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Background Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important biological indicators of the lung cancer prognosis, and CTC counting and typing may provide helpful biological information for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Methods The CTC count in blood before and after radiotherapy was detected by the CanPatrol™ CTC analysis system, and the CTC subtypes and the expression of hTERT before and after radiotherapy were detected by multiple in situ hybridization. The CTC count was calculated as the number of cells per 5 mL of blood. Results The CTC positivity rate in patients with tumors before radiotherapy was 98.44%. Epithelial–mesenchymal CTCs (EMCTCs) were more common in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma than in patients with small cell lung cancer (P = 0.027). The total CTCs (TCTCs), EMCTCs, and mesenchymal CTCs (MCTCs) counts were significantly higher in patients with TNM stage III and IV tumors (P 1 (P = 0.022 and P = 0.024, respectively). The TCTCs and EMCTCs counts before and after radiotherapy affected the overall response rate (ORR) (P hTERT expression were associated with the ORR of radiotherapy (P = 0.002 and P = 0.038, respectively), as were TCTCs with high hTERT expression (P = 0.012). ECOG score (P = 0.006) and post-radiation TCTCs count (P = 0.011) were independent factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and TNM stage (P = 0.054) and pre-radiation EMCTCs count (P = 0.009) were independent factors of overall survival (OS). Conclusion This study showed a high rate of positive CTC detection in patients with lung cancer, and the number, subtype, and hTERT-positive expression of CTCs were closely related to patients’ ORR, PFS, and OS with radiotherapy. EMCTCs, hTERT-positive expression of CTCs are expected to be important biological indicators for predicting radiotherapy efficacy and the prognosis in patients with lung cancer. These results may be useful in improving disease stratification for future clinical trials and may help in clinical decision-making.

As an internal forcing of the earth climate system, soil moisture (SM) significantly influences the water and energy cycle by controlling evapotranspiration and terrestrial solar energy. The current study used observed precipitation, remotely sensed SM, and reanalysis of atmosphere and land parameters to assess the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) precipitation variability due to meridional SM oscillations across China. A generalized linear method, namely coupled manifold technique (CMT) for assessing the reciprocal forcing between two climate fields and numerical simulations are applied to SM and EAM precipitation. We find that the EAM precipitation interannual variability between north and south China significantly correlates with SM meridional oscillation. The CMT results further showed that SM forcing has a significant (99% confidence) influence on the EAM precipitation explaining about 0.40 of the variance ratio in north and south China. The EAM and SM composite analysis show that the wetter (drier) north (south) oscillates the EAM precipitation over the north (south) of China and vice versa due to SM thermal controls. We then used control and sensitivity simulations with SM observations to further validate the findings implying that SM can potentially improve the interannual EAM forecast skills. The model results show that a wetter (drier) north (south) results in negative (positive) sensible heat (latent heat) anomalies that impact the boundary layer and propagate to change the meridional atmospheric heating profile. When positive (negative) SM anomalies exist over northern (southern) China, the zonal easterlies and extratropical westerlies move to north China causing above-normal precipitation that descends into southern China, suppressing subtropical westerlies and precipitation in southern China. On the contrary, a dry (wet) north (south) favors intensified subtropical westerlies and precipitation in southern China. The findings have dire implications for the water and energy cycle of the region in the projected wetting and drying patterns of the north (south).

Epilepsy is a brain condition characterized by the recurrence of unprovoked seizures. Recent studies have shown that complement component 3 (C3) aggravate the neuronal injury in epilepsy. And our previous studies revealed that TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1) is involved in epilepsy. Whether complement C3 regulation of neuronal injury is related to the activation of TRPV1 during epilepsy is not fully understood. We found that in a mouse model of status epilepticus (SE), complement C3 derived from astrocytes was increased and aggravated neuronal injury, and that TRPV1-knockout rescued neurons from the injury induced by complement C3. Circular RNAs are abundant in the brain, and the reduction of circRad52 caused by complement C3 promoted the expression of TRPV1 and exacerbated neuronal injury. Mechanistically, disorders of neuron–glia interaction mediated by the C3–TRPV1 signaling pathway may be important for the induction of neuronal injury. This study provides support for the hypothesis that the C3–TRPV1 pathway is involved in the prevention and treatment of neuronal injury and cognitive disorders. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12264-021-00750-4.

Stemonae Radix (dried roots of Stemona japonica (Bl.) Miq., Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq., and Stemona tuberosa Lour.), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is also known as “Baibu” (Chinese: 百部). Stemonae Radix has a wide range of pharmacological effects, mainly used to treat respiratory diseases and as an insecticide. In this review, with the help of both published materials (such as ancient and modern books, monographs on medicinal plants, and the pharmacopoeia of different countries) and electronic databases (such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar), we have summarized the up-to-date research progress in botany, traditional application, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, and quality control, and discussed the research prospects and development direction of Stemonae Radix and its origin plants. Up to now, more than 170 compounds were isolated and identified from the three official species of Stemonae Radix, mainly including Stemona alkaloids, Stemona stilbenoids and other components. This medicine has also exhibited pharmacological activities, including antitussive, antiviral, insecticidal, antitumor, antioxidant, and therapeutic effects on lung diseases. However, pharmacological reports most often attribute activities to various extracts, rather than specific compounds. This hampers the establishment of a connection between chemical constituents and pharmacological activities, resulting in a difficulty to identify the major active compounds. Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to design experiments to deeply understand the development and clinical use of Stemonae Radix.

Gridded distribution of future economy plays an important role in climate change impact assessment. The trend of the output values of different industries is crucial for a variety of planning and design processes. Under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) global framework, the multidimensional model and Cobb-Douglas production model with localized population and economic parameters are used to develop the annual provincial population and value-added of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in China from 2020 to 2100. The most recently implemented fertility-promoting and industrial planning policies in China are considered in our projections. We build multiple models to evaluate the impact of different types of land use on the value-added of primary, secondary and tertiary industries and then gridded the projected value-added to a 5′ × 5′ resolution, based on recorded county-level economic statistics and gridded land use. The reliability of estimations is verified against 2011–2019 statistical data and multiple published datasets. The high-resolution economic dataset is expected to contribute greatly to national and regional climate change impact, adaptation, and vulnerability studies.

Positive-stranded RNA viruses usually remodel host endomembrane system to form virus-induced intracellular vesicles for replication during infections. The genus Potyvirus of Potyviridae represents the largest number of positive single-stranded RNA viruses and causes great damage on crop production worldwide. Though potyviruses have wide host ranges, each potyvirus infects relatively limited host species. Phylogenesis and host range analysis can divide potyviruses into monocot-infecting and dicot-infecting groups, suggesting that some infection mechanism, probably on replication may be distinct for each group. Comprehensive studies on the model dicot-infecting turnip mosaic virus indicated that the 6K2-induced replication vesicles are derived from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and subsequently target chloroplasts for viral genome replication. However, we have no knowledge on the replication site of monocot-infecting potyviruses. In this study, we firstly show that the precursor 6K2-VPg-Pro polyproteins of dicot-infecting potyviruses and monocot-infecting potyviruses phylogenetically cluster in two separate groups. With a typical gramineae-infecting potyvirus sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), we found that SCMV replicative double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) forms aggregates in cytoplasm but does not associate with chloroplasts. SCMV 6K2-VPg-Pro-induced vesicles colocalize with replicative dsRNA. Moreover, SCMV 6K2-VPg-Pro-induced structures target multiple intracellular organelles including ER, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and peroxisomes, and have no evident association with chloroplasts. In conclusion, SCMV remodels multiple intracellular organelles for its genomic RNA replication.

The floods caused by the extreme precipitation in the Yangtze River basin (YRB) and Murray–Darling River basin (MDRB), the largest basins in China and Australia, have significant impacts on the society and regional economies. Based on the spatial–temporal analysis of the daily precipitation extremes (DPEs) during 1982–2016, we found that for both basins, the whole-basin-type DPEs have the highest proportion and a synchronous DPE interannual variation characteristic exists in the two basins, with the 3-yr running correlation coefficient of the annual DPE days (DPEDs) reaching almost 0.7 (significant at the 0.01 level). The El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is one of the most significant climate disturbance factors in the world, plays an important role in modulating the variability of the DPEs in the two basins. Singular value decomposition (SVD) analysis revealed that both the YRB and the MDRB’s whole-basin-type DPEs are closely coupled with the procedure that the preceding winter eastern Pacific (EP)-type El Nino faded to a central Pacific (CP)-type La Nina. This means that the DPEs in the YRB and MDRB may synchronously occur more frequently when the above process occurs. Owing to the atmosphere–ocean interaction from the east–west dipole sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern, the atmospheric circulation disturbance exhibits a pattern in which the equatorial eastern Pacific region is a mass source anomaly with a higher pressure, drier air, and weaker convection, while the equatorial western Pacific region is a mass sink anomaly with a lower pressure, wetter air, and stronger convection. Moreover, two wave trains that originated from the tropical western Pacific were found to extend to the YRB and MDRB. The interaction between the wave train’s interphase dynamics and water vapor transport disturbance results in the ascent conditions and enhanced water vapor transport, which leads to the synchronous occurrence of DPEs in the YRB and MDRB on an interannual scale.

Climate change significantly affects the environmental and socioeconomic conditions in northwest China. Here we evaluate the ability of five general circulation models (GCMs) from 6th phase of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP6) to reproduce regional temperature and precipitation over northwest China from 1961 to 2014, and project the future temperature and precipitation during 2021 to 2100 under SSPs-RCPs (SSP1-1.9, SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, SSP4-3.4, SSP4-6.0 and SSP5-8.5). The results show that the CMIP6 models can simulate temperature better than precipitation. Projections show that the annual mean temperature will further increase under different SSPs-RCPs scenarios in the 21st century. Future climate changes in the near-term (2021–2040), mid-term (2041–2060) and long-term (2081–2100) are analyzed relative to the reference period (1995–2014). In the long term, warming will be significantly higher than the near and mid-terms. In the long term, annual mean temperature will increase by 1.4°C, 1.9°C, 3.3°C, 5.5°C, 2.7°C, 3.8°C and 6.0°C under SSP1-1.9, SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, SSP4-3.4, SSP4-6.0 and SSP5-8.5, respectively. Spatially, warming in the Junggar Basin will be higher than those in the Tarim Basin. Seasonally, the maximum warming zone will be in the mountainous areas of Tarim Basin during spring and autumn, in the southern basin during winter, and in the east during summer. Precipitation shows an increasing trend under different SSPs-RCPs in the 21st century. In the long term, increase in precipitation will be significantly higher than in the near and mid-terms. Increase in annual precipitation in the long term will be 4.1% under SSP1-1.9, 13.9% under SSP1-2.6, 28.4% under SSP2-4.5, 35.2% under SSP3-7.0, 6.9% under SSP4-3.4, 8.9% under SSP4-6.0, and 27.3% under SSP5-8.5 relative to the reference period of 1995–2014. Spatially, precipitation increase will be higher in the south than the north, especially higher in mountainous regions than the basin under SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. Seasonally, highest increase can be expected for winter, followed by spring, with significant increase in mountainous regions of southern Tarim Basin. Summer precipitation will reduce in Tian Shan and basins but will significantly increase in the northern margin of the Kunlun Mountain.

Background Promoters are important factors affecting gene expression in cells. The driven activities of viral promoters were generally assessed to screen available promoters for transgenic and research and biotech industries. In this study, we cloned a full-length promoter from a Chinese isolate of strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) and produced several deletion mutants for evaluation of applications in production of reporter proteins in stable transgenic plants. Methods The full-length promoter of SVBV (SP1) and its three deletion mutants (SP2, SP3, and SP4) were amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The effects of SVBV SP1, SP2, SP3, and SP4 on gene expression were evaluated using β-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes. Results Transient expression assays showed that the SVBV SP1 promoter and its three deletion mutants all expressed the reporter genes, albeit at very different levels. Interestingly, transcriptional activity driven by the SP1 promoter was much higher than that of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. After stable transformation of the GUS gene into Nicotiana tabacum plants, SVBV SP1-driven transgene expression was approximately 2.6-fold higher than CaMV 35S promoter-driven transgene expression. In addition, GUS gene expression levels were enhanced by co-inoculation of the plants with the SP1 promoter-driven vector carrying the GUS gene and the vector expressing SVBV open reading frame (ORF) V or ORF VI. Conclusions The SVBV SP1 promoter from the Chinese isolate evaluated in this study could successfully drive transient and stable expression in plants, it was a stronger promoter than the CaMV 35S and FLt-US promoters and may be more useful for the production of stable transgenic plants.

Strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus. In our previous studies, we generated an infectious clone of SVBV, pSVBV, which causes light-green vein banding symptoms along the leaf veins in strawberry plants (Fragaria vesca). In this study, we constructed pSVBV-P1-MCS and pSVBV-P4-MCS, two recombinant virus vectors containing a multiple cloning site (MCS) downstream of the SVBV-encoded movement protein gene (P1) and coat protein gene (P4), respectively. At 35 days post-inoculation, the two SVBV-based vectors could produce light-green vein banding symptoms on the systemic leaves of strawberry plants, indicating that they could successfully cause infection. Furthermore, the infectivity rates of the recombinant virus vectors pSVBV-P1-MCS and pSVBV-P4-MCS were similar to that of the wild-type infectious clone pSVBV, indicating that the insertion of MCS did not affect the infectivity of SVBV-based vectors. Additionally, we engineered SVBV as a transient overexpression vector, which could be used for the overexpression of exogenous green fluorescent protein in strawberry plants. Collectively, these SVBV-based vectors provide a new approach for the analysis of gene functions in strawberry plants.

Climate change has substantial impacts on regional hydrology in the major river basins. To figure out such latent hydrological impacts of changing climate, more reliable hydrological simulations are imperative. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of climate change on hydrological regime in the Upper Yangtze River Basin based on four downscaled and bias-corrected Global Climate Model outputs from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) driving three hydrological models. Two model evaluation approaches were applied: simple and comprehensive. The comprehensive approach was used to evaluate models in the historical period, optimizing objective function at four gauges, and hydrological models were weighted for impact assessment based on their performance. In such a way, projected streamflow time series are obtained under different emission scenarios. Results show that the annual average discharge is projected to increase by 4.1–10.5% under the RCP scenarios at the end of twenty-first century relative to the reference period (1970–1999). Moreover, the high flow is projected to increase and the low flow to decrease indicating a higher probability of flood and drought occurrence in the basin. The severity of floods and droughts may increase. In comparison with the simple one-site model evaluation approach, the comprehensive method reveals that the anticipated extreme flow events would be less severe, and annual mean discharge slightly lower. The projected results imply that application of the comprehensive model evaluation approach could narrow the simulated spreads of projections significantly, and might provide more credible results.

The countries throughout the Belt and Road region account for more than 60% of the world’s population and half of the global economy. Future changes in this area will have significant influences on the global economic growth, industrial structure and resource allocation. In this study, the proportion of the urban population to the total population and the gross domestic product were used to represent the levels of urbanization and economic development, respectively. The population, urbanization and economic levels of the Belt and Road countries for 2020–2050 were projected under the framework of the IPCC’s shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), and the following conclusions are drawn. (1) The population, urbanization and economic levels in the Belt and Road region will likely increase under all five pathways. The population will increase by 2%–8%/10a during 2020–2050 and reach 5.0–6.0 billion in 2050. Meanwhile, the urbanization rate will increase by 1.4%–7.5%/10a and reach 49%–75%. The GDP will increase by 17%–34%/10a and reach 134–243 trillion USD. (2) Large differences will appear under different scenarios. The SSP1 and SSP5 pathways demonstrate relatively high urbanization and economic levels, but the population size is comparatively smaller; SSP3 shows the opposite trend. Meanwhile, the economy develops slowly under SSP4, but it has a relatively high urbanization level, while SSP2 exhibits an intermediate trend. (3) In 2050, the population will increase relative to 2016 in most countries, and population size in the fastest growing country in Central Asia and the Middle East countries will be more than double. Urbanization will develop rapidly in South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia, and will increase by more than 150% in the fastest growing countries. The economy will grow fastest in South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia, and increase by more than 10 times in some counties with rapid economic development.

Aridity index reflects the exchanges of energy and water between the land surface and the atmosphere, and its variation can be used to forecast drought and flood patterns, which makes it of great significance for agricultural production. The ratio of potential evapotranspiration and precipitation is applied to analyse the spatial and temporal distributions of the aridity index in the Belt and Road region under the 1.5°C and 2.0°C global warming scenarios on the basis of outputs from four downscaled global climate models. The results show that: (1) Under the 1.5°C warming scenario, the area-averaged aridity index will be similar to that in 1986–2005 (around 1.58), but the changes vary spatially. The aridity index will increase by more than 5% in Central-Eastern Europe, north of West Asia, the monsoon region of East Asia and northwest of Southeast Asia, while it is projected to decrease obviously in the southeast of West Asia. Regarding the seasonal scale, spring and winter will be more arid in South Asia, and the monsoon region of East Asia will be slightly drier in summer compared with the reference period. While, West Asia will be wetter in all seasons, except winter. (2) Relative to 1986–2005, both areal averaged annual potential evapotranspiration and precipitation are projected to increase, and the spatial variation of aridity index will become more obvious as well at the 2.0°C warming level. Although the aridity index over the entire region will be maintained at approximately 1.57 as that in 1.5°C, the index in Central- Eastern Europe, north of West Asia and Central Asia will grow rapidly at a rate of more than 20%, while that in West Siberia, northwest of China, the southern part of South Asia and West Asia will show a declining trend. At the seasonal scale, the increase of the aridity index in Central-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and the northern part of Siberia in winter will be obvious, and the monsoon region in East Asia will be drier in both summer and autumn. (3) Under the scenario of an additional 0.5°C increase in global temperature from 1.5°C to 2.0°C, the aridity index will increase significantly in Central Asia and north of West Asia but decrease in Southeast Asia and Central Siberia. Seasonally, the aridity index in the Belt and Road region will slightly increase in all other seasons except spring. Central Asia will become drier annually at a rate of more than 20%. The aridity index in South Asia will increase in spring and winter, and that in East Asia will increase in autumn and winter. (4) To changes of the aridity index, the attribution of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration will vary regionally. Precipitation will be the major influencing factor over southern West Asia, southern South Asia, Central-Eastern Siberia, the non-monsoon region of East Asia and the border between West Asia and Central Asia, while potential evapotranspiration will exert greater effects over Central-Eastern Europe, West Siberia, Central Asia and the monsoon region of East Asia.

In order to understand the effects of different patterns of prefabricated fractures and grain size compositions on the fracture characteristics, acoustic emission characteristics and mechanical properties of the rock masses. We conducted compression shear experiments on square rock masses with different modes of prefabricated fractures and different grain size compositions. The experimental results showed that five fracture patterns were produced in specimens with different fracture patterns. The first fracture specimen, the fourth fracture specimen and the fifth fracture specimen were all brittle fractures. The other four specimens were not brittle fractures. The fracture patterns, fracture processes and mechanical characteristics of the different fracture pattern rock masses were revealed. The lowest peak shear stresses were found in specimens consisting of two grain size ranges and the highest peak shear stresses were found in specimens consisting of three grain size ranges. The highest shear displacements corresponding to the peak shear stresses were found in the specimens consisting of three particle size ranges. The effect of different grain size compositions on the peak shear stress and its corresponding shear displacement of the rock mass was revealed. Specimens consisting of one grain size range produced significant fracture and acoustic emission prior to the peak shear stress. The acoustic emission was jumped after the main fracture was formed. The specimen consisting of two grain size ranges produced fractures and strong acoustic emission characteristics after the peak shear stress. Thereafter, fracture reappeared and the acoustic emission signature increased again. As the specimen entered the residual strength phase, the acoustic emission was jumpy. Specimens consisting of three grain size ranges were brittle fractures with weak acoustic emission characteristics after the main fracture has formed. The cumulative energy of shear acoustic emission was the highest for a rock mass consisting of three grain size ranges. The rock mass consisting of three grain size ranges was also the strongest and most difficult to fracture because the grains were more fully embedded in each other.

Grain size composition, crack pattern, and crack length have a significant influence on the crack characteristics, mechanical characteristics, and acoustic emission characteristics of rock masses. In this paper, the crack characteristics, mechanical characteristics, and acoustic emission characteristics of rock masses with different grain size compositions, different crack patterns, and different crack lengths were investigated under uniaxial compression. The rock masses were made of rock-like materials. The crack initiation locations and crack propagation directions were different for a specimen comprised of one grain size range compared with specimens comprised of two or three grain size ranges. The specimens comprised of one and three grain size ranges crack progressively. The specimen comprised of two-grain size ranges brittle fracture. The highest peak axial load was found in the specimens comprised of one grain size range. The results showed that tensile wing crack, anti-tensile wing crack, transverse shear crack, compression induced tensile crack, and surface spalling were produced in specimens with different crack orientations. The rock mass with 2 cm long crack started to produce cracks from the tip of the crack extending to the top and bottom surface, soon forming through cracks. The rock was brittle fracture. The axial load reached the maximum and then fell rapidly. The acoustic emission energy reached a rapid maximum and then decreased rapidly. The rock mass with 3 cm long fissures started to produce cracks that only extended from the tip of the fissures to the top surface but not to the bottom surface. The rock mass was progressively fractured. The axial load was progressively decreasing. The acoustic emission energy also rose and fell rapidly several times as the rock mass was progressively fractured. Different rock crack lengths led to different crack processes and crack patterns, resulting in very different acoustic emission characteristics.

Vacuoles are organelles in plant cells that play pivotal roles in growth and developmental regulation. The main functions of vacuoles include maintaining cell acidity and turgor pressure, regulating the storage and transport of substances, controlling the transport and localization of key proteins through the endocytic and lysosomal-vacuolar transport pathways, and responding to biotic and abiotic stresses. Further, proteins localized either in the tonoplast (vacuolar membrane) or inside the vacuole lumen are critical for fruit quality. In this review, we summarize and discuss some of the emerging functions and regulatory mechanisms associated with plant vacuoles, including vacuole biogenesis, vacuole functions in plant growth and development, fruit quality, and plant-microbe interaction, as well as some innovative research technology that has driven advances in the field. Together, the functions of plant vacuoles are important for plant growth and fruit quality. The investigation of vacuole functions in plants is of great scientific significance and has potential applications in agriculture.

Blood is deposited in fish muscle during storage, and this deposition accelerates the deterioration of flesh quality. We have examined the effect of blood deposition on the degradation of collagen fibrils and fibers in the ordinary muscle of yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata). In this study we compared changes in collagen fibrils and fibers in the upper sides and undersides of yellowtails killed by two different methods (spinal cord destruction with blood removal and suffocation in air without blood removal [SA]). Tests of breaking strength showed that ordinary muscle from the underside of fish in the SA group (SA-under)had a slightly low value than the other groups. Histological observations showed thinner collagen fibers and looser structures in the SA-under groups than in the other groups during storage. In addition, blood-derived gelatinolytic activities were higher in muscle from the the underside of the SA group than in other groups. These results indicate that blood contains gelatinolytic enzymes and that when blood is deposited to the underside from the upper side of fish, these enzymes may participate in accelerating the degradation of collagen fibers during storage.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important process of water and energy exchanges between land and atmosphere. In this study, a processed-based GLEAM (global land-surface evaporation: the Amsterdam methodology) satellite assimilation product has been validated in the Yangtze River valley on the observations of flux and the water balance method. The changes of total ET and its components, well as the associated dynamics, have been analyzed for the period of 1980–2014. The total ET shows significant increasing trends especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley, which is mostly due to the increase of transpiration. The spatial and temporal dynamics of total ET are analyzed with respect to temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. The spatial pattern of total ET in the Yangtze River valley is found to be jointly determined by temperature and precipitation. As for the temporal dynamics, precipitation plays the dominant role in total ET in the source regions of the valley. While in the most regions, solar radiation is suggested to be a main controller, in the positive manner, of total ET. This may provide an in-depth understanding of ET changes in the warming climate, and form a basis for water resource management in the Yangtze River valley.

Soil–water characteristic curves (SWCCs) play a key role in unsaturated soil mechanics. A series of SWCC tests on Yudong silt with different compaction degrees and drying–wetting cycles were conducted using a GCTS pressure plate apparatus. The test results showed that the SWCCs exhibited hysteresis during the drying–wetting cycles and were affected by the compaction degree. The hysteresis area decreased with increasing drying–wetting cycles. The hysteresis area was obviously affected by the first cycle. The second and third cycles had less obvious effects compared with the first one, but their effects could still be seen. The SWCC’s parameters of Van Genuchten model were obtained by using a Lsqacurve fit function. On basis of the relationships among the fitting parameters, compaction degree, and drying–wetting cycles, a practical and novel approach was proposed to predict SWCCs for Yudong silt under different compaction degrees and drying–wetting cycles. The microstructure changes associated with variations in dry density or compaction degree have been photographed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM results show that the increase in dry density or compaction degree would change the macropore and surface roughness of aggregates, which will produce greater interaction among aggregates, and thus increases the air-entry value.

In this paper, uniaxial compression tests and digital image correlation (DIC) are combined to test samples of artificial rocks manufactured with preexisting cracks at different inclinations. The influence of these fractures on the mechanical properties of the rock and the deformation field in the rock were studied by recording and analyzing the forms of fracturing at specimen failure, crack propagation modes, crack initiation angles, and other features. The results show that the rupture modes of the specimens can be divided into two types: splitting and shear slip. The corresponding fracture types are wing fractures and secondary fractures. As the inclination angle of the prefabricated crack is increased, the wing crack propagation angle first decreases and then increases; the propagation angle is smallest when the inclination angle is 30°. The peak stress and the crack initiation stress ratios increases with the increase of the prefabricated fracture inclination angle .As a specimen is failing, the displacement in the specimen is mainly on the left side of the slip surface composed of a prefabricated crack and a wing crack and the lateral strain is mainly concentrated around the slip surface. This time interval (the time between peak stress and first appearance of a crack on the specimen’s surface) and the magnitude of the peak stress display a good positive correlation. DIC technology can be used to monitor this relationship and provide early warning of deformation and failure for a rock mass in a mine or other engineering project.

We used daily maximum temperature data (1986–2100) from the COSMO-CLM (COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling in CLimate Mode) regional climate model and the population statistics for China in 2010 to determine the frequency, intensity, coverage, and population exposure of extreme maximum temperature events (EMTEs) with the intensity–area–duration method. Between 1986 and 2005 (reference period), the frequency, intensity, and coverage of EMTEs are 1330–1680 times yr–1, 31.4–33.3°C, and 1.76–3.88 million km2, respectively. The center of the most severe EMTEs is located in central China and 179.5–392.8 million people are exposed to EMTEs annually. Relative to 1986–2005, the frequency, intensity, and coverage of EMTEs increase by 1.13–6.84, 0.32–1.50, and 15.98%–30.68%, respectively, under 1.5°C warming; under 2.0°C warming, the increases are 1.73–12.48, 0.64–2.76, and 31.96%–50.00%, respectively. It is possible that both the intensity and coverage of future EMTEs could exceed the most severe EMTEs currently observed. Two new centers of EMTEs are projected to develop under 1.5°C warming, one in North China and the other in Southwest China. Under 2.0°C warming, a fourth EMTE center is projected to develop in Northwest China. Under 1.5 and 2.0°C warming, population exposure is projected to increase by 23.2%–39.2% and 26.6%–48%, respectively. From a regional perspective, population exposure is expected to increase most rapidly in Southwest China. A greater proportion of the population in North, Northeast, and Northwest China will be exposed to EMTEs under 2.0°C warming. The results show that a warming world will lead to increases in the intensity, frequency, and coverage of EMTEs. Warming of 2.0°C will lead to both more severe EMTEs and the exposure of more people to EMTEs. Given the probability of the increased occurrence of more severe EMTEs than in the past, it is vitally important to China that the global temperature increase is limited within 1.5°C.

In the discussion of climate impacts, 1.5 and 2 °C have become iconic values. This study examines the impacts of 1.5 and 2 °C global warming on water availability, runoff seasonality, and extreme monthly and daily runoff in two catchments, using the semi-distributed hydrological model Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning-D, based on a combination of five global climate models (GCMs) and four representative concentration pathways (RCPs). Subsequently, quantitative assessments were made for projection uncertainties from GCMs and RCPs. The two catchments are the Yiluo River catchment (YLC) in northern China and the Beijiang River catchment (BJC) in southern China. The results indicate wetter flood seasons for YLC and warmer mean annual temperatures, drier springs, and more severe floods over long return periods (25 and 50 years) for both catchments. The change magnitude of most indicators is expected to be larger in YLC than in BJC. Mean annual temperatures in both catchments are expected to have smaller changes under the 1.5 °C scenario than under the 2.0 °C scenario. However, the change magnitude of the other hydrological variables is projected to be approximately equivalent for both catchments under both scenarios. Uncertainties of projected impacts from GCMs are generally larger than those from RCP scenarios, for both catchments and warming scenarios, with the exception of mean annual temperature of BJC. These findings indicate that effective measures are required to address increasing annual temperatures, more severe flood events (25- and 50-year return periods), and drier spring seasons in both catchments and wetter flood seasons in YLC.

In this paper, the intensity, area and duration of future droughts in China are analyzed using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The SPI and SPEI are used to evaluate the simulation ability of drought characteristics with the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM). The projected intensity and duration of future drought events are analyzed for the period 2016–2050 under three different respective concentration pathways (RCPs). The simulated and projected drought events are analyzed by applying the intensity-area-duration method. The results show that CCLM has a robust capability to simulate the average drought characteristics, while some regional disparities are not well captured, mainly the simulation of more drought events of shorter duration in Northwest China. For the future period 2016–2050, more intense dryness conditions are projected for China. An increase in evapotranspiration is found all over China, while a reduction in precipitation is apparent in the southern river basins. The increase in evapotranspiration plays an important role in the changes of future droughts over the northern river basins and southern river basins. Under RCP2.6, drought events of longer duration and with higher frequency are projected for the southwest and southeast of China. Under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, a continuing tendency to more dry conditions is projected along a dryness band stretching from the southwest to the northeast of China. More frequent drought events of longer duration are projected in the southwestern river basins. For all future droughts, larger extents are projected, especially for events with long-term duration. The projected long-term drought events will occur more often and more severe than during the baseline period, and their central locations will likely shift towards Southeast China. The results of this study can be used to initiate and strengthen drought adaptation measures at regional and local scale, especially in the south of China.

Based on hourly rainfall observational data from 442 stations during 1960–2014, a regional frequency analysis of the annual maxima (AM) sub-daily rainfall series (1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-h rainfall, using a moving window approach) for eastern China was conducted. Eastern China was divided into 13 homogeneous regions: Northeast (NE1, NE2), Central (C), Central North (CN1, CN2), Central East (CE1, CE2, CE3), Southeast (SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4), and Southwest (SW). The generalized extreme value performed best for the AM series in regions NE, C, CN2, CE1, CE2, SE2, and SW, and the generalized logistic distribution was appropriate in the other regions. Maximum return levels were in the SE4 region, with value ranges of 80–270 mm (1-h to 24-h rainfall) and 108–390 mm (1-h to 24-h rainfall) for 20- and 100 yr, respectively. Minimum return levels were in the CN1 and NE1 regions, with values of 37–104 mm and 53–140 mm for 20 and 100 yr, respectively. Comparing return levels using the optimal and commonly used Pearson-III distribution, the mean return-level differences in eastern China for 1–24-h rainfall varied from −3–4 mm to −23–11 mm (−10%–10%) for 20-yr events, reaching −6–26 mm (−10%–30%) and −10–133 mm (−10%–90%) for 100-yr events. In view of the large differences in estimated return levels, more attention should be given to frequency analysis of sub-daily rainfall over China, for improved water management and disaster reduction.

Background Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD), a leading cause of neonatal mortality, has intractable sequela such as epilepsy that seriously affected the life quality of HIBD survivors. We have previously shown that ion channel dysfunction in the central nervous system played an important role in the process of HIBD-induced epilepsy. Therefore, we continued to validate the underlying mechanisms of TRPV1 as a potential target for epilepsy. Methods Neonatal hypoxic ischemia and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) were used to simulate HIBD in vivo and in vitro. Primarily cultured astrocytes were used to assess the expression of TRPV1, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cytoskeletal rearrangement, and inflammatory cytokines by using Western blot, q-PCR, and immunofluorescence. Furthermore, brain electrical activity in freely moving mice was recorded by electroencephalography (EEG). TRPV1 current and neuronal excitability were detected by whole-cell patch clamp. Results Astrocytic TRPV1 translocated to the membrane after OGD. Mechanistically, astrocytic TRPV1 activation increased the inflow of Ca2+, which promoted G-actin polymerized to F-actin, thus promoted astrocyte migration after OGD. Moreover, astrocytic TRPV1 deficiency decreased the production and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, and iNOS) after OGD. It could also dramatically attenuate neuronal excitability after OGD and brain electrical activity in HIBD mice. Behavioral testing for seizures after HIBD revealed that TRPV1 knockout mice demonstrated prolonged onset latency, shortened duration, and decreased seizure severity when compared with wild-type mice. Conclusions Collectively, TRPV1 promoted astrocyte migration thus helped the infiltration of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1β, IL-6, and iNOS) from astrocytes into the vicinity of neurons to promote epilepsy. Our study provides a strong rationale for astrocytic TRPV1 to be a therapeutic target for anti-epileptogenesis after HIBD.

The characteristics of rock and mineral alteration of a rock mass related to a hydropower engineering project in southeastern China are analyzed and presented. Rock mass alteration is an important engineering geology challenge in the region; in this study, it is shown that the main types of alteration are albitization and formation of clay minerals. The main minerals in the altered rocks are plagioclase, K-feldspar, montmorillonite, illite, and kaolinite and the alteration processes were tracked using the interrelationships between K, Na, Ca, and loss on ignition during formation of illite, montmorillonite, and kaolinite. Laboratory testing of rock physical properties showed that water content, natural water absorption, and saturated water absorption in the altered rocks all gradually increase as the degree of alteration increases. However, rock mass density shows a decreasing trend with increasing alteration, and the degree of alteration exerts little influence on rock particle density. Rock disintegration tests show that the disintegration index decreases as alteration deepens.

The impacts of climate change on streamflow in the upper Yangtze River basin were studied using four hydrological models driven by bias-corrected climate projections from five General Circulation Models under four Representative Concentration Pathways. The basin hydrological responses to climate forcing in future mid-century (2036–2065) and end-century (2070–2099) periods were assessed via comparison of simulation results in these periods to those in the reference period (1981–2010). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach was used to quantify the uncertainty sources associated with the climate inputs and hydrological model structures. Overall, the annual average discharge, seasonal high flow, and daily peak discharge were projected to increase in most cases in the twenty-first century but with considerable variability between models under the conditions of increasing temperature and a small to moderate increase in precipitation. Uncertainties in the projections increase over the time and are associated with hydrological model structures, but climate inputs represent the largest source of uncertainty in the upper Yangtze projections. This study assessed streamflow projections without considering water management practices within the basin.

In China, influential tropical cyclones (ITCs) are defined as those that cause significant national economic losses. Based on direct economic losses, socioeconomic data, and tropical cyclone track data from the National Climate Centre of the China Meteorological Administration and the National Bureau of Statistics, this study investigated 249 ITCs that occurred during 1984–2015. National economic losses directly attributable to each ITC were normalized by the Consumer Price Index to facilitate a comparison of annual variability, and the spatiotemporal distribution of ITC-related economic losses was analyzed using different statistical methods. The Pearson correlation method was used to analyze annual variations, while abrupt changes were detected by the Moving t test, and the Yamamoto and Mann–Kendall tests. The possibility of periodicity of ITC frequency and economic losses was investigated using Red-noise spectra and wavelet analysis. The results revealed that although 249 ITCs affected China during 1984–2015, no significant monotonic trend in annual frequency was detectable; however, a significant upward trend was found for strong ITCs (ITC intensity greater than that of typhoons). Among the 22 provinces affected, Guangdong Province in southern China has the highest frequency of ITCs. An abrupt change in the annual frequency of ITCs occurred in 2007, and a periodic 3–6-year pattern was detected. Annual direct economic losses during 1984–2015 were approximately 44.7 billion CNY, and they have increased at the rate of 1.8 billion CNY annually. The severest losses occurred in 1996. Although an obvious abruption occurred in 1992, a 2–3-year periodicity was detected in ITC-related losses. Temporally, most affected provinces showed a slight increase in ITC-related losses. Spatially, ITC-related losses were greatest in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. These findings could be helpful for raising local awareness and ensuring the preparedness of local government for mitigating ITC-related damage.

In this study, the intensity, area, and duration of droughts in China are analyzed using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The SPI was calculated on monthly data for 530 meteorological stations in China for the period 1960–2013. The time series were analyzed for ten major hydrological regions of China, respectively. The relationships between the intensity and the area of droughts for a specific duration were analyzed by the intensity–area–duration method. The results show that areas with a significant trend in dryness can be found in a band reaching from the southwest to the northeast of China, while areas with significant trends in wetness are especially detected in the northern river basins in recent decades. In addition, for recent years (2000–2013), most of the ten major hydrological regions show opposite trends in the SPI when compared to the whole study period (1960–2013) except for the central and southwestern parts of China. This dryness/wetness trends are related to the intensity and duration of drought events, which have been stronger and lasted longer in the detected dryness band except for some northern river basins. A regional shift of drought centers is found from the northwest to the southeast within Central China. Moreover, a decreasing trend in drought area is observed, which might be related to the regional changes in precipitation pattern associated with the atmosphere–ocean interaction. Changes in the SST of the Tropical Pacific and the Tropical Indian Ocean may have resulted in frequent severe drought events of small areal extent in the central and southwestern parts of China. For the study period, the most severe droughts that covered large areas mainly occurred in the north and west of China during the mid-to-late twentieth century. However, in the early twenty-first century, the most severe droughts were located in the southwest of China covering areas less than 0.7 million km2. Conclusively, drought areas show a decreasing tendency, while more intense droughts of longer duration have been experienced, especially in the south of China, in the last decades.

Large dam projects attract worldwide scientific attention due to their environmental impacts and socioeconomic consequences. One prominent example is the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) at the Yangtze River in China. Due to considerable resettlements, large-scale expansion of infrastructure and shifts in land use and management, the TGD project has irreversible impacts on the Upper Yangtze River Basin and strongly challenges the environmental conditions of this fast-developing region. Soil erosion and landslides are major geo-hazards. Knowing the extent and consequences of those geo-hazards for the landscape is essential to predict and evaluate their risk potential and allows for the development of strategies for a sustainable future land use in the Three Gorges Region (TGR). In this context, our research objectives are (1) to better understand the mechanisms of soil erosion, landslides, and diffuse matter fluxes in the TGR and their anthropogenic and environmental control factors, (2) to predict their hazard potential by combining spatial and temporal, scenario-driven high-resolution modeling in combination with multi-scale earth observation data, and (3) to develop a multi-component approach for the assessment and monitoring of geogene structures and processes. The paper describes the workflow of the project and introduces case studies, representing the current state of our research. It is shown that land-use changes as well as the water-level fluctuations of the reservoir are the crucial drivers for the soil erosion and landslide hazard. Furthermore, we present a framework aiming at the establishment of a monitoring and measuring network as well as an early warning system.

The thermal kinetic performance and storage life of tris(carbohydrazide)manganese(II) perchlorate (GTM), tris(carbohydrazide)nickel(II) perchlorate (GTN), tris(carbohydrazide)zinc(II) perchlorate (GTX), and tris(carbohydrazide)cadmium(II) perchlorate (GTG), as important high-energy and green materials, were carried out by the DSC, (thermogravimetric) TG, and a dynamic pressure measuring thermal analysis (DPTA) method. The thermal behavior, kinetics, thermal safety, and storage life of them were investigated. The results show that there are three mass-loss stages in TG curves, and one endothermic peak and two exothermic peaks in DSC curve for them. The first mass-loss stages are the melting processes, and the thermal decompositions have happened in this stage. The kinetic data were obtained from the DSC and TG curves by integral and differential methods. The most probable kinetic models and kinetic equations were suggested by polynomial fitting the kinetic data. The specific heat capacity was determined with theoretical calculation method, and then self-accelerating decomposition temperature (TSADT), thermal ignition temperature (TTIT), critical temperatures of thermal explosion (Tb), and the adiabatic time-to-explosion (tTIAD) are calculated, respectively. The storage lives of 0.01 % conversion rate for GTM, GTN, GTX, and GTG at 25 °C are 4.52a (annual), 9.26a 10.75a, and 7.57a. GTX is the most excellent carbohydrazide perchlorate.

The effectiveness of cryotherapy on joint arthroplasty recovery remains controversial. This systematic review was conducted to assess the effectiveness of cryotherapy in patients after joint arthroplasty. Comprehensive literature searches of several databases including Cochrane Library (2013), MEDLINE (1950–2013), and Embase (1980–2013) were performed. We sought randomised controlled trials that compared the experimental group received any form of cryotherapy with any control group after joint arthroplasty. The main outcomes were postoperative blood loss, adverse events, and pain. Analyses were performed with Revman 5.0. Results were shown as mean differences (MD) and standard deviations or as risk difference and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Ten trials comprised 660 total knee arthroplastys and three trials comprised 122 total hip arthroplastys (THAs) met the inclusion criteria. Blood loss was significantly decreased by cryotherapy (MD = −109.68; 95 % CI −210.92 to −8.44; P = 0.03). Cryotherapy did not increase the risk of adverse effect (n.s.). Cryotherapy decreased pain at the second day of postoperative (MD = −1.32; 95 % CI −2.37 to −0.27; P = 0.0003), but did not decreased pain at the first and third day of postoperative (n.s.). Cryotherapy appears effective in these selected patients after joint arthroplasty. The benefits of cryotherapy on blood loss after joint arthroplasty were obvious. However, the subgroup analysis indicated that cryotherapy did not decreased blood loss after THA. Cryotherapy did not increase the risk of adverse effect. Cryotherapy decreased pain at the second day of postoperative, but did not decreased pain at the first and third day of postoperative. II.

The River Aksu is the principal tributary to the River Tarim, providing about three quarters of its discharge. It originates in Kyrgyzstan and flows into the arid areas of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, where an extensive irrigated agriculture has been developed in the river oases. The aim of the present contribution is to review the current trends in temperature, precipitation, and river discharge and links between these variables. The temperature in the region and the river discharge have been rising. Changes were studied using multiple trend analyses with different start and end years. Correlations between daily temperature and discharge are high and statistically significant for two headwater subcatchments of the Aksu for most of the time. However, there are episodes in late summer or beginning of autumn when correlations between temperature and discharge for the Xiehela station are absent. This can only be explained by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods from the Lake Merzbacher that are not routinely monitored. On an annual time scale, changes in summer discharge in the highly glacierized Xiehela subcatchment are dominated by changes in temperature. In contrast, in the subcatchment Shaliguilanke, variations in summer streamflow are more strongly influenced by variations in precipitation. A comparison of links between climatic variables and streamflow at different temporal scales is offered. Perspectives for seasonal forecasting are examined.

A developed stereo particle image velocimetry (stereo-PIV) system was proposed to measure three-dimensional (3D) soil deformation around a laterally loaded pile in sand. The stereo-PIV technique extended 2D measurement to 3D based on a binocular vision model, where two cameras with a well geometrical setting were utilized to image the same object simultaneously. This system utilized two open software packages and some simple programs in MATLAB, which can easily be adjusted to meet user needs at a low cost. The failure planes form an angle with the horizontal line, which are measured at 27°–29°, approximately three-fourths of the frictional angle of soil. The edge of the strain wedge formed in front of the pile is an arc, which is slightly different from the straight line reported in the literature. The active and passive influence zones are about twice and six times of the diameter of the pile, respectively. The test demonstrates the good performance and feasibility of this stereo-PIV system for more advanced geotechnical testing.

There are about 19 Neolithic Age sites and 120 Shang-Zhou dynasties sites in the western lakeshore of Chaohu Lake, Anhui Province, China. Based on sites data, topographic data, drainage maps, administrative maps and SPOT5 remote sensing data, spatial analysis methods were introduced into the archaeology of Chaohu Lake Basin with Geographic Information System (GIS). The spatial analysis methods include: 1) Point Density Analysis with density model to acquire the shift of the sites; 2) Distance Analysis to reveal the spatial structure of the sites; 3) 3D Analysis based on Digital Elevation Model to get micro-geomorphologic features of the sites; and 4) Buffer Analysis to discover the relationship between the sites and rivers. The results indicate that the archaeological sites spread from the western lakeshore of Chaohu Lake gradually to the northwest, later to the south, and then symmetrically spread. Controlled by productive forces and other factors, ancient people preferred to reside in those places near water, or in plain and fertile land, which resulted in linear and decentralized distribution of the sites, and presented such disciplines as river valley directivity, terrace directivity and soil directivity. This paper indicates that the distribution of archaeological sites was influenced earlier by natural elements and later by human elements in the study period. The research is important for the integration of GIS and archaeology.

A kinetic study was conducted on the adsorption of orthophosphate anions on layer double hydroxide (LDH). The adsorption has proved itself to be a spontaneous endothermic process and is large in capacity and rate. The adsorption isotherm correlates well with the Freundlich model, and a rise in temperature will lead to an increase in adsorption efficiency. Additionally, the results suggested that the adsorption is an entropy-increasing process and is in good agreement with the pseudo-second order kinetics. The free energy (ΔG) of adsorption of orthophosphate onto LDH varies within the range of −1.75–−3.34 kJ/mol, the enthalpy (ΔH) varies by 7.96 kJ/mol and the entropy (ΔS) by 33.59 kJ/mol. The adsorption activation energy is 8.3 kJ/mol, showing that the adsorption of orthophosphate onto LDH is determined to be a physical adsorption.

Using long-polymerase chain reaction (Long-PCR) method, we determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Phthonandria atrilineata. The complete mtDNA from P. atrilineata was 15,499 base pairs in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a control region. The P. atrilineata genes were in the same order and orientation as the completely sequenced mitogenomes of other lepidopteran species. The nucleotide composition of P. atrilineata mitogenome was biased toward A + T nucleotides (81.02%), and the 13 PCGs show different A + T contents that range from 73.25% (cox1) to 92.12% (atp8). Phthonandria had the canonical set of 22 tRNA genes, that fold in the typical cloverleaf structure described for metazoan mt tRNAs, with the unique exception of trnS(AGN). The phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed with the concatenated sequences of the 13 PCGs of the mitochondrial genome, which confirmed that P. atrilineata is most closely related to the superfamily Bombycoidea.

Based on the daily observational precipitation data at 147 stations in the Yangtze River Basin during 1960–2005 and projected daily data of 79 grid cells from the ECHAM5/ MPI-OM model in the 20th and 21st century, time series of precipitation extremes which contain AM (Annual Maximum) and MI (Munger Index) are constructed. The distribution feature of precipitation extremes is analyzed based on the two index series. Three principal results were obtained, as stated in the sequel. (i) In the past half century, the intensity of extreme heavy precipitation and drought events was higher in the mid-lower Yangtze than in the upper Yangtze reaches. Although the ECHAM5 model still can’t capture the precipitation extremes over the Yangtze River Basin satisfactorily, spatial pattern of the observed and the simulated precipitation extremes are much similar to each other. (ii) For quantifying the characteristics of extremely high and extremely low precipitation over the Yangtze River Basin, four probability distributions are used, namely: General Extreme Value (GEV), General Pareto (GPA), General Logistic (GLO), and Wakeby (WAK). It was found that WAK can adequately describe the probability distribution of precipitation extremes calculated from both observational and projected data. (iii) Return period of precipitation extremes show spatially different changes under three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The 50-year heavy precipitation and drought events from simulated data during 1951–2000 will become more frequent, with return period below 25 years, for the most mid-lower Yangtze region in 2001–2050. The changing character of return periods of precipitation extremes should be taken into account for the hydrological design and future water resources management.

In this paper, we explored the trends of the atmospheric moisture budget, precipitation, and streamflow in summer during 1961 to 2005 and possible correlations between them by using the linear regression method in the Yangtze River basin, China. The results indicate that: (1) increasing tendencies can be detected in the atmospheric moisture budget, precipitation and streamflow in the Yangtze River basin; however, the significant increasing trends occur only in the atmospheric moisture budget and precipitation in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin; (2) both the ratio of summer moisture budget to annual moisture budget and the ratio of summer precipitation to annual precipitation exhibit a significant increasing trend in the Yangtze River basin. The ratio of summer streamflow to annual streamflow is in a significant increasing trend in Hankou station. Significant increasing summer precipitation can be taken as the major controlling factor responsible for the higher probability of flood hazard occurrences in the Yangtze River basin. The consecutively increasing summer precipitation is largely due to the consistently increasing moisture budget; (3) the zonal geopotential height anomaly between 1991 and 2005 and 1961 and 1990 is higher from the south to the north, which to a large degree, limits the northward propagation of the summer monsoon to north China. As a result, the summer moisture budget increases in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin, which leads to more summer precipitation. This paper sheds light on the changing properties of precipitation and streamflow and possible underlying causes, which will be greatly helpful for better understanding of the changes of precipitation and streamflow in the Yangtze River basin.