Anthropogenic activities dominated tropical forest carbon balance in two contrary ways over the Greater Mekong Subregion in the 21st century.

The tropical forest carbon (C) balance threatened by extensive socio-economic development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in Asia is a notable data gap and remains contentious. Here we generated a long-term spatially quantified assessment of changes in forests and C stocks from 1999 to 2019 at a spatial resolution of 30 m, based on multiple streams of state-of-the-art high-resolution satellite imagery and in situ observations. Our results show that (i) about 0.54 million square kilometers (21.0% of the region) experienced forest cover transitions with a net increase in forest cover by 4.3% (0.11 million square kilometers, equivalent to 0.31 petagram of C [Pg C] stocks); (ii) forest losses mainly in Cambodia, Thailand, and in the south of Vietnam, were also counteracted by forest gains in China due mainly to afforestation; and (iii) at the national level during the study period an increase in both C stocks and C sequestration (net C gain of 0.087 Pg C) in China from new plantation, offset anthropogenetic emissions (net C loss of 0.074 Pg C) mainly in Cambodia and Thailand from deforestation. Political, social, and economic factors significantly influenced forest cover change and C sequestration in the GMS, positively in China while negatively in other countries, especially in Cambodia and Thailand. These findings have implications on national strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation in other hotspots of tropical forests.

Temperature thresholds of ecosystem respiration at a global scale.

Ecosystem respiration is a major component of the global terrestrial carbon cycle and is strongly influenced by temperature. The global extent of the temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship, however, has not been fully explored. Here, we test linear and threshold models of ecosystem respiration across 210 globally distributed eddy covariance sites over an extensive temperature range. We find thresholds to the global temperature-ecosystem respiration relationship at high and low air temperatures and mid soil temperatures, which represent transitions in the temperature dependence and sensitivity of ecosystem respiration. Annual ecosystem respiration rates show a markedly reduced temperature dependence and sensitivity compared to half-hourly rates, and a single mid-temperature threshold for both air and soil temperature. Our study indicates a distinction in the influence of environmental factors, including temperature, on ecosystem respiration between latitudinal and climate gradients at short (half-hourly) and long (annual) timescales. Such climatological differences in the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration have important consequences for the terrestrial net carbon sink under ongoing climate change.

Designing a very different hospital.

Hospital design has stagnated. New directions are possible, exploiting and extending 100% single rooms to provide total operational flexibility where any bed can be used for any patient. The provision of a truly therapeutic environment meets the test of getting a good night's sleep. The provision of an intelligent assistive environment brings data accuracy and real-time meta-management of all patients in the hospital. All clinicians can see how all patients are progressing clinically and feeling subjectively.

Latent heat exchange in the boreal and arctic biomes.

In this study latent heat flux (λE) measurements made at 65 boreal and arctic eddy-covariance (EC) sites were analyses by using the Penman-Monteith equation. Sites were stratified into nine different ecosystem types: harvested and burnt forest areas, pine forests, spruce or fir forests, Douglas-fir forests, broadleaf deciduous forests, larch forests, wetlands, tundra and natural grasslands. The Penman-Monteith equation was calibrated with variable surface resistances against half-hourly eddy-covariance data and clear differences between ecosystem types were observed. Based on the modeled behavior of surface and aerodynamic resistances, surface resistance tightly control λE in most mature forests, while it had less importance in ecosystems having shorter vegetation like young or recently harvested forests, grasslands, wetlands and tundra. The parameters of the Penman-Monteith equation were clearly different for winter and summer conditions, indicating that phenological effects on surface resistance are important. We also compared the simulated λE of different ecosystem types under meteorological conditions at one site. Values of λE varied between 15% and 38% of the net radiation in the simulations with mean ecosystem parameters. In general, the simulations suggest that λE is higher from forested ecosystems than from grasslands, wetlands or tundra-type ecosystems. Forests showed usually a tighter stomatal control of λE as indicated by a pronounced sensitivity of surface resistance to atmospheric vapor pressure deficit. Nevertheless, the surface resistance of forests was lower than for open vegetation types including wetlands. Tundra and wetlands had higher surface resistances, which were less sensitive to vapor pressure deficits. The results indicate that the variation in surface resistance within and between different vegetation types might play a significant role in energy exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere. These results suggest the need to take into account vegetation type and phenology in energy exchange modeling.

Asparagus P(R) cannot compete with first-line diuretics in lowering the blood pressure in treatment-requiring antihypertensives.

A six week clinical surveillance of 163 patients receiving maximally tolerable doses of Asparagus P((R)), a proprietary mixture pulversied dried asparagus root and parsley leaf, has not indicated any clinically useful antihypertensive effect. The profile of adverse events (with 7 patients leaving the surveillance early because of renally related complaints) contraindicates its use in hypertension or to promote flushing of the efferent tract in rental inflammatory conditions or urolithiasis.

Lamivudine facilitates optimal chemotherapy in hepatitis B virus-infected children with hematological malignancies: a preliminary report.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is well documented in infected patients who have hematologic malignancies, precluding appropriate chemotherapy courses and, therefore, increasing the possibility of relapse of malignancies. The objective of this study was to evaluate lamivudine treatment to prevent hepatitis B reactivation in children with cancer who acquired infection with HBV and so allow completion of optimal chemotherapy. Ten children (7:3 M:F; median age: 9.8 years), undergoing chemotherapy for hematological malignancies and suffering from immunosuppressive-induced hepatitis B virus reactivation, were treated concurrently with lamivudine (3 mg/kg bw, od) for up to 18 months. All were HBsAg+ve, HBsAb-ve, HBV-DNA+ve. Serology markers (HBsAg/Ab, HBeAg/Ab, HBV-DNA) and ALT were tested 3 monthly. Histological assessments were performed pre- and 18 months post-lamivudine therapy. During lamivudine therapy chemotherapy courses were completed for all children, and none of the patients suffered reactivation of hepatitis. After a median follow-up of 10 months, remission of malignancy was maintained in 7/10 patients while 3 patients relapsed. HBeAg+ve seroconversion occurred in 4/9 HBeAg+ve children within 3 months. After 9 months of therapy, 8/10 were HBV-DNA-ve. Six out of 7 children with histological evidence of chronic hepatitis showed marked improvement post-therapy. Lamivudine therapy for up to 18 months in children receiving chemotherapy helped prevent recurrence of hepatitis B exacerbations and improved the underlying chronic hepatitis, while facilitating completion of appropriate chemotherapy regimens without compromise.