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"Fang, Cao"
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Elderly care, intergenerational relationships and social change in rural China
This book investigates how rapid socio-political-economic change in China since 1949 has affected intergenerational relationships and practices in rural areas, specifically the care provided to elderly parents by their adult children. It focuses on the lived experiences of rural villagers and their perceptions of the impact of these socio-political changes on intergenerational relationships, care of the elderly, family cohesion, and the traditional value of filial piety. It notably considers the importance of filial piety as a dominant family value, the conflict between strong family bonds and growing desires for individuality and autonomy, the prevalence of migrant work among adult children and the diversification of intergenerational practices, alongside the need for national policy and services development for residential and community-based aged care in rural China.-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Cohort study on Medical-Integrated holistic nursing’s impact on intensive care unit patients’ outcomes, complications, and comprehensive health care
To explore the impact of a holistic nursing model, integrating medical and nursing care, on intensive care unit (ICU) patients, focusing on nursing outcomes, serious adverse reactions, and overall effectiveness.This research comprised 287 ICU individuals who were admitted to our hospital between January 2018 and January 2023. Of these, 200 individuals were assigned to the research group (RG), while 200 individuals with comparable baseline characteristics were allocated to the control group (CG). The RG received holistic nursing with an integration of medical care approach (
n
= 100), whereas the CG obtained standard nursing (
n
= 100). The key outcomes measured included mortality within 28 days, ICU length of stay, hospital infection rate, incidence of adverse reactions, quality of life at 3 months post-discharge, rate of re-admission to the ICU, and the difference of collaboration scores involving the two groupings.Within 28 days, the RG showed significantly lower mortality than the CG (10.00% vs. 23.00%; χ²=6.133,
P
< 0.05) and shorter ICU stays (t = 4.026,
P
< 0.05). While nosocomial infection rates (11.00% vs. 18.00%; χ²=3.092) and adverse reaction incidence (20% vs. 30%; χ²=2.667) were lower in the RG, these differences were not statistically significant (both
P
> 0.05). At 3-month follow-up, the RG demonstrated significantly better SF-36 scores across all domains (t = 5.121–11.835,
P
< 0.05) and lower ICU readmission rates (5.00% vs. 15.00%; χ²=5.556,
P
< 0.05). Additionally, the RG scored higher on all measures of interprofessional collaboration, including information exchange, nurse-doctor relationships, and joint decision-making (t = 13.070–22.780,
P
< 0.05). The holistic nursing mode, centered around the integration of medical care, demonstrates significant benefits for ICU patients. It effectively reduces serious adverse reactions, enhances patient quality of life, and improves collaboration among medical staff. These positive outcomes suggest that this approach is highly valuable and warrants broader implementation.
Journal Article
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in China at a city level
This study presents one of the first long term datasets including a statistical summary of PM
2.5
concentrations obtained from one-year monitoring in 190 cities in China. We found only 25 out of 190 cities could meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of China and the population-weighted mean of PM
2.5
in Chinese cities are 61 μg/m
3
, ~3 times as high as global population-weighted mean, highlighting a high health risk. PM
2.5
concentrations are generally higher in north than in south regions due to relative large PM emissions and unfavorable meteorological conditions for pollution dispersion. A remarkable seasonal variability of PM
2.5
is observed with the highest during the winter and the lowest during the summer. Due to the enhanced contributions from dust particles and open biomass burning, high PM
2.5
abundances are also found in the spring (in Northwest and West Central China) and autumn (in East China), respectively. In addition, we found the lowest and highest PM
2.5
often occurs in the afternoon and evening hours, respectively, associated with daily variation of the boundary layer depth and anthropogenic emissions. The diurnal distribution of the PM
2.5
-to-CO ratio consistently displays a pronounced peak during the afternoon periods, reflecting a significant contribution of secondary PM formation.
Journal Article
Root structure-function relationships in 74 species: evidence of a root economics spectrum related to carbon economy
Although fine roots are important components of the global carbon cycle, there is limited understanding of root structure-function relationships among species. We determined whether root respiration rate and decomposability, two key processes driving carbon cycling but always studied separately, varied with root morphological and chemical traits, in a coordinated way that would demonstrate the existence of a root economics spectrum (RES). Twelve traits were measured on fine roots (diameter 2mm) of 74 species (31 graminoids and 43 herbaceous and dwarf shrub eudicots) collected in three biomes. The findings of this study support the existence of a RES representing an axis of trait variation in which root respiration was positively correlated to nitrogen concentration and specific root length and negatively correlated to the root dry matter content, lignin:nitrogen ratio and the remaining mass after decomposition. This pattern of traits was highly consistent within graminoids but less consistent within eudicots, as a result of an uncoupling between decomposability and morphology, and of heterogeneity of individual roots of eudicots within the fine-root pool. The positive relationship found between root respiration and decomposability is essential for a better understanding of vegetation-soil feedbacks and for improving terrestrial biosphere models predicting the consequences of plant community changes for carbon cycling.
Journal Article
Water‐use advantage for lianas over trees in tropical seasonal forests
Lianas exhibit peak abundance in tropical forests with strong seasonal droughts, the eco‐physiological mechanisms associated with lianas coping with water deficits are poorly understood. We examined soil water partitioning, sap flow, and canopy eco‐physiological properties for 99 individuals of 15 liana and 34 co‐occurring tree species in three tropical forests that differed in soil water availability. In the dry season, lianas used a higher proportion of deep soil water in the karst forest (KF; an area with severe seasonal soil water deficit (SSWD)) and in the tropical seasonal forest (TSF, moderate SSWD), permitting them to maintain a comparable leaf water status than trees in the TSF or a better status than trees in the KF. Lianas exhibited strong stomatal control to maximize carbon fixation while minimizing dry season water loss. During the dry period, lianas significantly decreased water consumption in the TSF and the KF. Additionally, lianas had a much higher maximum photosynthetic rates and sap flux density in the wet season and a lower proportional decline in photosynthesis in the dry season compared with those of trees. Our results indicated that access to deep soil water and strong physiological adjustments in the dry season together with active wet‐season photosynthesis may explain the high abundance of lianas in seasonally dry forests.
Journal Article
Increasing axial parenchyma fraction in the Malagasy Magnoliids facilitated the co-optimisation of hydraulic efficiency and safety
• The evolution of angiosperms was accompanied by the segregation and specialisation of their xylem tissues. This study aimed to determine whether the fraction and arrangement of parenchyma tissue influence the hydraulic efficiency–safety trade-off in the basal angiosperms.
• We examined xylem anatomical structure and hydraulic functioning of 28 woody species of Magnoliids in a tropical rainforest of Madagascar and reported, for the first time, quantitative measurements that support the relationship between vessel-to-xylem parenchyma connectivity and the hydraulic efficiency–safety trade-off. We also introduced a new measurement – the distance of species from the trade-off limit – to quantify the co-optimisation of hydraulic efficiency and safety.
• Although the basal angiosperms in this study had low hydraulic conductivity and safety, species with higher axial parenchyma fraction (APf) had significantly higher hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic efficiency–safety optimisation was accompanied by higher APf and vessel-toaxial parenchyma connectivity. Conversely, species exhibiting high ray parenchyma fraction and high vessel-to-ray connectivity had lower Ks
and were further away from the hydraulic trade-off limit line.
• Our results provide evidence that axial parenchyma fraction and paratracheal arrangement are associated with both enhanced hydraulic efficiency and safety.
Journal Article
Correlations between allocation to foliar phosphorus fractions and maintenance of photosynthetic integrity in six mangrove populations as affected by chilling
• Chilling restrains the distribution of mangroves. We tested whether foliar phosphorus (P) fractions and gene expression are associated with cold tolerance in mangrove species.
• We exposed seedlings of six mangrove populations from different latitudes to favorable, chilling and recovery treatments, and measured their foliar P concentrations and fractions, photochemistry, nighttime respiration, and gene expression.
• A Kandelia obovata (KO; 26.45°N) population completely and a Bruguiera gymnorhiza (Guangxi) (BGG; 21.50°N) population partially (30%) survived chilling. Avicennia marina (24.29°N), and other B. gymnorhiza (26.66°N, 24.40°N, and 19.62°N) populations died after chilling. Photosystems of KO and photosystem I of BGG were least injured. During chilling, leaf P fractions, except nucleic acid P in three populations, declined and photoinhibition and nighttime respiration increased in all populations, with the greatest impact in B. gymnorhiza. Leaf nucleic acid P was positively correlated with photochemical efficiency during recovery and nighttime respiration across populations for each treatment.
• Relatively high concentrations of nucleic acid P and metabolite P were associated with stronger chilling tolerance in KO. Bruguiera gymnorhiza exhibited relatively low concentrations of organic P in favorable and chilling conditions, but its partially survived population showed stronger compensation in nucleic acid P and Pi concentrations and gene expression during recovery.
Journal Article
The cover uncovered: Bark control over wood decomposition
1. Woody debris (WD) represents a globally significant carbon stock and its decomposition returns nutrients to the soil while providing habitat to microbes, plants and animals. Understanding what drives WD decomposition is therefore important. 2. WD decomposition rates differ greatly among species. However, the role of bark in the process remains poorly known. 3. We ask how, and how much, interspecific variation in bark functional traits related to growth and protection have afterlife effects on the decomposition of wood, partly mediated by animals. We examine the roles of bark cover and bark traits throughout the wood decomposition process. 4. Synthesis. We find that: (1) bark effects on W D decomposition are species- an wood size-specific, (2) bark can enhance coarser WD decomposition but slows twig decomposition in some species, and (3) bark acts as an environmental filter to faunal assemblages in the early stage of wood decomposition. We highlight the need to account for bark effects on WD decomposition and offer an important complementary contribution to including woody species identity effects in biogeochemical and climate-change models via species bark traits.
Journal Article
TGF-β-induced DACT1 biomolecular condensates repress Wnt signalling to promote bone metastasis
The complexity of intracellular signalling requires both a diversity of molecular players and the sequestration of activity to unique compartments within the cell. Recent findings on the role of liquid–liquid phase separation provide a distinct mechanism for the spatial segregation of proteins to regulate signalling pathway crosstalk. Here, we discover that DACT1 is induced by TGFβ and forms protein condensates in the cytoplasm to repress Wnt signalling. These condensates do not localize to any known organelles but, rather, exist as phase-separated proteinaceous cytoplasmic bodies. The deletion of intrinsically disordered domains within the DACT1 protein eliminates its ability to both form protein condensates and suppress Wnt signalling. Isolation and mass spectrometry analysis of these particles revealed a complex of protein machinery that sequesters casein kinase 2—a Wnt pathway activator. We further demonstrate that DACT1 condensates are maintained in vivo and that DACT1 is critical to breast and prostate cancer bone metastasis.
Esposito et al. show that TGF-β-induced DACT1 forms biomolecular condensates that sequester CK2 to repress Wnt signalling and modulate bone metastasis in cancer.
Journal Article
Extending the generality of leaf economic design principles in the cycads, an ancient lineage
Cycads are the most ancient lineage of living seed plants, but the design of their leaves has received little study. We tested whether cycad leaves are governed by the same fundamental design principles previously established for ferns, conifers and angiosperms, and characterized the uniqueness of this relict lineage in foliar trait relationships. Leaf structure, photosynthesis, hydraulics and nutrient composition were studied in 33 cycad species from nine genera and three families growing in two botanical gardens. Cycads varied greatly in leaf structure and physiology. Similarly to other lineages, light‐saturated photosynthetic rate per mass (Aₘ) was related negatively to leaf mass per area and positively to foliar concentrations of chlorophyll, nitrogen (N), phosphorus and iron, but unlike angiosperms, leaf photosynthetic rate was not associated with leaf hydraulic conductance. Cycads had lower photosynthetic N use efficiency and higher photosynthetic performance relative to hydraulic capacity compared with other lineages. These findings extend the relationships shown for foliar traits in angiosperms to the cycads. This functional convergence supports the modern synthetic understanding of leaf design, with common constraints operating across lineages, even as they highlight exceptional aspects of the biology of this key relict lineage.
Journal Article