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Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among youths. Family-related factors are considered important determinants of children's suicidal ideation, whereas their short-/long-term influence is seldom quantified. We aim to confirm the simultaneous/lagged effects of family-related factors on the occurrence of recent suicidal ideation from childhood to young adulthood (aged from 10 to 22 years old). Data were derived from a longitudinal prospective cohort study. Participants included 2065 students who were followed up for 13 years. Generalized estimating equations were used to clarify the influential effects of family-related factors on suicidal ideation during the past month. The peak of the rate of recent suicidal ideation arrived during junior high school years. Family interaction, family support, family involvement, and parental punishment had simultaneous effects on recent suicidal ideation. Family involvement, parental conflict, and psychological control had lagged and lasting effects on suicidal ideation. Notably, the lasting protective effects of family involvement were more obvious than simultaneous effects. Providing parents with sustained support and education to improve their "positive parenting literacy" can help with their children's mental health development. This is especially the case during COVID-19 quarantine periods when families spend the most time together at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Studies have established that most regular adult smokers become addicted in their adolescent years. We investigated the incidence of and risk factors associated with initial experimental smoking among a group of school children who were followed for 8 years. Methods We used cohort data collected as part of the Child and Adolescent Behaviors in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) study, which selected nine elementary schools each from an urban area (Taipei City) and a rural area (Hsingchu county) in northern Taiwan. From 2002 to 2008, children were asked annually whether they had smoked in the previous year. An accelerated lifetime model with Weibull distribution was used to examine the factors associated with experimental smoking. Results In 2001, 2686 4th-graders participated in the study. For each year from 2002 to 2008, their incidences of trial smoking were 3.1%, 4.0%, 2.8%, 6.0%, 5.3%, 5.0% and 6.0%, respectively. There was an increase from 7th to 8th grade (6.0%). Children who were males, lived in rural areas, came from single-parent families, had parents who smoked, and had peers who smoked were more likely to try smoking earlier. The influence of parents and peers on experimental smoking demonstrated gradient effects. Conclusions This study used a cohort to examine incidence and multiple influences, including individual factors, familial factors, and community factors, on experimental smoking in adolescents. The findings fit the social ecological model, highlighting the influences of family and friends. School and community attachment were associated with experimental smoking in teenagers.

Evapotranspiration (ET) and canopy wetness were measured over a 2-year intensive field campaign at the Chi-Lan Mountain cloud forest site in Taiwan. Eddy covariance and sap flow methods were applied to measure ET and tree sap flow of the endemic yellow cypress ( Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana). ET was 553 mm yr−1 over the study period with an annual rainfall and fog deposition of 4893 and 288 mm yr-1, respectively. The duration of canopy wetness exceeded actual fog or rain events (mostly in the afternoon), and the intercepted water was evaporated later in the following dry morning. The cumulative wet duration accounted for 52% of time over the study period, which was longer than the duration of rainfall and fog altogether (41%). As it adapted to the extremely moist environment, the yellow cypress behaved in a wet-enhanced/dry-reduced water use strategy and was sensitive to short periods of dry atmosphere with high evaporation potential. During dry days, the sap flow rate rose quickly after dawn and led to conservative water use through midday and the afternoon. During periodically wet days, the canopy was mostly wetted in the morning, and the interception evaporation contributed largely to the morning ET. The initiation of morning sap flow was postponed 1-3 h, and the sap flow rate tended to peak later at midday. The midday canopy conductance was higher in the periodically wet days (10.6 mm s-1) as compared with 7.6 mm s−1 in the dry days. Consequently, the dry-reduced water use strategy led to much lower annual ET with respect to the available energy (~46%) and high precipitation input (~11%). The moist-adapted ecohydrology we report reveals the vulnerability of montane cloud forests to prolonged fog-free periods. More research is urgently needed to better understand the resilience of these ecosystems and formulate adaptive management plans. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]