The Flying Tigers: Transnational Memories of a World War II Collaboration

In 1941, under the leadership of General Claire Lee Chennault, the Flying Tigers- a volunteer group of fighter pilots and crewmen from the United States- traveled to Southwestern China to support the Chinese Nationalist military in their resistance against the Japanese. How do the United States and China remember the Flying Tigers, and how is the memory shaped by domestic and international politics? Drawing from media coverage, museums, popular media, and memoirs, this thesis traces the evolution of the memories of the Flying Tigers in the U.S. and China from 1941 to the present. I argue that from the war years through the present, the memory of the Flying Tigers have converged and diverged between (and within) the U.S. and China. Although some of the narratives have been deliberately obscured at times, the memories have been able to coexist without much tension. The romantic narratives of the operation have served the needs of actors ranging from veterans and locals, to the national governments, in constructing themselves, and ultimately the nation, in a positive way. Therefore, the memory of the Flying Tigers, often a result of the interplay between the different actors, has become a space through which both nations can promote their own national identity and imagine a reconciliation through this model of transnational friendship

Temporal Dynamics of Nitrous Oxide Emission and Nitrate Leaching in Renovated Grassland with Repeated Application of Manure and/or Chemical Fertilizer

Managed grassland is occasionally renovated to maintain plant productivity by killing old vegetation, ploughing, and reseeding. This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of grassland renovation and long-term manure application on the temporal dynamics of nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) leaching. The study was conducted from September 2013 to September 2016 in a managed grassland renovated in September 2013. In this grassland, two treatments were managedchemical fertilizer application (F treatment) and the combined application of chemical fertilizer and beef cattle manure (MF treatment)for eight years before the renovation. The control treatment without fertilization (CT) was newly established in the F treatment. The soil N2O flux was measured using a closed chamber method. A leachate sample was collected using a tension-free lysimeter that was installed at the bottom of the Ap horizon (25 cm deep), and total NO3--N leaching was calculated from leachate NO3--N concentration and drainage volume was estimated by the water balance method. In the first year after renovation, the absence of plant nitrogen uptake triggered NO3--N leaching following rainfall during renovation and increased drainage water after thawing. NO3--N movement from topsoil to deeper soil enhanced N2O production and emission from the soil. N2O emission in MF treatment was 1.6-2.0 times larger than those of CT and F treatments, and NO3--N leaching in MF treatment was 2.3-2.6 times larger than those of CT and F treatments in the first year. Mineral nitrogen release derived from long-term manure application increased NO3--N leaching and N2O emission. In the second year, N2O emission and NO3--N leaching significantly decreased from the first year because of increased plant N uptake and decreased mineral nitrogen surplus, and no significant differences in N2O emission and NO3--N leaching were observed among the treatments. In the second and third years, NO3--N leaching was regulated by plant nitrogen uptake. There were no significant differences in NO3--N leaching among the treatments, but N2O emission in MF treatment was significantly smaller than in the F treatment. Long-term manure application could be a possible option to mitigate N2O emission in permanent grassland; however, the risk of increased NO3--N leaching and N2O emission in the renovation year induced by manure nitrogen release should be noted

Effects of Three Types of Organic Fertilizers on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Grassland on Andosol in Southern Hokkaido, Japan

Reduction of chemical fertilizers and effective use of livestock excrement are required for the realization of sustainable agriculture and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The purpose of this study was to estimate the reduction rate of GHG emissions represented by comparing global warming potential (GWP) using organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers. The study was conducted in a managed grassland on Andosol in southern Hokkaido for 3 years from May 2017 to April 2020. There were five treatment plots: no fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, manure, slurry, and digestive fluid. Organic fertilizers were applied such that the amount of NPK did not exceed the recommended application rate, and the shortage was supplemented with chemical fertilizers. Fluxes in CO2 caused by heterotrophic respiration (RH), CH4, and N2O were measured using the closed chamber method. Net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) was obtained as net primary production + organic fertilizer application-RH-harvest. The GWP was estimated by CO2 equivalent NECB and CH4 and N2O emissions in each treatment. Chemical fertilizer nitrogen application rates in the organic fertilizer treatments were reduced by 10% for manure, 19.7% for slurry and 29.7% for digestive fluid compared to chemical fertilizer only, but the grass yields were not significantly different among the fertilizer treatments. The 3-year NECB showed significantly smallest carbon loss in manure treatment, and smaller carbon loss in the organic fertilizer treatments than in the chemical fertilizer only. The reduction rate in the GWP with use of organic fertilizers relative to that of chemical fertilizer was 16.5% for slurry, 27.0% for digestive fluid, and 36.2% for manure. The NECB accounted for more than 90% of the GWP in all treatments. CH4 emissions were chemical fertilizer only > digestive fluid > manure. As a conclusion, these organic fertilizers can be used without no reduction of crop yield instead of chemical fertilizer, however, manure is the best way to increase soil carbon and to decrease GWP, followed by digestive fluid

Modulation of the Emission Mode of a Pt(II) Complex via Intermolecular Interactions

Compounds with controllable color emissions are potentially useful as photoluminescent materials in imaging and sensing applications. Multimolecular emission can be used realizing variable-color emitters and has been demonstrated in the solid state. However, achieving multimolecular emission in solution is difficult to control. In this study, we used a combination of intermolecular interactions, namely hydrogen bonding and solvophobic effect, to modulate multimolecular emissions. A designed Pt complex demonstrated three emission colors: blue (monomer emission), yellow (emission form hydrogen-bonded dimer), and orange (aggregate emission). All of the emission modes exhibited high luminescence quantum yields, as a result of their uniform assemblies

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo