Phylogeography of Prunus armeniaca L. revealed by chloroplast DNA and nuclear ribosomal sequences

To clarify the phytogeography of Prunus armeniaca L., two chloroplast DNA fragments (trnL-trnF and ycf1) and the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were employed to assess genetic variation across 12 P. armeniaca populations. The results of cpDNA and ITS sequence data analysis showed a high the level of genetic diversity (cpDNA: HT = 0.499; ITS: HT = 0.876) and a low level of genetic differentiation (cpDNA: FST = 0.1628; ITS: FST = 0.0297) in P. armeniaca. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the genetic variation in P. armeniaca occurred among individuals within populations. The value of interpopulation differentiation (NST) was significantly higher than the number of substitution types (GST), indicating genealogical structure in P. armeniaca. P. armeniaca shared genotypes with related species and may be associated with them through continuous and extensive gene flow. The haplotypes/genotypes of cultivated apricot populations in Xinjiang, North China, and foreign apricot populations were mixed with large numbers of haplotypes/genotypes of wild apricot populations from the Ili River Valley. The wild apricot populations in the Ili River Valley contained the ancestral haplotypes/genotypes with the highest genetic diversity and were located in an area considered a potential glacial refugium for P. armeniaca. Since population expansion occurred 16.53 kyr ago, the area has provided a suitable climate for the population and protected the genetic diversity of P. armeniaca.

Comparison of Aroma Compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wines from Five Growing Regions in Xinjiang in China

A total of 55 volatiles including esters (29, 52.73%), alcohols (10, 18.18%), acids (3, 5.45%), alkanes (8, 14.55%), and other components (5, 9.09%) were evaluated in five regions. Total concentrations were 0.05–222.23 mg/L, which covered the highest esters (222.23 mg/L) and alcohols (120.65 mg/L) in Turpan, acid (0.53 mg/L) in Shihezi, and alkanes (1.43 mg/L) and others (3.10 mg/L) in the Ili River valley. It proved that numbers and concentrations of volatile compounds, including common ingredients of variety, were closely linked to ecological characteristics of a region. Esters and alcohols were the major ingredients in Xinjiang Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Additionally, appellation could affect performance of concentration, ODE, and OTH, especially for the same flavor substance by fermentation, aging, and even formation and transformation in wines. Therefore, three conditions for formation of flavors were successively appellations, metabolism and fermentation, and and appropriate altering according to technology and their decisive role in wine quality. Each volatile compound had its own flavor, the combination of which complicated the flavor. The unique materials in the region were grounded for the development of products with corresponding flavors by producing substrate for fermentation. When choosing a wine you enjoy, the right appellation should be considered first.

Simulations in the Topography Effects of Tianshan Mountains on an Extreme Precipitation Event in the Ili River Valley, China

Xinjiang is located in an arid and semi-arid climate region in China, but Xinjiang Ili river valley is more humid, with higher precipitation intensity and precipitation, which is closely related to the role of the Tianshan Mountains. In this paper, through the NCRP 1° × 1° reanalysis data and the conventional observation data of the Ili River Valley in Xinjiang, the terrain sensitivity experiment conducted by the WRF model is used to analyze the short-term extreme precipitation event of the Ili River Valley from 18–19 of May 2017, to reveal the influence of Tianshan Mountains on the extreme precipitation event of the Ili River Valley. The results show that: (1) The reduction or removal of the terrain will cause a wide range of wind field changes, weaken the vertical upward movement of the windward slope, and the accumulation of water vapor before the windward slope will also be reduced; a large-scale change of the terrain will also affect the direction of water vapor transportation. These effects together lead to a decrease or increase in regional precipitation. (2) “Fuzzy” (smooth) terrain will affect the precipitation simulated by changing the local vertical movement and water vapor transport, which shows that the WRF model’s accurate description of the terrain structure characteristics of mountainous areas is beneficial to accurately simulate the precipitation process on the windward slope area.

Phylogeography of Prunus Armeniaca L. By Chloroplast DNA and Nuclear Ribosomal Sequences

To clarify the phytogeography of Prunus armeniaca L., two chloroplast DNA fragments (trnL-trnF and ycf1) and the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were employed to assess the genetic variation across 12 P. armeniaca populations. The results of cpDNA and ITS sequence data analysis showed that the level of genetic diversity in P. armeniaca was high (cpDNA: HT=0.499; ITS: HT=0.876), and the level of genetic differentiation was low (cpDNA: FST=0.1628; ITS: FST=0.0297). An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the genetic variation in P. armeniaca occurred among individuals within populations. The value of interpopulation differentiation (NST) was significantly higher than the number of substitution types (GST), indicating a genealogical structure in P. armeniaca. P. armeniaca shared the same genotypes with related species and may be associated with them through continuous and extensive gene flow. The haplotypes/genotypes of cultivated apricot populations in Xinjiang, North China, and foreign apricot populations were mixed with large numbers of haplotypes/genotypes of wild apricot populations from the Ili River Valley. The wild apricot populations in the Ili River Valley contained the ancestral haplotypes/genotypes with the highest genetic diversity and were located in an area considered a potential glacial refugiume for P. armeniaca. Since population expansion occurred 16.53 kyr ago, the area has provided a suitable climate for the population and protected the genetic diversity of P. armeniaca.

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Its Response to Climate Factors in the Ili River Valley Region of China

Background: As the global climate changes, the number of cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is increasing year by year. This study comprehensively considers the association of time and space by analyzing the temporal and spatial distribution changes of HFMD in the Ili River Valley in terms of what climate factors could affect HFMD and in what way. Methods: HFMD cases were obtained from the National Public Health Science Data Center from 2013 to 2018. Monthly climate data, including average temperature (MAT), average relative humidity (MARH), average wind speed (MAWS), cumulative precipitation (MCP), and average air pressure (MAAP), were obtained from the National Meteorological Information Center. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of HFMD from 2013 to 2018 were obtained using kernel density estimation (KDE) and spatiotemporal scan statistics. A regression model of the incidence of HFMD and climate factors was established based on a geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model and a generalized additive model (GAM). Results: The KDE results show that the highest density was from north to south of the central region, gradually spreading to the whole region throughout the study period. Spatiotemporal cluster analysis revealed that clusters were distributed along the Ili and Gongnaisi river basins. The fitted curves of MAT and MARH were an inverted V-shape from February to August, and the fitted curves of MAAP and MAWS showed a U-shaped change and negative correlation from February to May. Among the individual climate factors, MCP coefficient values varied the most while MAWS values varied less from place to place. There was a partial similarity in the spatial distribution of coefficients for MARH and MAT, as evidenced by a significant degree of fit performance in the whole region. MCP showed a significant positive correlation in the range of 15–35 mm, and MAAP showed a positive correlation in the range of 925–945 hPa. HFMD incidence increased with MAT in the range of 15–23 °C, and the effective value of MAWS was in the range of 1.3–1.7 m/s, which was positively correlated with incidences of HFMD. Conclusions: HFMD incidence and climate factors were found to be spatiotemporally associated, and climate factors are mostly non-linearly associated with HFMD incidence.

Рукописи К. Ларионова и К. Малишевского как одни из первых источников изучения буддийских наскальных изображений Тамгалытаса на реке Или

Introduction. The paper deals with the unique Buddhist culture complex of Tamgaly Tas located in the Ili River Valley, in the vicinity of Kapchagay (present-day Talgar District of Almaty Region). The carvings of pictures and inscriptions have been investigated for over a century and a half since the locality was visited by the renown Kazakh scholar, ethnographer and traveler Sh. Walikhanov. Goals. The work introduces into scientific discourse manuscript reports by the military topographer K. Larionov and Orientalist K. Malishevsky. Results. The article analyzes the research historiography, publishes original manuscripts supplemented with all drawings made by the authors, and evaluates them as sources for further studies of the unique monument attesting to the dissemination of Buddhism across the region during the Dzungar rule.

Temporal and spatial variability in snow cover over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, from 2001 to 2015

Xinjiang, China, is a typical arid and semi-arid region of Central Asia that significantly lacks freshwater resources, and the surface runoff in this region is mainly supplied by mountain glacier and snow cover meltwater. Based on the above background and issues of transnational water resources between Xinjiang and Central Asia along the Silk Road Economic Belt, which were highlighted in the major strategy of “The Belt and Road”, this study analysed the spatial and temporal variations in snow cover and snow cover days in the Xinjiang region from 2001 to 2015. The study area includes four subregions: Northern Xinjiang, Southern Xinjiang, Eastern Xinjiang and the Ili River Valley. Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 8-day snow cover data were used after removing clouds by combining MOD10A2 and MYD10A2. The results showed that seasonal snow cover occurred from October to April in most regions of Xinjiang and that this snow cover consisted of two processes: snow accumulation and snow ablation. The maximum snow cover occurred in January, whereas the minimum snow cover occurred from July to August. During the seasonal snow cover period, the snowfall rates in Northern Xinjiang and the Ili River Valley were higher, while the other regions had a low snowfall probability. To study the relationship between altitude and snow cover, the normalized snow elevation correlation index (NSACI) was calculated. The NSACI showed a significant correlation between snow cover and elevation in most regions of Xinjiang and was classified into five grades. Snow cover days did not fluctuate obviously from 2001 to 2015, and a decreasing trend was observed in the four subregions except for the Ili River Valley (nonsignificant decreasing trend). We also observed a correlation between snow cover and temperature and found that the correlations between monthly snow cover and monthly temperature in the four subregions were strongly related to the underlying land type and global warming background, which also suggests that the special topography of Xinjiang greatly influences both snow cover and climate change.