[1] The Eurasian snow cover anomaly in spring has been considered as one of the important factors affecting East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The spring snow cover data for the period from 1972 to 2004 are used to extract dominant spatial patterns over the Eurasian region and to examine their impacts on the EASM through empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first EOF mode is generally characterized by a continent-wide snow cover anomaly over the whole Eurasian region, while the second EOF mode is dominated by an east-west dipole structure over Eurasia. Our study indicates that the variability of dipole pattern snow cover is more closely related to the EASM rainfall than that of continent-wide snow cover. A strong dipole pattern with positive (negative) snow cover anomalies over western Eurasia and negative (positive) snow cover anomalies over eastern Eurasia signifies enhanced (reduced) summer rainfall over East Asia, and the Eurasian wave train pattern is apparent. An important implication of these results is that the spring snow cover anomaly over Eurasia provides a complementary precursor for EASM variability.

To explore the effect of CCK on food intake in Siberian sturgeon, cck cDNA sequence of 1005 bp was obtained, and cck mRNA possessed the highest expression in brain. The expressions of cck were significantly increased after feeding 1 and 3 h, while displaying significant decrease after fasting within 15 days in brain and duodenum. Re-feeding for 3 days induced cck level returned to basic level. Acute i.p. injection experiment showed 100 and 200 ng/g BW CCK8 inhibited the food intake in 0–1 h together with the cumulative food intake within 3 h. 7 days chronic i.p. injection of 100 and 200 ng/g BW CCK8, both daily food intake and cumulative food intake were significantly decreased. In addition, chronic i.p injection of CCK8 induced the expression of feeding related factors changes including cck, ucn3, cart, apelin, pyy and npy in respective organization. Moreover, as revealed by the results, Lorglumide, the CCK1R selective antagonist, effectively reversed the inhibitory effects of CCK8 on food intake and the levels of feeding related factors. On the other hand, LY 225910, the CCK2R selective antagonist, partially reversed these effects. These results indicate CCK is a satiety factor inhibits the feeding of Siberian sturgeon primarily through CCK1R.

This paper describes a study that investigates the local and regional effects of vegetation restoration in northern China via regional climate model simulations, and reports implications for the sustainability of vegetation under the altered rainfall regime. Ensemble simulations with the current vegetation cover and an idealized re-greening scenario for a test area in northwestern China (90 -110 E and 36 -42 N) were performed using large scale boundary forcing derived from 1998. The results indicate that such re-greening has both significant local and regional effects on the atmospheric circulation and rainfall distribution.Replacing desert and semi-desert areas with grass in the test area increases net radiation at the surface, and hence total heat flux from the surface to the atmosphere. This results in enhanced ascending motions and moisture supply to the atmosphere over the test area. Consequently, rainfall increases in the whole test area. However, the increase in rainfall largely occurs due to an increase in intensity rather than an increase in frequency. Lack of frequent rainfall, especially in the lowlands of the test area, makes it very difficult to maintain a vegetated surface. This implies that the current vegetation restoration activities will be largely limited to areas where water resources are relatively abundant, or they will depend heavily on irrigation. The increased runoff at higher elevations could be important for providing water for irrigation in the lowlands. The increase in rainfall in the highlands and far eastern parts of the test area, which already receive more frequent rainfall, may help support a restored vegetation cover in these regions.The enhanced ascending motions over the test area are compensated by increased subsidence to the east, centered over Yellow River Delta and Shandong Peninsula, resulting in a higher-pressure and anticyclonic circulation anomaly there. Consequently, rainfall decreases at these areas. This anticyclonic anomaly provides significant northeasterly low-level anomalous winds that enhance cyclonic shear vorticity in the Yangtze River Basin and South China when they meet southwesterly monsoonal flow. This causes strong ascending anomalies over southern China and the Sichuan Basin, and increases rainfall in these regions.

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