Nomogram predicting the prognosis of primary liver cancer after radiofrequency ablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

Background: The incidence and mortality rates of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are high, and the conventional treatment is radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE); however, the 3-year survival rate is still low. Further, there are no visual methods to effectively predict their prognosis.

Aim: To explore the factors influencing the prognosis of HCC after RFA and TACE and develop a nomogram prediction model.

A national-scale assessment of land subsidence in China's major cities.

China's massive wave of urbanization may be threatened by land subsidence. Using a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry technique, we provided a systematic assessment of land subsidence in all of China's major cities from 2015 to 2022. Of the examined urban lands, 45% are subsiding faster than 3 millimeters per year, and 16% are subsiding faster than 10 millimeters per year, affecting 29 and 7% of the urban population, respectively.

Effects of nitrogen addition on the combined global warming potential of three major soil greenhouse gases: A global meta-analysis.

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition has a great impact on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and numerous studies have revealed the individual effects of N addition on three major GHGs (CO, CH, and NO). Nevertheless, quantitative evaluation of the effects of N addition on the global warming potential (GWP) of GHGs based on simultaneous measurements is needed not only to better understand the comprehensive effect of N deposition on GHGs but also for precise estimation of ecosystem GHG fluxes in response to N deposition. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis using a dataset with 124 simultaneous measurements of the three major GHGs from 54 studies to assess the effects of N addition on the combined global warming potential (CGWP) of these soil GHGs.

Does Forest Soil Fungal Community Respond to Short-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition in Different Forests in Eastern China?

Nitrogen (N) deposition has changed plants and soil microbes remarkably, which deeply alters the structures and functions of terrestrial ecosystems. However, how forest fungal diversity, community compositions, and their potential functions respond to N deposition is still lacking in exploration at a large scale. In this study, we conducted a short-term (4-5 years) experiment of artificial N addition to simulated N deposition in five typical forest ecosystems across eastern China, which includes tropical montane rainforest, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, temperate deciduous broadleaved forest, temperate broadleaved and conifer mixed forest, and boreal forest along a latitudinal gradient from tropical to cold temperature zones.

High-level nitrogen additions accelerate soil respiration reduction over time in a boreal forest.

Increased nitrogen (N) inputs are widely recognised to reduce soil respiration (Rs), but how N deposition affects the temporal dynamics of Rs remains unclear. Using a decade-long fertilisation experiment in a boreal larch forest (Larix gmelini) in northeast China, we found that the effects of N additions on Rs showed a temporal shift from a positive effect in the short-term (increased by 8% on average in the first year) to a negative effect over the longer term (decreased by 21% on average in the 11th year). The rates of decrease in Rs for the higher N levels were almost twice as high as those of the low N level.

Terrestrial carbon sinks in China and around the world and their contribution to carbon neutrality.

Enhancing the terrestrial ecosystem carbon sink (referred to as terrestrial C sink) is an important way to slow down the continuous increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) concentration and to achieve carbon neutrality target. To better understand the characteristics of terrestrial C sinks and their contribution to carbon neutrality, this review summarizes major progress in terrestrial C budget researches during the past decades, clarifies spatial patterns and drivers of terrestrial C sources and sinks in China and around the world, and examines the role of terrestrial C sinks in achieving carbon neutrality target. According to recent studies, the global terrestrial C sink has been increasing from a source of (-0.

Yield and quality properties of silage maize and their influencing factors in China.

Silage maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important forages in the world, and its yield and quality properties are critical parameters for livestock production and assessment of forage values. However, relationships between its yield and quality properties and the controlling factors are not well documented.

Nonlinear responses of ecosystem carbon fluxes to nitrogen deposition in an old-growth boreal forest.

Nitrogen (N) deposition is known to increase carbon (C) sequestration in N-limited boreal forests. However, the long-term effects of N deposition on ecosystem carbon fluxes have been rarely investigated in old-growth boreal forests. Here we show that decade-long experimental N additions significantly stimulated net primary production (NPP) but the effect decreased with increasing N loads.

Above- and belowground biomass allocation and its regulation by plant density in six common grassland species in China.

Above- and belowground biomass allocation is an essential plant functional trait that reflects plant survival strategies and affects belowground carbon pool estimation in grasslands. However, due to the difficulty of distinguishing living and dead roots, estimation of biomass allocation from field-based studies currently show large uncertainties. In addition, the dependence of biomass allocation on plant species, functional type as well as plant density remains poorly addressed.

Elevated CO Enhances Dynamic Photosynthesis in Rice and Wheat.

Crops developed under elevated carbon dioxide (eCO) exhibit enhanced leaf photosynthesis under steady states. However, little is known about the effect of eCO on dynamic photosynthesis and the relative contribution of the short-term (substrate) and long-term (acclimation) effects of eCO. We grew an cultivar and a cultivar under 400 μmol CO mol air (ambient, ) and 600 μmol CO mol air (elevated, ).

Effects of nitrogen addition on microbial residues and their contribution to soil organic carbon in China's forests from tropical to boreal zone.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has a significant influence on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in forest ecosystems. Microbial residues, as by-products of microbial anabolism, account for a significant fraction of soil C pools. However, how N deposition affects the accumulation of soil microbial residues in different forest biomes remains unclear.

Proximate grassland and shrub-encroached sites show dramatic restructuring of soil bacterial communities.

Background: Changes in aboveground community composition and diversity following shrub encroachment have been studied extensively. Recently, shrub encroachment was associated with differences in belowground bacterial communities relative to non-encroached grassland sites hundreds of meters away. This spatial distance between grassland and shrub sites left open the question of how soil bacterial communities associated with different vegetation types might differ within the same plot location.

Family-level leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of global terrestrial plants.

Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations are critical for photosynthesis, growth, reproduction and other ecological processes of plants. Previous studies on large-scale biogeographic patterns of leaf N and P stoichiometric relationships were mostly conducted using data pooled across taxa, while family/genus-level analyses are rarely reported. Here, we examined global patterns of family-specific leaf N and P stoichiometry using a global data set of 12,716 paired leaf N and P records which includes 204 families, 1,305 genera, and 3,420 species.

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus supply on stoichiometry of six elements in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Background And Aims: Plant elemental composition is of fundamental importance for plant growth and metabolic functions. However, knowledge of how multi-elemental stoichiometry responds to varying nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availabilities remains limited.

Methods: We conducted experimental manipulations with nine repeat experiments to investigate the effects of N and P supply on the concentrations and variability of six elements, carbon (C), N, P, potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Long term effect of nitrogen addition on understory community in a Chinese boreal forest.

Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is an important driver of biodiversity change. By conducting an eight-year N addition experiment (0, 20, 50 and 100 kg N ha yr), we investigated the long-term effect of simulated N deposition on understory species composition and richness in a boreal forest, northeast China. We found that moss cover decreased significantly with increasing N addition.

Responses of forest ecosystems to increasing N deposition in China: A critical review.

China has been experiencing a rapid increase in nitrogen (N) deposition due to intensified anthropogenic N emissions since the late 1970s. By synthesizing experimental and observational data taken from literature, we reviewed the responses of China's forests to increasing N deposition over time, with a focus on soil biogeochemical properties and acidification, plant nutrient stoichiometry, understory biodiversity, forest growth, and carbon (C) sequestration. Nitrogen deposition generally increased soil N availability and soil N leaching and decreased soil pH in China's forests.

No significant changes in topsoil carbon in the grasslands of northern China between the 1980s and 2000s.

The grasslands of northern China store a large amount of soil organic carbon (SOC), and the small changes in SOC stock could significantly affect the regional C cycle. However, recent estimates of SOC changes in this region are highly controversial. In this study, we examined the changes in the SOC density (SOCD) in the upper 30cm of the grasslands of northern China between the 1980s and 2000s, using an improved approach that integrates field-based measurements into machine learning algorithms (artificial neural network (ANN) and random forest (RF)).

The response of tree growth to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in a tropical montane rainforest.

Rapid increase of global nitrogen (N) deposition has greatly altered carbon cycles and functioning of forest ecosystems. Previous studies have focused on changes in carbon dynamics of temperate and subtropical forests through N enrichment experiments; however, the effects of N deposition on tree growth remain inconsistent, especially in tropical forests. Here, we conducted a five-year N addition experiment (0 and 50kgNhayr) in a tropical montane rain forest in Hainan Island, China, to explore the effects of enhanced N deposition on growth of trees.

Effects of nitrogen deposition on soil microbial communities in temperate and subtropical forests in China.

Increasing nitrogen (N) deposition has aroused large concerns because of its potential negative effects on forest ecosystems. Although microorganisms play a vital role in ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, the effect of N deposition on soil microbiota still remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the responses of microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) and microbial community composition to 4-5years of experimentally simulated N deposition in temperate needle-leaf forests and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests in eastern China, using chloroform fumigation extraction and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) methods.

Nitrogen deposition has minor effect on soil extracellular enzyme activities in six Chinese forests.

Soil extracellular enzymes play a key role in mediating a range of forest ecosystem functions (i.e., carbon and nutrients cycling and biological productivity), particularly in the face of atmospheric N deposition that has been increasing at an unprecedented rate globally.

Effects of shrub encroachment on soil organic carbon in global grasslands.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of shrub encroachment on soil organic carbon (SOC) content at broad scales and its controls. We conducted a meta-analysis using paired control data of shrub-encroached grassland (SEG) vs. non-SEG collected from 142 studies worldwide.

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Nitrogen Resorption in Temperate Shrublands in Northern China.

Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is a key mechanism of nutrient conservation for plants. The nutrient resorption efficiency is highly dependent on leaf nutrient status, species identity and soil nutrient availability. Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most ecosystems, it is widely reported that nitrogen resorption efficiency (NRE) was highly dependent on the soil nitrogen availability and vary with N deposition.

Rapid loss of lakes on the Mongolian Plateau.

Lakes are widely distributed on the Mongolian Plateau and, as critical water sources, have sustained Mongolian pastures for hundreds of years. However, the plateau has experienced significant lake shrinkage and grassland degradation during the past several decades. To quantify the changes in all of the lakes on the plateau and the associated driving factors, we performed a satellite-based survey using multitemporal Landsat images from the 1970s to 2000s, combined with ground-based censuses.