinical implication of these findings might be the identification of high-risk patients who might benefit most from adjuvant or combined treatment strategies.

Multiple timescale analysis of the urban heat island effect based on the Community Land Model: a case study of the city of Xi'an, China.

Urban heat islands (UHIs) are the phenomenon of urban regions usually being warmer than rural regions, which significantly impacts both the regional ecosystem and societal activities. Numerical simulation can provide spatially and temporally continuous datasets for UHI analysis. In this study, a spatially and temporally continuous ground temperature dataset of Xi'an, China was obtained through numerical simulation based on the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5), at a temporal resolution of 30 min and a spatial resolution of 0.05∘× 0.05∘. Based on the ground temperature, the seasonal average UHI intensity (UHII) was calculated and the seasonal variation of the UHI effect was analyzed. The monthly variation tendency of the urban heat stress was also investigated. Based on the diurnal cycle of ground temperature and the UHI effect in each season, the variation tendencies of the maximum, minimum, and average UHII were analyzed. The results show that the urban heat stress in summer is the strongest among all four seasons. The heat stress in urban areas is very significant in July, and the UHII is the weakest in January. Regarding the diurnal cycle of UHII, the maximum always appears at 06:30 UTC to 07:30 UTC, while the minimum intensity of the UHI effect occurs at different times in the different seasons. The results of this study could provide a reference for policymakers about how to reduce the damage caused by heat stress.

Simulations of chlorophyll fluorescence incorporated into the Community Land Model version 4.

Several studies have shown that satellite retrievals of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) provide useful information on terrestrial photosynthesis or gross primary production (GPP). Here, we have incorporated equations coupling SIF to photosynthesis in a land surface model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model version 4 (NCAR CLM4), and have demonstrated its use as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the calculation of photosynthesis, a key process in a land surface model that strongly influences the carbon, water, and energy cycles. By comparing forward simulations of SIF, essentially as a byproduct of photosynthesis, in CLM4 with observations of actual SIF, it is possible to check whether the model is accurately representing photosynthesis and the processes coupled to it. We provide some background on how SIF is coupled to photosynthesis, describe how SIF was incorporated into CLM4, and demonstrate that our simulated relationship between SIF and GPP values are reasonable when compared with satellite (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite; GOSAT) and in situ flux-tower measurements. CLM4 overestimates SIF in tropical forests, and we show that this error can be corrected by adjusting the maximum carboxylation rate (Vmax ) specified for tropical forests in CLM4. Our study confirms that SIF has the potential to improve photosynthesis simulation and thereby can play a critical role in improving land surface and carbon cycle models.

The feedback of greening on local hydrothermal conditions in Northern China.

Northern China has experienced a significant increase in vegetation cover over the past few decades. It lacks a comprehensive understanding of how greening impacts local hydrothermal conditions. To address this issue, in our study, the RegCM-CLM45 model was used to conduct a thorough assessment of the impacts of greening on temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), precipitation, and soil moisture. The findings revealed that the local climatic effects of greening varied across different drought gradients based on the aridity index (AI). In drier regions with AI<0.3, the increased energy induced by greening tended to dissipate as sensible heat, exacerbating both warming and drought conditions. Conversely, in wetter regions with AI>0.3, a greater proportion of energy was lost through evapotranspiration, attenuating warming. Additionally, greening enhanced precipitation and soil moisture in drier regions and moderated their decline in wetter regions. Significantly, our research emphasized the effectiveness of grassland expansion and conservation as prime strategies for ecological restoration, particularly in drylands, where they could effectively alleviate soil drought. Given the diverse responses of different land cover transformations to local hydrothermal conditions in drylands, there is an urgent need to address potential adverse effects arising from inappropriate ecological restoration strategies and to develop an optimal restoration framework for the future.

Thoracoscopic anatomic pulmonary segmentectomy for the treatment of congenital lung malformation in children.

BACKGROUND: Lung-sparing surgery has been used to treat congenital lung malformation in children, and segmentectomy has been advocated as a lung-preservation strategy. However, thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy has gained limited popularity considering the complications, the potential for residual lesions, and the technical difficulties associated with this procedure. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the safety and feasibility of pediatric thoracoscopic anatomic pulmonary segmentectomy for the treatment of congenital lung malformations. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 568 patients who were treated at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from January 2014 to January 2020. The patients were divided into segmentectomy and lobectomy groups according to the surgical procedures they underwent. Clinical and follow-up outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The segmentectomy and lobectomy groups included 206 and 361 cases, respectively. The mean intraoperative blood loss was significantly higher in the segmentectomy group (6.9 mL vs. 4.5 mL; p = 0.03). The mean surgical time was also significantly longer in the segmentectomy group, (55.6 min vs. 41.5 min; p = 0.018). However, the incidence of complications did not differ significantly between the two groups (2.9% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.21). Patients in both groups did not require reoperation or show residual lesions during hospitalization and follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic anatomic pulmonary segmentectomy is a safe and feasible definitive lung-sparing treatment for specific cases of congenital lung malformation, and has a complication rate comparable to that of thoracoscopic lobectomy.