Comparison of Soil Respiration in Typical Conventional and New Alternative Cereal Cropping Systems on the North China Plain

We monitored soil respiration (Rs), soil temperature (T) and volumetric water content (VWC%) over four years in one typical conventional and four alternative cropping systems to understand Rs in different cropping systems with their respective management practices and environmental conditions. The control was conventional double-cropping system (winter wheat and summer maize in one year - Con. W/M). Four alternative cropping systems were designed with optimum water and N management, i.e. optimized winter wheat and summer maize (Opt. W/M), three harvests every two years (first year, winter wheat and summer maize or soybean; second year, fallow then spring maize - W/M-M and W/S-M), and single spring maize per year (M). Our results show that Rs responded mainly to the seasonal variation in T but was also greatly affected by straw return, root growth and soil moisture changes under different cropping systems. The mean seasonal CO2 emissions in Con. W/M were 16.8 and 15.1 Mg CO2 ha(-1) for summer maize and winter wheat, respectively, without straw return. They increased significantly by 26 and 35% in Opt. W/M, respectively, with straw return. Under the new alternative cropping systems with straw return, W/M-M showed similar Rs to Opt. W/M, but total CO2 emissions of W/S-M decreased sharply relative to Opt. W/M when soybean was planted to replace summer maize. Total CO2 emissions expressed as the complete rotation cycles of W/S-M, Con. W/M and M treatments were not significantly different. Seasonal CO2 emissions were significantly correlated with the sum of carbon inputs of straw return from the previous season and the aboveground biomass in the current season, which explained 60% of seasonal CO2 emissions. T and VWC% explained up to 65% of Rs using the exponential-power and double exponential models, and the impacts of tillage and straw return must therefore be considered for accurate modeling of Rs in this geographical region

The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered in the early 1970s when space-borne coronagraphs revealed that eruptions of plasma are ejected from the Sun. Today, it is known that the Sun produces eruptive flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections and failed eruptions; all thought to be due to a release of energy stored in the coronal magnetic field during its drastic reconfiguration. This review discusses the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation. Whilst a wealth of observations exist, and detailed models have been developed, there still exists a need to draw these approaches together. In particular more realistic models are encouraged in order to asses the full range of complexity of the solar atmosphere and the criteria for which an eruption is formed. From the observational side, a more detailed understanding of the role of photospheric flows and reconnection is needed in order to identify the evolutionary path that ultimately means a magnetic structure will erupt

First-principles calculations to investigate the anisotropic elasticity and thermodynamic properties of FeAl3 under pressure effect

We have employed the first-principles calculations and quasi-harmonic Debye model to investigate the effect of the pressure on anisotropic elasticity and thermodynamic properties of FeAl3. According to Christoffel’s equation, the wave velocity anisotropy of FeAl3 as a function of pressure was also studied. Based on 3D surfaces and 2D projection contours, the anisotropy of shear modulus for FeAl3 changes significantly with the increasing pressure, and increases more obviously on [001] direction than that on [100] direction under high pressure. The thermodynamic properties calculations show that the volume of FeAl3 decreases with the increasing temperature and pressure. The bulk modulus decreases with the increasing temperature, and increases with the increasing pressure. On the contrary, the thermal expansion coefficient, the heat capacities, and Grüneisen constant increase with the increasing temperature, and decrease as pressure increases. It is found that the bulk modulus and Grüneisen constant display strong pressure dependence, while the heat capacities are sensitive to the temperature. And the thermal expansion coefficient is affected simultaneously by the pressure and temperature

An updated thermodynamic modeling of the Ga-Ti system Original Research Article

International audienceThe thermodynamicdescriptionfortheGa-Ti systemhasbeenupdatedusingtheCALPHADapproach.By combining theexistingexperimentaldataandnewlyobtainedresultsfrom ab initio calculations and cluster variationmethod(CVM),theGibbsenergyfunctionsoftheindividualphasesoftheGa-Ti system havebeenevaluated.Comparedwiththepreviousthermodynamicmodeling,thepresentassessment showsabetteragreementwiththeexperimentsandthecalculatedenthalpiesofformationofthe intermetallic compoundsobtainedfrom ab initio calculations

Nitrous oxide and methane emissions from optimized and alternative cereal cropping systems on the North China Plain: A two-year field study

The impacts of different crop rotation systems with their corresponding management practices on grain yield, greenhouse gas emissions, and fertilizer nitrogen (N) and irrigation water use efficiencies are not well documented. This holds especially for the North China Plain which provides the staple food for hundreds of millions of people and where groundwater resources are polluted with nitrate and depleted through irrigation. Here, we report on fertilizer N and irrigation water use, grain yields, and nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions of conventional and optimized winter wheat-summer maize double-cropping systems, and of three alternative cropping systems, namely a winter wheat-summer maize (or soybean)-spring maize system, with three harvests in two years; and a single spring maize system with one crop per year. The results of this two-year study show that the optimized double-cropping system led to a significant increase in grain yields and a significant decrease in fertilizer N use and net greenhouse gas intensity, but the net greenhouse gas N2O emissions plus CH4 uptake and the use of irrigation water did not decrease relative to the conventional system. Compared to the conventional system the net greenhouse gas emissions, net greenhouse gas intensity and use of fertilizer N and irrigation water decreased in the three alternative cropping systems, but at the cost of grain yields except in the winter wheat-summer maize-spring maize system. Net uptake of CH4 by the soil was little affected by cropping system. Average N2O emission factors were only 0.17% for winter wheat and 0.53% for maize. In conclusion, the winter wheat-summer maize-spring maize system has considerable potential to decrease water and N use and decrease N2O emissions while maintaining high grain yields and sustainable use of groundwater

Renal Tubule Nedd4-2 Deficiency Stimulates Kir4.1/Kir5.1 and Thiazide-Sensitive NaCl Cotransporter in Distal Convoluted Tubule.

The potassium channel Kir4.1 forms the Kir4.1/Kir5.1 heterotetramer in the basolateral membrane of the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and plays an important role in the regulation of the thiazide-sensitive NaCl cotransporter (NCC). Kidney-specific deletion of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 increases expression of NCC, and coexpression of Nedd4-2 inhibits Kir4.1/Kir5.1 in vitro. Whether Nedd4-2 regulates NCC expression in part by regulating Kir4.1/Kir5.1 channel activity in the DCT is unknown. We used electrophysiology studies, immunoblotting, immunostaining, and renal clearance to examine Kir4.1/Kir5.1 activity in the DCT and NCC expression/activity in wild-type mice and mice with kidney-specific knockout of Nedd4-2, Kir4.1, or both. Deletion of Nedd4-2 increased the activity/expression of Kir4.1 in the DCT and also, hyperpolarized the DCT membrane. Expression of phosphorylated NCC/total NCC and thiazide-induced natriuresis were significantly increased in the Nedd4-2 knockout mice, but these mice were normokalemic. Double-knockout mice lacking both Kir4.1/Kir5.1 and Nedd4-2 in the kidney exhibited increased expression of the epithelial sodium channel α-subunit, largely abolished basolateral potassium ion conductance (to a degree similar to that of kidney-specific Kir4.1 knockout mice), and depolarization of the DCT membrane. Compared with wild-type mice, the double-knockout mice displayed inhibited expression of phosphorylated NCC and total NCC and had significantly blunted thiazide-induced natriuresis as well as renal potassium wasting and hypokalemia. However, NCC expression/activity was higher in the double-knockout mice than in Kir4.1 knockout mice. Nedd4-2 regulates Kir4.1/Kir5.1 expression/activity in the DCT and modulates NCC expression by Kir4.1-dependent and Kir4.1-independent mechanisms. Basolateral Kir4.1/Kir5.1 activity in the DCT partially accounts for the stimulation of NCC activity/expression induced by deletion of Nedd4-2

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists Cause Natriuresis in the Absence of Aldosterone.

MR (mineralocorticoid receptor) antagonists are recommended for patients with resistant hypertension even when circulating aldosterone levels are not high. Although aldosterone activates MR to increase epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) activity, glucocorticoids also activate MR but are metabolized by 11βHSD2 (11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2). 11βHSD2 is expressed at increasing levels from distal convoluted tubule (DCT) through collecting duct. Here, we hypothesized that MR maintains ENaC activity in the DCT2 and early connecting tubule in the absence of aldosterone. We studied AS (aldosterone synthase)-deficient (AS <sup>-/-</sup> ) mice, which were backcrossed onto the same C57BL6/J strain as kidney-specific MR knockout (KS-MR <sup>-/-</sup> ) mice. KS-MR <sup>-/-</sup> mice were used to compare MR expression and ENaC localization and cleavage with AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice. MR was highly expressed along DCT2 through the cortical collecting duct (CCD), whereas no 11βHSD2 expression was observed along DCT2. MR signal and apical ENaC localization were clearly reduced along both DCT2 and CCD in KS-MR <sup>-/-</sup> mice but were fully preserved along DCT2 and were partially reduced along CCD in AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice. Apical ENaC localization and ENaC currents were fully preserved along DCT2 in AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice and were not increased along CCD after low salt. AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice exhibited transient Na <sup>+</sup> wasting under low-salt diet, but administration of the MR antagonist eplerenone to AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice led to hyperkalemia and decreased body weight with higher Na <sup>+</sup> excretion, mimicking the phenotype of MR <sup>-/-</sup> mice. Our results provide evidence that MR is activated in the absence of aldosterone along DCT2 and partially CCD, suggesting glucocorticoid binding to MR preserves sodium homeostasis along DCT2 in AS <sup>-/-</sup> mice