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Optimizing irrigation strategies is crucial for sustaining cotton production in the face of growing water scarcity. The three-year experimental study (2020–2022) focused on the impact of varying irrigation amounts (320, 370, and 420 mm) and frequencies (4-, 8-, and 12-day intervals) on cotton growth, yield, yield components, and fiber quality in southern Xinjiang. Employing a completely randomized design with three replications, the results indicated higher irrigation amounts resulted in numerically 2.5–7.5% higher lint yields compared to those under medium and low irrigation amounts, notably significant in 2021. Boll density emerged as the primary yield component influencing yield loss due to irrigation amount, followed by seed cotton weight boll−1. Increased boll density was associated with a greater total number of fruiting sites. Additionally, the increased seed cotton weight boll−1 could be linked to an increased seed number boll−1 and a decreased boll fraction at the lower fruiting branches with lower seed cotton weight boll−1. Higher irrigation frequency improved lint yield by increasing boll density, though a significant effect was observed only in 2020. Increased irrigation amounts generally led to longer fiber lengths but lower micronaire values, while increased irrigation frequency resulted in longer, stronger fibers and reduced micronaire values. Furthermore, the highest yield stability was observed under the condition of high irrigation amount and high frequency. This study holds certain guiding significance for water resource management in cotton production in arid regions.

Meiyu is a typical rainy season during the East Asian Summer Monsoon whose early or late onset is closely related to an abnormal amount of rainfall. Based on the ERA-interim daily reanalysis data from 1979 to 2019 and the Meiyu index dataset provided by the CMA (the China Meteorological Administration), the characteristics of the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in different latitudes during the Jiangnan Meiyu onset period were examined. During the Meiyu onset period, the analysis of 500 hPa geopotential height shows that the key regions of circulation anomaly include the Ural Mountains in mid-high latitudes and the Northwest Pacific in low latitudes. Moreover, the geopotential height anomaly of the two regions shows significant quasi-biweekly scale (10–30 days) characteristics. The diagnosis of quasi-biweekly geopotential tendency shows that height variation in the mid-high latitude key region mainly depends on the influence of temperature advection, while the variation in the low-latitude key region relies on vorticity advection. Over the mid-high latitudes, the height anomaly of the Ural Mountains gradually increases before the day of Meiyu onset, and the contribution of quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) to the total anomaly is approximately 55.9%. The fluctuations from Europe and the Aleutians spread toward the key region, and the abnormal warm advection lies over the key region, contributing to formation of the Ural-blocking pattern. Meanwhile, in the key region located over the Western Pacific, the contribution of the quasi-biweekly component reaches 51.2%. The oscillations over the Western Pacific propagate southwestward along the East Asian coast, while fluctuations over the East Asian continent migrate southward. Throughout this period, the negative vorticity advection occupies the key region, which is conducive to both the positive geopotential height variation and maintenance of the Western Pacific Subtropical High. Thus, the migration of QBWO in different latitudes could be an extended-range signal of the Jiangnan Meiyu prediction.

Abstract Erythropoietin (EPO) is not only an erythropoiesis hormone but also an immune-regulatory cytokine. The receptors of EPO (EPOR)2 and tissue-protective receptor (TPR), mediate EPO’s immune regulation. Our group firstly reported a non-erythropoietic peptide derivant of EPO, cyclic helix B peptide (CHBP), which could inhibit macrophages inflammation and dendritic cells (DCs) maturation. As a kind of innate immune regulatory cell, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) share a common myeloid progenitor with macrophages and DCs. In this study, we investigated the effects on MDSCs differentiation and immunosuppressive function via CHBP induction. CHBP promoted MDSCs differentiate toward M-MDSCs with enhanced immunosuppressive capability. Infusion of CHBP-induced M-MDSCs significantly prolonged murine skin allograft survival compared to its counterpart without CHBP stimulation. In addition, we found CHBP increased the proportion of CD11b+Ly6G−Ly6Chigh CD127+ M-MDSCs, which exerted a stronger immunosuppressive function compared to CD11b+Ly6G−Ly6Chigh CD127− M-MDSCs. In CHBP induced M-MDSCs, we found that EPOR downstream signal proteins Jak2 and STAT3 were upregulated, which had a strong relationship with MDSC function. In addition, CHBP upregulated GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) protein translation level, which was an upstream signal of CD127 and regulator of STAT3. These effects of CHBP could be reversed if Epor was deficient. Our novel findings identified a new subset of M-MDSCs with better immunosuppressive capability, which was induced by the EPOR-mediated Jak2/GATA3/STAT3 pathway. These results are beneficial for CHBP clinical translation and MDSC cell therapy in the future.

Based on observation data supplied by the Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) and reanalysis datasets provided by the ECMWF, the multiscale causes of persistent heavy rainfall events (PHREs) that occurred from 1979 to 2018 during Meiyu periods over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLYR) are investigated. During Meiyu periods, precipitation shows obvious interannual variabilities. In PHRE years, the contribution rate of persistent heavy rainfall to the total precipitation is approximately 57%. Precipitation also shows significant synoptic-scale (less than 10 days) characteristics. Through the quantitative diagnosis of interactions among background-scale (greater than 30 days), quasi-biweekly-scale (10–30-days), and synoptic-scale variables, the possible causes of PHREs are explored. The results reveal that the difference in precipitation intensity between PHRE years and non-PHRE years is determined by the background water vapor, background wind and synoptic-scale wind conditions. In PHRE years, the prevailing background southwesterly winds from lower latitudes provide more background water vapor, and more mean kinetic energy is converted to perturbation energy. Moreover, the active synoptic-scale oscillations from higher latitudes and the convergence of Rossby wave disturbance energy over the MLYR could also cause the occurrence and maintenance of PHREs during Meiyu periods. The multiscale causes and corresponding circulation patterns in 2020 PHREs are similar to PHREs years.

In this paper, a rainfall runoff pollution prediction method based on grey neural network algorithm is proposed in consideration of the current situation that the accuracy of research results related to rainfall runoff pollution prediction needs to be improved. Meanwhile, the characteristics of rainfall runoff pollution are analyzed from the perspectives of the main sources of rainfall runoff pollution, the types of rainfall runoff pollution, and the initial erosion. The neural network algorithm is optimized and trained according to the sample data to obtain the sample features; the sample data are predicted according to the extracted sample features, and the prediction model is generated by using the feature fusion technology for two groups of prediction results to generate the prediction model and realize the water drop prediction. The pollution concentration of runoff was obtained by the exponential function method. The experimental results show that the predicted values of discharge and pollution concentration are well fitted with the actual values, indicating that the proposed method has high accuracy and feasibility. Finally, from the viewpoint of non-engineering measures and engineering measures, the suggestions for treating runoff pollution and relevant supports for ecological environment protection are given.