Irrigation-Induced Environmental Changes around the Aral Sea: An Integrated View from Multiple Satellite Observations

The Aral Sea basin (ASB) is one of the most environmentally vulnerable regions to climate change and human activities. During the past 60 years, irrigation has greatly changed the water distribution and caused severe environmental issues in the ASB. Using remote sensing data, this study investigated the environmental changes induced by irrigation activities in this region. The results show that, in the past decade, land water storage has significantly increased in the irrigated upstream regions (13 km 3 year -1 ) but decreased in the downstream regions (-27 km 3 year -1 ) of the Amu Darya River basin, causing a water storage decrease in the whole basin (-20 km 3 year -1 ). As a result, the water surface area of the Aral Sea has decreased from 32,000 in 2000 to 10,000 km2 in 2015. The shrinking Aral Sea exposed a large portion of the lake bottom to the air, increasing (decreasing) the daytime (nighttime) temperatures by about 1 °C year -1 (0.5 °C year -1 ). Moreover, there were other potential environmental changes, including drier soil, less vegetation, decreasing cloud and precipitation, and more severe and frequent dust storms. Possible biases in the remote sensing data due to the neglect of the shrinking water surface area of the Aral Sea were identified. These findings highlight the severe environmental threats caused by irrigation in Central Asia and call attention to sustainable water use in such dryland regions. Keywords: environmental issues; the shrinking Aral Sea; irrigation; desertification; dust storm; remote sensing; NDVI; GRACE; MODI

Irrigation-Induced Environmental Changes around the Aral Sea: An Integrated View from Multiple Satellite Observations

The Aral Sea basin (ASB) is one of the most environmentally vulnerable regions to climate change and human activities. During the past 60 years, irrigation has greatly changed the water distribution and caused severe environmental issues in the ASB. Using remote sensing data, this study investigated the environmental changes induced by irrigation activities in this region. The results show that, in the past decade, land water storage has significantly increased in the irrigated upstream regions (13 km3 year−1) but decreased in the downstream regions (−27 km3 year−1) of the Amu Darya River basin, causing a water storage decrease in the whole basin (−20 km3 year−1). As a result, the water surface area of the Aral Sea has decreased from 32,000 in 2000 to 10,000 km2 in 2015. The shrinking Aral Sea exposed a large portion of the lake bottom to the air, increasing (decreasing) the daytime (nighttime) temperatures by about 1 °C year−1 (0.5 °C year−1). Moreover, there were other potential environmental changes, including drier soil, less vegetation, decreasing cloud and precipitation, and more severe and frequent dust storms. Possible biases in the remote sensing data due to the neglect of the shrinking water surface area of the Aral Sea were identified. These findings highlight the severe environmental threats caused by irrigation in Central Asia and call attention to sustainable water use in such dryland regions

MLIC: Multi-Reference Entropy Model for Learned Image Compression

Recently, learned image compression has achieved remarkable performance. The entropy model, which estimates the distribution of the latent representation, plays a crucial role in boosting rate-distortion performance. However, most entropy models only capture correlations in one dimension, while the latent representation contain channel-wise, local spatial, and global spatial correlations. To tackle this issue, we propose the Multi-Reference Entropy Model (MEM) and the advanced version, MEM$^+$. These models capture the different types of correlations present in latent representation. Specifically, We first divide the latent representation into slices. When decoding the current slice, we use previously decoded slices as context and employ the attention map of the previously decoded slice to predict global correlations in the current slice. To capture local contexts, we introduce two enhanced checkerboard context capturing techniques that avoids performance degradation. Based on MEM and MEM$^+$, we propose image compression models MLIC and MLIC$^+$. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that our MLIC and MLIC+ models achieve state-of-the-art performance, reducing BD-rate by $8.05\%$ and $11.39\%$ on the Kodak dataset compared to VTM-17.0 when measured in PSNR.Comment: Fixed some typos and re-organized the pape

Recent changes to Arctic river discharge

Arctic rivers drain ~15% of the global land surface and significantly influence local communities and economies, freshwater and marine ecosystems, and global climate. However, trusted and public knowledge of pan-Arctic rivers is inadequate, especially for small rivers and across Eurasia, inhibiting understanding of the Arctic response to climate change. Here, we calculate daily streamflow in 486,493 pan-Arctic river reaches from 1984-2018 by assimilating 9.18 million river discharge estimates made from 155,710 satellite images into hydrologic model simulations. We reveal larger and more heterogenous total water export (3-17% greater) and water export acceleration (factor of 1.2-3.3 larger) than previously reported, with substantial differences across basins, ecoregions, stream orders, human regulation, and permafrost regimes. We also find significant changes in the spring freshet and summer stream intermittency. Ultimately, our results represent an updated, publicly available, and more accurate daily understanding of Arctic rivers uniquely enabled by recent advances in hydrologic modeling and remote sensing

Attenuated liver tumor formation in the absence of CCR2 with a concomitant reduction in the accumulation of hepatic stellate cells, macrophages and neovascularization

金沢大学がん研究所がん病態制御The liver parenchyma is populated by hepatocytes and several nonparenchymal cell types, including Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells. Both Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells are responsive to the chemokine CCL2, but the precise roles of CCL2 and these cells in liver tumor formation remain undefined. Hence, we investigated the effects of the lack of the major CCL2 receptor, CCR2, on liver tumor formation induced by intraportal injection of the murine colon adenocarcinoma cell line, colon 26. Wild-type mice showed macroscopic tumor foci in the liver 10 days after injection of colon 26 cells. After 10 days, CCL2 proteins were detected predominantly in tumor cells, coincident with increased intratumoral macrophage and hepatic stellate cell numbers. Although tumor formation occurred at similar rates in wild-type and CCR2-deficient mice up to 10 days after tumor cell injection, the number and size of tumor foci were significantly attenuated in CCR2-deficient mice relative to wild-type mice thereafter. Moreover, neovascularization and matrix metalloproteinase 2 expression were diminished in CCR2-deficient mice with a concomitant reduction in the accumulation of macrophages and hepatic stellate cells. Furthermore, matrix metalloproteinase 2 was detected predominantly in hepatic stellate cells but not in macrophages. We provided the first definitive evidence that the absence of CCR2-mediated signals can reduce the trafficking of hepatic stellate cells, a main source of matrix metalloproteinase 2, and consequently can diminish neovascularization during liver tumor formation. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Essential contribution of a chemokine, CCL3, and its receptor, CCR1, to hepatocellular carcinoma progression

金沢大学がん研究所がん病態制御We previously observed that a chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 α/CCL3, and its receptor, CCR1, were aberrantly expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. Here, we show that CCL3 and CCR1 are also expressed in 2 different models of this cancer; N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced HCC and HCC induced by hepatitis B virus surface (HBs) antigen-primed splenocyte transfer to myelo-ablated syngeneic HBs antigen transgenic mice. At 10 months after DEN treatment, foci number and sizes were remarkably reduced in CCR1- and CCL3-deficient mice, compared with those of wild-type (WT) mice, although tumor incidence were marginally, but significantly, higher in CCR1- and CCL3-deficient mice than in WT mice. Of note is that tumor angiogenesis was also markedly diminished in CCL3- and CCR1-deficient mice, with a concomitant reduction in the number of intratumoral Kupffer cells, a rich source of growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Among growth factors and MMPs that we examined, only MMP9 and MMP13 gene expression was augmented progressively in liver of WT mice after DEN treatment. Moreover, MMP9, but not MMP13, gene expression was attenuated in CCR1- and CCL3-deficient mice, compared with that of WT mice. Furthermore, MMP9 was expressed mainly by mononuclear cells but not hepatoma cells, and MMP9-expressing cell numbers were decreased in CCR1- or CCL3-deficient mice, compared with WT mice. These observations suggest the contribution of the CCR1-CCL3 axis to HCC progression. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Locally advanced rectal cancer with dMMR/MSI-H may be excused from surgery after neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 monotherapy: a multiple-center, cohort study

ObjectiveExamine patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) with deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) who received neoadjuvant immunotherapy (nIT), and compare the outcomes of those who chose a watch-and-wait (WW) approach after achieving clinical complete response (cCR) or near-cCR with those who underwent surgery and were confirmed as pathological complete response (pCR).MethodsLARC patients with dMMR/MSI-H who received nIT were retrospectively examined. The endpoints were 2-year overall survival (OS), 2-year disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence (LR), and distant metastasis (DM). The efficacy of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), surgery-related adverse events (srAEs), and enterostomy were also recorded.ResultsTwenty patients who received a PD-1 inhibitor as initial nIT were examined. Eighteen patients (90%) achieved complete response (CR) after a median of 7 nIT cycles, including 11 with pCR after surgery (pCR group), and 7 chose a WW strategy after evaluation as cCR or near-cCR (WW group). Both groups had median follow-up times of 25.0 months. Neither group had a case of LR or DM, and the 2-year DFS and OS in each group was 100%. The two groups had similar incidences of irAEs (P=0.627). In the pCR group, however, 2 patients (18.2%) had permanent colostomy, 3 (27.3%) had temporary ileostomy, and 2 (18.2%) had srAEs.ConclusionNeoadjuvant PD-1 blockade had high efficacy and led to a high rate of CR in LARC patients with dMMR/MSI-H. A WW strategy appears to be a safe and reliable option for these patients who achieve cCR or near-cCR after nIT

Assessment of disaster preparedness and related impact factors among emergency nurses in tertiary hospitals: descriptive cross-sectional study from Henan Province of China

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the current state of disaster preparedness and to determine associated factors among emergency nurses from tertiary hospitals in Henan Province of China.MethodsThis multicenter descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with emergency nurses from 48 tertiary hospitals in Henan Province of China between September 7, 2022–September 27, 2022. Data were collected through a self-designeds online questionnaire using the mainland China version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET-MC). Descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to evaluate disaster preparedness and to determine factors affecting disaster preparedness, respectively.ResultsA total of 265 emergency nurses in this study displayed a moderate level of disaster preparedness with a mean item score of 4.24 out 6.0 on the DPET-MC questionnaire. Among the five dimensions of the DPET-MC, the mean item score for pre-disaster awareness was highest (5.17 ± 0.77), while that for disaster management (3.68 ± 1.36) was the lowest. Female gender (B = −9.638, p = 0.046) and married status (B = −8.618, p = 0.038) were negatively correlated with the levels of disaster preparedness. Five factors positively correlated with the levels of disaster preparedness included having attended in the theoretical knowledge training of disaster nursing since work (B = 8.937, p = 0.043), having experienced the disaster response (B = 8.280, p = 0.036), having participated in the disaster rescue simulation exercise (B = 8.929, p = 0.039), having participated in the disaster relief training (B = 11.515, p = 0.025), as well as having participated in the training of disaster nursing specialist nurse (B = 16.101, p = 0.002). The explanatory power of these factors was 26.5%.ConclusionEmergency nurses in Henan Province of China need more education in all areas of disaster preparedness, especially disaster management, which needs to be incorporated into nursing education, including formal and ongoing education. Besides, blended learning approach with simulation-based training and disaster nursing specialist nurse training should be considered as novel ways to improve disaster preparedness for emergency nurses in mainland China

Numerical Simulation of Soil Water–Salt Dynamics and Agricultural Production in Reclaiming Coastal Areas Using Subsurface Pipe Drainage

Soil salinization induced by shallow saline groundwater in coastal areas can be managed using subsurface pipe drainage (SPD) for agricultural land reclamation. However, a reasonable SPD system layout should comprehensively consider local hydrological conditions and crop physiological characteristics based on long-term model evaluations. The objectives of this study were to test the applicability of a crop growth model (AquaCrop) for simulating winter wheat growth in SPD-applied fields by employing the water table behaviors predicted by the soil hydrologic model HYDRUS. Model calibration and validation based on field observations suggested that HYDRUS accurately predicted the distributions of soil water–salt dynamics, and the seasonal variations of canopy cover and biomass production predicted by AquaCrop were close to the measured values. The simulation scenarios considering the long-term effect of groundwater salinity (10.53, 21.06, and 31.59 g L−1 for low, medium, and high levels), drain spacing (10, 20, 30, 40 m, and no-SPD), and precipitation category (dry, normal, and wet year) on soil solute transport, grain yield (GY), water productivity (WP), and groundwater supply (GS) were further explored using a combination of HYDRUS and AquaCrop. The simulation results indicated that narrowing the drain spacing could improve the desalination performance of SPD, but there was no continuous downward trend of soil solute concentration during the long-term application of SPD when groundwater salinity was constant. The SPD application could improve grain yield by 0.81–1.65 t ha−1, water productivity by 0.13–0.35 kg m−3, and groundwater supply by 6.06–31.03 mm compared to the no-SPD scenarios, but such increases would be less pronounced in dry years with groundwater salinity at the low level. This study demonstrated that the co-application of hydrologic and crop growth models is a feasible method for revealing the effects of SPD on agricultural land reclamation in coastal areas