Expression of a Carrot 36 kD Antifreeze Protein Gene Improves ColdStress Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco

Antifreeze proteins （AFPs） enable organisms to survive under cold conditions, and have great potential in improving cold tolerance of cold-sensitive plants, In order to determine whether expression of the carrot 36 kD antifreeze protein gene confers improved cold-resistant properties to plant tissues, we tried to obtain transgenic tobacco plants which expressed the antifreeze protein. Cold, salt, and drought induced promoter Prd29A was cloned using PCR from Arabidopsis. Two plant expression vectors based on pBI121 were constructed with CaMV35S：AFP and Prd29A：AFP. Tobacco plantlets were transformed by Agrobacterium-medicated transformation. PCR and Southern blotting demonstrated that the carrot 36 kD afp gene was successfully integrated into the genomes of transformed plantlets. The expression of the afp gene in transgenic plants led to improved tolerance to cold stress. However, the use of the strong constitutive 35S cauliflower mosaic virus （CaMV） promoter to drive expression of afp also resulted in growth retardation under normal growing conditions. In contrast, the expression of afp driven by the stress-inducible Prd29A promoter from Arabidopsis gave rise to minimal effects on plant growth while providing an increased tolerance to cold stress condition （2℃）. The results demonstrated the prospect of using Prd29A-AFP transgenic plants in cold-stressed conditions that will in turn benefit agriculture.

Older Adults’ Explanatory Models of Colds and Flu

Systematic data collection and analysis techniques were used in Los Angeles to discover older adults’ shared explanatory models (EM) of the causes, prevention, symptoms, treatment and consequences of late life illnesses, including influenza and the common cold. Recorded narratives also were analyzed to illustrate similarities and differences in shared cultural knowledge of these illnesses. Consensus analyses results suggest that shared EM of influenza and the common cold are similar. Participants identified both illnesses as contagious, caused or exacerbated by bad weather, but not the result of lifestyle, aging or heredity. Other shared cultural knowledge includes that both illnesses can be treated with home remedies, over-the-counter medications and medical care;both illnesses cause discomfort but are not serious, life-threatening or disabling. Despite the similarities and the apparent merging of the two illnesses in popular thought, many older adults do distinguish them, based on symptom patterns and severity, as revealed in their transcribed narratives. Consistent with other studies, participants attribute gastrointestinal symptoms to influenza but not to colds. They do not understand the potential role of lifestyle, age and chronic conditions in etiology and onset, and they are not concerned with their vulnerability to the potential sequelae of influenza. Public health education explaining the effects of lifestyle on susceptibility and vulnerability to the flu, how to distinguish and appropriately treat colds and the flu, and when to contact physicians, is recommended for older adults. Mixed method studies can prove useful at the planning stages of such interventions.

Amino Acid Composition Reduces Frequency of Common Colds. Results of a Controlled Randomised Completely Masked Trial

Purpose: Special nutrients have an impact on common cold infections. In this trial we have investigated the effectiveness of the specific amino acid composition “aminoplus? immun” on the occurrence, duration and severity of common cold. Material and Methods: Our study is a controlled, randomised completely masked trial comparing genuine trial remedy versus placebo in parallel groups. Eligible subjects were people with recurrent and chronic infections of the ear, nose and pharyngeal area. The treatment period was 90 days. The primary outcome was the mean number of days that the patients had symptoms of infections. Results: From Oct. 2009 to Feb. 2010 a total of 145 patients were recruited, of whom 119 had no major protocol violation and were valid for assessment. Two thirds of the patients were female. The mean age of the patients was 45 years. 65% of participants had come into contact with many people and thereby an increased risk of infection. On average the patients had 11.1 infections during the 12 months before the study. Compliance for the intake of the study preparation was 98.9%. Due to randomisation, the groups were very similar and balanced. The primary and all 6 secondary outcome variables showed a clear superiority of the investigated amino acid composition over placebo (p Conclusion: The specific composition “aminoplus? immun is effective in preventing recurrent and chronic infections of the ear, nose and upper respiratory tract.

汉英温觉词“冷/cold”的隐喻对比研究

温度是人类最早的认知领域之一。汉语和英语中存在大量描述温度感觉的词语,它们既指身体感知到的温度概念,又能映射到人类的心理态度等范畴,表达由温度义引申出的其他概念。文章从认知语言学的视角出发,借助隐喻理论,系统梳理汉英温觉词“冷/cold”基于身体认知的隐喻映射,得出语域映射的基本模式和结论。此外,受语言文化等因素的影响,“冷/cold”的隐喻映射也呈现出一种同异并存的现象。

MIR1868 negatively regulates rice cold tolerance at both the seedling and booting stages

Low temperature causes rice yield losses of up to 30%–40%,therefore increasing its cold tolerance is a breeding target.Few genes in rice are reported to confer cold tolerance at both the vegetative and reproductive stages.This study revealed a rice-specific 24-nt miRNA,miR1868,whose accumulation was suppressed by cold stress.Knockdown of MIR1868 increased seedling survival,pollen fertility,seed setting,and grain yield under cold stress,whereas its overexpression conferred the opposite phenotype.Knockdown of MIR1868 increased reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging and soluble sugar content under cold stress by increasing the expression of peroxidase genes and sugar metabolism genes,and its overexpression produced the opposite effect.Thus,MIR1868 negatively regulated rice cold tolerance via ROS scavenging and sugar accumulation.

Relative Impacts of Sea Ice Loss and Atmospheric Internal Variability on the Winter Arctic to East Asian Surface Air Temperature Based on Large-Ensemble Simulations with NorESM2

To quantify the relative contributions of Arctic sea ice and unforced atmospheric internal variability to the “warm Arctic, cold East Asia”(WACE) teleconnection, this study analyses three sets of large-ensemble simulations carried out by the Norwegian Earth System Model with a coupled atmosphere–land surface model, forced by seasonal sea ice conditions from preindustrial, present-day, and future periods. Each ensemble member within the same set uses the same forcing but with small perturbations to the atmospheric initial state. Hence, the difference between the present-day(or future) ensemble mean and the preindustrial ensemble mean provides the ice-loss-induced response, while the difference of the individual members within the present-day(or future) set is the effect of atmospheric internal variability. Results indicate that both present-day and future sea ice loss can force a negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation with a WACE pattern in winter. The magnitude of ice-induced Arctic warming is over four(ten) times larger than the ice-induced East Asian cooling in the present-day(future) experiment;the latter having a magnitude that is about 30% of the observed cooling. Sea ice loss contributes about 60%(80%) to the Arctic winter warming in the present-day(future) experiment. Atmospheric internal variability can also induce a WACE pattern with comparable magnitudes between the Arctic and East Asia. Ice-lossinduced East Asian cooling can easily be masked by atmospheric internal variability effects because random atmospheric internal variability may induce a larger magnitude warming. The observed WACE pattern occurs as a result of both Arctic sea ice loss and atmospheric internal variability, with the former dominating Arctic warming and the latter dominating East Asian cooling.

Boosting thermoelectric efficiency of Ag_(2)Se through cold sintering process with Ag nano-precipitate formation

Silver selenide(Ag_(2)Se)stands out as a promising thermoelectric(TE)material,particularly for applications near room temper-atures.This research presents a novel approach for the fabrication of bulk Ag_(2)Se samples at a relatively low temperature(170℃)using the cold sintering process(CSP)with AgNO_(3)solution as a transient liquid agent.The effect of AgNO_(3)addition during CSP on the micro-structure and TE properties was investigated.The results from phase,composition and microstructure analyses showed that the introduc-tion of AgNO_(3)solution induced the formation of Ag nano-precipitates within the Ag_(2)Se matrix.Although the nano-precipitates do not af-fect the phase and crystal structure of orthorhombicβ-Ag_(2)Se,they suppressed crystal growth,leading to reduced crystallite sizes.The samples containing Ag nano-precipitates also exhibited high porosity and low bulk density.Consequently,these effects contributed to sig-nificantly enhanced electrical conductivity and a slight decrease in the Seebeck coefficient when small Ag concentrations were incorpor-ated.This resulted in an improved average power factor from~1540μW·m^(−1)·K^(−2)for pure Ag_(2)Se to~1670μW·m^(−1)·K^(−2)for Ag_(2)Se with additional Ag precipitates.However,excessive Ag addition had a detrimental effect on the power factor.Furthermore,thermal conductiv-ity was effectively suppressed in Ag_(2)Se fabricated using AgNO_(3)-assisted CSP,attributed to enhanced phonon scattering at crystal inter-faces,pores,and Ag nano-precipitates.The highest figure-of-merit(zT)of 0.92 at 300 K was achieved for the Ag_(2)Se with 0.5wt%Ag dur-ing CSP fabrication,equivalent to>20%improvement compared to the controlled Ag_(2)Se without extra Ag solution.Thus,the process outlined in this study presents an effective strategy to tailor the microstructure of bulk Ag_(2)Se and enhance its TE performance at room temperature.

The UDP-glycosyltransferase OsUGT706D2 positively regulates cold and submergence stress tolerance in rice

In a genome-wide association study,we identified a rice UDP-glycosyltransferase gene,OsUGT706D2,whose transcription was activated in response to cold and submergence stress and to exogenous abscisic acid(ABA).OsUGT706D2 positively regulated the biosynthesis of tricin-4’-O-(syringyl alcohol)ether-7-O-glucoside at both the transcriptional and metabolic levels.OsUGT706D2 mediated cold and submergence tolerance by modulating the expression of stress-responsive genes as well as the abscisic acid(ABA)signaling pathway.Gain of function of OsUGT706D2 increased cold and submergence tolerance and loss of function of OsUGT706D2 reduced cold tolerance.ABA positively regulated OsUGT706D2-mediated cold tolerance but reduced submergence tolerance.These findings suggest the potential use of OsUGT706D2 for improving abiotic stress tolerance in rice.

Frontogenesis and Frontolysis of a Cold Filament Driven by the Cross-Filament Wind and Wave Fields Simulated by a Large Eddy Simulation

The variations of the frontogenetic trend of a cold filament induced by the cross-filament wind and wave fields are studied by a non-hydrostatic large eddy simulation. Five cases with different strengths of wind and wave fields are studied.The results show that the intense wind and wave fields further break the symmetries of submesoscale flow fields and suppress the levels of filament frontogenesis. The changes of secondary circulation directions—that is, the conversion between the convergence and divergence of the surface cross-filament currents with the downwelling and upwelling jets in the filament center—are associated with the inertial oscillation. The filament frontogenesis and frontolysis caused by the changes of secondary circulation directions may periodically sharpen and smooth the gradient of submesoscale flow fields.The lifecycle of the cold filament may include multiple stages of filament frontogenesis and frontolysis.

Transcription factor CabHLH035 promotes cold resistance and homeostasis of reactive oxygen species in pepper

Plant basic helix-loop-helix(bHLH)transcription factors(TFs)play central roles in various abiotic stresses.However,its role in plant cold resistance is largely unknown.Previously,we characterised CaNAC035 in pepper,which positively regulates tolerance to cold,salt and drought stresses tolerance.Here,we identified CabHLH035,a CaNAC035-interacting protein in pepper.To explore its functions in cold stress tolerance,we silenced the gene in pepper via virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS)and overexpressed the gene in Arabidopsis.The results showed that CabHLH035 expression was induced by cold treatment,and silencing of CabHLH035 decreased cold stress tolerance.Conversely,overexpression of CabHLH035 in Arabidopsis increased cold stress tolerance.To investigate homologs genes of C-repeat binding factor(CBF)pathway proteins and reactive oxygen species(ROS)marker gene expression blocking by CabHLH035,we performed yeast one-hybrid(Y1H),dual luciferase and electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments.The results showed that CabHLH035 bound to the region upstream of the CaCBF1A and CaAPX promoters.Additionally,CaCBF1A bound to the CaDHN4 promoter.Taken together,our results showed that CabHLH035 plays a crucial role in cold stress tolerance and its potential as a target for breeding cold-resistant crops.The findings provide a basis for studying the functions and regulatory network of cold stress tolerance in pepper.

Dietary fat supplementation relieves cold temperature-induced energy stress through AMPK-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis in pigs

Background Cold stress has negative effects on the growth and health of mammals, and has become a factor restricting livestock development at high latitudes and on plateaus. The gut-liver axis is central to energy metabolism, and the mechanisms by which it regulates host energy metabolism at cold temperatures have rarely been illustrated. In this study, we evaluated the status of glycolipid metabolism and oxidative stress in pigs based on the gut-liver axis and propose that AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK) is a key target for alleviating energy stress at cold temperatures by dietary fat supplementation.Results Dietary fat supplementation alleviated the negative effects of cold temperatures on growth performance and digestive enzymes, while hormonal homeostasis was also restored. Moreover, cold temperature exposure increased glucose transport in the jejunum. In contrast, we observed abnormalities in lipid metabolism, which was characterized by the accumulation of bile acids in the ileum and plasma. In addition, the results of the ileal metabolomic analysis were consistent with the energy metabolism measurements in the jejunum, and dietary fat supplementation increased the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and lipid metabolism. As the central nexus of energy metabolism, the state of glycolipid metabolism and oxidative stress in the liver are inconsistent with that in the small intestine. Specifically, we found that cold temperature exposure increased glucose transport in the liver, which fully validates the idea that hormones can act on the liver to regulate glucose output. Additionally, dietary fat supplementation inhibited glucose transport and glycolysis, but increased gluconeogenesis, bile acid cycling, and lipid metabolism. Sustained activation of AMPK, which an energy receptor and regulator, leads to oxidative stress and apoptosis in the liver;dietary fat supplementation alleviates energy stress by reducing AMPK phosphorylation.Conclusions Cold stress reduced the growth performance and aggravated glycolipid metabolism disorders and oxidative stress damage in pigs. Dietary fat supplementation improved growth performance and alleviated cold temperature-induced energy stress through AMPK-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis. In this study, we high-light the importance of AMPK in dietary fat supplementation-mediated alleviation of host energy stress in response to environmental changes.

Heterogeneous expression of stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase genes SAD1 and SAD2 from Linum usitatissimum enhances seed oleic acid accumulation and seedling cold and drought tolerance in Brassica napus

Flax(Linum usitatissimum L.)is a versatile crop and its seeds are a major source of unsaturated fatty acids.Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase(SAD)is a dehydrogenase enzyme that plays a key role in oleic acid biosynthesis as well as responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.However,the function of SAD orthologs from L.usitatissimum has not been assessed.Here,we found that two LuSAD genes,LuSAD1 and LuSAD2,are present in the genome of L.usitatissimum cultivar‘Longya 10’.Heterogeneous expression of either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in higher contents of total fatty acids and oleic acid in the seeds.Interestingly,ectopic expression of LuSAD2 in A.thaliana caused altered plant architecture.Similarly,the overexpression of either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 in Brassica napus also resulted in increased contents of total fatty acids and oleic acid in the seeds.Furthermore,we demonstrated that either LuSAD1 or LuSAD2 enhances seedling resistance to cold and drought stresses by improving antioxidant enzyme activity and nonenzymatic antioxidant levels,as well as reducing membrane damage.These findings not only broaden our knowledge of the LuSAD functions in plants,but also offer promising targets for improving the quantity and quality of oil,and the abiotic stress tolerance of oil-producing crops,through molecular manipulation.

Artificial ground freezing of underground mines in cold regions using thermosyphons with air insulation

Current practice of underground artificial ground freezing(AGF)typically involves huge refrigeration systems of large economic and environmental costs.In this study,a novel AGF technique is proposed deploying available cold wind in cold regions.This is achieved by a static heat transfer device called thermosyphon equipped with an air insulation layer.A refrigeration unit can be optionally integrated to meet additional cooling requirements.The introduction of air insulation isolates the thermosyphon from ground zones where freezing is not needed,resulting in:(1)steering the cooling resources(cold wind or refrigeration)towards zones of interest;and(2)minimizing refrigeration load.This design is demonstrated using well-validated mathematical models from our previous work based on two-phase enthalpy method of the ground coupled with a thermal resistance network for the thermosyphon.Two Canadian mines are considered:the Cigar Lake Mine and the Giant Mine.The results show that our proposed design can speed the freezing time by 30%at the Giant Mine and by two months at the Cigar Lake Mine.Further,a cooling load of 2.4 GWh can be saved at the Cigar Lake Mine.Overall,this study provides mining practitioners with sustainable solutions of underground AGF.

Winter-spring minimum temperature variations inferred from tree-ring δ^(13)C in southeastern China

Long-term temperature variations inferred from high-resolution proxies provide an important context to evaluate the intensity of current warming.However,tem-perature reconstructions in humid southeastern China are scarce and particularly lack long-term data,limiting us to obtain a complete picture of regional temperature evolution.In this study,we present a well-verified reconstruction of winter-spring(January–April)minimum temperatures over southeastern China based on stable carbon isotopic(δ^(13)C)records of tree rings from Taxus wallichiana var.mairei from 1860 to 2014.This reconstruction accounted for 56.4%of the total observed variance.Cold periods occurred during the 1860s–1910s and 1960s–1970s.Although temperatures have had an upward trend since the 1920s,most of the cold extremes were in recent decades.The El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)variance acted as a key modulator of regional winter-spring minimum temperature variability.However,teleconnections between them were a nonlinear process,i.e.,a reduced or enhanced ENSO variance may result in a weakened or intensified temperature-ENSO relationship.

Understanding Simulated Causes of Damaging Surface Winds in a Derecho-Producing Mesoscale Convective System near the East China Coast Based on Convection-Permitting Simulations

A mesoscale convective system(MCS) occurred over the East China coastal provinces and the East China Sea on 30April 2021, producing damaging surface winds near the coastal city Nantong with observed speeds reaching 45 m s^(–1). A simulation using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with a 1.5-km grid spacing generally reproduces the development and subsequent organization of this convective system into an MCS, with an eastward protruding bow segment over the sea. In the simulation, an east-west-oriented high wind swath is generated behind the gust front of the MCS. Descending dry rear-to-front inflows behind the bow and trailing gust front are found to feed the downdrafts in the main precipitation regions. The inflows help to establish spreading cold outflows and enhance the downdrafts through evaporative cooling. Meanwhile, front-to-rear inflows from the south are present, associated with severely rearward-tilted updrafts initially forming over the gust front. Such inflows descend behind(north of) the gust front, significantly enhancing downdrafts and near-surface winds within the cold pool. Consistently, calculated trajectories show that these parcels that contribute to the derecho originate primarily from the region ahead(south) of the east-west-oriented gust front, and dry southwesterly flows in the low-to-middle levels contribute to strong downdrafts within the MCS. Moreover, momentum budget analyses reveal that a large westward-directed horizontal pressure gradient force within the simulated cold pool produced rapid flow acceleration towards Nantong. The analyses enrich the understanding of damaging wind characteristics over coastal East China and will prove helpful to operational forecasters.

Extreme Antarctic Cold of Late Winter 2023

Extreme cold temperatures were observed in July and August 2023,coinciding with the WINFLY(winter fly-in)period of mid to late August into September 2023,meaning aircraft operations into McMurdo Station and Phoenix Airfield were adversely impacted.Specifically,with temperatures below−50℃,safe flight operation was not possible because of the risk of failing hydraulics and fuel turning to gel onboard the aircraft.The cold temperatures were measured across a broad area of the Antarctic,from East Antarctica toward the Ross Ice Shelf,and stretching across West Antarctica to the Antarctic Peninsula.A review of automatic weather station measurements and staffed station observations revealed a series of sites recording new record low temperatures.Four separate cold phases were identified,each a few days in duration and occurring from mid-July to the end of August 2023.A brief analysis of 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies shows how the mid-tropospheric atmospheric environment evolves in relation to these extreme cold temperatures.The monthly 500-hPa geopotential height anomalies show strong negative anomalies in August.Examination of composite geopotential height anomalies during each of the four cold phases suggests various factors leading to cold temperatures,including both southerly off-content flow and calm atmospheric conditions.Understanding the atmospheric environment that leads to such extreme cold temperatures can improve prediction of such events and benefit Antarctic operations and the study of Antarctic meteorology and climatology.

PHD17 acts as a target of miR1320 to negatively control cold tolerance via JA-activated signaling in rice

Plant Homeo Domain(PHD)proteins are involved in diverse biological processes during plant growth.However,the regulation of PHD genes on rice cold stress response remains largely unknown.Here,we reported that PHD17 negatively regulated cold tolerance in rice seedlings as a cleavage target of miR1320.PHD17 expression was greatly induced by cold stress,and was down-regulated by miR1320 overexpression and up-regulated by miR1320 knockdown.Through 5'RACE and dual luciferase assays,we found that miR1320 targeted and cleaved the 3'UTR region of PHD17.PHD17 was a nuclearlocalized protein and acted as a transcriptional activator in yeast.PHD17 overexpression reduced cold tolerance of rice seedlings,while knockout of PHD17 increased cold tolerance,partially via the CBF cold signaling.By combining transcriptomic and physiological analyses,we demonstrated that PHD17 modulated ROS homeostasis and flavonoid accumulation under cold stress.K-means clustering analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes in PHD17 transgenic lines were significantly enriched in the jasmonic acid(JA)biosynthesis pathway,and expression of JA biosynthesis and signaling genes was verified to be affected by PHD17.Cold stress tests applied with MeJA or IBU(JA synthesis inhibitor)further suggested the involvement of PHD17 in JA-mediated cold signaling.Taken together,our results suggest that PHD17 acts downstream of miR1320 and negatively regulates cold tolerance of rice seedlings through JA-mediated signaling pathway.

Avian responses to an extreme weather event:The case of the‘Filomena’snowstorm in Madrid(central Spain)

Cold spells and severe weather may have detrimental effects in wild birds,but owing to the stochastic nature of these events,it is not always possible to measure their impacts.In January 2021,a strong snowstorm known as‘Filomena’affected Spain,mainly the region of Madrid(Central Spain),which was fully covered with snow and suffered freezing temperatures for a fortnight.Using bird surveys conducted in the winter-spring of 2020 and 2021(before and after Filomena)at same locations,we addressed the possible impact of the cold spell in three widespread gamebirds:Wood Pigeon(Columba palumbus),Eurasian Magpie(Pica pica)and Red-legged Partridge(Alectoris rufa).No significant abundance differences were found between years for none of the species and hunting pressure was only significantly reduced for Partridges,hence this species may have been negatively affected by Filomena.Results suggest that in response to Filomena,Pigeons conducted partial migration in search of better conditions,while Magpies aggregated in certain areas of Madrid and Partridges endured the harsh conditions within their home ranges.Our results highlight the importance to alleviate negative impacts of extreme weather events in wild birds through management actions,especially for sedentary species.

Melatonin mitigates cold-induced damage to pepper seedlings by promoting redox homeostasis and regulating antioxidant profiling

This study assessed the influence of exogenous ME in the mitigation of cold damage in pepper seedlings. Melatonin(ME) is a dynamic molecule that helps plants cope with stress in several ways. Cold stress(CS) is one of the most important environmental factors that restrict plant growth and yield. Pepper(Capsicum annuum L.) is a valuable commercial crop, highly sensitive to CS. Thus, identifying an efficient strategy to mitigate cold damage is critical for long-term pepper production. For this purpose, the roots of pepper seedlings were pretreated with ME(5 μmol · L^(-1)) and exposed to CS for 7 d. The results indicated that CS suppressed pepper growth, hampered photosynthetic capacity, and damaged root architecture in pepper plants. In contrast, the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), malondialdehyde(MDA), electrolyte leakage(EL), proline, and soluble sugars were enhanced in plants under CS. ME(5 μmol · L^(-1)) pretreatment reduced the negative effects of CS by recovering plant growth, root traits, gas exchange elements, and pigment molecules compared to CS control treatment. Furthermore, ME application efficiently reduced oxidative stress markers [hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)), superoxide ion(O_(2)^(·-)), EL, and MDA] while increasing proline and soluble sugar content in pepper leaves. ME application combined with CS further increased antioxidant enzymes and related gene expression. Collectively, our results confirmed the mitigating potential of ME supplementation for CS by maintaining pepper seedling growth,improving the photosynthesis apparatus, regulating pigments, and osmolyte content.

Long-term thinning decreases the contribution of heterotrophic respiration to soil respiration in subalpine plantations

Interest in the dynamics of soil respiration(R_(S))in subalpine forest ecosystems is increasing due to their high soil carbon density and potential sensitivity to environmental changes.However,as a principal silvicultural practice,the long-term impacts of thinning on R_(S) and its heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration components(R_(h) and Ra,respectively)in subalpine plantations are poorly understood,espe-cially in winter.A 3-year field observation was carried out with consideration of winter CO_(2) efflux in middle-aged sub-alpine spruce plantations in northwestern China.A trench-ing method was used to explore the long-term impacts of thinning on Rs,Rn and R_(a).Seventeen years after thinning,mean annual Rs,Rn and R_(a) increased,while the contribu-tion of R_(h) to R_(s) decreased with thinning intensity.Thinning significantly decreased winter R,because of the reduction in R_(n) but had no significant effect on Ra.The temperature sensitivity(Q_(10))of R_(h) and R_(a) also increased with thinning intensity,with lower Q_(10) values for R_(h)(2.1-2.6)than for Ra(2.4-2.8).The results revealed the explanatory variables and pathways related to R_(n) and R_(a) dynamics.Thinning increased soil moisture and nitrate nitrogen(NO_(3)^(-)-N),and the enhanced nitrogen and water availability promoted R_(h) and R_(a) by improving fine root biomass and microbial activity.Our results highlight the positive roles of NO_(3)^(-)-N in stimulating R_(s) components following long-term thinning.Therefore,applications of nitrogen fertilizer are not recommended while thinning subalpine spruce plantations from the perspective of reducing soil CO_(2) emissions.The increased Q_(10) values of R_(s) components indicate that a large increase in soil CO_(2) emissions would be expected following thinning because of more pronounced climate warming in alpineregions.