Chinese Journal of Nature

The Impact of Climate Change on the Runoff of the Yellow River and Ecosystem and Frozen Soil in Its Source Area

HUANG Rong-Hui, ZHOU De-Gang

2012, 34(1): 1-9.

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The climate change in the source area and the upper reach of the Yellow River and its impact on the Yellow River runoff are reviewed. The impacts of climate change on the ecosystem and frozen soil in its source area are discussed further. It is shown that the annual runoff amount of the source area and the upper reach of the Yellow River significantly decreased from the early 1990s, which seriously affected the annual runoff amount of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and caused the increase of dryingup days of the lower reach of the Yellow River during the 1990s. Moreover, the decrease of the precipitation amount in the source area and the upper reach of the Yellow River from the early 1990s to the early 21th century may be a main reason led to the significant decrease of the runoff in the sources area and the upper reach of the Yellow River, and the weakening of the rainfall intensity in these areas during this period has an important impact on the significant decrease of the runoff in these areas. The obvious warming in the source area of this river from the 1980s to the early 21th century did not lead to a large change of the evaporation in this area. Thus, it maybe explain that the increase of air-temperature in the source area of the Yellow River slightly affect the runoff in this area. Besides, this obvious warming has an important impact on the degeneration of vegetation and frozen soil in the source area of the Yellow River.

Some New Results on the Extreme Climate over China and Water and Energy Cycles in East Asia

Wang-Hui-Jun, SUN Jian-Qi, ZHU Ya-Li

2012, 34(1): 10-17.

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This paper introduces some major research progresses of the 973 project “Variability of the water and energy cycles and their impact on the extreme climate over China under the global warming background” in the past year. The main results include the new understandings on the characteristics of water and energy cycles over different land surface in East Asia, the observational facts of the extreme climate over China and their connection with the water and energy cycles, some new methods of the shortterm climate prediction, and the projection of the extreme climate over China. Finally，the future research plan of this 973 project is also briefly presented.

Global Warming and Ecology Environment Change in the Three Poles of Earth

GAO Deng-YI

2012, 34(1): 18-23.

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There was a 0.74℃ of temperature increase during recent 100 years. Accordingly, the ecology environment in the region of the three poles including Antarctic, Arctic and Tibet Plateau was also changed. This paper discussed the reason of the global warming, the different response on the global warming in the region of the three poles of the earth, and the adaptability of living things and mankind for the global warming.

The Ozone and Ozone Hole

LIU Long-Hua

2012, 34(1): 24-28.

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The unprecedented depletion of ozone over the Arctic in 2011 attracts the attentions of people to the ozone and ozone hole once more. This study reviews the history of the Antarctic ozone and its change. The reason how the ozone is produced over the Antarctic and the difference of the ozone changes over the Arctic and the Antarctic are discussed. It is pointed out that, currently, the ozone hole appears only in spring over the Antarctic and not over the Arctic. Under the current atmospheric environmental pollution, the change of atmospheric ozone depletion over the polar regions will be more dependent on the atmospheric circulation, especially the low temperature in the polar vortex. For protecting the Earth dwelled by human, the international society has made a great effort, and China also has made some contributions to it.

New Advances in Study of Animal Behavior(Ⅲ): Neurobiological Underpinning of Behavior

SHANG Yu-Chang

2012, 34(1): 29-38.

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In this paper, we shall examine spatial learning in voles from a neurobiological perspective. Male meadow voles have very large home ranges and have better navigational skills than female. The males in polygamous species would have larger hippocampuses than females, but that no such sex difference in hippocampul size would be seen in monogamous species of voles. Researchers found that the parietal and prefrontal cortex areas of brain also played an important role in the spatial learning process, and in particular that the number of dendritic spines is correlated with learning. Mallards have the ability to sleep with one eye open and the other eye close. In essence, these birds sleep with half of their brain awake and half of their brain asleep. This sleep state allows quick responses to predators, but it does not interfere with the sleep half the birds brain until danger in present. In aquatic mammals like dolphins, whales, fur seals and sea lions, unihemi-spheric sleep is thought to allow individuals to swim to the surface and breathe during sleep. Using electroencephalograms and brain temperature measurement, animal behaviorists are able to study brain dynamics during sleep. These analysis shed light not only on animal behavior per se (in itself), but they revealed completely new brain activities, one such activity being unihemispheric sleep.

Protein Splicing Technology in Protein Research and Protein Engineering

DAI Xu-Dong, MENG Qing, LIU Xiang-Qin

2012, 34(1): 32-38.

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Protein splicing is post-translational process mediated by inteins. Inteins are internal protein sequences that self-excise and splice together the flanking sequences with a peptide bond. The discovery of inteins enhances theories of gene expression and post-translation, protein splicing technology can be applied in protein research and protein engineering. This review provides a survey of recent applications of protein splicing including protein labeling, protein segmental isotope-labeling, protein cyclization, protein chip, gene therapy and so on.

A New Advancement in Animal Model (Rhesus Monkey) of Human Early Adversity

FENG Xiao-Li, HU Xin-Tian

2012, 34(1): 39-42.

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For rhesus monkeys, maternal separation (MS) is often used to mimic childhood adversity in humans, which can lead to brain dysfunction and, as results, behavioral abnormalities. People who suffer from psychiatric disorders due to childhood adversity usually lived a normal social life prior to the onset of the diseases. Instead, the effects of MS on rodents could be reversed by later experience. In order to identify whether the adverse effects of MS were reversible by later normal social living in rhesus monkeys, we conducted a long-term study and established an animal model for human early adversity in rhesus monkeys. The results showed that MS lead to dysfunction of HPA axis which helps manage stress and resulted abnormal behaviors in these rhesus monkeys. Furthermore, the normal social life appeared not to have obliterated the imprints of MS, suggesting that the effects of MS are long-lasting. Thus, compared to rodent models of MS, the maternal separated rhesus monkeys are a more suitable animal model to study the effects of childhood adverse experiences among people and to investigate the development of psychiatric disorders induced by exposure to childhood adversity.

History of Artemisinins Development

WANG Man-Yuan

2012, 34(1): 44-47.

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2011’s Lasker DeBakey Clinical Research Award was awarded to professor Tu Youyou for the discovery of artemisinin and its use in the treatment of malaria—a medical advance that saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in the developing world. For the better understanding to the development processes of artemisinins, the history of the first-line antimalrial-drugs was briefly reviewed.

A Review on Applications of Fractal Geometry to Natural Sciences

XU Li-Quan

2012, 34(1): 48-53.

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The applications of fractal geometry to physics, engineering, biology, life sciences, and seismology were reviewed. We can see the mathematical beauty in the boundless universe.

Great Achievements from Applied Research

GUAN Yi

2012, 34(1): 54-58.

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Medical Life Without Reserve

FANG Hong-Hui

2012, 34(1): 59-62.

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