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Biochar and organic fertilizer are widely supported to maintain crop production and sustainable development of agroecosystems. However, it is unclear how biochar and organic fertilizer alone or in combination regulate soil functional microbiomes and their relationships to ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). Herein, a long-term (started in 2013) field experiment, containing five fertilization treatments, was employed to explore the effects of biochar and organic fertilizer applications on the EMF (based on 18 functional indicators of crop productivity, soil nutrient supply, element cycling, and microbial biomass) and the functional microbiomes of bulk soil and rhizosphere soil [normalizing the abundances of 64 genes related to carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulphur (S) cycles]. Compared with single-chemical fertilization, biochar and organic fertilizer inputs significantly enhanced most ecosystem-single functions and, in particular, the EMF significantly increased by 18.7–30.1%; biochar and organic fertilizer applications significantly increased the abundances of soil microbial functional taxa related to C-N-P-S cycles to varying degree. The combined application of biochar and organic fertilizer showed a better improvement in these indicators compared to using them individually. Most functional microbial populations in the soil, especially the taxa involved in C degradation, nitrification, nitrate-reduction, organic P mineralization, and S cycling showed significantly positive associations with the EMF at different threshold levels, which ultimately was regulated by soil pH and nutrient availability. These results highlight the strong links between soil microbiomes and agroecosystem functions, as well as providing scientific support for inclusion of biochar in agricultural production and services with organic amendments.Graphical Abstract8-year field evidence revealed impacts of biochar and pig manure on soil functional microbiome and ecosystem functions.Biochar and pig manure inputs notably enhanced most ecosystem-single functions and the EMF increased by 18.7–30.1%.Biochar and pig manure inputs notably enriched soil functional microbes related to C-N-P-S cycles to varying degree.Increase in EMF was related to microbe-driven soil processes such as C degradation, nitrification, and Po mineralization.Inclusion of biochar in crop production with organic amendments could enhance agro-ecosystem functions and services.

The recent release of worldwide SRTM 1 DEM and AW3D30 adds new members to the open global medium resolution (90–30 m ground spacing) digital elevation models. Together with the previously existing SRTM 3 and ASTER GDEM, their quality is of great interest to various scientific applications. This paper uses 1:50,000 DEM in Hubei Province of China as a reference to assess their vertical accuracy in terms of terrain types, slopes, and land cover. For ASTER GDEM and AW3D30, we further evaluate their accuracy in terms of the stack number, i.e., the number of scenes used to generate the DEM. It is found out that: (1) all of the DEMs have nearly the same horizontal offset due to the adoption of different datums; (2) the vertical accuracy varies in terms of terrain complexity, from ~5 m for plains, ~10 m for hills to ~20 m for mountains; (3) the vertical accuracy is negatively related to the tangent of terrain slope exponentially in forest areas and linearly in cultivated lands; (4) forest areas have the lowest vertical accuracy, comparing to built-up areas, wetland, and cultivate land areas while SRTM 1 and AW3D30 have the highest accuracy in all land cover classes; (5) the large elevation differences over forest areas are likely due to canopy coverage; and (6) for ASTER GDEM and AW3D30, their accuracy is in general positively related to the stack number. This study provides a practically useful quality specification and comprehensive understanding for these four global DEMs, especially the recently released worldwide SRTM 1 DEM and AW3D30.

Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (CRNF) can effectively enhance crop yields and raise the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer in agroecosystems. In the present study, the volatilization of NH 3 was determined by airflow enclosure chamber technique after the application of different CRNF rates in double-cropping rice fields in southern China for continuous 3 years. The early and late season rice (ESR and LSR) were cultivated each year. The results showed that the total NH 3 volatilization losses ranged from 25 to 56 kg N ha −1 in ESR and from 32 to 61 kg N ha −1 in LSR. The loss of N to the total applied N ranged from 12 to 29% in ESR and from 12 to 27% in LSR. The application of CRNF significantly reduced the cumulative NH 3 volatilization losses by 20–43% for ESR and by 20–32% for LSR compared with conventional urea application. CRNF in LSR was less effective to reduce NH 3 volatilization than that in ESR. Furthermore, the application of 80% of N rate in the form of CRNF gave higher grain yield and apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency (ANRE) than that of application of 100% of N rate from conventional urea. CRNF can effectively reduce NH 3 volatilization, and increase rice yield and ANRE. Considering higher price of CRNF, the application of CRNF at lower (20% applied N) rate than conventional urea in LSR may be a reasonable fertilization strategy for improving N use efficiency, environment effectiveness, and sustaining the development of rice production systems in double-cropping rice.

Coastal wetland ecosystems, one of the most important ecosystems in the world, play an important role in regulating climate, sequestering blue carbon, and maintaining sustainable development of coastal zones. Wetland landscapes are notoriously difficult to map with satellite data, particularly in highly complex, dynamic coastal regions. The Liao River Estuary (LRE) wetland in Liaoning Province, China, has attracted major attention due to its status as Asia’s largest coastal wetland, with extensive Phragmites australis (reeds), Suaeda heteroptera (seepweed, red beach), and other natural resources that have been continuously encroached upon by anthropogenic land-use activities. Using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm and all available Landsat images, we mapped the spatial–temporal changes of LRE coastal wetlands (e.g., seepweed, reed, tidal flats, and shallow marine water) annually from 1986 to 2018 and analyzed the changes and driving forces. Results showed that the total area of coastal wetlands in the LRE shrank by 14.8% during the study period. The tidal flats were the most seriously affected type, with 45.7% of its total area lost. One of the main characteristics of wetland change was the concurrent disappearance and emergence of wetlands in different parts of the LRE, creating drastically different mixtures of wetland quality (e.g., wetland age composition) in addition to area change. The reduction and replacement/translocation of coastal wetlands were mainly caused by human activities related to urbanization, tourism, land reclamation, and expansion of aquaculture ponds. Our efforts in mapping annual changes of wetlands provide direct, specific, and spatially explicit information on rates, patterns, and causes of coastal wetland change, both in coverage and quality, so as to contribute to the effective plans and policies for coastal management, preservation, and restoration of coastal ecosystem services.

One-time fertilization is a promising strategy to reduce labor costs and improve efficiency in agriculture. While its benefits are documented in staple crops (e.g., wheat, rice, maize), the efficacy of this approach in high-value crops like flue-cured tobacco and its interaction with soil texture remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to 1) evaluate the feasibility of one-time basal application of a specialized fertilizer in flue-cured tobacco, and 2) determine how soil texture (loamy vs. sandy) mediates its agronomic and economic efficacy. Four treatments were compared: a no-fertilizer control (CK), conventional split fertilization (CF), one-time application of specialized fertilizer (T1), and specialized fertilizer plus a seedling-raising fertilizer (T2). Results showed that in loamy soil, T1 and T2 significantly enhanced late-stage nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) accumulation, increasing N use efficiency by 54.5~56.7% compared to CF. The economic gains were highly soil-specific. Although both T1 and T2 reduced labor costs, T2 in sandy soil generated the highest net income. It significantly increased production value by 14.8% and the proportion of high-grade tobacco by 16.7%, respectively (p<0.05), compared to CF. This gain was driven by improved leaf quality rather than increased biomass yield. Loamy soil excelled in nutrient retention and utilization efficiency. This study demonstrates that soil texture mediates the success of one-time fertilization. The T2 strategy offers a profitable, labor-saving alternative, especially in sandy soils, providing a scientific basis for soil-specific fertilization policies to optimize productivity and economic sustainability.

Potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in rice poses significant food safety risks, particularly in regions with intensive agriculture, industry, and traffic. This study provides a systematic assessment of the accumulation, translocation, sources, and health risks of PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the atmospheric deposition-soil-rice system across four distinct anthropogenic source areas (industrial, peri-urban, rural, and roadside areas) in Hunan Province, China. The rural area was categorized as clean. Industrial areas had the highest soil pollution index, while roadside areas recorded the highest atmospheric deposition flux of Pb (19.95 μg/m /day) and As (1.93 μg/m /day). Correspondingly, industrial areas exhibited the highest Cd (0.38 mg/kg) and Pb (0.94 mg/kg) in rice grains, whereas roadside areas showed the highest Pb (1.40 mg/kg) and As (2.99 mg/kg) in leaves. The findings indicated that rice in roadside areas primarily accumulate PTEs through foliar absorption of atmospheric deposition, whereas in industrial and peri-urban areas it was primarily through root uptake and translocation of PTEs to rice grains, particularly for Cd and Pb. Source apportionment identified natural, industrial, and traffic as the three primary sources. The Bayesian mixing model revealed that the natural source contributed the highest proportion to rice grains (48.3-70.6%) across all four source areas. Except for natural sources, industrial sources dominated in industrial areas (29.1%), traffic emissions prevailed in roadside areas (19.4%), while mixed sources had the highest proportion in peri-urban areas (28.4%). Health risk assessment revealed that the total hazard index followed the order of peri-urban > industrial > roadside > rural areas, with rice ingestion being the dominant exposure pathway, accounting for over 90% of the total risk. The primary contributors to health risks were identified as As, Cd, and Pb, particularly in industrial and peri-urban areas. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing region-specific mitigation strategies tailored to the dominant contamination pathways in each area.

To improve nitrogen (N) fertilizer management in vineyards and support sustainable production, we conducted field experiments in 2021–2022 to evaluate the effects of reduced N fertilization combined with organic fertilizer (OF) on vine growth, fruit quality, soil fertility, and economic returns in Shine Muscat grapes. Six treatments were established: conventional fertilization (CF), four reduced-N treatments combined with OF (0.9N + OF to 0.6N + OF; i.e., 10–40% N reduction), and a blank control (CK). Yield was significantly increased under 0.8N + OF (18.2% in 2021; 96.0% in 2022) and 0.7N + OF (10.8% in 2021; 47.9% in 2022), with 0.8N + OF also delivering the highest economic returns. Fruit quality analysis showed that 0.8N + OF consistently increased total sugar and the sugar–acid ratio, and improved vitamin C content. Substitution ratios >40% led to a decline in economic benefits. Path analysis indicated that vertical diameter and single-berry weight exerted significant positive effects on total yield. OF substitution also improved fruit quality. Soil available nutrients (N, P, and K) and organic matter were primary factors influencing yield; potassium was the key factor regulating sugar accumulation, with the strongest effect on improving flavor coordination. Reducing N by 20–30% combined with OF (particularly the 0.8N + OF treatment) synergistically enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, N utilization, yield and quality, and soil fertility, representing the optimal fertilization strategy.

Background The COVID-19 has been shown to have negative effects on the cardiovascular system, but it is unclear how long these effects last in college students. This study aimed to assess the long-term impact of COVID-19 on arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and blood pressure in college students. Methods We enrolled 37 college students who had been infected with COVID-19 for more than 2 months. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was used to assess endothelial function, while arterial stiffness was evaluated using the ABI Systems 100, including variables such as ankle-brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). Results Our results showed that FMD was significantly impaired after COVID-19 infection ( p  < 0.001), while cfPWV and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were significantly increased ( p  < 0.05). Simple linear regression models revealed a significant negative correlation between post-COVID-19 measurement time and baPWV change ( p  < 0.01), indicating an improvement in arterial stiffness over time. However, there was a significant positive correlation between post-COVID-19 measurement time and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) change ( p  < 0.05), suggesting an increase in BP over time. There were no significant differences in ABI and HR between pre- and post-COVID-19 measurements, and no significant correlations were observed with other variables ( p  > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 has long-term detrimental effects on vascular function in college students. However, arterial stiffness tends to improve over time, while BP may exhibit the opposite trend.

Irisin, a product of the post-translational processing of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), is a novel myokine which is upregulated during exercise. This hormone not only promotes the transformation of white adipose tissue into a brown-fat-like phenotype but also enhances energy expenditure and mitigates fat accumulation. Its role is crucial in the management of certain metabolic disorders such as diabetes and heart disease. Of note, the type of exercise performed significantly affects blood irisin levels, indicating the critical role of physical activity in regulating this hormone. This article aims to summarize the current scientific understanding of the role of irisin and the mechanisms through which it mediates cardiovascular protection through exercise. Moreover, this article aims to establish irisin as a potential target for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases.

There is an increasing number of spacecrafts in orbit, and the collision impact of high-speed moving targets, such as space debris, can cause fatal damage to these spacecrafts. It has become increasingly important to rapidly and accurately locate high-speed moving targets in space. In this study, we designed a visible-light telephoto camera for observing high-speed moving targets and a laser rangefinder for measuring the precise distance of these targets, and we proposed a method of using fast steering mirror deflection to quickly direct the emitted laser towards such targets and measure the distance. Based on the principle of photographic imaging and the precise distance of targets, a collinear equation and a spatial target location model based on the internal and external orientation elements of the camera and the target distance were established, and the principle of target location and the method for calculating target point coordinates were determined. We analyzed the composition of target point location error and derived an equation for calculating such errors. Based on the actual values of various error components and the error synthesis theory, the accuracy of target location was calculated to be 26.5 m when the target distance is 30 km (the relative velocity is 8 km/s and the velocity component perpendicular to the camera’s optical axis is less than 3.75 km/s). This study provides a theoretical basis and a method for solving the practical needs of quickly locating high-speed moving targets in space and proposes specific measures to improve target location accuracy.