The next widespread bamboo flowering poses a massive risk to the giant panda

The IUCN Red List has downgraded several species from “endangered” to “vulnerable” that still have largely unknown extinction risks. We consider one of those downgraded species, the giant panda, a bamboo specialist. Massive bamboo flowering could be a natural disaster for giant pandas. Using scenario analysis, we explored possible impacts of the next bamboo flowering in the Qinling and Minshan Mountains that are home to most giant pandas. Our results showed that the Qinling Mountains could experience large-scale bamboo flowering leading to a high risk of widespread food shortages for the giant pandas by 2020. The Minshan Mountains could similarly experience a large-scale bamboo flowering with a high risk for giant pandas between 2020 and 2030 without suitable alternative habitat in the surrounding areas. These scenarios highlight thus-far unforeseen dangers of conserving giant pandas in a fragmented habitat. We recommend advance measures to protect giant panda from severe population crashes when flowering happens. This study also suggests the need to anticipate and manage long-term risks to other downgraded species

The effect of intrapartum prolonged oxygen exposure on fetal metabolic status: secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to assess the effect of maternal prolonged oxygen exposure during labor on fetal acid–base status, fetal heart rate tracings, and umbilical cord arterial metabolites.DesignThe study was conducted as a secondary analysis.Setting(s)The study was set in three tertiary teaching hospitals in Beijing, China.ParticipantsApproximately 140 women in the latent phase of labor with no complications participated in the study.InterventionParticipants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 10 L of oxygen per minute in a tight-fitting simple facemask until delivery or room air only.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the umbilical cord arterial lactate.ResultsBaseline demographics and labor outcomes were similar between the oxygen and room air groups; the time from randomization to delivery was 322 ± 147 min. There were no differences between the two groups in the umbilical cord arterial lactate (mean difference 0.3 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval −0.2 to 0.9), the number of participants with high-risk category II fetal heart rate tracings (relative risk 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 1.32), or the duration of those high-risk tracings (mean difference 3.6 min, 95% confidence interval −9.3 to 16.4). Prolonged oxygen exposure significantly altered 91 umbilical cord arterial metabolites, and these alterations did not appear to be related to oxidative stress.ConclusionMaternal prolonged oxygen exposure during labor did not affect either the umbilical cord arterial lactate or high-risk category II fetal heart rate tracings but might result in alterations to the umbilical cord arterial metabolic profile.Clinical trial registrationwww.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03764696

Sensitivity Of Three Dominant Tree Species From The Upper Boundary Of Their Forest Type To Climate Change At Changbai Mountain, Northeastern China

We quantified the growth dynamics and climatic responses of three tree species that have dominated Changbai Mountain: Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis), Yeddo spruce (Picea jezoensis), and Erman's birch (Betula ermanii). Standardization curves and moving correlations were used to assess growth rate trends and analyze changes in growth-climate relationships of trees at their upper forest boundaries and individual species elevation limits, respectively. Contrasting growth patterns were observed between trees at each upper forest boundary and species-specific upper elevation limits. Korean pines and Yeddo spruces grew faster at their upper forest boundaries than at their individual species limits. A higher growth rate of Erman's birches at their forest upper boundary only occurred before 1960. Relative to the strong effect of temperature on tree growth at individual upper elevation limits, the stable effect of precipitation and changing effect of temperature on tree growth were observed at the upper forest boundaries. Temperature increases have had a significantly negative effect on Korean pine and Erman's birch since 1980, whereas temperature increases were associated with Yeddo spruce growth. This study elucidated the differential growth patterns and temporal changes in climate-growth relationships of these species between their upper forest boundaries and elevation limits.This item is part of the Tree-Ring Research (formerly Tree-Ring Bulletin) archive. For more information about this peer-reviewed scholarly journal, please email the Editor of Tree-Ring Research at [email protected]

The development of biodiversity conservation measures in China's hydro projects : A review

The hydropower capacity of China ranks first in the world and accounts for approximately 20% of the total energy production in the country. While hydropower has substantially contributed to meeting China's renewable energy targets and providing clean energy to rural areas, the development of hydropower in China has been met with significant controversy. Ecologically, hydro projects alter the landscape, with potential impacts to the country's aquatic biodiversity. Over the past four decades in China, various mainstream opinions and misunderstandings have been presented concerning how to alleviate the negative impacts of hydro projects on aquatic ecosystems. This article reviews research concerning potential mitigation measures to enhance aquatic biodiversity conservation in hydro projects in China. Based on the academic attention such research has attracted, three technical measures for aquatic biodiversity conservation are considered: (1) fish passages, (2) restocking efforts and (3) river and lake renovations. This article provides a historical comparison of these three practices in China to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The article also reviews the relevant legislation, regulations and technical guidelines concerning China's hydro projects dating back to 1979. The dynamics in research, publications, and patents concerning these three mitigation measures are summarized to demonstrate their technological developments in the context of legislative and policy advances. Data were gathered through the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. Based on the analysis provided, the article recommends an expansion of China's environmental certification system for hydro projects, more robust regional legislation to bolster the national framework, the cooperation between upstream and downstream conservation mechanisms, and better monitoring to determine the efficacy of mitigation measures

Genetic diversity and population structure of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River revealed using microsatellite markers

The bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, is one of the most economically important freshwater fish species native to China. In recent decades, fishery resources of the bighead carp in the Yangtze River have been severely depleted, and there is limited information on the genetic features of the bighead carp in the Yangtze River. In this study, we analyzed the genetic divergence and population structure of bighead carps from 8 populations in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River by using 15 microsatellite DNA markers. A relatively high genetic diversity was detected in the populations, with similar Ho and He (0.694–0.769 and 0.706–0.734, respectively). Weak genetic differentiation was found among the populations (Fst = 0.02, p  0.05), and normal distribution of allele frequency indicated that no recent genetic bottleneck had occurred in any population. In summary, we found high diversity and weak genetic structuring within bighead carp populations in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, suggesting that genetic connectivity exists across these sections and the decline in fishery resource in the recent decades has not resulted in a bottleneck effect in this fish species. These findings provide vital genetic information on the bighead carp as well as a baseline for future conservation and breeding programs

A comparison of chemiluminescent immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting phospholipase A2 receptor antibody in primary membranous nephropathy

Objective: The accurate detection of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) autoantibody is crucial in the diagnosis and monitoring of primary membranous nephropathy (pMN). While enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the commonly used detection method, its complexity and time-consuming nature pose challenges, especially for small sample sizes. Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) has emerged as a rapid alternative for clinical immunoassays. This study aims to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and precision of CLIA and ELISA in detecting PLA2R autoantibody. Method: A total of 145 patients with biopsy-confirmed primary membranous nephropathy and 85 patients with non-membranous nephropathy were enrolled in this comparative study. CLIA and ELISA were employed to test all samples for the presence of PLA2R autoantibodies. Statistical analysis of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) was performed using SPSS 26.0. The diagnostic value of ELISA and CLIA for pMN was analyzed using the ROC curve, and Correlation analysis was performed using Spearman. Results: Serum levels of anti-PLA2R antibody in pMN group were significantly higher than those in nMN group(P  0.05). The overall qualitative agreement of anti-PLA2R detection was 93.35% (95% confidence interval[CI] 89.47–96.3). ROC curve analysis showed that AUC of anti-PLA2R antibody detected by ELISA and CLIA were 0.8737 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8270–0.9204), 0.8914 (95% confidence interval [CI]0.8495–0.9332), respectively. The Spearman correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between them(P < 0.05). Notably, CLIA demonstrated a significant time-saving advantage, particularly when the sample size was less than 200, and especially when it was less than 20. Conclusion: CLIA and ELISA showed similar accuracy and consistency in detecting anti-PLA2R antibody for primary membranous nephropathy. However, CLIA exhibited a significant advantage in terms of automation and time-saving compared to ELISA, particularly for smaller sample sizes. This finding suggests that CLIA has the potential to become a preferred and widely adopted test in the future