Abstract:The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China (Ningxia) is an important food production area in northwest China severely affected by drought. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) were calculated based on monthly meteorological data to explore climate change and variation in drought intensity, duration, frequency, and spatial extent in Ningxia during 1972-2011 show that the SPEI is more applicable than the SPI for exploring climate change and drought variation in Ningxia. The Ningxia climate experienced a significant drying tendency. Annual SPEI decreased about 0.37 decade −1 during 1972-2011. Drought was exacerbated by this drying tendency. Regional average duration, maximum duration, intensity, and frequency of drought identified by the SPEI increased by one month, three months, 0.15%, and 36.1%, respectively, during 1992-2011 compared to the period of 1972-1991. The spatial extent of drought identified by the SPEI increased about 14.4% decade −1 in the spring during 1972-2011. Spatially, drought frequency increased from north to south. Average intensity (maximum duration) of drought calculated by the SPEI increased (decreased) northward and southward from the central arid area.

BackgroundAlthough the chemopreventive effects of aspirin have been extensively investigated, the roles of many cell components, such as long non-coding RNAs, in these effects are still not completely understood.ResultsWe identify an aspirin-induced upregulated lncRNA, OLA1P2, in human colorectal cancer. Aspirin induces demethylation of the FOXD3 promoter and promotes expression of the FOXD3 gene. Subsequently, upregulated FOXD3 protein transcriptionally activates lncRNA OLA1P2 expression. OLA1P2 upregulation markedly affects STAT3 signaling pathway activity by inhibiting the nuclear import of phosphorylated STAT3. The phosphorylation of tyrosine-705 of STAT3 is the first step in OLA1P2 binding, and the formation of phosphorylated STAT3 homodimers is subsequently blocked. OLA1P2 interacts directly with STAT3 due to OLA1P2 sharing the same conservative STAT3 transcription response element as STAT3 targets. Regular use of aspirin dramatically decreases the number of metastatic nodules of cancer cells in immunodeficient mouse lungs, and OLA1P2 silencing markedly weakens the anti-metastatic activity of aspirin in the lungs. Additionally, low OLA1P2 levels are associated with malignant transformation and lower overall survival in cancers.ConclusionsThe present study finds that the aspirin-FOXD3-OLA1P2-STAT3 axis exhibits exciting anticancer effects and provides new insights into the chemopreventive mechanisms underlying aspirin use.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-016-0892-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A genetic map was developed with microsatellite (simple sequence repeat, SSR) markers and 148 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between two cultivated cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) inbred lines 9110Gt and 9930, which was also segregating for seven horticulturally important traits including bitterfree foliage (bi)