Chinese Four Big Forests of Steles——by our staff reporter Shao De

The chinese upright stone tablets started building early inQindynasty which were called stone-carving in the Initial stage.After the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were gradually changed name as"tablets" or "steles" with the increasing of carved stones. Greatnumbers of stone tablets standing like trees in forest, were later

The worldwide allometric relationship in anatomical structures for plant roots

The cortex(i.e.,absorptive tissue)and stele(transportive vascular tissue)are fundamental to the function of plant roots.Unraveling how these anatomical structures are assembled in absorptive roots is essential for our understanding of plant ecology,physiology,and plant responses to global environmental changes.In this review,we first compile a large data set on anatomical traits in absorptive roots,including cortex thickness and stele radius,across 698 observations and 512 species.Using this data set,we reveal a common root allometry in absorptive root structures,i.e.,cortex thickness increases much faster than stele radius with increasing root diameter(hereafter,root allometry).Root allometry is further validated within and across plant growth forms(woody,grass,and liana species),mycorrhiza types(arbuscular mycorrhiza,ectomycorrhiza,and orchid mycorrhizas),phylogenetic gradients(from ferns to Orchidaceae),and environmental change scenarios(e.g.,elevation of atmospheric CO_(2)concentration and nitrogen fertilization).These findings indicate that root allometry is common in plants.Importantly,root allometry varies greatly across species.We then summarize recent research on the mechanisms of root allometry and potential issues regarding these mechanisms.We further discuss ecological and evolutionary implications of root allometry.Finally,we propose several important research directions that should be pursued regarding root allometry.

“一佛五十菩萨图”新探

'一佛五十菩萨图'是一种瑞像,即所谓来自印度的特殊图像,目前中国所发现的'一佛五十菩萨图'全部出自初唐时期。然而据文献记载,该图像在此以前的几个世纪就己经传入中国。可惜以前并没有发现唐以前的和印度的'一佛五十菩萨图'。本文提出敦煌莫高窟第272窟的主像就是'一佛五十菩萨图'并进一步探讨该图像的印度原型及其菩萨数量等相关问题。

New insight into iron biogeochemical cycling in soil-rice plant system using iron isotope fractionation

Iron (Fe) migration in soil-plants is a critical part of Fe biogeochemical cycling in the earth surface system. Fe isotope fractionation analysis in the soil-rice system is promising for quantitatively assessing various pathways and clarifying Fe transformation processes. However, the mechanisms of Fe isotope fractionation in the soil-rice system are not well understood. In this study, the Fe isotopic compositions (δ^(56)Fe) of rhizosphere soils, pore water, Fe plaque, and rice plant tissues at the jointing and mature stages of the plants were determined. The rice plants were slightly enriched in heavier δ^(56)Fe by 0.3‰ relative to the soil, and the stele and cortex showed similar δ^(56)Fe values, indicating that the uptake of Fe by rice plants predominantly occurred via Fe(III)-phytosiderophores (Fe(III)-PS) chelation, but not Fe(III) reduction. Additionally, at both the jointing and mature stages, the rice plant tissues showed similar δ^(56)Fe values. However, the Fe isotope fractionation between the roots and stems (Δ56Feroot−stem) was 1.39 ± 0.13‰, which is similar to the previously Ab initio-calculated values between Fe(III)-citrate and Fe(III)- 2-deoxymugineic acid (DMA), indicating that both the phloem and xylem have similar δ^(56)Fe values, and the major Fe-chelating substances in the phloem of the rice plants are Fe(III)-DMA and Fe(II)- Nicotianamine (NA). Therefore, this study demonstrates that Fe isotope fractionation can be used as a signature for interpreting the Fe uptake and translocation mechanism in the soil-rice system.

Peculiar Living Shrines and Yuan Governance as Background to Ming Populism

Although post-mortem apotheosis and secular honor in temples have received more attention,shrines to living men were also ordinary institutions from Han times onwards in Chinese history.Previous scholarship so far on pre-mortem shrines in Tang and Song relates them to pre-mortem commemoration in inscribed records of local commendation on the one hand and Neo-Confucian Daoxue Shrines to Local Worthies on the other.That scholarly work suggests that Tang and Song premortem shrines when political were basically elite institutions;and that when common people were involved their motivations were religious rather than political.In Ming times,by contrast,premortem shrines were normatively established by commoners and const^uted a venue for popular political participation,while the steles commemorating the shrines explicitly argued that non-el让e people had the right to political speech.This article speculates,as a hypothesis awaiting further research,that both Yuan modes of government generally,and creative uses of premortem enshrinement in Yuan times specifically,may have contributed to Ming populism.