61The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as the "sensible heat pump" and the 62 "atmospheric water tower", modifies monsoon circulations and regional energy and 63 water cycles over Asia (Wu and Zhang 1998; Zhao and Chen 2001a; Wu et al. 2007; 64 Xu et al. 2008b; Zhou et al. 2009). Strong ascent over the TP may transport lower-65 tropospheric water vapor and anthropogenic pollutants into the upper troposphere-66 lower stratosphere (UT-LS), which exerts an influence on the local ozone valley 67 (Zhou et al. 1995; Liu et al. 2003; Bian et al. 2011) and the aerosol-layer 68 enhancements near the tropopause (Tobo et al. 2007; Vernier et al. 2015). The TP also In the 1990s, a longer-term field experiment was conducted over the TP with the 84 support of the Japanese Experiment on Asian Monsoon (JEXAM). It estimated the 2008a; Zhang et al. 2012; Chen et al. 2011 Chen et al. , 2013. It found diurnal variations of et al. 2013; Hu et al. 2014; Zheng et al. 2014 Zheng et al. , 2015a Zheng et al. , b, c, 2016 Guo et al. 2015; 161 Zhuo et al. 2016; Wan et al. 2017). These problems may also cause large uncertainties 162 in reanalysis datasets and satellite products (such as air temperature, soil moisture, 163 surface heat fluxes, and radiation) over the TP (Li et al. 2012; Wang et al. 2012; Zhu 164 et al. 2012; Su et al. 2013; Zeng et al. 2016). 165To promote Tibetan meteorological research, the Third Tibetan Plateau 166Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX-III), to continue for eight to ten years, OBJECTIVES. 173The field observational objective of TIPEX-III is to constitute a 3-D observation 174 system of the land surface, PBL, troposphere, and lower stratosphere over the TP. 175This system integrates ground-, air-, and space-based platforms based on the 176 meteorological operational networks, the TIPEX-III network, the existing NIOST (Fig. 1a). Consistent with the operational observations of the 265 CMA, at each site the measurement system measures soil water content ( Fig. 1a). The regional network consists of 33 sites over 270 Naqu (Fig. 1c), which began operating in August 2015, and 17 sites over Shiquanhe This network consists of six additional sites at Bange, Namucuo, Anduo, Nierong, 280Jiali, and Biru, and contributes to integrated research on the high-resolution land-281 surface and PBL processes over the central TP and their effects on mesoscale systems. 282These observations have been conducted at Shiquanhe, Namucuo, Naqu, Anduo, Gongshan (98.67°E, 27.75°N) station on the southeastern slope of the TP (Fig. 1b), a 300 key area for gauging water-vapor transports from the Indian Ocean to East Asia. (Fig. 1b). A primary goal of these observations is to explore the cloud (Fig. 1b). A follow-up field campaign using ground-based radars Tuotuohe, Mangya, Golmud, and Xining meteorological stations (Fig. 1b). Using PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF TIPEX-III. 328The implementation of TIPEX-III has enhanced the monitoring capability for the 380(1) Cloud diurnal variation and warm rain process. 3...

G. Asian-Pacific Oscillation index and variation of East Asian summer monsoon over the past millennium.To study the long-term variation of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), the Asian-Pacific Oscillation index (I APO ), representing a zonal thermal contrast between Asia and the North Pacific, is reconstructed over the past millennium. During the Little Ice Age (LIA), the variability of the reconstructed I APO is closely linked to dry-wet anomalies in eastern China on the centennial scale. This correlation pattern is consistent with the observation during the current period, which suggests that the reconstructed I APO may generally represent the centennial-scale variation of the EASM and rainfall anomalies over eastern China during the LIA. millennial climate, Asian-Pacific Oscillation, reconstruction, East Asian summer monsoon, rainfallThe EASM covers eastern China, Korea, Japan, and their adjacent marginal seas. Its anomalous behaviors often result in summer floods or droughts in the monsoon region, affecting the local agricultural economy. Therefore, it is very important to study the EASM, especially its long-term variability. However, the studies of the long-term variability of the EASM are limited by the shortness of the long-term instrumental database. Fortunately, some paleoclimate records might reflect the intensity of the EASM [1−4] to some extent and be conducive to understanding the long-term variation of the EASM.Anomalies of Asian monsoons may be a consequence of the atmospheric response to the change in the thermal contrast between Asia and its adjacent oceans [5,6] . The EASM and associated rainfall over eastern China are closely related to a thermal contrast between Asia and the North Pacific (e.g., referred to as the Asian-Pacific Oscillation index, I APO ) [7,8] . Thus, it is appropriate to investigate the long-term variation of the EASM over the past millennium by reconstructing I APO .

Objectives This study aimed to explore the status of job satisfaction, emotional labour, core competencies and job stress and the associations of emotional labour and core competencies with the job satisfaction of nurses in China. Methods Data were collected by using a self-designed general information questionnaire, a job satisfaction questionnaire (McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale), a nurse emotional labour questionnaire, the Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses questionnaire, and a nurse job stressor questionnaire. A total of 13,448 nurses from 92 hospitals across mainland of China were surveyed, and 11,337 respondents (84.3% response rate) completed the questionnaires. Results The survey results indicated that Chinese nurses had average job satisfaction (24.77 ± 5.23), moderate job stress (86.84 ± 21.12), moderate to high emotional labour experiences (55.08 ± 9.63) and high competency (195.77 ± 37.61). Multiple linear regression indicated that surface acting was negatively correlated with job satisfaction ( P < 0.01), while deep acting ( P < 0.01) and nurses’ core competence ( P < 0.01) were positively associated with job satisfaction. Besides, The results also indicated job stress, geographical distribution, hospital category, gender, work shift, only children, parenting status, monthly salary, nursing experience, professional title, hospital area were the influencing factors of job satisfaction ( P < 0.05). Conclusion The improvement of the emotional labour and competency of nurses may help enhance their job satisfaction.

The influence of boreal winter‐spring eastern Tibetan Plateau snow anomalies on the East Asian summer rainfall variability has been the focus of previous studies. The present study documents the impacts of boreal summer western and southern Tibetan Plateau snow cover anomalies on summer rainfall over East Asia. Analysis shows that more snow cover in the western and southern Tibetan Plateau induces anomalous cooling in the overlying atmospheric column. The induced atmospheric circulation changes are different corresponding to more snow cover in the western and southern Tibetan Plateau. The atmospheric circulation changes accompanying the western Plateau snow cover anomalies are more obvious over the midlatitude Asia, whereas those corresponding to the southern Plateau snow cover anomalies are more prominent over the tropics. As such, the western and southern Tibetan Plateau snow cover anomalies influence the East Asian summer circulation and precipitation through different pathways. Nevertheless, the East Asian summer circulation and precipitation anomalies induced by the western and southern Plateau snow cover anomalies tend to display similar distribution so that they are more pronounced when the western and southern Plateau snow cover anomalies work in coherence. Analysis indicates that the summer snow cover anomalies over the Tibetan Plateau may be related to late spring snow anomalies due to the persistence. The late spring snow anomalies are related to an obvious wave train originating from the western North Atlantic that may be partly associated with sea surface temperature anomalies in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Using meteorological observations, proxies of precipitation and temperature, and climate simulation outputs, we synthetically analyzed the regularities of decadal-centennial-scale changes in the summer thermal contrast between land and ocean and summer precipitation over the East Asian monsoon region during the past millennium; compared the basic characteristics of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) circulation and precipitation in the present day, the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP); and explored their links with solar irradiance and global climate change. The results indicate that over the last 150 years, the EASM circulation and precipitation, indicated by the temperature contrast between the East Asian mainland and adjacent oceans, had a significant decadal perturbation and have been weaker during the period of rapid global warming over the past 50 years. On the centennial time scale, the EASM in the MWP was strongest over

Assessing the impacts of environmental change and anthropogenic activities on the historical and current total suspended matter (TSM) pattern in Dongting Lake, China, is a large challenge. We addressed this challenge by using more than three decades of Landsat data. Based on in situ measurements, we developed an algorithm based on the near-infrared (NIR) band to estimate TSM in Dongting Lake. The algorithm was applied to Landsat images to derive TSM distribution maps from 1978 to 2013 in the wet season, revealing significant inter-annual and spatial variability. The relationship of TSM to water level, precipitation, and wind speed was analyzed, and we found that: (1) sand mining areas usually coincide with regions that have high TSM levels in Dongting Lake; (2) water level and seven-day precipitation were both important to TSM variation, but no significant relationship was found between TSM and wind speed or other meteorological data; (3) the increased level of sand mining in response to rapid economic growth has deeply influenced the TSM pattern since 2000 due to the resuspension of sediment; and (4) TSM variation might OPEN ACCESSRemote Sens. 2015, 7 13976 be associated with policy changes regarding the management of sand mining; it might also be affected by lower water levels caused by the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam since 2000.

No abstract

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a nutritional component widely distributed in various vegetables. Although it has been well recognized for decades that OA exerts certain anti-tumor activity by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, it is still unclear that what molecular signaling is responsible for this effect. In this study, we employed cancer cell lines, A549, BXPC-3, PANC-1 and U2OS to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying OA antitumor activity. We found that activation of MAPK pathways, including p-38 MAPK, JNK and ERK, was triggered by OA in both a dose and time-dependent fashion in all the tested cancer cells. Activation was accompanied by cleavage of caspases and PARP as well as cytochrome C release. SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), but not SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) and U0126 (ERK inhibitor), rescued the pro-apoptotic effect of OA on A549 and BXPC-3 cells. OA induced p38 MAPK activation promoted mitochondrial translocation of Bax and Bim, and inhibited Bcl-2 function by enhancing their phosphorylation. OA can induce reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent ASK1 activation, and this event was indispensable for p38 MAPK-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells. In vivo, p38 MAPK knockdown A549 tumors proved resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of OA. Collectively, we elucidated that activation of ROS/ASK1/p38 MAPK pathways is responsible for the apoptosis stimulated by OA in cancer cells. Our finding can contribute to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of nutritional components.