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The development of seedling production technology and methods of establishing highyielding plantations of Picea obovata Ledeb. on a scientific basis is one of the urgent problems of forestry in Mongolia. In this study, we aimed to solve the following problems: to conduct a comparative analysis of the seedling growth parameters and biomass accumulation grown on different nutrient substrates; to assess the relationship between seedling growth, biomass accumulation and soil properties; to determine the most optimal nutrient substrates for seedling production of Siberian spruce in greenhouse conditions in Northern Mongolia. Six formulations of nutrient substrates (T1, Т2, Т3, Т4, Т5, Т6) were used for the seedling production of Picea obovata Ledeb. in greenhouses equipped with a sprinkler system. Nutrient substrates were prepared using black soil, manure, compost, peat, sawdust, sand in different composition ratios. During the 4-year-observation period height, root collar diameter, root length and aboveground and belowground biomass of seedlings were measured at the end of each growing season. We divided the biomass of seedlings into several structural elements. We found that all tested nutrient substrates, except the control substrate, had a positive effect on seedling growth in height and diameter. Comparative analyses showed that different ratio and composition of black soil, compost, manure, sawdust, and sand in the nutrient substrate had different effects on seedling growth (p > 0.001) and biomass accumulation (p > 0.001). Among the proposed nutrient substrates, the treatments T2 (50 % black soil + 20 % sand + 20 % peat + 10 % compost) and T6 (60 % black soil + 20 % sand + 10 % peat + 10 % compost) were selected as the most effective soil substrate that are suitable for further seedling production of Siberian spruce under greenhouse conditions in Mongolia. There fore, it was observed that good root system development was a determinant of seedling growth in height, diameter, and aboveground biomass accumulation especially from 3–4 years of age. Spruce seedling growth was positively correlated not only with humus content (r = 0.46), but also with soil acidity (r = 0.43) and available phosphorus (r = 0.48). The results of this investigation made an important contribution to the development of production technology for growing standard and large-sized seedlings of Picea obovata in greenhouse complexes in Northern Mongolia. For citation: Jagdag D., Batsaikhan G., Baatarbileg N., Lobanov A.I., Gerelbaatar S. Effect of Nutrient Substrate on Seedling Growth and Biomass Allocation of Picea obovata Ledeb. in Northern Mongolia. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 6, pp. 57–69. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-6-57-69

Abstract Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme heat events. Ecological responses to extreme heat will depend on vegetation physiology and thermal tolerance. Here we report that Larix sibirica, a foundation species across boreal Eurasia, is vulnerable to extreme heat at its southern range margin due to its low thermal tolerance (Tcrit of photosynthesis: ~ 37–48 °C). Projections from CMIP6 Earth System Models (ESMs) suggest that leaf temperatures might exceed the 25th percentile of Larix sibirica’s Tcrit by two to three days per year within the next two to three decades (by 2050) under high emission scenarios (SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5). This degree of warming will threaten the biome’s continued ability to assimilate and sequester carbon. This work highlights that under high emission trajectories we may approach an abrupt ecological tipping point in southern boreal Eurasian forests substantially sooner than ESM estimates that do not consider plant thermal tolerance traits.

AbstractThe accurate estimation of tree above-ground (AGB) and below-ground (BGB) biomass components and their root/shoot ratio play key roles in stand and country-level forest biomass and carbon stock estimation. Nevertheless, site-specific and appropriate biomass equations and root/shoot ratio are hardly available for natural larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) forests in Mongolia. The present study aimed (1) to develop allometric equations to estimate the above- and below-ground biomass of L. sibirica trees, and (2) to estimate the root/shoot ratio applicable for estimating the root biomass based on above-ground biomass of natural larch forests in northern Mongolia. A total of 40 trees with DBH ranging from 6.8 to 40.8 cm were sampled for tree biomass analyses. For each biomass component, we calculated the proportion of biomass allocated to different components, and also tested four allometric equations based on diameter at breast height (DBH) and height (H) as independent variables. Our results, based on measurements of oven-dried biomass, revealed that stem biomass on average accounted for 44.5% and followed by branch (28.6%) and root (19.9%) biomass, respectively. Stem and branch biomass proportions were gradually increased with increasing DBH, while a contrary trend was observed for needles. The root/shoot ratio averaged 0.25. A comparison of the allocation of root biomass by diameter fractions showed an ever-growing trend of coarse roots with an increase in stem diameter, which often exceeded more than 50% of the total root biomass. However, biomass equations, which include both DBH and H were more precise than equations that are solely based only on DBH. Consequently, among the proposed allometric regression models for estimating the AGB and BGB, the equation y = aDbHc was selected as the best-fitted equation for estimating each biomass component in Siberian larch forests. These allometric equations are available to be used for the estimation of natural larch forest biomass and carbon stocks in the Khentii Mountains of Mongolia, where extreme continental climate conditions dominate.

Objective: Although the incidence of colorectal cancer is relatively low in Mongolia, the postoperative survival rate has not been fully studied. Thus, we have aimed in the present study to analyze the survival rate after surgical treatment of colorectal cancer. Methods: We studied the patient history of all patients who underwent surgery in the General Surgery Department, National Cancer Center of Mongolia from January 2013 to December 2015 and evaluated the results. Results: The average survival rate of all patients was 42 months or 95 %. In patients with colorectal cancer, the 5-year survival rate after surgery was 59.3 %. By stages, the percentage of patients diagnosed in stage I was 100 %, in stage II 75 %, in stage III 64.4 %, and in stage IV 12.5 %, and the survival rate varied from stage to stage. It was also found that early diagnosis was directly related to survival rate (p = 0.000). Furthermore, the outcome of postoperative chemotherapy had a direct effect on the postoperative survival rate (p = 0.000). The average survival rate is 1280 days 1172.7 - 1389.06 (95 % conf. Interval), 42 months 38.5 - 45.6 (95 % conf. Interval), 3.5 years 3.2 - 3.8 (95 % conf. Interval), which was relatively high compared to other cases of cancer. In addition, the survival time is statistically related to the outcome of surgery and postoperative treatment (p = 0.000). Conclusion: The results of our study show that viability decreases statistically in later stages of cancer manifestation.

Wychodząc od studiów postkolonialnych oraz od studiów nad postzależnością, autorka tekstu proponuje kategorię dyslokacji postzależnościowej, którą definiuje jako strategię narracyjną, polegającą na ulokowaniu postaci na styku dwóch przestrzeni, z których jedna nosi ślady historii lokalnej, naznaczonej sytuacją zdominowania, druga zaś jest przestrzenią odblokowanej historii. W części analitycznej autorka identyfikuje obecność dyslokacji postzależnościowej w dwóch tekstach: My zdes’ emigranty (1991) Manueli Gretkowskiej oraz Una primavera per a Domenico Guarini (1980) katalońskiej autorki Carme Riery. Bohaterki tych tekstów zwracają się ku kulturze europejskiej, noszącej cechy uniwersalnego rezerwuaru wiedzy i epistemologicznego fundamentu, w poszukiwaniu zasobów, które nadadzą sens ich tożsamościowej metamorfozie. Dyslokacja postzależnościowa pozwala zarazem uchwycić specyficzne pozycjonowanie się podmiotu wobec historii lokalnej.

Objectives: We investigated the clinical outcomes of a few initial cases of interior knee arthroscopic surgical repair conducted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Methods: Arthroscopic knee repair patients were recruited into a single-arm trial study and followed up to the third month post-surgically. Subjects were the first cohort of all-inside arthroscopic knee surgery at the National Trauma and Orthopedics Research Center (NTORC) of Mongolia. We examined the subjects by tests including MRI prior to surgery, and complete knee evaluation including symptoms, functionality, and local examinations at the baseline and the third month after surgery. Pairwise statistical methods including McNemar Test and T-test were used. Additionally, Pearson’s R Correlations tests were used. Results: Forty-nine knee arthroscopic surgery patients were included for analysis. Knee pain, some local symptoms during recovery, and functionality significantly improved post-surgically, (p < 0.051). Arthroscopic knee interventions including anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, local partial meniscectomy, and meniscal repair were predominantly conducted, strongly reflecting the knee MRI scan findings. Surgical site infections were absent in this cohort of patients. Age was correlated with post-surgical pain (p < 0.050). Conclusion: Knee arthroscopic outcomes for symptom alleviation and recovery of function were satisfactory at 3 months of follow-up in this study. We conclude that we enjoyed an excellent experience with all-inside knee arthroscopy in a central Asian lower-middle income country (LMIC) setting with younger and middle-aged patients. Older age Mongolians may present with post-surgical pain more often than these subjects.

Objective: Pancreatic necrosis is defined as acute necrotic collection and it occurs in 15-25% of patients with acute pancreatitis. Aim of this study is to investigate the use of marsupialization of omental bursa in combination with the semi-open packaging method to draining infected fluid collected from the omental bursa by suction pressure. Methods: We have performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the General Surgery Department and Gastroenterology Department of The Third Central Hospital, and The First Central Hospital in Ulaanbaatar from November 1, 2008, to January 1, 2020, admitted with acute pancreatitis. After the complete debridement and lavage , upper and lower omental edges of the gastro-colic ligament were sewed to the peritoneum of upper and lower wound edges and negative pressure vacuum assisted closure was performed. Results: 155 patients aged 25-65 years participated in this study. The mean age was 38.98 ± 5.47, with 131 men (85%) and 24 women (15%). Post-opertaive complications occured in 118 (76.1%) cases of pancreatic necrosis after open surgery: the rate of complications was 45.8% in open packing, 21.3% in temporary closure, and 32.9% in vacuum closure. Wound healing time was 50.2 ± 3.6 in the open packing, while this time was shorted in both temporary closure and vacuum closure procedures (27.5 ± 3.05 and 28.1 ± 1.7, respectively). Conclusion: For pancreatic necrosis and inflammation, the use of marsupialization and semi-closed vacuum therapy reduces the number of recurrent surgeries with fewer complications. The postoperative wound closure of vacuum suction, was twice as short as open surgery (28.1 ± 1.7 days).

The success of reforestation largely depends on the quality of the seedling. This study focuses on comparative assessments of the experimental planting of Picea obovata seedlings under various growing conditions, including in a greenhouse and open field. The objectives were to carry out a comparative study of the effect of different care regimes on the growth of seedling, and to choose the most optimal treatment that accelerates the growth of seedlings on the basis of the results taken from the comparative analysis. The study was carried out in the Experimental Forest Nursery of the Institute of Geography and Geoecology, MAS in the period between 2018 and 2020. The experimental planting design included four treatments with varying irrigation norms, air temperatures, air relative humidity, shading rates. Two of these experiments were put in greenhouses, and the remaining two treatments were in the open field. Repeated measurements and sampling were performed at the end of each growing season. The results showed high variation in seedling height (p < 0.0001; F = 38.6) and diameter (p < 0.0001; F = 43.2) growth and biomass accumulation (p < 0.0001). These variables therefore, positively corresponded to the air temperature, air relative humidity and moisture sufficiency in the soils. We found that the seedlings had faster growth in height (52.4%) and diameter (62.3%), and there was more biomass accumulation (128.1%) under greenhouse conditions than outdoors. With regard to the biomass allocation, a three-year observation showed a greater proportion of stem biomass in the total biomass, and, conversely, the predominant proportion of needle biomass accounted for open field treatments. However, the creation of stable condition in the greenhouse with a high relative humidity (more than 75%; daily watering norm of 20 liters per day) and an internal temperature of 25°C (40% shading) had the most positive effect on the growth and accumulation of biomass of seedlings. Consequently, we conclude that to meet the existing needs for seedlings for the restoration of natural Picea obovata forests, seedling production in greenhouses should be recommended.

Objective: To determine the clinical features and diagnostic parameters of acute alcohol-induced pancreatic necrosis to develop a new system to assess the severity of acute pancreatitis, diagnose necrotic inflammation, and understand prognosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to the General Surgery Department and Gastroenterology Department of The Third Central Hospital, and The First Central Hospital in Ulaanbaatar from November 1, 2008, to January 1, 2020, admitted with acute pancreatitis, gathering clinical data using a structured form. From these data, we developed a new scoring system. Results: The median age of patients with acute necrotic pancreatitis was 43 (range 25-71) years, with the majority (87.4%) ages 26 to 60. Of the 31 deaths reported in the study, 24 (77.4%) were hospitalized more than 72 hours after the onset of the disease. Using the new evaluation system, 12 out of 122 patients were classified as class A (score 0-3), 69 (56.5%) were class B (score 4-6), and 41 (33.6%) of the patients were class C (score ≥7) points. Conclusion: The evaluation system we developed aids with early diagnosis, progression and prognosis of severe forms of acute pancreatitis. It is easy to score, and it is possible to score using information available in Mongolia’s secondary and tertiary hospitals.

Abstract Warming in Central Asia has been accelerating over the past three decades and is expected to intensify through the end of this century. Here, we develop a summer temperature reconstruction for western Mongolia spanning eight centuries (1269–2004 C.E.) using delta blue intensity measurements from annual rings of Siberian larch. A significant cooling response is observed in the year following major volcanic events and up to five years post‐eruption. Observed summer temperatures since the 1990s are the warmest over the past eight centuries, an observation that is also well captured in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) climate model simulations. Projections for summer temperature relative to observations suggest further warming of between ∼3°C and 6°C by the end of the century (2075–2099 cf. 1950–2004) under the representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5 (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) emission scenarios. We conclude that projected future warming lies beyond the range of natural climate variability for the past millennium as estimated by our reconstruction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of selective internal radiation therapy and sorafenib on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: The National Cancer Center of Mongolia was one of the Asia-Pacific Liver Cancer Research Team sites, and we recruited patients into the study. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 stratified and to receive either SIRT or sorafenib 800 mg/d orally. Outcome measures were physical examination, functional assessment, CBC, liver function test, AFP results, and CT scan every 4, 8 and, 12 weeks after treatment initiation. Results: Between March 2011 and June 2016, 39 patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty patients were treated with SIRT, and 19 patients were treated with sorafenib. Median OS and PFS rates were no different in sorafenib arm patients than in SIRT arm (15.56 vs. 9.17; HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.46, p = .889) and (8.51 months vs. 5.85 months; HR,1.07; CI, 0.53-2.16, p = .842). But, tumor response was greater in SIRT than sorafenib treatment (68.8% vs 62.5%, p = .033). Two (10%) patients had a complete response, 2 (10%) patients had a partial response, and 7 (43.8%) patients had a stable response. A total of 165 treatment-emergent adverse events were reported (SIRT 66 vs. sorafenib 99). Significantly fewer patients in the SIRT than sorafenib group had grade ≥3 adverse events (83 vs. 115, p = .0964). Conclusion: In patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, overall survival did not differ significantly between SIRT and sorafenib. But SIRT significantly increased tumor response and reduced the incidence of adverse events compared with sorafenib.

This study was carried out in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations that were previously established in West Khentii Mountains of Northern Mongolia. In this study, species composition, richness, diversity and plant cover changes among planted forests with different plantation ages were analyzed. We found an obvious difference of species composition between natural stands and plantations. Our findings revealed continuous changes in vascular plant composition among plantations by increasing light-demanding species. A number of species from forest and forest-meadow mesophytes were replaced with xerophytes from forest-steppe and steppe. Current profound changes in species composition and a stable existence of invasive plant species from different ecological groups have a tendency to be stored during the initial stage of forest plantation establishment. The strong effect of planted trees on the growing environment appeared rather late, and has intensified since 15 years after the plantation establishment.

The article confronts two ways of organizing the memory of Spanish Transition: one represented by Javier Cercas (Anatomía de un instante, El impostor), who turns to a novel without fiction, and the other proposed by Jordi Évole in Operación Palace, which is a fake documentary. The analysis allows to detect the great thematic axes of the memory of Transition, especially that of consensus, and go deeper into its potential subversive load.

Objectives: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) using a heart-lung machine to perform open-heart surgery is known to be associated with numerous pathophysiologic changes in body systems. Soon after beginning extracorporeal circulation, an activation process of certain plasma protein systems occurs as blood contacts the foreign surfaces of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit. During cardiac surgery with CPB, there is a systemic inflammatory reaction involving an enhanced release of inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and the mechanisms that lead to the protraction of SIRS in patients who are operated under CPB. Methods: Blood samples from 27 patients (12 females and 15 males, aged 18-63 years) who underwent CPB were collected before and at several time points after surgery and analyzed for plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines and white blood cells (WBC). Results: In patients with SIRS, the duration of CPB, interleukin-6 (IL-6) count, and WBC count after aortic declamping were significantly higher. The occurrence of SIRS was significantly correlated with the highest recorded level of IL-6 (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.01, p

The figure of the prostitute occupies a privileged position in contemporary Spanish and Polish literature. Departing from the comparative perspective, especially employing the category of world literature according to David Damrosch, the paper aims to explain the relation between the presence of the prostitute as a character in the literary representation of the transition to democracy. To achieve this, the author conducts an analysis of two novels: Un día volveré by Juan Marsé published in 1982 and Niskie Łąki by Piotr Siemion from 1999. In both texts, the analyzed female characters refer to the disillusionment with the moment of the transition to democracy.

The article deals with the presence of modernist irony, which is defined as a characteristic attitude to symbolism in Spanish modernism. This topic is an answer to dual understanding of the turn of the 19th and 20th century in Spanish literature (modernism, Generation ‘98), which is an expression of the excessive attachment to critical moments in analyzing the evolution of Spanish literature. The author shows the validity of the category proposed, analyzing the novels Sangre patricia by Díaz Rodríguez and Amor y pedagogía by Miguel de Unamuno, as well as referring to poetry and painting of the Spanish cultural area. She also points to the social conditioning of modernist irony. The presence of this category in Unamuno’s output challenges the traditional categorization of the historico-literary process of Spanish modernism.

El artículo se propone reflexionar en torno a la llamada literatura sin ficción a partir de opiniones (especialmente las expresadas en la prensa diaria) de Juan José Millás (1946), Javier Cercas (1962) y Antonio Muñoz Molina (1956). La predilección por este tipo de literatura, así como una intensa actividad periodística de estos autores, dan lugar a una reflexión más general sobre el papel de la literatura y del escritor en la actualidad, frente a los cambios poco favorables a las humanidades.

The article Miguel de Unamuno. Pomiędzy fikcją a rzeczywistością (Miguel de Unamuno. Between fiction and reality) is an author's metalepsy analysis, a phenomenon described by Gerard Cenette (Mśtalepse. De la figurę k la fiction, 2004), in three texts by Miguel de Unamuno: Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho (1905), Niebla (1914) and Cómo se hace una novela (1927). Author's metalepsy, defined as transgression of the limits of fiction by an author, existentional metalepsy (understood as a vision of the world based on doubt, concerning the status of reality) and reader's metalepsy (if he’s forced to transgression of the limits of fiction) are the inseparable parts of Unamuno's writing.

El artículo se propone examinar el motivo del jardín en las letras finiseculares españolas. Al acudir a un análisis de poemas de Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio y Manuel Machado, puestos en relación con textos en prosa del modernismo hispánico, se llega a detectar una bipolaridad en el tratamiento del motivo analizado: frente al jardín simbolista y artístico se erige un jardín irónico, que sistemáticamente tiende a poner en duda los componentes de la dicción simbolista. El artículo sugiere la posibilidad de aplicar la categoría de ironía modernista aquí propuesta a todo el movimiento modernista hispánico.

Despite the worldwide stagnation in FDI, interest in Mongolia on the part of foreign investors, especially those from East Asia, North America, has grown over the last few years, mainly in the mining, trade and service sectors. The increase of FDI into Mongolia can be linked with the Mongolian government’s efforts to establish a more favorable external and internal legal environment in order to provide a free and open regime for business, the shifting tendency of world market center from traditional Europe, America to Asia, namely to China, resolving the “big debt” issue between Mongolia and Russian Federation which open new favorable opportunities for intensification of foreign investment inflows, increased domestic private savings and lastly Mongolia’s GDP steady growth rate during last years. The purpose of this paper is to review FDI inflows into Mongolia, detailing the sectors benefiting from this investment and the countries where it originates, based on information gathered in the period up to 2005.

The Mongolian-AmericanTree-Ring Project was initiated in 1995 to develop longer climatic records in Mongolia and to help establish capabilities in Mongolia for independent tree-ring analyses. The records from old-aged trees can provide more complete information about the variations in the climate system and aid in planning for future changes or variations in climate. Many areas of Mongolia have been investigated and tree-ring samples collected. Dendroclimatic records of temperature extending back more than one thousand years and precipitation records of over 300 years have been developed. These records show that global warming is present in Mongolia and that variations in precipitation and stream-flow appear to show some solar influence. Scientists and students trained by ,the project are now engaged in tree-ring studies in various areas of Mongolia. The project is expected to continue for the next several years.

The phytopathogenic bacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi produces five major pectate lyases that are key virulence factors in soft-rot disease development. Using transcriptional fusions, we studied the regulation of pelA, pelD, and pelE gene expression as a function of variation of the external pH. pelA and pelD were expressed when bacteria were grown in an acidic medium while pelE was transcribed only in basic medium. Using phenol red, we observed that, in chicory leaves, pH value of infected tissue varies from acidic to basic. Taken together, these findings are discussed in the context of a model unifying both catalysis and regulation to account for pel gene evolution. In particular, we propose that the three isoenzymes are produced sequentially during the infection process.

Recent incidences of mass livestock mortality, known as dzud, have called into question the sustainability of pastoral nomadic herding, the cornerstone of Mongolian culture. A total of 20 million head of livestock perished in the mortality events of 2000–2002, and 2009–2010. To mitigate the effects of such events on the lives of herders, international agencies such as the World Bank are taking increasing interest in developing tailored market-based solutions like index-insurance. Their ultimate success depends on understanding the historical context and underlying causes of mortality. In this paper we examine mortality in 21 Mongolian aimags (provinces) between 1955 and 2013 in order to explain its density independent cause(s) related to climate variability. We show that livestock mortality is most strongly linked to winter (November–February) temperatures, with incidences of mass mortality being most likely to occur because of an anomalously cold winter. Additionally, we find prior summer (July–September) drought and precipitation deficit to be important triggers for mortality that intensifies the effect of upcoming winter temperatures on livestock. Our density independent mortality model based on winter temperature, summer drought, summer precipitation, and summer potential evaporanspiration explains 48.4% of the total variability in the mortality dataset. The Mongolian index based livestock insurance program uses a threshold of 6% mortality to trigger payouts. We find that on average for Mongolia, the probability of exceedance of 6% mortality in any given year is 26% over the 59 year period between 1955 and 2013.

The larch forests on the permafrost in northeastern Mongolia are located at the southern limit of the Siberian taiga forest, which is one of the key regions for evaluating climate change effects and responses of the forest to climate change. We conducted long-term monitoring of seasonal and interannual variations in hydrometeorological elements, energy, and carbon exchange in a larch forest (48°15′24′′N, 106°51′3′′E, altitude: 1338 m) in northeastern Mongolia from 2010 to 2012. The annual air temperature and precipitation ranged from −0.13 °C to −1.2 °C and from 230 mm to 317 mm. The permafrost was found at a depth of 3 m. The dominant component of the energy budget was the sensible heat flux (H) from October to May (H/available energy [R a] = 0.46; latent heat flux [LE]/R a = 0.15), while it was the LE from June to September (H/R a = 0.28, LE/R a = 0.52). The annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (RE) were −131 to −257 gC m−2 y−1, 681–703 gC m−2 y−1, and 423–571 gC m−2 y−1, respectively. There was a remarkable response of LE and NEE to both vapor pressure deficit and surface soil water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In arid and semi-arid regions of the world, such as Mongolia, the future of water resources under a warming climate is of particular concern. The influence of increasing temperatures on precipitation is difficult to predict because precipitation trends in coming decades could have a high degree of spatial variability. In this study, we applied a rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) to a network of 20 tree-ring chronologies across central Mongolia from 1790 to 1994 to evaluate spatial hydroclimatic variability and to place recent variability in the context of the past several centuries. The RPCA results indicate that the network consists of four tree-growth anomaly regions, which were found to be relatively stable through time and space. Correlation analyses reveal spatial linkages between the tree-growth anomalies and instrumental data, where annual streamflow variability was strongly associated with tree-growth anomalies from their respective regions from 1959 to 1994 (r =0.52–0.64, p <0.05). This study highlights the extent of spatial variability in hydroclimate across central Mongolia and emphasizes the value of using tree-ring networks in locations with limited instrumental records. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We are reporting the first dendrochronological dating in Mongolia; the building history of two temples in the Mandal Monastery, Central Bayankhongor Province. Twenty core samples were collected from the Mandal East Temple and 25 disks from Mandal School Temple. All species of sampled woods were larch (Larix sibirica). The chronologies of two buildings crossdated well with a timberline larch chronology of Suulyin Bagtraa which is located 60km north of Mandal. The dendro dating indicates that the Mandal East Temple was constructed after the end of the growing season of 1758 or very soon thereafter. The Mandal School Temple was built after the growing season of 1867. The former temple proved to be one of the original buildings of Mandal Monastery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]