In the original publication one of the Enkhamgalan Damiran’s proper affiliation requested to change. The new affiliation for Enkhamgalan Damiran changed as follows. “Mongolian Academy of Medical Sciences, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia” to the 2th affiliation and “School of Governance and Management, National Academy of Governance, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to the 1th affiliation” The authors state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Co-authors. The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.5564/pmas.v63i02.1417

This study evaluates the effectiveness of Mongolia’s Livestock Tax Law (LTL), implemented in 2021, as an environmental policy instrument to mitigate desertification by regulating herd sizes and supporting rangeland rehabilitation. Specifically, it asks whether livestock taxation can influence livestock numbers and improve vegetation conditions. Panel data from 330 soums spanning the period from 2002 to 2024 were analyzed, integrating livestock and taxation records, satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and climate variables. Data prior to 2021 were used to establish a baseline and control for climatic variability and external shocks, enabling robust before-and-after comparisons of policy impacts. Employing generalized least squares regression models, the present study examines the following: (1) the effect of tax collection on livestock numbers, and, (2) the relationship between livestock density, climate factors, and vegetation health measured by NDVI. Results show that tax collection has a statistically significant, but relatively weak positive association with livestock numbers (β = 0.0132, p = 0.039), while herd persistence over time remains strong, with recent declines likely driven by environmental and socio-economic shocks. Livestock density exerts a statistically insignificant effect on NDVI (β = -0.0019, p = 0.615). In contrast, precipitation and land surface temperature strongly enhance NDVI, underscoring the dominant influence of climate factors over grazing pressure. Regional ecological zones significantly shape both livestock density and NDVI values, with temperate regions showing comparatively healthier vegetation. Further modeling of ecologically differentiated tax adjustments - based on rangeland carrying capacity and regional economic conditions - demonstrates potential gains in policy effectiveness. Overall, the findings highlight the limited direct ecological impact of livestock taxation, but underscore its potential when combined with ecological differentiation and stronger compliance mechanisms. Strengthening these dimensions is critical for enhancing both the environmental and fiscal outcomes of the LTL.

This study evaluated the growth stages of wheat crops in the agricultural fields of Bayantsogt Soum, Tuv aimag-province, Mongolia, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multispectral cameras. Aerial imagery was captured at four spatial resolutions - 1.59 cm, 3.63 cm, 5.44 cm, and 11.35 cm - corresponding to flight altitudes of 30 m, 80 m, 120 m, and 250 m, respectively. Six vegetation indices (NDVI, GNDVI, LCI, NDRE, NDWI, and OSAVI) were calculated to evaluate their relationships with wheat biometric parameters. The determinant coefficient (R²) values for these indices were: LCI (0.81), OSAVI (0.79), NDRE (0.76), NDVI (0.76), NDWI (0.75), and GNDVI (0.73). Regarding spatial resolution, the corresponding R² values were 0.62 (1.59 ± 0.46 cm), 0.87 (3.63 ± 0.02 cm), 0.88 (5.44 ± 0.06 cm), and 0.68 (11.35 ± 0.04 cm) respectively. The findings indicate that the optimal flight altitude for estimating wheat growth characteristics was 120 m, providing a high correlation at a resolution of 5.44 ± 0.06 cm. By contrast, imagery captured from 250 m demonstrated relatively lower correlation. Overall, this study highlights the potential of UAV-based multispectral imaging for efficient crop monitoring and suggests an optimal operational altitude for precision agriculture applications.

Arid and semi-arid regions face increasing shortage of water resources due to climate variability and competing land and water uses, yet reliable information on water availability and consumption remains limited. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding water dynamics in such environments by analyzing the Buir Lake–Khalkh River Basin in Mongolia using the Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework. The research aims to quantify water balance components and identify how land use and land cover types influenced water availability between 2010 and 2021. Climatic datasets from WorldClim, SSEBop, and GRACE-FO were employed to estimate precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and water yield (WY). Esimates showed an average annual precipitation of 298.5 mm, with notable peaks of 386.3 mm in 2013 and minimal below 250 mm during dry years. Similarly, ET demonstrates considerable variability, averaging 274.9 mm/year; maximum value was observed in 2013 at 434.8 mm, whereas the lowest value, recorded in 2017, was 200.4 mm. The average annual water yield for the basin is quantified at 23.8 mm, with specific land cover types, such as the steppe, yielding positive values (64.1 mm), while water bodies exhibited a significant deficit of -342 mm. Furthermore, WA+ resource and evapotranspiration sheets were generated for the years 2018 and 2019. In 2018, net inflow was calculated at 8.1 km³/year, of which 4.6 km³/year was attributable to landscape evapotranspiration, resulting in 3.5 km³/year deemed exploitable. In contrast, 2019 recorded a lower inflow of 7.5 km³/year, with 5.4 km³/year lost to ET. This research elucidates the interactions among precipitation, ET, and WY, emphasizing the critical influence of land management classes on water consumption patterns. Additionally, the findings contribute to the formulation of sustainable water management strategies in arid regions and provide a methodological framework for evaluating water resources in similarly stressed basins through the integration of remote sensing and water accounting methodologies.

The binary additive hard-sphere mixtures have been studied by the Ornstein-Zernike integral equation coupled with the Martynov-Sarkisov (MS) closure approximation. Virial equation of state is computed in the MS approximation. The excess chemical potential for the mixture is evaluated with a closed-form expression based on correlation functions. The excess Helmholtz free energy is obtained using the Euler relation of thermodynamics. Moreover, these thermodynamic quantities are obtained by the Boublík-Mansoori-Carnahan-Starling-Leland (BMCSL) formulas. Our findings for pressure and excess chemical potential for the number of binary sets of the mixtures from the MS approximation show good agreements with those findings obtained by the BMCSL formulas and available data in literature, having a maximum deviation of 5% for a packing fraction up to 0.5. The maximum deviation of the excess free energy obtained for the mixtures is shown to be ~16% for a packing fraction of 0.5. Note that this work presents an initial calculation of an excess chemical potential of the system in the MS approximation.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant protein in human blood plasma and plays a crucial role in drug transport and pharmacokinetics. Dapagliflozin (DAPA), a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, is widely prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we employed a combination of multi-spectroscopic techniques, including fluorescence spectroscopy (three-dimensional, synchronous), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, thermodynamic analysis, and molecular docking to investigate the interaction of dapagliflozin with HSA under physiological condition. The quenching mechanism of DAPA was determined to be dynamic through Stern-Volmer and modified Stern-Volmer analyses. The binding constants at 298 K, 303 K, 308 K were 0.52x104, 0.303x104 and 0.264x104 M-1, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the binding process is spontaneous, driven primarily by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions at various temperatures. Synchronous fluorescence studies suggest that DAPA binding does not significantly alter the microenvironment around the tyrosine and tryptophan residues of HSA, implying that the binding sites are spatially distinct from these residues. Three-dimensional fluorescence studies reveal that the addition of DAPA to HSA affects changes in the micro-environment and conformation of HSA. UV-VIS spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the HSA-DAPA complex, characterized by spectral shifts in both peptide bond and aromatic amino acid regions, indicating alterations in the protein's secondary structure. The decrease in zeta potential upon DAPA binding suggests a change in the surface charge and potential conformational changes in HSA, which may influence its biological activity and interaction with other molecules. Molecular docking studies identified key amino acid residues involved in the binding of DAPA to HSA, primarily through hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions.

In this work we investigated, through discriminant analysis, the spatial variability and pollution sources of potential toxic elements in Ulaanbaatar surface soil. The total concentration of potential toxic elements in urban surface soil samples, collected depending on pollution sources, were determined by using a rational scheme of chemical analysis of urban soils for ecological monitoring. It was found that the average concentration of B, Cr, Pb, Sn, Zn, Cu, Bi, Ag and Sb were all higher than their background values, while average concentration of Li, Ni, Co, V and Cd were comparatively lower. Urban surface soil samples had varying concentration levels of Ag, B, Bi, Cd, Cr, Cu, F, Ge, Mo, Pb, Sb, Sn and Tl, and identical levels of concentration of As, Co, Ni, Zn, Li, V and Mn. As per the results of the Kruskal–Wallis rank test, the surface soil in the ger (traditional round felt dwelling) area (A) and the main road (B) is highly polluted with Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, MO, Sn, Bi, Ag and Sb. A stepwise selection of the spatial discriminant analysis shows that, Cr, Cu, Ge, Mo, Pb, Sb, Tl and V are most significant variables. These selected variables clearly discriminates the soil groups of the ger area (A) such as Khailaast, Chingeltei and Bayanzurkh, the main road (B) namely, along the central transport routes and in the vicinity of the bus stations and around the power plant and industrial area (C) with 71 per cent total success rate of classification.

Mongolia's fertilizer industry produces 2,000 tons of fertilizer in 10 years, while imports amount to 6-8 tons a year. One of the main biological features of the root system of sea buckthorn is the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air with the help of its root nodules. The main goal of the research is to identify the native nitrogen-absorbing bacteria of sea buckthorn and to increase their activity by preparing bacterial fertilizers and determining their effects on plants. In our study, we obtained 2 types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria using common microbiological methods. Sea buckthorn mongolica subspecies was used in this study. The study of root nodules of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) aims to identify symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Sea buckthorn root nodules contain Frankia actinorrhizal microorganisms. Sea buckthorn seedlings, including those fertilized with nitrogen-fixing bacterial cultures, showed a positive correlation with plant growth. From June to September, when air temperatures are high and photosynthesis active in the field, the number of bacterial cells and nitrogenase activity were found to elevate in the root nodules of sea buckthorn plants. During this period, the roots extended 1.4 to 2.0 meters in length. The first- and second-order small roots, along with the main root, began forming small nodules filled with microorganisms. These microorganisms play a crucial role in capturing nitrogen in its molecular form from the air and converting it into a form usable by plants. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of Frankia strains have been hindered by challenges in isolating them from field-collected root nodules. In the field, nitrogenase activity in root nodules remained high from May to September, corresponding with the periods of high air temperatures and active photosynthesis.

Activated carbon consumption is continuously increasing because of their application in such important areas as waste and drinkable water treatment, atmospheric pollution control, hazardous gas separation, cleaning of solvents, etc. Every year, Mongolia imports 700-800 tons of activated carbons for 700-900 USD per ton. We have selected 3 different types of coal, including a high ranking bituminous coal from Tavantolgoi deposit, stone sub-bituminous coal from Shariin Gol mine and brown lignite coal from Baganuur deposit and they were each enriched with heavy liquid, such as zinkum chlorade solution and processed by semicoking (carbonization) method to produce the main raw material for coal-derived active carbon. Using these carbonized coals, we have obtained coal-derived activeted carbon by activation with preheated water steam for 120 minutes. The most important technical properties of initial coal samples and activated carbons and their microporous properties, such as iodine number in percentage, methylene blue adsorption mg/g and surface area (BET)-m2/g were determined and characterized. The determined iodine number of activated carbon of purified and carbonized coals increased by 5-17 times and methylene blue adsorptions also increased from 4 to 10 times as compared to pyrolysis hard residue of initial coal samples without purification and activation. Basing on this, we are proposing a thecnological scheme for the production of coal-derived activated carbon.

This paper analyses the types of innovation intermediaries that have emerged in Mongolia and investigates their roles within the information technology sector of the country. The study finds that diverse innovation intermediaries have emerged, and the majority of the intermediaries are non-sector specific, with only a few specializing in a single industry. The sector-specific intermediary plays a crucial role in building linkages and providing access to resources in sectoral innovation systems in developing countries. The study identifies several constraints related to funding and innovation policy support for these intermediaries. Consistent policy and financial support for sector-specific intermediary organizations could strengthen their role in the developing countries, particularly those with limited human and capital resources, such as Mongolia. This study contributes to an important understanding of the roles of intermediaries in underdeveloped and newly developed immature innovation systems of developing countries with low income and limited resources. As for the innovation system of Mongolia, it is impending to strengthen the sector-specific intermediary organizations through government and budgetary support and training for specialized human resources. The study also provides valuable insights that can guide the future development of the industry.