Grassland productivity in arid Central Asia depends on the greening rate rather than the growing season length.

Climate change has induced substantial impact on the gross primary productivity (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems by affecting vegetation phenology. Nevertheless, it remains unclear which among the mean rates of grass greening (RG), yellowing (RY), and the length of growing season (LOS) exhibit stronger explanatory power for GPP variations, and how RG and RY affect GPP variations under warming scenarios. Here, we explored the relationship between RG, RY, LOS, and GPP in arid Central Asia (ACA) from 1982 to 2019, elucidating the response mechanisms of RG, RY, and GPP to the mean temperature (TMP), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), precipitation (PRE), and soil moisture (SM). The results showed that the multi-year average length of greening (LG) in ACA was 22.7 days shorter than that of yellowing (LY) and the multi-year average GPP during LG (GPPlg) was 38.28 g C m-2 d -1 more than that of during LY (GPPly). RG and RY were positively correlated with GPPlg and GPPly, although the degree of correlation between RG and GPPlg was higher than that between RY and GPPly. Increases in RG and RY contributed to an increase in GPPlg (55.44 % of annual GPP) and GPPly (35.44 % of annual GPP). The correlation between RG and GPPlg was the strongest (0.49), followed by RY and GPPly (0.33), and LOS and GPP was the weakest (0.21). TMP, VPD, PRE, and SM primarily affected GPP by influencing RG and RY, rather than direct effects. The positive effects of TMP during LG (TMPlg), PRE during LG (PRElg), and SM during LG (SMlg) facilitated increases in RG and GPPlg, and higher VPD during LY (VPDly) and lower PRE during LY (PREly) accelerated increases in RY. Our study elucidated the impact of vegetation growth rate on GPP, thus providing an alternate method of quantifying the relationship between vegetation phenology and GPP.

Assessing the impact of dust events on the Holiday Climate Index in the Taklimakan Desert region.

As a significant sector within the tourism industry, desert tourism has developed rapidly in recent years, contributing significantly to local economic development. On the other hand, desert tourism is constantly influenced by the desert climate, characterized by high temperatures, aridity, and dust events. This study examines and analyzes the impact of dust events on the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) using an improved methodology. It incorporates comprehensive meteorological data including temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and dust events of Tazhong, located in the heart of the Taklimakan Desert. The results indicate that the maximum mean monthly HCI dips from an ideal level (91) to a very good level (73), the minimum dips from good level (66) to a marginal level (47), and the annual comfortable days (HCI ≥ 80) decrease from 180.5 to 95.3 after considering the impacts of dust events. The corrective HCI indicates that autumn, especially October, offers relatively comfortable climatic conditions for tourism, with the mean monthly comfortable days reach 20.1. These findings can better guide desert tourism activities and also demonstrate that the impact of dust weather on tourism activities cannot be ignored.

Establishment of iPS cell line (SDQLCHi061-A) from a patient with carbamoylphosphate synthetase I deficiency due to CPS1 mutation.

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) line was generated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a patient with compound heterozygous mutation of c.2374A > G/p.M792V and c.3949C > T/p.R1317W in the CPS1 gene by non-integrating vectors. The expression of pluripotency markers, potential for in vitro trilineage differentiation and exhibiting normal karyotype were demonstrated in the SDQLCHi061-A cell line. This cell line could provide a useful CPS1D model in vitro for further study.

Impacts of climate change and human activity on the potential distribution of Aconitum leucostomum in China.

Aconitum leucostomum is a poisonous grass that disturbs grassland populations and livestock development, and its spread is influenced by climate change and human activities. Therefore, exploring its potential distribution area under such conditions is crucial to maintain grassland ecological security and livestock development. The present study initially selected 39 variables that may influence the spatial distribution of A. leucostomum, including bioclimate, soil, topography, solar radiation, and human footprint data; the variables were screened by Spearman's correlation coefficient and the jackknife method. Twenty variables were finally identified, and three types of models based on the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model were constructed to predict the distribution of A. leucostomum within China under three shared economy pathways (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585): A: prediction of environmental variables under the current climate model; B: prediction of environmental variables + human footprint under the current climate model; and C: prediction of environmental variables under the future climate model (including the 2030s, 2050s, and 2070s). The effects of human activities and climate change on the potential geographic distribution of A. leucostomum were explored separately. The results show that precipitation seasonality, human footprint, solar radiation and mean diurnal range are the main factors affecting the distribution of A. leucostomum. Human activities inhibit the spread of A. leucostomum, and climate change promotes its growth, with areas of high suitability and area variation mainly in northern Xinjiang and northern Yunnan. With climate change, in the future, the distribution center of A. leucostomum shows a tendency to migrate to the southeast on the horizontal gradient and to move to higher altitudes on the vertical gradient. This study provides a positive reference value for the control of A. leucostomum and the maintenance of grassland ecological security.

Generation and characterization of PBMCs-derived human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi050-A from a healthy donor.

The human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi050-A was derived from the PBMCs of a healthy 5-year-old male child. The karyotyping, pluripotency, and trilineage differentiation characteristics were verified in the SDQLCHi050-A line.

Generation of an iPSC line (SDQLCHi030-A) derived from PBMCs of a patient with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome caused by HPRT1 mutation.

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS, MIM300322) is a rare inherited disorder caused by mutations in HPRT1 gene. Here we describe the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from an infected child carrying the HPRT1 mutation c.508C > T(p.R170X) by reprogramming peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with episomal vectors. The obtained hiPSCs exhibited normal karyotype, expressed pluripotency markers, and possessed trilineage differentiation capacity.

Grassland cover dynamics and their relationship with climatic factors in China from 1982 to 2021.

China possesses abundant grassland resources, making it imperative to comprehend the influence of climate change on Chinese grassland ecosystems. Nonetheless, the impact pathways and lag effects of climate factors on various grassland types in this region at multiple temporal scales are still to be investigated in long-term sequences. This study investigated the dynamics of grassland FVC (fractional vegetation cover), temperature, precipitation, and drought from 1982 to 2021 using trend analysis, multiple linear regression, path analysis, and correlation analysis and explored the dominant, direct, indirect, and time-lag effects of climate factors on different grassland types at multiple time scales. Precipitation-grassland correlation pathways dominated the annual-scale grassland FVC. The correlation path of temperature to grassland FVC and the direct path of temperature dominated spring grassland FVC. The correlation path of drought to grassland FVC and the direct path of drought dominated summer grassland FVC. The correlation path of temperature to grassland FVC and the direct path of temperature dominated autumn and winter grassland FVC. The effects of temperature and precipitation on alpine and subalpine meadows, desert grasslands, and alpine and subalpine plains grasslands had a 1-month lag. The response to drought exhibited a 1-month lag in desert grasslands, a 2-month lag in alpine and subalpine meadows, plains grasslands, meadows, and alpine and subalpine plains grasslands, and a 3-month lag in sloped grasslands. This study seeks to provide a scientific reference to reveal the impact of climate change on grasslands and to protect grassland ecosystems.

Cumulative effects of drought have an impact on net primary productivity stability in Central Asian grasslands.

Global warming has exacerbated the threat of drought in Central Asia, amplifying its ecological implications within the region's grassland ecosystems. This has become an increasingly prominent issue that requires attention and action. The temporal link between grassland development and drought is asymmetric. However, a quantitative assessment of the temporal effects of multiscale drought on Central Asian grasslands has yet to be explored. Based on correlation analysis and the coefficient of variation method, this study analysed the cumulative and lag effects of multitimescale drought on grassland NPP (net primary productivity) under different climatic zones, altitudes and water availabilities in Central Asia from 1982 to 2018, and discussed the impact of temporal effects on grassland NPP stability. Our results on the cumulative effects of drought on grasslands indicate the 6.72 months preceding NPP measurement was the duration for which, on average, drought was most strongly correlated with NPP. Additionally, we found a mean lagged effect of 5.36 months, meaning that the monthly drought 5.36 months prior to NPP measurement was, on average, most strongly correlated with NPP. The degree to which grassland NPP was affected by cumulative drought at a given level of water availability was inversely proportional to the number of cumulative drought months. Under different water availabilities, the lagged effect of grassland NPP was stronger in dry areas than in wet areas, and the number of lag months tended to decrease and then increase as the water availability increased. The percentage of areas where grassland NPP was dominated by the cumulative and lagging effects of drought was 30.02% and 69.98%, respectively. The stability of grassland NPP was adversely affected by the drought accumulation effect. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the long-term effects of drought on grassland ecosystems. Additionally, it will aid in the development of strategies for mitigating and adapting to drought events, thereby minimizing their negative impacts on agriculture, livestock, and ecosystems.

Generation and characterization of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (SDQLCHi052-A) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from a healthy Chinese donor.

A non-integrated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line was generated derived from a healthy 20-day-old male using peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The established induced pluripotent stem cell line possesses a normal karyotype, expresses pluripotency markers and able to differentiate into all three germ layers in vitro. This cell line could serve as a health control or a basis for disease modeling, to explore molecular pathogenesis.

Generation of JAG1 gene c.1615C > T heterozygous mutation human embryonic stem cell line (SDQLCHe001-A) using cytosine base editor.

Pathogenic variants in Jagged-1 (JAG1), which encodes the ligand of the Notch receptor, had been demonstrated to cause Alagille syndrome. However, there is no evidence to support any genotype-phenotype correlations. Here, we generated a gene-edited human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line (H9) carrying the c.1615C > T mutation in JAG1 that was identified in a patient with Alagille syndrome (ALGS). This modified cell line was accomplished by using cytosine base editor (CBE), and may serve as a valuable model for JAG1 mutaion related disease, and facilitate to gain more insight into the biological function of JAG1.

Generation and characterization of PBMCs-derived human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SDQLCHi051-A from an autism spectrum disorder patient with compound CHD8 gene mutations.

CHD8 mutation is a case of genetic related autism spectrum disorder(ASD), In our research, We describe here the derivation of the iPSC line SDQLCHi051-A from a patient with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to two heterozygote mutations (c.6728G > A and c.3876 T > G) in the CHD8 gene. The resulting iPSC line has typical iPSCs characteristics, including pluripotency and trilineage differentiation hallmarks.

Establishment of an induced pluripotent stem cell line SDQLCHi048-A from a healthy boy donor.

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) line was generated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a healthy 1-month-old boy. Expression of pluripotency markers, deletion of free episomal vectors, preservation of normal karyotype, and potential for in vitro trilineage differentiation were demonstrated in the iPSCs line SDQLCHi048-A. This cell line may serve as a basis for disease modeling and help to further explore the molecular pathogenesis.

Probabilistic assessment of drought stress vulnerability in grasslands of Xinjiang, China.

In the process of climate warming, drought has increased the vulnerability of ecosystems. Due to the extreme sensitivity of grasslands to drought, grassland drought stress vulnerability assessment has become a current issue to be addressed. First, correlation analysis was used to determine the characteristics of the normalized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) response of the grassland normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to multiscale drought stress (SPEI-1 ~ SPEI-24) in the study area. Then, the response of grassland vegetation to drought stress at different growth periods was modeled using conjugate function analysis. Conditional probabilities were used to explore the probability of NDVI decline to the lower percentile in grasslands under different levels of drought stress (moderate, severe and extreme drought) and to further analyze the differences in drought vulnerability across climate zones and grassland types. Finally, the main influencing factors of drought stress in grassland at different periods were identified. The results of the study showed that the spatial pattern of drought response time of grassland in Xinjiang had obvious seasonality, with an increasing trend from January to March and November to December in the nongrowing season and a decreasing trend from June to October in the growing season. August was the most vulnerable period for grassland drought stress, with the highest probability of grassland loss. When the grasslands experience a certain degree of loss, they develop strategies to mitigate the effects of drought stress, thereby decreasing the probability of falling into the lower percentile. Among them, the highest probability of drought vulnerability was found in semiarid grasslands, as well as in plains grasslands and alpine subalpine grasslands. In addition, the primary drivers of April and August were temperature, whereas for September, the most significant influencing factor was evapotranspiration. The results of the study will not only deepen our understanding of the dynamics of drought stress in grasslands under climate change but also provide a scientific basis for the management of grassland ecosystems in response to drought and the allocation of water in the future.

Important role of precipitation in controlling a more uniform spring phenology in the Qinba Mountains, China.

Under global warming, the gradual pattern of spring phenology along elevation gradients (EG) has significantly changed. However, current knowledge on the phenomenon of a more uniform spring phenology is mainly focused on the effect of temperature and neglected precipitation. This study aimed to determine whether a more uniform spring phenology occurs along EG in the Qinba Mountains (QB) and explore the effect of precipitation on this pattern. We used Savitzky-Golay (S-G) filtering to extract the start of season (SOS) of the forest from the MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) during 2001-2018 and determined the main drivers of the SOS patterns along EG by partial correlation analyses. The SOS showed a more uniform trend along EG in the QB with a rate of 0.26 ± 0.01 days 100 m-1 per decade during 2001-2018, but there were differences around 2011. A delayed SOS at low elevations was possibly due to the reduced spring precipitation (SP) and spring temperature (ST) between 2001 and 2011. Additionally, an advanced SOS at high elevations may have been caused by the increased SP and reduced winter temperature (WT). These divergent trends contributed to a significant uniform trend of SOS with a rate of 0.85 ± 0.02 days 100 m-1 per decade. Since 2011, significantly higher SP (especially at low elevations) and rising ST advanced the SOS, and the SOS at lower altitudes was more advanced than at higher altitudes, resulting in greater SOS differences along EG (0.54 ± 0.02 days 100 m-1 per decade). The SP determined the direction of the uniform trend in SOS by controlling the SOS patterns at low elevations. A more uniform SOS may have important effects on local ecosystem stability. Our findings could provide a theoretical basis for establishing ecological restoration measures in areas experiencing similar trends.

Spatial-temporal evolution and driving force analysis of eco-quality in urban agglomerations in China.

Urban agglomerations are important spatial carriers of regional economic development, and their ecological quality (EQ) is closely related to economic growth and human development. However, the rapid urbanization in China has generated a series of EQ problems that threaten the sustainable development of the country. Therefore, it is essential to explore changes in EQ for the development of sustainable "human-land" relations in urban agglomerations. Using GIS, GeoDetector, Stepwise multiple regression, and Sen'trend analysis, to reveal the spatial-temporal evolution of EQ in urban agglomerations along with the spatial heterogeneity of its driving forces in China. Results show that: (1) The annual change rate of EQ of urban agglomerations ranges from -0.0312 to 0.0334. Taking the Hu-line as a boundary, the EQ of urban agglomerations is spatially high in the east and low in the west. (2) The Global Moran's I index ranged from 0.740 to 0.687 during the study period, indicating a positive correlation in the EQ spatial distribution. The EQ of urban agglomerations has significant spatial agglomeration, with hot spots concentrated in the eastern region and cold spots in the northwestern region. (3) Main drivers of EQ of urban agglomerations are elevation, population density, nighttime light index, arable land area, real GDP per capita, precipitation, and built-up urban area (q > 10 %). (4) The stepwise multiple regression model spatially reveals that the nighttime light index, built-up urban area land and GDP per capita dominate the ecological quality changes of urban agglomerations, accounting for 73.68 % of the total number of urban agglomerations. This study provides an effective method for assessing spatial-temporal changes of EQ in urban agglomerations, supports scientific decision-making support for the construction of ecological civilization and the development of human-land harmony in urban agglomerations, and promotes the development and construction of "Beautiful China."

Effects of drought and climate factors on vegetation dynamics in Central Asia from 1982 to 2020.

Ecological security and ecosystem stability in Central Asia depend heavily on the local vegetation. Vegetation dynamics and the response and hysteresis relationships to climate factors and drought on multiple scales over long time series in the region still need to be further explored. Using the net primary productivity (NPP) values as the vegetation change index of interest, in this study, we analyzed vegetation dynamics in Central Asia from 1982 to 2020 and assessed the responses and time lags of vegetation to climate factors and drought. The results showed that NPP gradually decreased from north to south and from east to west. Vegetation was distributed along both sides of the mountains. The temperatures rose from northeast to southwest, while precipitation gradually increased from southwest to northeast. The proportion of dry and wet years was as follows: normal (56.41%) > slightly dry (28.2%) > slightly humid (15.39%). Precipitation and drought conditions were positively correlated with NPP during the growing season, while temperature was negatively correlated with NPP. Increased spring temperature, precipitation, and drought conditions positively affected vegetation, while sustained summer temperature resulted in suppressed vegetation growth. Autumn vegetation was positively affected by temperature and drought, and precipitation was negatively correlated with autumn vegetation. Increasing winter temperatures promoted vegetation growth. The time lag between NPP and temperature gradually increased from northeast to southwest, and the time lag between NPP and precipitation gradually increased from south to north. Spring temperatures had the greatest beneficial impact on forestlands; summer climatic factors and drought had little effect on shrublands; the autumn climate exhibited small differences in its influence of each plant type; and winter temperatures had the greatest positive effect on grasslands. No time lag effect was found between any of the four vegetation types and precipitation. A one-month lag was found between cultivated lands and temperature; a two-month lag was found between forestlands and temperature; and a one-month lag was found between forestlands and drought and between shrublands and drought. The results can provide a scientific foundation for the sustainable development and management of ecosystems.

Predictions Based on Different Climate Change Scenarios: The Habitat of Typical Locust Species Is Shrinking in Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China.

Climate change, especially climate extremes, can increase the uncertainty of locust outbreaks. The Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus (Linnaeus, 1758)), Asian migratory locust (Locusta migratoria migratoria Linnaeus, 1758), and Siberian locust (Gomphocerus sibiricus (Linnaeus, 1767)) are common pests widely distributed in the semidesert grasslands of Central Asia and its surrounding regions. Predicting the geographic distribution changes and future habitats of locusts in the context of climate warming is essential to effectively prevent large and sudden locust outbreaks. In this study, the optimized maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, employing a combination of climatic, soil, and topographic factors, was used to predict the potential fitness areas of typical locusts in the 2030s and 2050s, assuming four shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585) in the CMIP6 model. Modeling results showed that the mean area under the curve (AUC) and true statistical skill (TSS) of the MaxEnt model reached 0.933 and 0.7651, respectively, indicating that the model exhibited good prediction performance. Our results showed that soil surface sand content, slope, mean precipitation during the hottest season, and precipitation seasonality were the key environmental variables affecting locust distribution in the region. The three locust species were mainly distributed in the upstream region of the Irtysh River, the Alatao Mountain region, the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, around Sayram Lake, the eastern part of the Alakol Lake region, the Tekes River region, the western part of Ulungur Lake, the Ili River, and the upstream region of the Tarim River. According to several climate projections, the area of potential habitat for the three most common locust species will decrease by 3.9 × 104-4.6 × 104 km2 by the 2030s and by 6.4 × 104-10.6 × 104 km2 by the 2050s. As the climate becomes more extreme, the suitable area will shrink, but the highly suitable area will expand; thus, the risk of infestation should be taken seriously. Our study present a timely investigation to add to extensive literature currently appearing regarding the myriad ways climate change may affect species. While this naturally details a limited range of taxa, methods and potential impacts may be more broadly applicable to other locust species.

The potential habitat of desert locusts is contracting: predictions under climate change scenarios.

Desert locusts are notorious for their widespread distribution and strong destructive power. Their influence extends from the vast arid and semiarid regions of western Africa to northwestern India. Large-scale locust outbreaks can have devastating consequences for food security, and their social impact may be long-lasting. Climate change has increased the uncertainty of desert locust outbreaks, and predicting suitable habitats for this species under climate change scenarios will help humans deal with the potential threat of locust outbreaks. By comprehensively considering climate, soil, and terrain variables, the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model was used to predict the potential habitats of solitary desert locusts in the 2050s and 2070s under the four shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585) in the CMIP6 model. The modeling results show that the average area under the curve (AUC) and true skill statistic (TSS) reached 0.908 ± 0.002 and 0.701, respectively, indicating that the MaxEnt model performed extremely well and provided outstanding prediction results. The prediction results indicate that climate change will have an impact on the distribution of the potential habitat of solitary desert locusts. With the increase in radiative forcing overtime, the suitable areas for desert locusts will continue to contract, especially in the 2070s under the SSP585 scenario, and the moderately and highly suitable areas will decrease by 0.88 × 106 km2 and 1.55 × 106 km2, respectively. Although the potentially suitable area for desert locusts is contracting, the future threat posed by the desert locust to agricultural production and food security cannot be underestimated, given the combination of maintained breeding areas, frequent extreme weather events, pressure from population growth, and volatile sociopolitical environments. In conclusion, methods such as monitoring and early warning, financial support, regional cooperation, and scientific prevention and control of desert locust plagues should be further implemented.

Generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (SDQLCHi036-A) from a patient with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency carrying a deletion involving 3-9 exons of OTC gene.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is a rare X-linked urea cycle disorder. Maternal OTCD can lead to life-threatening hyperammonemia if untreated. Here, we report the Generation of an iPSC line from a patient with OTCD carrying a deletion involving 3-9 exons of OTC gene using non-integrating plasmids expressing OCT4, SOX2, c-MYC, KLF4, and BCL-XL. The SDQLCHi036-A showed normal karyotype, pluripotent state, and potential to differentiate into three germ layers. Our approach offers a useful model to explore pathogenesis and therapy of OTCD.

Induced pluripotent stem cell line (SDQLCHi041-A) from a male patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder caused by mutations in NAGLU gene, and characterized by progressive cognitive decline and behavioral difficulties and motor function retardation. A human induced pluripotent stem cell line, SDQLCHi041-A was generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a 4 years and 9 months old patient with MPS IIIB, who carried compound heterozygous mutation of c.1336G > A and c.608G > A in NAGLU gene. SDQLCHi041-A offers a useful cell model to investigate pathogenic mechanisms in MPS IIIB.