Climate change record in subsurface temperatures: A global perspective

Analyses of underground temperature measurements from 358 boreholes in eastern North America, central Europe, southern Africa, and Australia indicate that, in the 20th century, the average surface temperature of Earth has increased by about 0.5 degreesC and that the 20th century has been the warmest of the past five centuries. The subsurface temperatures also indicate that Earth's mean surface temperature has increased by about 1.0 degreesC over the past five centuries. The geothermal data offer an independent confirmation of the unusual character of 20th-century climate that has emerged from recent multiproxy studies.     

Comparative Assessment of Grassland NPP Dynamics in Response to Climate Change in China,North America,Europe and Australia from 1981 to 2010

Although climate change has been modifying grassland ecosystems for a long time, few studies on grassland ecosystems have focused on large‐scale responses to climate change. Hence, grassland net primary productivity (NPP) from 1981 to 2010, as well as its variations in China, North America, Europe and Australia, was assessed and compared using a synthetic model in this study. Subsequently, the correlations between the NPP of each grassland type and climate factors were evaluated to reveal the responses of grassland eco‐systems to climate change. The results showed that North America, which has the largest area of grassland ecosystems, exhibits maximum grassland NPP of 4225.30 ± 215.43 Tg DW year^?1, whereas Europe, which has the least area of grassland ecosystems among the four regions, exhibits minimum grassland NPP of 928.95 ± 24.68 Tg DW year^?1. Grassland NPP presented an increasing trend in China and Australia, but decreasing in Europe and North America from 1981 to 2010. In addition, grassland NPP is positively correlated with mean annual precipitation, but demonstrates notable differences with mean annual temperature. In conclusion, climate change has a significant role in explaining the spatiotemporal patterns of and the variations in grassland NPP in the four regions.     

禽用活疫苗SPF化现状及对兽用生物制品企业的影响

目前,禽病防疫仍以疫苗免疫接种为主,疫苗安全性直接影响疫病防控效果,优质疫苗能预防疾病,提高家禽的生产性能,创造经济效益。相反,劣质疫苗可能对动物造成伤害,对环境造成污染,乃至威胁人类的健康。因此,选择安全高效的优质疫苗是做好家禽疫病防疫的关键。为保证疫苗质量安全,实行禽用活疫苗SPF化已经势在必行。     

Assessing the Spatiotemporal Dynamic of Global Grassland Water Use Efficiency in Response to Climate Change from 2000 to 2013

Water use efficiency (WUE), which is a ratio of net primary production (NPP) to evapotranspiration (ET), is an important index representing the relationship between carbon and water cycles. This study evaluates the spatiotemporal dynamics of global grassland WUE from 2000 to 2013 to reveal the different responses of each grassland type to climate variations. Their correlations with climate variables are also investigated to reflect their dependence on climate. The average annual WUE of different grassland types follows an order of: closed shrublands > woody savannas > savannas > open shrublands > non‐woody grasslands. Although the NPP of all grassland types has increased from 2000 to 2013, 37.89 % of grassland ecosystems globally experienced a decreased WUE, in which 3.34 % has extremely significantly decreased. The WUE of open shrublands, woody savannas and non‐woody grasslands shows an overall descending trend because of the exceeding increasing rate of ET. By contrast, the decreased ET contributes to the overall ascending trend of the WUE of closed shrublands and savannas over this period. Moreover, the WUE of each grassland type reacts differently to climate variations in the northern and southern hemispheres. The grassland WUE dynamic is more controlled by precipitation than temperature at a global scale.     

A comparative efficacy test of 1 versus 2 doses of CIRCOQ PCV2 subunit vaccine against naturally occurring PCV2-type d in piglets with high maternally derived antibodies (MDAs) on a Vietnamese swine farm

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of the CIRCOQ porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) subunit vaccine in piglets with high maternally derived antibodies (MDAs) against disease caused by natural infection with PCV2d. A total of 130 weaned, 21-day-old healthy pigs was allocated into 3 trial groups. The signs of respiratory disorder were higher in unvaccinated pigs than in vaccinated pigs at 13 to 17 weeks old (P < 0.05), 18 to 22 weeks old (P < 0.001), and 23 to 27 weeks old (P < 0.01). The unvaccinated pigs had an early rate of dermatitis at 8 to 12 weeks old (10.0%), 13 to 17 weeks old (30.0%), 18 to 22 weeks old (46.7%), and 23 to 27 weeks old (33.3%), while there were no cases of dermatitis in vaccinated pigs. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the mortality of pigs in the unvaccinated group and the 2-dosed vaccinated group. PCV2 viremia was detected in the blood and peaked at 105 days old in both unvaccinated pigs (Ct-adj = 8.40) and pigs vaccinated with 1 dose (Ct-adj = 6.37), while no detectable PCV2 virus was found in the blood of pigs vaccinated with 2 doses. At 77 and 105 days old, the PCV2 viremia load (Ct-adj) of unvaccinated pigs and those vaccinated with 1 dose was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the 2-dosed vaccinated pigs. The body weight (BW), average weight gain (AWG), and average daily gain (ADG) in both groups of vaccinated pigs were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of unvaccinated pigs. The study vaccine was significantly efficacious in protecting vaccinated pigs against clinical symptoms, blood viral load, and mortality, as well as improving productivity, compared with unvaccinated pigs.     

Observed impact of snow cover on the heat balance and the rise of continental spring temperatures

Analysis of satellite-derived snow cover, radiative balance, and surface air temperature over Northern Hemisphere extratropical land shows that the retreat of the Northern Hemisphere's extent of spring snow cover over the past 20 years parallels a change in the influence of snow cover on the radiative balance and an observed increase of spring temperatures over the same area. These results help explain why the long-term (20th century) increase in surface air temperature over Northern Hemisphere land has been greater in spring than in any other season relative to the interannual variability.     

Microfluidic memory and control devices

We demonstrate microscopic fluidic control and memory elements through the use of an aqueous viscoelastic polymer solution as a working fluid. By exploiting the fluid's non-Newtonian rheological properties, we were able to demonstrate both a flux stabilizer and a bistable flip-flop memory. These circuit elements are analogous to their solid-state electronic counterparts and could be used as components of control systems for integrated microfluidic devices. Such miniaturized fluidic circuits are insensitive to electromagnetic interference and may also find medical applications for implanted drug-delivery devices.