This study aimed to investigate the common status of self-management in liver transplant recipients and to explore the mediating role of hope in the relationship between social support and self-management. Two hundred and ten liver transplant recipients from two tertiary hospitals were included. Questionnaires were used for general demographic information, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Herth Hope Index, and the Self-Management Questionnaire for Liver Transplantation Recipients. Lifestyle management of liver transplant recipients was good, while the communication with physicians, cognitive symptom management, and exercise dimensions were less than satisfactory. Minimal assurance of family and education levels were significantly associated with self-management. Social support was positively correlated with self-management and hope ( r = .31, p < .01; r = .40, p < .01). Hope was positively correlated with self-management ( r = .39, p < .01). Additionally, the effect of social support on self-management was partially mediated (β = .17, p < .01) by hope. The proportion of mediation of hope was 40.09%. Therefore, well-designed interventions that boost both social support and hope may help improve self-management behavior in liver transplant recipients.

No abstract

No abstract

Question: The impact of ants on the vegetation and soil seed bank of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is largely unknown. We questioned how the moundbuilding ant, Camponotus herculeanus, affects the above-ground vegetation, the soil seed bank and physico-chemical properties of the soil. Location: An alpine meadow in the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (37°40′ N, 102°32′ E), China. Methods: We used field and greenhouse studies to determine the above-ground vegetation parameters and soil physico-chemical properties, and the soil seed bank composition under the mound (UM), the herbage circle at about 10 cm width around the outside of the mound (mound edge, ME) and the area 1 m from the center of the mound (control). Results: (a) The mound edge had higher vegetation height, greater above-ground biomass, lower vegetation coverage and lower plant richness than controls; (b) Gramineae had a higher total importance value, which was based on the height, cov