Comprehensive Evaluation Of Effects Research Articles

Impact of pregnancy related hormones on drug metabolizing enzyme and transport protein concentrations in human hepatocytes.

Pregnancy alters the disposition and exposure to multiple drugs indicated for pregnancy-related complications. Previous in vitro studies have shown that pregnancy-related hormones (PRHs) alter the expression and function of certain cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in human hepatocytes. However, the impact of PRHs on hepatic concentrations of non-CYP drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transport proteins remain largely unknown. In this study, sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHH) from five female donors were exposed to vehicle or PRHs (estrone, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, cortisol, and placental growth hormone), administered individually or in combination, across a range of physiologically relevant PRH concentrations for 72 h. Absolute concentrations of 33 hepatic non-CYP DMEs and transport proteins were quantified in SCHH membrane fractions using a quantitative targeted absolute proteomics (QTAP) isotope dilution nanoLC-MS/MS method. The data revealed that PRHs altered the absolute protein concentration of various DMEs and transporters in a concentration-, isoform-, and hepatocyte donor-dependent manner. Overall, eight of 33 (24%) proteins exhibited a significant PRH-evoked net change in absolute protein concentration relative to vehicle control (ANOVA p < 0.05) across hepatocyte donors: 1/11 UGTs (9%; UGT1A4), 4/6 other DMEs (67%; CES1, CES2, FMO5, POR), and 3/16 transport proteins (19%; OAT2, OCT3, P-GP). An additional 8 (24%) proteins (UGT1A1, UGT2B4, UGT2B10, FMO3, OCT1, MRP2, MRP3, ENT1) exhibited significant PRH alterations in absolute protein concentration within at least two individual hepatocyte donors. In contrast, 17 (52%) proteins exhibited no discernable impact by PRHs either within or across hepatocyte donors. Collectively, these results provide the first comprehensive quantitative proteomic evaluation of PRH effects on non-CYP DMEs and transport proteins in SCHH and offer mechanistic insight into the altered disposition of drug substrates cleared by these pathways during pregnancy.

Application of comprehensive evaluation methods in the clinical efficacy evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine: a narrative review

Background and Objective: Clinical effect is necessary for the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The conventional single primary outcome evaluation method is difficult to reflect the advantages of multi-target and multi-dimensional treatment of TCM. The comprehensive evaluation method can combine multiple dimensional outcomes such as Western medicine-related outcomes, TCM-related syndromes, and patient report outcomes into a single-dimensional comprehensive outcome, which can reflect the advantages of the multi-dimensional efficacy of TCM, and has been gradually applied to the clinical efficacy of TCM in recent years. In this study, we aimed to introduce comprehensive evaluation methods and guide TCM researchers use these methods correctly, then provide methodological aid for the comprehensive and objective evaluation of true clinical effect of TCM.

Study on comprehensive evaluation of environmental pollution treatment effect in coal mine subsidence area: taking Xinglongzhuang mining area of Yanzhou energy as an example.

In order to explore the effective evaluation method of environmental pollution treatment effect in China's coal mine subsidence areas, based on the literature review and analysis of current situation, combined with the reality of environmental pollution treatment (EPT) in China's coal mine subsidence areas, this paper selected four categories, including a total of 21 evaluation indicators, and drew lessons from the latest research results in relevant fields to construct the spatial niche suitability model of comprehensive evaluation of environmental pollution treatment effect in coal mine subsidence area. Taking the collapse area of Xinglongzhuang coal mine of Yanzhou energy as an example, the comprehensive evaluation and application of environmental pollution treatment effect in coal mine subsidence area were studied. It is found that the environmental pollution treatment effect of the mining area has increased from moderate pollution (level III) in 2012 to mild pollution (level I) in 2020 within 9years. The environmental pollution treatment effect has a rapid improvement relatively, but its growth rate has decreased year by year since 2016, and the environmental pollution indicator is still at a high level. Therefore, environmental pollution treatment in the subsidence area is still a long-term task of Dongtan coal mine. The research results of this paper provide an effective quantitative analysis method for the evaluation of environmental pollution treatment effect in coal mine subsidence area, which is conducive to the continuous improvement of environmental pollution treatment effect in mining area.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Effects on Water-Level Deficits on Tomato Polyphenol Composition, Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Capacity.

Tomatoes have high nutritional value and abundant bioactive compounds. Moderate water deficit irrigation alters metabolic levels of fruits, improving composition and quality. We investigated the effects of water deficit (T1, T2, T3, and T4) treatments and adequate irrigation (CK) on tomato polyphenol composition, antioxidant capacity, and nutritional quality. Compared with CK, the total flavonoid content increased by 33.66% and 44.73% in T1 and T2, and total phenols increased by 57.64%, 72.22%, and 55.78% in T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The T2 treatment significantly enhanced antioxidant’ capacities (ABTS, HSRA, FRAP, and DPPH). There were multiple groups of significant or extremely significant positive correlations between polyphenol components and antioxidant activity. For polyphenols and antioxidant capacity, the classification models divided the treatments: CK and T4 and T1–T3. The contents of soluble solids, soluble protein, vitamin C, and soluble sugar of the treatment groups were higher than those of CK. The soluble sugar positively correlated with sugar–acid ratios. In the PCA-based model, T3 in the first quadrant indicated the best treatment in terms of nutritional quality. Overall, comprehensive rankings using principal component analysis (PCA) revealed T2 > T1 > T3 > T4 > CK. Therefore, the T2 treatment is a suitable for improving quality and antioxidant capacity. This study provides novel insights into improving water-use efficiency and quality in the context of water scarcity worldwide.

Effectiveness evaluation method of constellation satellite communication system with acceptable consistency and consensus under probability hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy preference relationship

System effectiveness evaluation is an essential part of constellation satellite communication system research, with applications in project verification and optimization as well as tactical and technical measurement argumentation. This paper presents a systematic and comprehensive effectiveness evaluation method for a constellation satellite communication system under a probabilistic hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy preference relationship (PHIFPR), aiming to address the fuzziness and uncertainty in effectiveness evaluation. First, a proposed definition of PHIFPR describes the hesitancy of evaluators, provides hesitancy distribution information, and depicts the worst negative information and risk preferences in effectiveness evaluation. Then, we deduce the approximate consistency index of PHIFPR and establish a mathematical programming model to increase individual consistency when the approximate consistency index does not reach a predetermined level. In the sequel, a proposed group consensus index uses the PHIFPR-based Hausdorff distance to measure the closeness between evaluators’ judgments. Afterwards, a consistency and consensus improvement model is designed to retain the original opinions of evaluators to make the consistency and consensus of PHIFPRs acceptable. Moreover, a goal programming model is established to gain the approximate priority weights of schemes regarding the approximate consistency condition of a PHIFPR as a fuzzy constraint. Finally, an experimental example is offered to highlight the practicability and feasibility of the proposed method, and some comparative analyses with other methods offer insights into the designed method.

Comprehensive Assessment of Functional Effects of Commonly Used Sugar Substitute Sweeteners on Ex Vivo Human Gut Microbiome.

ABSTRACTThe composition and function of the human gut microbiome are often associated with health and disease status. Sugar substitute sweeteners are widely used food additives, although many studies using animal models have linked sweetener consumption to gut microbial changes and health issues. Whether sugar substitute sweeteners directly change the human gut microbiome functionality remains largely unknown. In this study, we systematically investigated the responses of five human gut microbiomes to 21 common sugar substitute sweeteners, using an approach combining high-throughput in vitro microbiome culturing and metaproteomic analyses to quantify functional changes in different taxa. Hierarchical clustering based on metaproteomic responses of individual microbiomes resulted in two clusters. The noncaloric artificial sweetener (NAS) cluster was composed of NASs and two sugar alcohols with shorter carbon backbones (4 or 5 carbon atoms), and the carbohydrate (CHO) cluster was composed of the remaining sugar alcohols. The metaproteomic functional responses of the CHO cluster were clustered with those of the prebiotics fructooligosaccharides and kestose. The sugar substitute sweeteners in the CHO cluster showed the ability to modulate the metabolism of Clostridia. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the direct effects of commonly used sugar substitute sweeteners on the functions of the human gut microbiome using a functional metaproteomic approach, improving our understanding of the roles of sugar substitute sweeteners on microbiome-associated human health and disease issues.IMPORTANCE The human gut microbiome is closely related to human health. Sugar substitute sweeteners as commonly used food additives are increasingly consumed and have potential impacts on microbiome functionality. Although many studies have evaluated the effects of a few sweeteners on gut microbiomes using animal models, the direct effect of sugar substitute sweeteners on the human gut microbiome remains largely unknown. Our results revealed that the sweetener-induced metaproteomic responses of individual microbiomes had two major patterns, which were associated with the chemical properties of the sweeteners. This study provided a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of commonly used sugar substitute sweeteners on the human gut microbiome.

Effect-Directed Analysis Based on the Reduced Human Transcriptome (RHT) to Identify Organic Contaminants in Source and Tap Waters along the Yangtze River.

Since a large number of contaminants are detected in source waters (SWs) and tap waters (TWs), it is important to perform a comprehensive effect evaluation and key contributor identification. A reduced human transcriptome (RHT)-based effect-directed analysis, which consisted of a concentration-dependent RHT to reveal the comprehensive effects and noteworthy pathways and systematic identification of key contributors based on the interactions between compounds and pathway effects, was developed and applied to typical SWs and TWs along the Yangtze River. By RHT, 42% more differentially expressed genes and 33% more pathways were identified in the middle and lower reaches, indicating heavier pollution. Hormone and immune pathways were prioritized based on the detection frequency, sensitivity, and removal efficiency, among which the estrogen receptor pathway was the most noteworthy. Consistent with RHT, estrogenic effects were widespread along the Yangtze River based on in vitro evaluations. Furthermore, 38 of 100 targets, 39 pathway-related suspects, and 16 estrogenic nontargets were systematically identified. Among them, diethylstilbestrol was the dominant contributor, with the estradiol equivalent (EEQ) significantly correlated with EEQwater. In addition, zearalenone and niclosamide explained up to 54% of the EEQwater. The RHT-based EDA method could support the effect evaluation, contributor identification, and risk management of micropolluted waters.

Comprehensive evaluation of chemical composition and health-promoting effects with chemometrics analysis of plant derived edible oils.

In the last decade, with a growing emphasis on healthy diets, functional edible oils with high nutritional quality are becoming increasingly popular around the world. This study systematically compared the chemical composition and protective effect of 22 vegetable oils using multivariate chemometric tools. The results showed that the fatty acid composition and minor compounds were extremely variable among tested oils. Hierarchical cluster and principal component analysis discriminated these oils according to the tocopherol and phytosterol contents. The Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that in vitro radical scavenging capacity was significantly correlated to polyphenol, tocopherol, and squalene. Additionally, the ameliorate effects on the heat and oxidative stress, ROS contents, and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured in Caenorhabditis elegans. The results showed that the antioxidant activity and stress resistance were positively correlated to polyphenol, tocopherol, phytosterol, MUFA, and PUFA, respectively. This study may offer an insight into oil discrimination and functional oil exploitation.

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on lead toxicity in dandelion seedlings

Increasing rates of commercialization and industrialization have led to the comprehensive evaluation of toxic effects of microplastics on crop plants. However, research on the impact of functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics on the toxicity of heavy metals remains limited. This study investigated the effects of polystyrene, carboxy-modified polystyrene, and amino-modified polystyrene on lead (Pb) toxicity in dandelion seedlings. The results showed that carboxy -modified polystyrene with a negative charge absorbed more Pb2+ than polystyrene and amino-modified polystyrene, and their maximum adsorption amounts were 5.328, 0.247, and 0.153 μg g−1, respectively. The hydroponic experiment demonstrated that single amino-modified polystyrene was more toxic to dandelion seedlings than polystyrene and carboxy-modified polystyrene. The presence of Pb2+ was found to increase antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and non-antioxidant enzymes (glutathione and ascorbic acid) activities in response to excessive reactive oxygen species in dandelion leaves and roots treated with polystyrene and carboxy-modified polystyrene, while it did not change much when amino-modified polystyrene was added. Interestingly, compared with single Pb2+, the addition of amino-modified polystyrene with positive charges induced an obvious decrease in the above parameters; however, they declined slightly in the treatments with polystyrene and carboxy-modified polystyrene despite a stronger adsorption capacity for Pb2+. Similarly, the bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides in dandelion, showed a scavenging effect on O2− and H2O2, thereby inhibiting the accumulation and reducing medicinal properties. This study found that the effects of microplastics on the uptake, distribution, and toxicity of heavy metals depended on the nanoparticle surface charge.

Study on LID Facilities Comprehensive Effect Evaluation: A case in Campus

The campus is facing the problems of waterlogging and runoff pollution. To mitigate these phenomena, this study constructs a SWMM model using a campus as the study area. The reduction effects of runoff volume and pollutant load under four LID facility combination scenarios were simulated. Eleven evaluation indicators were selected from environmental, economic and social aspects, and the weights of each indicator were calculated by applying the CRITIC method. The relative percentage of different rainfall recurrence periods under the same evaluation indicator was obtained. The composite index method is used to calculate the composite index for each scenario. The combination of rain garden, permeable pavement, bioretention and green roof is determined as the optimal scenario. The Fuzzy pattern recognition method is used to select three representative rainfall events and simulate the reduction effect of runoff volume and pollutant load under four scenarios to further verify the optimal scenario. The results show that the reduction rates of runoff volume and pollutant load under scenario 4 are 2.7%, 4.2% and 4.7% higher than those under scenarios 1, 2 and 3. Based on the above study, the optimal LID facility combination selected in this paper will provide a reference for the construction of sponge facilities similar to this study area.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by Pistacia terebinthus extract: Comprehensive evaluation of antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer effects

In recent years, because of the various functions associated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in manufacturing, different ways for their synthesis have been established. The antioxidant and antibacterial effects of terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus) have been proven. In this study, for the first time, using the extract of terebinth, we have synthesized AgNPs using a green method. Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) spectroscopy analyses were applied to evaluate and verify the formation of NPs, and the antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activity of synthesized AgNPs was also studied. The highest absorption was obtained 24 h following the synthesis at 420 nm because of the Ag + to Ag0 reduction. The functional groups stabilizing activity was obtained by FTIR. Moreover, size and surface morphology were assessed by FE-SEM. The present research showed the AgNPs had spherical shape and had a 32 nm diameter. The face-centered cubic construction of AgNPs was evaluated through XRD method with peaks at 2θ = 37°, 49°, 63°, and 76° (related to the planes of silver 111, 200, 220, 311), respectively. Antimicrobial assessment revealed that the biosynthesized AgNPs had a great antimicrobial activity in response to Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Suppression of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was determined to be associated with dosage. In addition, a high anticancer activity, against MCF-7 cell line, was observed for the 25 μg/mL concentration of the AgNPs. Altogether, these results show that biogenic AgNPs can be functioned as beneficial medicinal compounds.

Practice of Work Process-based Teaching Method in International Business Negotiation Course

Purpose &#8211; The purpose of this paper is exploring the effect of work process-oriented teaching reform on the course of International Business Negotiation. International Business Negotiation is an optional course for international economics and trade majors, whose target is to help students get familiar with and master the basic skills of international business negotiation, and lay a foundation for future practical work. Design/Methodology/Approach &#8211; However, it is hardly to achieve the goal by using the traditional teaching method. The paper studies the main problems in International Business Negotiation teaching, and made an application of work process-based teaching method. Through teaching practice, the advantages and limitations of the work process-based teaching method have been found. Findings &#8211; According to the feedback from students and comprehensive evaluation of teaching effect, it was found that the work process-based teaching method could stimulate students’ enthusiasms on study and improve their application ability. Research Implications &#8211; The study has significance in promote and apply work process-based teaching method, enhance the teaching effect of International Business Negotiation, and conducive to the cultivation of applied talents, which will also provide reference for other scholars’ follow-up research.

Exposure to acetochlor impairs swim bladder formation, induces heat shock protein expression, and promotes locomotor activity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Acetochlor is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, however, there are few data on the sub-lethal effects of acetochlor on early developmental stages of fish. To address this, we measured survival, deformity, swim bladder formation, embryo oxygen consumption rates, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, transcripts (related to swim bladder formation, oxidative damage response, and apoptosis) and behavior responses following exposure to acetochlor (0.001 µM up to 125 µM). Exposure to acetochlor at concentrations 50 µM and above exerted 100% mortality after 3 dpf, and significantly reduced the size of the swim bladder (25 µM). In embryos, basal respiration, oligomycin-induced ATP production, and maximal respiration were decreased 30–60% following a 24 h exposure to 125 μM acetochlor. Acetochlor did not affect ROS levels up to 25 µM in larvae with acute exposure. Acetochlor at 25 µM increased mRNA levels of bax1, hsp70, and hsp90a by ~4-fold in larval zebrafish. In both the visual motor response and light-dark preference test, 25 µM acetochlor increased locomotor activity of larval fish. At lower exposure concentrations, 100 and 1000 nM acetochlor increased the mean time spent in the dark zone, suggesting promotion of anxiolytic behavior. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of sublethal effects of acetochlor, spanning molecular responses to behavior, which can be used to refine risk assessment decisions for aquatic environments.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by filamentous algae extract: comprehensive evaluation of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects against nosocomial pathogens

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by filamentous algae extract: comprehensive evaluation of antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects against nosocomial pathogens

Comprehensive Evaluation of Weapon Equipment Systems Operational Effectiveness Based on State Space Concept

In recent years, there are many researches on combat test of weapon equipment systems. However, in the process of comprehensive effectiveness evaluation, there are some shortcomings in the construction of index system, such as index redundancy, experts subjective weighting, which lead to the lack of objectivity and scientificity. Focusing on the objective state of the evaluated object, this paper puts forward an idea of comprehensive evaluation in the efficiency state space (ESS), and uses intelligent data processing method based on principal component analysis to examine the correlation of the underlying indicators of the evaluation index system (EIS), and attempts to conduct a comprehensive evaluation on this basis. Finally, we give the comparison the corresponding new results with the original evaluation results in the references. The data show that comprehensive evaluation under ESS can reduce efficiency calculation dimension from10 to 3. The final efficiency ranking is slightly different from that in the reference, but is much more rational and convincing.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Biological Effects of Pentathiepins on Various Human Cancer Cell Lines and Insights into Their Mode of Action.

Pentathiepins are polysulfur-containing compounds that exert antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in cancer cells, induce oxidative stress and apoptosis, and inhibit glutathione peroxidase (GPx1). This renders them promising candidates for anticancer drug development. However, the biological effects and how they intertwine have not yet been systematically assessed in diverse cancer cell lines. In this study, six novel pentathiepins were synthesized to suit particular requirements such as fluorescent properties or improved water solubility. Structural elucidation by X-ray crystallography was successful for three derivatives. All six underwent extensive biological evaluation in 14 human cancer cell lines. These studies included investigating the inhibition of GPx1 and cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and the induction of ROS and DNA strand breaks. Furthermore, selected hallmarks of apoptosis and the impact on cell cycle progression were studied. All six pentathiepins exerted high cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity, while five also strongly inhibited GPx1. There is a clear connection between the potential to provoke oxidative stress and damage to DNA in the form of single- and double-strand breaks. Additionally, these studies support apoptosis but not ferroptosis as the mechanism of cell death in some of the cell lines. As the various pentathiepins give rise to different biological responses, modulation of the biological effects depends on the distinct chemical structures fused to the sulfur ring. This may allow for an optimization of the anticancer activity of pentathiepins in the future.

A genus at risk: Predicted current and future distribution of all three Lagopus species reveal sensitivity to climate change and efficacy of protected areas

AbstractAimCold‐adapted species are considered vulnerable to climate change. However, our understanding of how climate‐induced changes in habitat and weather patterns will influence habitat suitability remains poorly understood, particularly for species at high latitudes or elevations. Here, we assessed potential future distributions for a climate‐sensitive genus, Lagopus, and the effectiveness of protected areas in tracking shifting distributions.LocationBritish Columbia, Canada.MethodsUsing community science observations from 1970 to 2020, we built species distribution models for white‐tailed (L. leucura), rock (L. muta) and willow ptarmigan (L. lagopus) across British Columbia, a globally unique region harbouring all three ptarmigan species. We assessed the impact of climate (direct) and climate‐induced habitat change (indirect) on potential future distributions of ptarmigan.ResultsWhite‐tailed and rock ptarmigan were associated with colder temperatures and tundra‐like open habitats and willow ptarmigan with open, shrub habitats. Future projections based on climate and vegetation scenarios indicated marked losses in suitable habitat by the 2080s (RCP +8.5 W/m2), with range declines of 85.6% and 79.5% for white‐tailed and rock ptarmigan, respectively, and a lower 61.3% for willow ptarmigan. Predicted current and future suitable habitat occurred primarily outside of current protected areas (67%–82%), yet range size declined at a less pronounced rate within protected areas suggesting a capacity to buffer habitat loss.Main conclusionsPtarmigan are predicted to persist at higher elevations and latitudes than currently occupied, with the magnitude of elevation shifts consistent with trends observed elsewhere in the Holarctic. Our spatially explicit assessment of potential current and future distributions of ptarmigan species provides the first comprehensive evaluation of climate change effects on the distribution of three congeneric, cold‐adapted species with different habitat preferences and life‐history traits. We also highlight the potential role of protected areas in preserving suitable future sites for ptarmigan and other climate‐sensitive or high‐elevation species.

Development and implementation of an LIS-based validation system for autoverification toward zero defects in the automated reporting of laboratory test results

BackgroundValidation of the autoverification function is one of the critical steps to confirm its effectiveness before use. It is crucial to verify whether the programmed algorithm follows the expected logic and produces the expected results. This process has always relied on the assessment of human–machine consistency and is mostly a manually recorded and time-consuming activity with inherent subjectivity and arbitrariness that cannot guarantee a comprehensive, timely and continuous effectiveness evaluation of the autoverification function. To overcome these inherent limitations, we independently developed and implemented a laboratory information system (LIS)-based validation system for autoverification.MethodsWe developed a correctness verification and integrity validation method (hereinafter referred to as the "new method") in the form of a human–machine dialog. The system records personnel review steps and determines whether the human–machine review results are consistent. Laboratory personnel then analyze the reasons for any inconsistency according to system prompts, add to or modify rules, reverify, and finally improve the accuracy of autoverification.ResultsThe validation system was successfully established and implemented. For a dataset consisting of 833 rules for 30 assays, 782 rules (93.87%) were successfully verified in the correctness verification phase, and 51 rules were deleted due to execution errors. In the integrity validation phase, 24 projects were easily verified, while the other 6 projects still required the additional rules or changes to the rule settings. Taking the Hepatitis B virus test as an example, from the setting of 65 rules to the automated releasing of 3000 reports, the validation time was reduced from 452 (manual verification) to 275 h (new method), a reduction in validation time of 177 h. Furthermore, 94.6% (168/182) of laboratory users believed the new method greatly reduced the workload, effectively controlled the report risk and felt satisfied. Since 2019, over 3.5 million reports have been automatically reviewed and issued without a single clinical complaint.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to realize autoverification validation as a human–machine interaction. The new method effectively controls the risks of autoverification, shortens time consumption, and improves the efficiency of laboratory verification.

Comprehensive evaluation of effects of various carbon-rich amendments on tomato production under continuous saline water irrigation: Overall soil quality, plant nutrient uptake, crop yields and fruit quality

Since freshwater shortage is common in most regions of the world, saline water has been used to irrigate a wide range of crop species. However, continuous saline water irrigation can easily lead to soil degradation and reductions in crop yields. In this study, we measured the effects of various carbon-rich amendments (CRAs) on soil quality, plant nutrient uptake, crop yields and tomato quality under continuous saline water irrigation. The treatments considered were (i) untreated soils irrigated with freshwater (control), (ii) untreated soils irrigated with saline water (SW), (iii) soils treated with straw-C and irrigated with saline water (SW+SC), (iv) soils treated with biochar-C and irrigated with saline water (SW+BC), (v) soils treated with nano-C and irrigated with saline water (SW+NC), and (vi) soils treated with composted straw-C and irrigated with saline water (SW+CC). Soil quality was comprehensively evaluated using a soil quality index (SQI) covering a wide range of physicochemical and microbial properties. In general, continuous saline water irrigation resulted in adverse effects on soil quality (e.g. enhanced sodium adsorption ratio, reduced nutrient availability and decreased microbial activities/functions) and tomato growth (e.g. the reduction of plant biomass and fruit yield). However, these adverse effects were efficiently alleviated by the application of CRAs. Specifically, all four CRAs increased SQI under continuous saline water irrigation. There were significantly (p < 0.001) and positively relationships between SQI and crop productivity (e.g. fruit yield and plant biomass). The application of straw-C or nano-C mainly increased crop yields, while the application of biochar-C or composted straw-C primarily improved fruit quality. Overall, the application of straw-C resulted in not only the highest SQI but also the highest fruit yield, while the application of biochar-C strongly enhanced overall fruit quality under continuous saline water irrigation.

Evidence for the importance of land use, site characteristics and vegetation composition for rooting in European Alps

Plant rooting strongly affects most hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems, as it presents the main pathway for carbon, water and nutrient transfer from soil to the atmosphere and is a key factor in stabilizing the soil layer. Few studies have actually investigated the link between phytosociological and structural vegetation composition and diversity in soil rooting parameters. Our study provides a comprehensive evaluation of plant cover and diversity effects on rooting parameters dependent on different land-use types along a north–south transect in the Eastern Alps. We conducted field studies of root biomass, rooting density and rooting depth for the six main land-use types: intensively and lightly used hay meadows, pastures, arable land, agriculturally unused grasslands and forests. The variation in rooting parameters was explained by different aspects of species and functional richness, species and functional composition, functional traits, abundance of key species and site variables depending on the land-use types. Our results showed that different characteristics of biodiversity explained the variance in root parameters (mass, density and depth) to a high degree (determination coefficient R2 values varied between 0.621 and 0.891). All rooting parameters increased with increasing plant species richness, as well as with a higher diversity of plant functional traits. The inclusion of site parameters significantly increased the explained variance, while we could not find evidence for key species and their abundance to provide additional explanatory power. Allowing the effects to vary depending on land-use types turned out to be a necessity supporting the importance of considering land-use types for rooting. The findings indicate that vegetation composition has a clear relationship with rooting parameters across different habitats in the European Alps. As the effect of plant composition differs with respect to the land-use type, rooting can be monitored by land management to achieve the desired benefits. For example, intensified rooting through extensive management decreases erosion risk and increases carbon uptake.