Increasing drought globally is a severe threat to fragile desert wetland ecosystem. It is of significance to study the effects of wetland drying on microbial regulation of soil carbon (C) in the desert. In this study, we examined the impacts of wetland drying on microbial biomass, microbial community (bacteria, fungi) and microbial activity [basal microbial respiration, microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2)]. Relationships of microbial properties with biotic factors [litter, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)], abiotic factors (soil moisture, pH and clay content) and biological processes (basal microbial respiration, qCO2) were also developed. Results showed that the drying of wetland led to a decrease of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) content, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) content and fungi and bacterial abundance, and an increase of the fungibacteria ratio. Wetland drying also led to increased soil basal respiration and increased qCO2, which was attributed to lower soil clay content and litter N concentration. The MBCSOC ratios were higher under drier soil conditions than under virgin wetland, which was attributed to stronger C conserve ability of fungi than bacteria. The wetland drying process exacerbated soil C loss by strengthening heterotrophic respiration; however, the exact effects of soil microbial community structure on microbial C mineralization were not clear in this study and need further research.The study of the forest in rainy environments of the Dominican Republic reveals the presence of four types of vegetation formations, clearly differentiated from each other in terms of their floristic and biogeographical composition, and also significantly different from the rainforests of Cuba. This leads us to propose two new alliances and four plant associations located in northern mountain areas exposed to moisture-laden winds from the Atlantic All. Rondeletio ochraceae-Clusion roseae (Ass. Cyatheo furfuracei-Prestoetum motanae; Ass. Ormosio krugii-Prestoetum montanae); and All. Rondeletio ochraceae-Didymopanion tremuli (Ass. Hyeronimo montanae-Magnolietum pallescentis; Hyeronimo dominguensis-Magnolietum hamorii). We pay special attention to the description of cloud forest types, since they have a high rate of endemic species, and therefore there are endemic habitats, which need special protective actions. Therefore, we apply the Shannon diversity index to characteristic, companion, non-endemic, and endemic species. As result, the association Ormosio krugii-Prestoetum montanae has a Shannon_T = 2.4 and a value of Shannon_E = 0, whereas the other 3 associations have a better conservation status with Shannon values in all cases > 0 This is due to a worse conservation status of the Eastern Cordillera, in comparison with the Central Cordillera and Sierra de Bhaoruco. Due to human activity, some areas are very poorly conserved, as evidenced by the diversity index and the presence of endemic tree and plant elements. The worst conserved in terms of the relationship between characteristic plants vegetation (cloud forest) in areas with high rainfall are in the Dominican Republic, along with its floristic diversity and state of conservation. This study has made it possible to significantly increase the botanical knowledge of this important habitat.Responsive feeding is crucial to the formation of life-long healthy eating behavior. Few studies have examined maternal responsive feeding in early infancy among a Chinese population. This prospective study describes maternal responsive feeding and factors associated with maternal responsive feeding, with emphasis on infant growth and maternal depressive symptoms, during the first 3 months postpartum in Taiwan. From 2015 to 2017, 438 pregnant women were recruited and followed at 1 and 3 months postpartum. Maternal responsive feeding at 3 months was measured on a 10-item 5-point Likert-type scale. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale with a cutoff score of 10. Infant growth was categorized into four groups based on weight-for-length Z scores from birth to 3 months no change, increase but in the normal range, increase to overweight, and decrease to underweight. Multiple regression revealed that postpartum depressive symptoms, primipara, and decreased infant weight-for-length Z score were negatively associated with maternal responsive feeding, while exclusive breastfeeding and maternal age younger than 29 years were positively associated with maternal responsive feeding. Heath professionals should educate mothers on responsive feeding, with emphases on first-time and non-exclusive breastfeeding mothers, as well as those with depressive symptoms, advanced maternal age, and infants who are becoming underweight.Using data from one of the first trials to try to leverage social networks as a mechanism for obesity intervention, we examined which social network conditions amplified behavior change. Data were collected as part of a community-based healthy lifestyle intervention in Nashville, USA, between June 2014 and July 2017. Adults randomized to the intervention arm were assigned to a small group of 10 participants that met in person for 12 weekly sessions.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/trastuzumab-emtansine-t-dm1-.html  Intervention small group social networks were measured three times; sedentary behavior was measured by accelerometry at baseline and 12 months. Multivariate hidden Markov models classified people into distinct social network trajectories over time, based on the structure of the emergent network and where the individual was embedded. A multilevel regression analysis assessed the relationship between network trajectory and sedentary behavior (N = 261). Being a person that connected clusters of intervention participants at any point during the intervention predicted an average reduction of 31.3 min/day of sedentary behavior at 12 months, versus being isolated [95% CI (-61.4, -1.07), p = 0.04]. Certain social network conditions may make it easier to reduce adult sedentary behavior in group-based interventions. While further research will be necessary to establish causality, the implications for intervention design are discussed.