Observed increase in local cooling effect of deforestation at higher latitudes

Deforestation in mid- to high latitudes is hypothesized to have the potential to cool the Earth's surface by altering biophysical processes. In climate models of continental-scale land clearing, the cooling is triggered by increases in surface albedo and is reinforced by a land albedo-sea ice feedback. This feedback is crucial in the model predictions; without it other biophysical processes may overwhelm the albedo effect to generate warming instead. Ongoing land-use activities, such as land management for climate mitigation, are occurring at local scales (hectares) presumably too small to generate the feedback, and it is not known whether the intrinsic biophysical mechanism on its own can change the surface temperature in a consistent manner. Nor has the effect of deforestation on climate been demonstrated over large areas from direct observations. Here we show that surface air temperature is lower in open land than in nearby forested land. The effect is 0.85 ± 0.44 K (mean ± one standard deviation) northwards of 45° N and 0.21 ± 0.53 K southwards. Below 35° N there is weak evidence that deforestation leads to warming. Results are based on comparisons of temperature at forested eddy covariance towers in the USA and Canada and, as a proxy for small areas of cleared land, nearby surface weather stations. Night-time temperature changes unrelated to changes in surface albedo are an important contributor to the overall cooling effect. The observed latitudinal dependence is consistent with theoretical expectation of changes in energy loss from convection and radiation across latitudes in both the daytime and night-time phase of the diurnal cycle, the latter of which remains uncertain in climate models.     

Comprehensive analysis of the chromatin landscape in Drosophila melanogaster

Chromatin is composed of DNA and a variety of modified histones and non-histone proteins, which have an impact on cell differentiation, gene regulation and other key cellular processes. Here we present a genome-wide chromatin landscape for Drosophila melanogaster based on eighteen histone modifications, summarized by nine prevalent combinatorial patterns. Integrative analysis with other data (non-histone chromatin proteins, DNase I hypersensitivity, GRO-Seq reads produced by engaged polymerase, short/long RNA products) reveals discrete characteristics of chromosomes, genes, regulatory elements and other functional domains. We find that active genes display distinct chromatin signatures that are correlated with disparate gene lengths, exon patterns, regulatory functions and genomic contexts. We also demonstrate a diversity of signatures among Polycomb targets that include a subset with paused polymerase. This systematic profiling and integrative analysis of chromatin signatures provides insights into how genomic elements are regulated, and will serve as a resource for future experimental investigations of genome structure and function.     

PDGF signalling controls age-dependent proliferation in pancreatic β-cells

Determining the signalling pathways that direct tissue expansion is a principal goal of regenerative biology. Vigorous pancreatic β-cell replication in juvenile mice and humans declines with age, and elucidating the basis for this decay may reveal strategies for inducing β-cell expansion, a long-sought goal for diabetes therapy. Here we show that platelet-derived growth factor receptor (Pdgfr) signalling controls age-dependent β-cell proliferation in mouse and human pancreatic islets. With age, declining β-cell Pdgfr levels were accompanied by reductions in β-cell enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (Ezh2) levels and β-cell replication. Conditional inactivation of the Pdgfra gene in β-cells accelerated these changes, preventing mouse neonatal β-cell expansion and adult β-cell regeneration. Targeted human PDGFR-α activation in mouse β-cells stimulated Erk1/2 phosphorylation, leading to Ezh2-dependent expansion of adult β-cells. Adult human islets lack PDGF signalling competence, but exposure of juvenile human islets to PDGF-AA stimulated β-cell proliferation. The discovery of a conserved pathway controlling age-dependent β-cell proliferation indicates new strategies for β-cell expansion.     

氧化铁纳米颗粒固定化溶藻菌的除藻作用

为了探讨氧化铁纳米颗粒固定化溶藻菌后对铜绿微囊藻的溶藻作用和降解微囊藻毒素LR(MC-LR)的作用,从太湖水体中分离获得一株属于芽孢杆菌属的溶藻菌,将其与氧化铁纳米颗粒固定化后,以普通Fe2O3作为实验对照,测定其溶藻作用和降解MC-LR作用.以激光粒度仪测定氧化铁纳米颗粒与溶藻菌两者单独和同时存在时的粒径大小及粒径分布,以获得氧化铁纳米颗粒固定化溶藻菌的证据.分析结果表明:在太湖水体中分离获得的一株芽孢杆菌具有较强的溶藻和降解MC-LR的作用,作用24 h后的溶藻率和MC-LR降解率分别达到44.3%和20.5%.同时加入氧化铁纳米颗粒后,溶藻率达到53.0%,MC-LR的降解率达到33.0%.激光粒度仪检测发现,氧化铁纳米颗粒与细菌混合后的颗粒物的平均直径增加到氧化铁纳米颗粒的12.3倍,同时氧化铁纳米颗粒和细菌单独存在时的粒径分布峰消失.氧化铁纳米颗粒是一种具有良好性能的生物固定化材料,可能通过其特有的途径有效地固定化溶藻菌,并增强溶藻菌的溶藻和降解藻毒素作用.     

考虑氯离子侵蚀时变劣化效应的近海斜拉桥地震易损性分析

为研究氯离子侵蚀对近海大型桥梁地震易损性的时变影响规律,以某近海斜拉桥为对象,建立非线性数值模型并开展增量动力分析,获得主塔等构件及桥梁系统的时变易损性曲线.结果表明,材料腐蚀会导致构件及结构的损伤概率出现不同程度的增加.桥梁结构第1阶自振周期对应的谱加速度Sa(T1)为0.3g时,主塔严重损伤的概率在0、25、50、...     

基于X语言的起飞场景民机协同设计与仿真一体化方法

针对大型复杂产品,传统基于模型的系统工程(model-based system engineering, MBSE)方法存在系统设计和仿真验证的多语言、多平台集成实现,难以保证高效、准确地反馈系统设计的缺陷,无法达到快速优化设计目的等问题,提出采用基于面向复杂系统支持MBSE的新一代一体化建模仿真语言—X语言实现面向起飞场景的民机跨域子系统的一体化建模仿真。从民机起飞过程需求分析出发,建立了起飞场景的系统级模型和物理级模型,并在X语言的建模仿真软件—XLab进行统一的建模仿真验证,给出了基于X语言面向复杂产品协同设计与仿真一体化方法,为不同领域的设计人员实现复杂产品设计的协同与优化提供了全新的理论与方法参考。     

多措并举促进电力企业安全管理

电力安全生产关系到国家的财产安全、人民生活利益和电力职工的安康,是电力企业最根本的效益所在.电力安全生产是电力企业生存和发展的基石,影响着电力企业本身的内外形象,在我国经济社会正处于高速发展的大好时期,电力生产安全管理显得尤为重要.     

添加剂对氧化铝微粉—水浓悬浮液流变行为的影响

研究结果表明：掺入添加剂,能够改善氧化铝微粉浓悬浮液的流动性、触变性和粘弹性等流变性能,使系统胀性行为减弱,塑性行为增强,将有利于以氧化铝微粉为主的不定形耐火材料浇注料工作性的改善。