Agriculture and Dairy Production Systems in China: An Overview and Case Studies

The Chinese dairy industry is growing rapidly. Since 1980, the rate of increase in dairy cattle in China's dairy industry (+210,000 cows per year) is 1.7 times higher than the rate of decline of dairy cattle in the US dairy industry (-124,000 cows per year). If the current trends do not change, there will be as many dairy cows in China as in the US-approximately 7.45 million cows in 2012. This two-part Discussion Paper presents the context in which the Chinese dairy industry is developing (Part I) and a study of the Dairy Farm systems and case studies of five farms in the Province of Yunnan, the city of Beijing and the province of Heilongjiang (Part II).Chinese Dairy Industry, Dairy Cows in China, Development of the Chinese Dairy Industry, Chinese Dairy Farm Case Studies, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, International Development, International Relations/Trade, Productivity Analysis,

Electronic structure of liquid water from polarization-dependent two-photon absorption spectroscopy

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/130/8/10.1063/1.3078336.Two-photon absorption (2PA) spectroscopy in the range from 7 to 10 eV provides new insight on the electronic structure of liquid water. Continuous 2PA spectra are obtained via the pump-probe technique, using broadband probe pulses to record the absorption at many wavelengths simultaneously. A preresonance enhancement of the absolute 2PA cross section is observed when the pump-photon energy increases from 4.6 to 6.2 eV. The absorption cross section also depends on the relative polarization of the pump and probe photons. The variation of the polarization ratio across the spectrum reveals a detailed picture of the 2PA and indicates that at least four different transitions play a role below 10 eV. Theoretical polarization ratios for the isolated molecule illustrate the value of the experimental polarization measurement in deciphering the 2PA spectrum and provide the framework for a simple simulation of the liquid spectrum. A more comprehensive model goes beyond the isolated molecule picture and connects the 2PA spectrum with previous one-photon absorption, photoelectron, and x-ray absorptionspectroscopy measurements of liquid water. Previously unresolved, overlapping transitions are assigned for the first time. Finally, the electronic character of the vertical excited states is related to the energy-dependent ionization mechanism of liquid water

Trichodesmium around Australia: A view from space

Responsible for half of the ocean's nitrogen input through nitrogen fixation, the saltwater cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is ubiquitous in global tropical and subtropical oceans but particularly abundant around Australia. However, although the earliest report goes back to the 18th century, the knowledge of where and when large quantities of Trichodesmium can be found around Australia is still incomplete. Based on satellite imagery and deep learning, we quantified relative abundance of Trichodesmium around Australia for the period of 2012–2021. Surface aggregations of Trichodesmium were found almost everywhere except the southern coast, with a cumulative footprint exceeding 4.6 million km2. Strong seasonality was found, with peak months between September and November. The spatial distributions and seasonality were found to correlate well with water temperature, iron-rich dust from Australian desert, and black carbon aerosols from frequent bushfires. With the projected ocean warming in the coming century, Trichodesmium may expand further south, making the cumulative footprint even larger

Water-Driven Assembly of Laser Ablation-Induced Au Condensates as Mesomorphic Nano- and Micro-Tubes

Reddish Au condensates, predominant atom clusters and minor amount of multiply twinned particles and fcc nanoparticles with internal compressive stress, were produced by pulsed laser ablation on gold target in de-ionized water under a very high power density. Such condensates were self-assembled as lamellae and then nano- to micro-diameter tubes with multiple walls when aged at room temperature in water for up to 40 days. The nano- and micro-tubes have a lamellar- and relaxed fcc-type wall, respectively, both following partial epitaxial relationship with the co-existing multiply twinned nanoparticles. The entangled tubes, being mesomorphic with a large extent of bifurcation, flexibility, opaqueness, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering, may have potential encapsulated and catalytic/label applications in biomedical systems

The C2H2-ZF transcription factor Zfp335 recognizes two consensus motifs using separate zinc finger arrays

The complexities of DNA recognition by transcription factors (TFs) with multiple Cys2-His2 zinc fingers (C2H2-ZFs) remain poorly studied. We previously reported a mutation (R1092W) in the C2H2-ZF TF Zfp335 that led to selective loss of binding at a subset of targets, although the basis for this effect was unclear. We show that Zfp335 binds DNA and drives transcription via recognition of two distinct consensus motifs by separate ZF clusters and identify the specific motif interaction disrupted by R1092W. Our work presents Zfp335 as a model for understanding how C2H2-ZF TFs may use multiple recognition motifs to control gene expression

The C2H2-ZF transcription factor Zfp335 recognizes two consensus motifs using separate zinc finger arrays

The complexities of DNA recognition by transcription factors (TFs) with multiple Cys2–His2 zinc fingers (C2H2-ZFs) remain poorly studied. We previously reported a mutation (R1092W) in the C2H2-ZF TF Zfp335 that led to selective loss of binding at a subset of targets, although the basis for this effect was unclear. We show that Zfp335 binds DNA and drives transcription via recognition of two distinct consensus motifs by separate ZF clusters and identify the specific motif interaction disrupted by R1092W. Our work presents Zfp335 as a model for understanding how C2H2-ZF TFs may use multiple recognition motifs to control gene expression

Agriculture and Dairy Production Systems in China: An Overview and Case Studies

The Chinese dairy industry is growing rapidly. Since 1980, the rate of increase in dairy cattle in China's dairy industry (+210,000 cows per year) is 1.7 times higher than the rate of decline of dairy cattle in the US dairy industry (-124,000 cows per year). If the current trends do not change, there will be as many dairy cows in China as in the US-approximately 7.45 million cows in 2012. This two-part Discussion Paper presents the context in which the Chinese dairy industry is developing (Part I) and a study of the Dairy Farm systems and case studies of five farms in the Province of Yunnan, the city of Beijing and the province of Heilongjiang (Part II)