Description: The foraminifera and geochemical element records from the Core CS2 in the center of the Okinawa Trough (OT) revealed a history of current circulation and bottom redox conditions over the last 19 Ka. During the last glaciation, the few Kuroshio Current (KC) and tropical/subtropical species components, the shoaled depth of thermocline (DOT) and high infaunal foraminifera, together suggest the hypoxia in the isolated and semiclosed OT might be related to an absence/shift of the KC. Furthermore, the hypoxia variations in three episodes coincided with changes in the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), as stronger hypoxia and enhanced NPIW occurred in the Heinrich Stadia 1 and Younger Dryas periods, and rapidly decreasing hypoxia corresponded with weaker NPIW ventilation in the Bølling/Allerød period. Previously recorded hypoxia in the OT occurred broadly at a water depth of between ~1,300 and 1,800 m. Meanwhile, the lowest productivity precluded the possibility of hypoxia caused by organic matter consumption. We thereby infer the enhanced glacial NPIW might be another reason for the hypoxia. After the postglaciation, the OT transitioned into a fully oceanic environment and was reoccupied by main pathway of the KC. This reoccupation greatly alleviated the hypoxia via weakening stratification and increasing vertical mixing. Evolution research of current circulation and bottom redox conditions can help in understanding the changes in the storage/release of carbon as the paleoclimate changed. Moreover, the variations in bottom redox conditions in the OT offer a possible informative window for understanding the influence of glacial NPIW in the mid-latitude zone.

Description: The monthly air temperature in 1153 stations and precipitation in 1202 stations in China and neighboring countries were collected to construct a monthly climate dataset in China on 0.025 ° resolution (approximately 2.5 km) named LZU0025 dataset designed by Lanzhou University (LZU), using a partial thin plate smoothing method embedded in the ANUSPLIN software. The accuracy of the LZU0025 was evaluated from analyzing three aspects: 1) Diagnostic statistics from surface fitting model in the period of 1951-2011, and results show low mean square root of generalized cross validation (RTGCV) for monthly air temperature surface (1.1 °C) and monthly precipitation surface (2 mm1/2) which interpolated the square root of itself. This indicate exact surface fitting models. 2) Error statistics based on 265 withheld stations data in the period of 1951-2011, and results show that predicted values closely tracked true values with mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.6 °C and 4 mm and standard deviation of mean error (STD) of 1.3 °C and 5 mm, and monthly STDs presented consistent change with RTGCV varying. 3) Comparisons to other datasets through two ways, one was to compare three indices namely the standard deviation, mean and time trend derived from all datasets to referenced dataset released by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) in the Taylor diagrams, the other was to compare LZU0025 to the Camp Tibet dataset on mountainous remote area. Taylor diagrams displayed the standard deviation derived from LZU had higher correlation with that induced from CMA (Pearson correlation R=0.76 for air temperature case and R=0.96 for precipitation case). The standard deviation for this index derived from LZU was more close to that induced from CMA, and the centered normalized root-mean-square difference for this index derived from LZU and CMA was lower. The same superior performance of LZU were found in comparing indices of the mean and time trend derived from LZU and those induced from other datasets. LZU0025 had high correlation with the Camp dataset for air temperature despite of insignificant correlation for precipitation in few stations. Based on above comprehensive analyses, LZU0025 was concluded as the reliable dataset.

Description: Background: The association between heart failure (HF) and herpes zoster has rarely been studied. We investigated the hypothesis that HF may increase the risk of herpes zoster in Taiwan using a nationwide Taiwanese population-based claims database.MethodOur study cohort consisted of patients who received a diagnosis of HF in 2001?~?2009 (N?=?4785). For a comparison cohort, three age- and gender-matched control patients for every patient in the study cohort were selected using random sampling (N?=?14,355). All subjects were tracked for 1?year from the date of cohort entry to identify whether or not they had developed herpes zoster. Cox proportional-hazard regressions were performed to evaluate 1-year herpes zoster-free survival rates. Results: The main finding of this study was that patients with HF seemed to be at an increased risk of developing herpes zoster. Of the total patients, 211 patients developed herpes zoster during the 1-year follow-up period, among whom 83 were HF patients and 128 were in the comparison cohort. The adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) of herpes zoster in patients with HF was higher (AHR: 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.54?~?2.78; p?

Description: Langmuir DOI: 10.1021/la504757c

Description: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is known to cause age-dependent infection outcomes wherein most infections during young age result in chronicity. The mechanism underlying the differential outcome remains elusive. By using hydrodynamic injection of the replication-competent pAAV -HBV, we established a mouse model in which HBV persistence was generated in 4–5 w/o C57BL/6 young mice, but not in adult mice over 10 w/o. HBV-tolerant young mice expressed higher interferon (IFN)-α/β levels in hepatocytes and intrahepatic plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) than adult mice after pAAV -HBV injection. Excessive IFN-α/β expression in young mice was associated with induction of the Axl regulatory pathway and expansion of intrahepatic Treg cells. In line with these findings, augmented IFN-β expression increased Axl expression in the liver and HBV persistence in adult mice, whereas IFN-α/β signaling blockage decreased Axl expression and HBV persistence in young mice. Accordingly, Axl overexpression decreased HBV clearance of adult mice whereas Axl silencing enhanced HBV clearance of young mice. In vitro, IFN-β priming of pDCs and Axl-overexpressing macrophages enhanced Treg-cell differentiation. These findings suggest that age-dependent HBV chronicity is attributed to IFN-β-Axl immune regulation, which is selectively induced in young mice by excessive IFN-α/β production at early stages of HBV infection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved