Quantifying the response of surface urban heat island to urban greening in global north megacities.

Urban heat island, a phenomenon that urban temperature is higher than the rural area nearby, affects directly citizens' human health and well-being. However, the cooling effect from urban green space (UGS) and the attribution of the different land processes to surface urban heat island intensity (SUHI) under different background climates remains unclear. The coarse-grained model was used to estimate summer SUHI in three different background climatic zones and for seven agglomerations (BTH, JP, LD, NAAC, NAGL, YZ, UQ).

Large-scale rain-fed to paddy farmland conversion modified land-surface thermal properties in Cold China.

The recent acute evolution of cropland structure in Cold China could lead to rapid rice paddy expansion, potentially altering land-surface thermal processes and influencing climate. To address the issue, this study investigated the changes in cropland type, land-surface temperature (LST) and heat fluxes in the agricultural region of Cold China during 2000-2015 based on time-series of land-use data and MODIS LST product, using the split-window algorithms (SWA) model and the pixel component arranging and component algorithm (PCACA). The investigation revealed large-scale land transformation from rain-fed farmland to paddy field in Cold China during 2000-2015.

A comparative analysis of urban impervious surface and green space and their dynamics among 318 different size cities in China in the past 25 years.

Urban impervious surface (UIS) and urban green space (UGS) fractions in a city are essential indicators in supporting urban planning and management. However, little is known about the dynamics of urban expansion and the resultant UIS/UGS fraction in different size cities in China over time. We comparatively analyzed the urban expansion, UIS/UGS, and their dynamics among 318 different size cities during 1990-2015 derived from the China Land Use/cover Datasets (CLUDs) and the UIS/UGS datasets.

Impacts of anthropogenic land use/cover changes on soil wind erosion in China.

Assessing the impacts of land use/cover change (LUCC) on the aeolian process is crucial for improving regional ecosystem services and sustainable development. The objective of the study were to 1) examine the spatiotemporal patterns of the soil wind erosion modulus (SWEM) in China from 1990 to 2015, and 2) reveal the contributions of LUCC to SWEM dynamics. The annual SWEM derived by the revised wind erosion equation (RWEQ) was analyzed at regional and sub-regional scales using statistical analysis.

Mapping Water Vulnerability of the Yangtze River Basin: 1994-2013.

A holistic understanding of the magnitude and long-term trend of water vulnerability is essential for making management decisions in a given river basin. Existing procedures to assess the spatiotemporal dynamic of water vulnerability in complex mega-scale river basins are inadequate; a new method named ensemble hydrologic assessment was proposed in this study, which allows collection of data and knowledge about many aspects of water resources to be synthesized in a useful way for vulnerability assessment. The objective of this study is to illustrate the practical utility of such an integrated approach in examining water vulnerability in the Yangtze River Basin.

Impacts of impervious surface expansion on soil organic carbon--a spatially explicit study.

The rapid expansion of impervious surface areas (ISA) threatens soil organic carbon (SOC) pools in urbanized areas globally. The paucity of field observations on SOC under ISA (SOCISA), especially in dryland areas has limited our ability to assess the ecological impacts of ISA expansion. Based on systematically measured SOCISA (0-80 cm depth) of a dryland city, and land-use and land-cover change data derived from remotely sensed data, we investigated the magnitude and vertical/horizontal patterns of SOCISA and mapped the impact of ISA expansion on SOC storage.

[Dynamic aspects of corneal lymphatic vessels after keratoplasty in rats].

Objective: To study the development of lymphatic vessels after keratoplasty and to explore the molecular mechanisms of corneal lymphangiogenesis in transplanted corneas.

Methods: Experimental research. The development of corneal lymphangiogenesis was examined by LYVE-1 immunohistochemistry and whole mount immunofluorescence 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 30 and 60 days after corneal transplantation, then lymphatic vessels counting (LVC)was evaluated.

[The relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and inflammation index after corneal alkali injury].

Objective: To discuss the relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and inflammation index (IF) in alkali burned corneas.

Methods: Experimental research. Rat corneal hemangiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis were examined by 5'-nase-alkaline phosphatase (5'-NA-ALP) double enzyme-histochemistry and whole mount immunofluorescence at 1 day, 3 days, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 weeks after alkaline burns, and the blood vessel counting (BVC) and the lymphatic vessel counting (LVC) were recorded.

Spatio-temporal pattern and rationality of land reclamation and cropland abandonment in mid-eastern Inner Mongolia of China in 1990-2005.

The Mid-eastern Inner Mongolia of China, a typical agro-pastoral transitional zone, has undergone rapid agricultural land use changes including land reclamation and cropland abandonment in past decades due to growing population and food demand, climatic variability, and land use policy such as the "Grain for Green" Project (GFG Project). It is significant to the regional ecology and sustainability to examine the pattern and its rationality of land use change. The processes of land reclamation and cropland abandonment were accessed by using land use change dataset for four periods of 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005, derived from the interpretation of Landsat TM images.

Corneal lymphangiogenesis correlates closely with hemangiogenesis after keratoplasty.

Aim: To examine the relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and hemangiogenesis after keratoplasty.

Methods: Nineteen human corneas were obtained from 19 patients undergoing a second corneal transplantation in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in 2005. Blood and lymphatic vessels in human transplanted corneas were identified by lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor (LYVE-1) and platelet endothelial cell adhesion modecule-1 (PECAM-1) immunohistochemistry, and double enzyme-histochemistry; then the association of corneal blood vessel counting (BVC) with lymphatic vessel counting (LVC) was examined.

[Down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in human retinal pigment epithelial cells by small hairpin loop RNA targeting hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha under hypoxia condition].

Objective: To explore the effect of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) gene on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells under hypoxia conditions by using small hairpin loop RNA (shRNA) to silence HIF-1 alpha.

Methods: CoCl(2) (150 micromol/L) was used to simulate the hypoxia environment for hRPE cells. After choosing a target site of HIF-1 alpha mRNA, shRNA was designed and synthesized by this target site.

[Quantification of oxygen-induced retinopathy in the mouse].

Purpose: To establish a quantifying model of retinal neovascularization suitable for examining pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention for the retinal neovascularization.

Methods: Sixty 7-day-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into oxygen-induced retinopathy group and control group. In oxygen-induced retinopathy group, 32 mice were exposed to (75 +/- 2)% oxygen for 5 days and then to room air; in control group, 32 mice were raised in room air.

In vivo and in vitro inhibitory effect of amniotic extraction on neovascularization.

Purpose: To prepare amniotic extraction (AE) and to test its antiangiogenic effect in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: AE was prepared and diluted to 50, 100, and 200 microg/mL concentrations. Alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization (NV) was produced and topically treated with different concentrations of AE or 0.

Plasminogen kringle 5 inhibits alkali-burn-induced corneal neovascularization.

Purpose: Plasminogen kringle 5 (K5) is a potent angiogenic inhibitor. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of K5 on alkali-burn-induced corneal neovascularization (NV) and to investigate its mechanism of action.

Methods: Corneal NV was induced in rabbits by NaOH.