Evaluating and improving the Community Land Model's sensitivity to land cover

Modeling studies have shown the importance of biogeophysical effects of deforestation on local climate conditions but have also highlighted the lack of agreement across different models. Recently, remote-sensing observations have been used to assess the contrast in albedo, evapotranspiration (ET), and land surface temperature (LST) between forest and nearby open land on a global scale. These observations provide an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the ability of land surface models to simulate the biogeophysical effects of forests. Here, we evaluate the representation of the difference of forest minus open land (i.e., grassland and cropland) in albedo, ET, and LST in the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) using various remote-sensing and in situ data sources. To extract the local sensitivity to land cover, we analyze plant functional type level output from global CLM4.5 simulations, using a model configuration that attributes a separate soil column to each plant functional type. Using the separated soil column configuration, CLM4.5 is able to realistically reproduce the biogeophysical contrast between forest and open land in terms of albedo, daily mean LST, and daily maximum LST, while the effect on daily minimum LST is not well captured by the model. Furthermore, we identify that the ET contrast between forests and open land is underestimated in CLM4.5 compared to observation-based products and even reversed in sign for some regions, even when considering uncertainties in these products. We then show that these biases can be partly alleviated by modifying several model parameters, such as the root distribution, the formulation of plant water uptake, the light limitation of photosynthesis, and the maximum rate of carboxylation. Furthermore, the ET contrast between forest and open land needs to be better constrained by observations to foster convergence amongst different land surface models on the biogeophysical effects of forests. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of comparing subgrid model output to local observations to improve current land surface models' ability to simulate land cover change effects, which is a promising approach to reduce uncertainties in future assessments of land use impacts on climate

A spectroscopic study of the blue stragglers in M67

Based on spectrophotometric observations from the Guillermo Haro Observatory (Cananea, Mexico), a study of the spectral properties of the complete sample of 24 blue straggler stars (BSs) in the old Galactic open cluster M67 (NGC 2682) is presented. All spectra, calibrated using spectral standards, were recalibrated by means of photometric magnitudes in the Beijing-Arizona-Taipei-Connecticut system, which includes fluxes in 11 bands covering ~3500-10000 A. The set of parameters was obtained using two complementary approaches that rely on a comparison of the spectra with (i) an empirical sample of stars with well-established spectral types and (ii) a theoretical grid of optical spectra computed at both low and high resolution. The overall results indicate that the BSs in M67 span a wide range in Teff(~ 5600 -12600 K) and surface gravities that are fully compatible with those expected for main-sequence objects (log g = 3.5 -5.0 dex).Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, published in MNRAS (2008, Volume 390, Issue 2, pp. 665-674

Equation of state and phase transitions in asymmetric nuclear matter

The structure of the 3-dimension pressure-temperature-asymmetry surface of equilibrium of the asymmetric nuclear matter is studied within the thermal Thomas-Fermi approximation. Special attention is paid to the difference of the asymmetry parameter between the boiling sheet and that of the condensation sheet of the surface of equilibrium. We derive the condition of existence of the regime of retrograde condensation at the boiling of the asymmetric nuclear matter. We have performed calculations of the caloric curves in the case of isobaric heating. We have shown the presence of the plateau region in caloric curves at the isobaric heating of the asymmetric nuclear matter. The shape of the caloric curve depends on the pressure and is sensitive to the value of the asymmetry parameter. We point out that the experimental value of the plateau temperature T \approx 7 MeV corresponds to the pressure P = 0.01 MeV/fm^3 at the isobaric boiling.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Mapping the climate risk to urban forests at city scale

Climate change represents a threat to the performance and persistence of urban forests and the multiple benefits they provide to city dwellers. Here, we use a novel approach to identify species and areas at high risk of climate change using the city of Melbourne, Australia, as a case study. We derive a safety margin, calculated based on climatic tolerance to two extreme climate variables (maximum temperature of the warmest month, MTWM; precipitation of the driest quarter, PDQ), for 474 tree species recorded in Melbourne for baseline (average for 2011–2020) and future (2041–2070) climatic conditions. For MTWM, 218 species (46%) are exceeding baseline climatic safety margins; this number is predicted to increase to 322 species (68%) by 2055 under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5–8.5. For PDQ, 255 and 257 species (54%) are identified as at risk for baseline and future climates, respectively. Using georeferenced locations of trees and high-resolution climate data, we map spatial patterns in climate risk, showing high risk areas across the city. We demonstrate how using urban tree inventories and climate risk metrics can aid in the identification of vulnerable species and locations at high climate risk to prioritise areas for monitoring and assist urban planning

Egg investment in response to helper presence in cooperatively breeding Tibetan ground tits

Life-history theory predicts a trade-off between current and future reproduction to maximize lifetime fitness. In cooperatively breeding species, where offspring care is shared between breeders and helpers, helper presence may influence the female breeders' egg investment, and consequently, survival and future reproductive success. For example, female breeders may reduce egg investment in response to helper presence if this reduction is compensated by helpers during provisioning. Alternatively, female breeders may increase egg investment in response to helper presence if helpers allow the breeders to raise more or higher quality offspring successfully. In the facultatively cooperative-breeding Tibetan ground tit Pseudopodoces humilis, previous studies found that helpers improve total nestling provisioning rates and fledgling recruitment, but have no apparent effects on the number and body mass of fledglings produced, while breeders with helpers show reduced provisioning rates and higher survival. Here, we investigated whether some of these effects may be explained by female breeders reducing their investment in eggs in response to helper presence. In addition, we investigated whether egg investment is associated with the female breeder's future fitness. Our results showed that helper presence had no effect on the female breeders' egg investment, and that egg investment was not associated with breeder survival and reproductive success. Our findings suggest that the responses of breeders to helping should be investigated throughout the breeding cycle, because the conclusions regarding the breeders' adjustment of reproductive investment in response to being helped may depend on which stage of the breeding cycle is considered

Overcoming global inequality is critical for land-based mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement

Transformation pathways for the land sector in line with the Paris Agreement depend on the assumption of globally implemented greenhouse gas (GHG) emission pricing, and in some cases also on inclusive socio-economic development and sustainable land-use practices. In such pathways, the majority of GHG emission reductions in the land system is expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, which currently account for a large share of emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU). However, in low- and middle-income countries the economic, financial and institutional barriers for such transformative changes are high. Here, we show that if sustainable development in the land sector remained highly unequal and limited to high-income countries only, global AFOLU emissions would remain substantial throughout the 21st century. Our model-based projections highlight that overcoming global inequality is critical for land-based mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement. While also a scenario purely based on either global GHG emission pricing or on inclusive socio-economic development would achieve the stringent emissions reductions required, only the latter ensures major co-benefits for other Sustainable Development Goals, especially in low- and middle-income regions. © 2022, The Author(s)

MLN51 Stimulates the RNA-Helicase Activity of eIF4AIII

The core of the exon-junction complex consists of Y14, Magoh, MLN51 and eIF4AIII, a DEAD-box RNA helicase. MLN51 stimulates the ATPase activity of eIF4AIII, whilst the Y14-Magoh complex inhibits it. We show that the MLN51-dependent stimulation increases both the affinity of eIF4AIII for ATP and the rate of enzyme turnover; the K (M) is decreased by an order of magnitude and k (cat) increases 30 fold. Y14-Magoh do inhibit the MLN51-stimulated ATPase activity, but not back to background levels. The ATP-bound form of the eIF4AIII-MLN51 complex has a 100-fold higher affinity for RNA than the unbound form and ATP hydrolysis reduces this affinity. MLN51 stimulates the RNA-helicase activity of eIF4AIII, suggesting that this activity may be functionally important

Fam65b is a new transcriptional target of FOXO1 that regulates RhoA signaling for T lymphocyte migration

Forkhead box Os (FOXOs) transcription factors favor both T cell quiescence and trafficking through their control of the expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression, adhesion and homing. Here, we report that the product of the fam65b gene is a new transcriptional target of FOXO1 that regulates RhoA activity. We show that Fam65b binds the small GTPase RhoA via a non canonical domain and represses its activity by decreasing its GTP loading. As a consequence, Fam65b negatively regulates chemokine-induced responses such as adhesion, morphological polarisation and migration. Therefore, these results show the existence of a new functional link between FOXO1 and RhoA pathways, through which the FOXO1 target Fam65b tonically dampens chemokine-induced migration by repressing RhoA activity