Fifty-year climate change and its effect on annual runoff in the Tarim River Basin, China

Based on the hydrologic and meteorological data in the Tarim River basin from 1958 to 2004, the trend, characteristics and spatial variation of climate change in the upper reaches of the Tarim River were examined in the study. The long-term trend of climate change and hydrological variations were determined by using both Mann-Kendall and Mann-Whitney nonparametric tests. The results showed that the temperature and precipitation had significantly increased in the drainage basin in the mid-1980s. The climate was the warmest in 1990s among the recent 50 years. The increase of temperature in the tributaries of the Aksu River and Kaidu-Kongque River is higher than that in the tributaries of the Yarkand River and Hotan River. The streamflow at Aksu River showed a significant increasing monotonic trend. The annual runoff in the Aksu River had increased by 10.9% since 1990. The independence test of temperature and precipitation with chi(2) of the El Nino event reveals that there is no significant effect of the El Nino and La Nina events on the annual temperature and annual precipitation in the drainage basin. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved

Response of riparian vegetation to water-table changes in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Xinjiang Uygur, China

The lower reaches of Tarim River in the Xinjiang Uygur region of western China had been dried out for more than 30 years before water began to be diverted from Konqi (Peacock) River via a 927-km-long channel in year 2000, aimed at improving the riparian ecological systems. Since then, eight intermittent water deliveries have been carried out. To evaluate the response of riparian vegetation to these operations, the groundwater regime and vegetation changes have been monitored along the 350-km-long stem of the river using a network of 40 dug wells at nine transects across the river and 30 vegetation plots at key sites. Results show that the water table rose remarkably, i.e. from a depth of 9.87m before the water delivery to 3.16m after the third water delivery. The lateral distance of affected water table extended to 1,050m from the riverbank after the fourth water delivery. The riparian vegetation has changed in composition, type, distribution, and growing behavior. This shows that the water deliveries have had significant effects on restoration of riparian ecosystems

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Research on Sediment Discharge Variations and Driving Factors in the Tarim River Basin

Sediment discharge is widely regarded as a critical indicator of soil and water loss. The Mann–Kendall (M-K) test was applied to analyze the trends of temperature, precipitation, annual runoff, annual sediment discharge (ASD), and snow cover area proportion (SCAP). Sensitivity coefficient and contribution rate were adopted to assess the sensitivity of ASD to driving factors, and the contribution of driving factors to ASD. The results showed: (1) ASD of the Kaidu River and the Aksu River originating from Tien Shan decreased at rates of 3.8503 × 107 kg per year (p < 0.01) and 47.198 × 107 kg per year, respectively, from 2001 to 2019. The ASD there was also found to be more sensitive to SCAP changes in autumn and winter, respectively. (2) ASD of the Yarkand River and the Yulong Kashgar River originating from the Karakoram Mountains increased at rates of 21.807 × 107 kg per year and 27.774 × 107 kg per year, respectively, during 2001–2019. The ASD there was determined to be more sensitive to annual runoff. (3) In terms of contribution rate, except for the Kaidu River, annual runoff of the other three rivers made the largest contribution. (4) In addition, the proportion of glacial-melt water, slope, glacierization and human activities are also possible factors affecting sediment discharge

Drought Stress Might Induce Sexual Spatial Segregation in Dioecious <i>Populus euphratica</i>—Insights from Long-Term Water Use Efficiency and Growth Rates

P. euphratica stands as the pioneering and dominant tree within desert riparian forests in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of our work was to reveal why dioecious P. euphratica in natural desert riparian forests in the lower Tarim River exhibits sexual spatial distribution differences combined with field investigation, tree ring techniques, isotope analysis techniques, and statistical analyses. The results showed that P. euphratica was a male-biased population, with the operational sex ratio (OSR) exhibiting spatial distribution differences to variations in drought stress resulting from groundwater depth change. The highest OSR was observed under mild drought stress (groundwater depth of 6–7 m), and it was reduced under non-drought stress (groundwater depth below 6 m) or severe drought stress (groundwater depth exceeding 7 m). As drought stress escalated, the degradation and aging of the P. euphratica forest became more pronounced. Males exhibited significantly higher growth rates and WUEi than females under mild drought stress. However, under severe drought stress, males’ growth rates significantly slowed down, accompanied by significantly lower WUEi than in females. This divergence determined the sexual spatial segregation of P. euphratica in the natural desert riparian forests of the lower Tarim River. Furthermore, the current ecological water conveyance project (EWCP) in the lower Tarim River was hard to fundamentally reverse the degradation and aging of the P. euphratica forest due to inadequate population regeneration. Consequently, we advocated for an optimized ecological water conveyance mode to restore, conserve, and rejuvenate natural P. euphratica forests

Estimation of Populuseuphratica Forest Leaf Litterfall and Time Variation of Nutrient in Leaf Litter during Decomposition along the Main Channel of the Tarim River, China

Accurate determination of annual leaf litter amount constitutes the basis of scientific leaf litter nutrient release assessment. In this study, we tried to establish an equation between leaf litter amount and relevant tree characteristics of Populus&nbsp;euphratica (P. euphratica) tree on an individual scale, and to find the leaf litter nutrient content variation within 760 d incubation experiment in the main channel of the Tarim River, China. Results showed that there was no proper equation between leaf litter amount and tree height or diameter at breast height. There was great difference in leaf litter amount on an individual scale. The mean annual leaf litter amount per tree was 10.2, 14.83 kg/y obtained by field survey and the equation between annual leaf litter amount and canopy area on an individual scale, respectively. Leaf litter mass changed over incubation time and exhibited three main phases: an initial slow decomposition phase (0–173 d) with mass loss; a rapid mass loss phase (173–290 d); and a second rapid mass loss phase (470–560 d). Overall, carbon (C) and potassium (K) content decreased, and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content increased in a fluctuating manner over time in the P. euphratica leaf litter

Cognitive Profile of Patients With Mitochondrial Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia

Mitochondrial chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) is a major manifestation of human mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. Previous studies have shown cognitive deficits in patients with mitochondrial diseases. However, these studies often included patients with heterogeneous subtypes of mitochondrial diseases. Here, we aimed to provide a better cognitive profile of patients with CPEO by applying a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological assessments in a pure sample of patients with CPEO. We recruited 28 patients with CPEO (19 women, age 16-62 years) and 38 age- and education-matched healthy control subjects (25 women, age 16-60 years). The neuropsychological assessments covered global cognition and five cognitive domains (executive functions, language, working memory, memory, and visuospatial functions). We found that the patients were impaired in global cognition [Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)], executive functions [Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B)], and language [Boston Naming Test (BNT)], but not in working memory, memory or visuospatial functions. Moreover, individual patients&#39; performances in the TMT-B (completion time) were predicted by the severity of non-ophthalmoplegia mitochondrial symptoms/signs [Newcastle Mitochondrial Disease Adult Scale (NMDAS)] and duration of the mitochondrial disease (years). Namely, patients with more severe non-ophthalmoplegia mitochondrial symptoms/signs and a longer disease duration took a longer time to complete the TMT-B. No clinical measures predicted individual patients&#39; performances in the BNT.</p