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Iron (Fe) modified biochar has been widely used for cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil remediation. However, the accompanying anions introduced during the modification process potentially affect the behavior of Cd in soil. In this study, we investigated the distinct Cd immobilization mechanisms by Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 modified biochar (FSBC) and Fe(NO 3 ) 3 modified biochar (FNBC) in a two-year pot experiment. Results showed that both FSBC and FNBC significantly reduced Cd concentrations in rice grains by 23%-42% and 30%-37% compared to pristine biochar (BC). Specifically, NFBC promoted the formation of amorphous Fe oxides by enhancing the NO 3 - -reducing Fe(II) oxidation process, which significantly increased Fe/Mn oxide-bound Cd and decreased soil CaCl 2 -extractable Cd. For FSBC, the introduction of SO 4 2- significantly promoted the formation of Fe plaques by enhancing the Fe(III) reduction process, which blocked the Cd transfer from the soil to the rice roots. More importantly, after two years of biochar application, an organo-mineral complex layer is formed on the biochar surface, which immobilized a large amount of Cd. The Cd immobilization on the surface of aged biochar could be due to the fixation by the secondary Fe oxides within the organo-mineral layer and the complexation by the surface functional groups. The result of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry showed that the Cd content on aged FNBC and FSBC was 5.9 and 2.6 times higher than on aged BC. This might be attributed to the Fe-modified biochar's higher electron exchange capability (EEC), which promoted the development of organo-mineral complexes. Notably, the EEC of biochar was maintained during its aging process, which may keep the biochar surface active and facilitate continual Cd immobilization. This study revealed the complex mechanisms of soil Cd immobilization with Fe-modified biochar, providing new insights into sustainable biochar environmental remediation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the malignant tumors of the head and neck with a particularly poor prognosis. Recurrence and metastasis are important reasons for poor prognosis of hypopharyngeal cancer patients, and malignant proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells are important factors for recurrence and metastasis of hypopharyngeal cancer. Therefore, elucidating hypopharyngeal cancer cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion mechanism is essential for improving diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Plasmacytoma Variant Translocation 1 (PVT1) is considered a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for tumors. However, it remains unclear whether PVT1 is related to the occurrence and development of hypopharyngeal cancer and its specific mechanism. In this study, the promoting effect of PVT1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of hypopharyngeal carcinoma FaDu cells was verified by cell biology experiments and animal studies, and it was found that PVT1 inhibited the expression of TGF-β, suggesting that PVT1 may regulate the occurrence and development of hypopharyngeal carcinoma FaDu cells through TGF-β., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Severe global climate change has resulted in the focus of social attention shifting to the manufacturing industry's low-carbon transformation. Digital intelligent transformation (DIT) in enterprises is identified as a crucial driver in mitigating carbon emissions. An estimation of DIT's impact on manufacturing industries' carbon emission intensity (CEI) and its underlying mechanisms was conducted using data from Chinese A-share listed companies. Research findings indicate that DIT significantly reduces corporate CEI. Robustness tests, such as the instrumental variable method and variable substitution method, confirm this conclusion. By enhancing labor productivity and accelerating capital renewal, DIT indirectly lowers CEI. Furthermore, non-state-owned enterprises with superior market competitiveness have been observed to be markedly adept at harnessing DIT for CEI. The heterogeneity test found that DIT has a considerably significant effect on reducing CEI in enterprises that are not low-carbon pilots, non-broadband pilots, smart pilots, non-provincial capitals, and eastern cities. This study provides new evidence supporting the promotion of enterprise DIT for achieving green development, offering insights for corporate policy making., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ultramicroporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are demonstrated to be advantageous for the separation and purification of light hydrocarbons such as C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 , and CH 4 . The introduction of transition metal sites with strong π-complexation affinity into MOFs is more effective than other adsorption sites for the selective adsorption of π-electron-rich unsaturated hydrocarbon gases from their mixtures. However, lower coordination numbers make it challenging to produce robust MOFs directly utilizing metal ions with π-coordination activity, such as Cu + , Ag + , and Pd 2+ . Herein, a series of novel π-complexing MOFs (SNNU-33s) with a pore size of 4.6 Å are precisely constructed by cleverly introducing symmetrically matched C 3 -type [Cu(pyz) 3 ] (pyz = pyrazine) coordinated fragments into 1D hexagonal channels of MIL-88 prototype frameworks. Benifit from the spatial confinement combined with π-complex-active Cu + of [Cu(pyz) 3 ], pore-space-partitioned SNNU-33 MOFs all present excellent C 2 H 2 /CH 4 , C 2 H 4 /CH 4 , and CO 2 /CH 4 separation ability. Notably, the optimized SNNU-33b adsorbent demonstrates top-level IAST selectivity values for C 2 H 2 /CH 4 (597.4) and C 2 H 4 /CH 4 (69.8), as well as excellent breakthrough performance. Theoretical calculations further reveal that such benchmark light hydrocarbon separation and purification ability is mainly ascribed to the extra-strong binding affinity between Cu + and π-electron donor molecules via a spatially confined π-complexation process., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Peanut yield and quality face significant threats due to climate change and soil degradation. The potential of biochar technology to address this challenge remains unanswered, though biochar is acknowledged for its capacity to enhance the soil microbial community and plant nitrogen (N) supply. A field study was conducted in 2021 on oil peanuts grown in a sand-loamy Primisol that received organic amendments at 20 Mg ha -1 . The treatments consisted of biochar amendments derived from poultry manure (PB), rice husk (RB), and maize residue (MB), as well as manure compost (OM) amendment, compared to no organic amendment (CK). In 2022, during the second year after amendment, samples of bulk topsoil, rooted soil, and plants were collected at the peanut harvest. The analysis included the assessment of soil quality, peanut growth traits, microbial community, nifH gene abundance, and biological N fixation (BNF) rate. Compared to the CK, the OM treatment led to an 8 % increase in peanut kernel yield, but had no effect on kernel quality in terms of oil production. Conversely, both PB and MB treatments increased kernel yield by 10 %, whereas RB treatment showed no change in yield. Moreover, all biochar amendments significantly improved oilseed quality by 10-25 %, notably increasing the proportion of oleic acid by up to 70 %. Similarly, while OM amendment slightly decreased root development, all biochar treatments significantly enhanced root development by over 80 %. Furthermore, nodule number, fresh weight per plant, and the nifH gene abundance in rooted soil remained unchanged under OM and PB treatments but was significantly enhanced under RB and MB treatments compared to CK. Notably, all biochar amendments, excluding OM, increased the BNF rate and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase activity. These changes were attributed to alterations in soil aggregation, moisture retention, and phosphorus availability, which were influenced by the diverse physical and chemical properties of biochars. Overall, maize residue biochar contributed synergistically to enhancing soil fertility, peanut yield, and quality while also promoting increased root development, a shift in the diazotrophic community and BNF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A pharyngeal recess cyst is a benign lesion, located at the nasopharyngeal recess with limited development. Pharyngeal recess cysts rarely occur. This case report describes a young male patient presenting with a foreign body sensation in the pharynx. Electronic nasopharyngoscope examination revealed a large nasopharyngeal cyst, whose root was located in the left pharyngeal recess. Complete surgical resection was performed, and the patient successfully recovered.Pharyngeal recess cysts are rare lesions that can be diagnosed based on imaging and endoscopy findings. It is treated surgically and has a favorable prognosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly aggressive, heterogeneous tumour usually caused by alcohol and tobacco consumption, making it one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Despite the fact that various therapeutic approaches such as surgery, radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT) and targeted therapy have been widely used for HNSCC in recent years, its recurrence rate and mortality rate remain high. RT is the standard treatment choice for HNSCC, which induces reactive oxygen species production and causes oxidative stress, ultimately leading to tumour cell death. CT is a widely recognized form of cancer treatment that treats a variety of cancers by eliminating cancer cells and preventing them from reproducing. Immune checkpoint inhibitor and epidermal growth factor receptor are important in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. Iron death, a type of cell death regulated by peroxidative damage to phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes, has been found to be a relevant death response triggered by tumour RT in recent years. In the present review, an overview of the current knowledge on RT and combination therapy and iron death in HNSCC was provided, the mechanisms by which RT induces iron death in tumour cells were summarized, and therapeutic strategies to target iron death in HNSCC were explored. The current review provided important information for future studies of iron death in the treatment of HNSCC.

Recent years have witnessed growing public concern over air pollution in China, posing a challenge to the government's environmental management efforts. Empirical evidence indicates that the digital economy contributes to mitigating environmental pollution. Given that national audits are a crucial part of the national oversight system and considering the significant role of digital technology in audit governance, it is relevant to explore how the digital economy can support national audits in enhancing China's environmental quality. This study investigates the environmental impact of national audit governance, utilizing a dataset from 1540 counties in China spanning from 2005 to 2018. The findings reveal that effective national audits contribute to reducing haze pollution (HP) levels, with the digital economy playing a moderating role. The results also demonstrate heterogeneity; national audits are particularly effective in regions characterized by high urbanization rates, severe HP, and stringent environmental regulations. The mechanism analysis suggests that industrial transformation and enhanced government governance are the key mechanisms through which national audits reduce regional HP. Additionally, reforming the audit management system can amplify the effects of national audits on reducing HP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune mucocutaneous bullous disease that can be life-threatening. We report a case of pemphigus vulgaris with pharyngeal ulcer as the initial presentation that was treated with glucocorticoid therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Biochar and modified biochar have gained wide attention for Cd-contaminated soil remediation. This study investigates the effects of rape straw biochar (RSB), sulfur-iron modified biochar (S-FeBC), and nitrogen-iron modified biochar (N-FeBC) on soil Fe oxide transformation and Cd immobilization. The mediated electrochemical analysis results showed that Fe modification effectively enhanced the electron exchange capacity (EEC) of biochar. After 40 days of anaerobic incubation, compared to the treatment without biochar (CK), the concentrations of CaCl 2 -extractable Cd in N-FeBC, S-FeBC, and RSB treatments decreased by 79%, 53%, and 23%, respectively. Compared with S-FeBC, N-FeBC significantly decreased the soil Eh and increased soil pH within the first 15 days, which could be attributed to its higher EEC and alkalinity. There is a negative correlation between the concentration of CaCl 2 -extractable Cd and soil pH (p < 0.01). The sequential extraction results showed that both N-FeBC and S-FeBC promoted Cd transfer from acid-soluble to Fe/Mn oxides bound fraction (Fe/Mn-Cd). N-FeBC significantly increased the concentration of amorphous Fe oxides (amFeox) from 4.0 g kg -1 in day 1 to 4.6 g kg -1 in day 15 by promoting the NO 3 - -reducing Fe(II) oxidation process, while S-FeBC significantly increased amFeox from 4.0 g kg -1 in day 15 to 4.8 g kg -1 in day 40 by promoting the Fe(II) recrystallization. There is a positive correlation between the concentration of amFeox and Fe/Mn-Cd (p < 0.01). The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that Cd was bound to the amFeox coating on the surface of Fe-modified biochar. By acting as an electron shuttle, the active surface of Fe-modified biochar may serve as a hotspot for Fe transformation, which promotes amFeox formation and Cd immobilization. This study highlights the potential of Fe-modified biochar for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils and provides valuable insights into the development of effective remediation approaches for Cd-contaminated soils., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Soil redox potential (Eh) plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of soil nutrients. Whereas its effect soil process and nutrients' availability under elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration and warming has seldom been investigated. Thus, in this study, a field experiment was used to elucidate the effect of elevated CO 2 concentration and warming on soil Eh, redox-sensitive elements and root radial oxygen loss (ROL). We hypothesized elevated CO 2 and warming could alter soil Eh by promoting or inhibiting ROL. We found that soil Eh in the rhizosphere was significantly higher than that of non-rhizosphere. Elevated CO 2 enhanced soil Eh by 11.5%, which corresponded to a significant decrease in soil Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ concentration. Under elevated CO 2 , the concentration of Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ decreased by 14.7% and 13.7%, respectively. We also found that elevated CO 2 altered rice root aerenchyma structure and promoted rice root ROL. Under elevated CO 2 , rice root ROL increased by 79.5% and 112.2% for Yangdao 6 and Changyou 5, respectively. Warming had no effect on soil Eh and rice root ROL. While warming increased the concentration of Mn 2+ and SO 4 2- by 4.9% and 19.3%, respectively. There was a significant interaction between elevated CO 2 and warming on Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ . Under elevated CO 2 , warming had no effect on the concentration of Fe 2+ but decreased Mn 2+ concentration significantly. Our study demonstrated that elevated atmospheric CO 2 in the future could increase soil Eh by promoting rice root ROL, which will alter some soil nutrients' availability, such as Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ ., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Spindle cell tumors are rare and can occur in any organ or tissue. Due to their rarity the clinicopathological features and diagnostic protocols have not been adequately studied. However, it has become necessary to develop differential diagnosis of spindle cell tumors. Here, we report a case of a nasal spindle cell tumor diagnosed at our hospital in attempt to contribute to this gap in literature., Key Points From the Case: A male in his 30s was admitted to our hospital with nasal obstruction that had persisted for several years. Electronic fibrolaryngoscopy revealed a smooth neoplasm within the nasal cavity., Main Lessons to Be Learned From This Case Report: The results of this case emphasize that spindle cell tumors have large morphological variations, and it is difficult to determine the origin of tumor cells using hematoxylin and eosin staining alone. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the immunohistochemistry and combine it with clinical symptoms to diagnose the disease., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Aiming at the shortcomings of most existing control strategies for lower limb rehabilitation robots that are difficult to guarantee trajectory tracking effect and active participation of the patient, this paper proposes a force/position-based velocity control (FPVC) strategy for the hybrid end-effector lower limb rehabilitation robot (HE-LRR) during active training. The configuration of HE-LRR is described and the inverse Jacobian analysis is carried out. Then, the FPVC strategy design is introduced in detail, including normal velocity planning and tangential velocity planning. The experimental platform for the HE-LRR system is presented. A series of experiments are conducted to validate the FPVC strategy's performance, including trajectory measurement experiments, force and velocity measurement experiments, and active participation experiments. Experimental studies show that the end effector possesses good following performance with the reference trajectory and the desired velocity, and the active participation of subjects can be adjusted by the control strategy parameters. The experiments have verified the rationality of the FPVC strategy, which can meet the requirements of trajectory tracking effect and active participation, indicating its good application prospects in the patient's robot-assisted active training., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Tian, Wang, Lu, Yang, Li, Niu and Cheng.)

Massive amount of food waste has been generated annually, posing a threat to ecological sustainability and the social economy due to current disposal methods. Urgent action is needed worldwide to convert the traditional pathway for treating food waste into a sustainable bioeconomy, as this will significantly benefit food chain management. This study explores the use of pyrolysis to produce different types of food waste biochars and investigates their adsorption capabilities for removing Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ in aqueous solution. The results indicated that co-pyrolysis biochar from fresh food waste and rice husk (FWRB) exhibited superior adsorption performance for Cd 2+ (61.84 mg·g -1 ) and Pb 2+ (245.52 mg·g -1 ), respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetics (0.74 ≤ R 2  ≤ 0.98) and Langmuir isotherms (0.87 ≤ R 2  ≤ 0.98) indicated that the immobilized Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ on biochars were mainly attributed to the chemisorption, including precipitation with minerals (e.g., carbonates, silicates, and phosphate), complexation with functional groups (-OH), cation exchange (-COO - ), and coordination with π-electrons. Furthermore, FWRB demonstrated reduced EC and Na content in comparison to food waste digestate biochar (FWDB) and food waste digestate co-pyrolysis with sawdust biochar (FWSB), with levels of Cd and Pb falling below China's current guideline thresholds. These findings suggested that co-pyrolysis of fresh food waste with rice husk could be applicable to the recycling of food waste into biochar products for heavy metal stabilization in contaminated water and soils., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cd is normally associated with sulfide and Fe oxides in flooded paddy soil. The mechanisms of biochar enhanced Cd immobilization by promoting Fe transformation and sulfide formation are unclear. Rape straw biochar (RSB) pyrolyzed at 450 °C (LB) and 800 °C (HB) was added to Cd-contaminated paddy soil at 1% (LB1, HB1) and 2% (LB2, HB2) doses. The results showed that Fe/Mn oxide-Cd (Fe/Mn-Cd) and free Fe oxide (Fe d ) concentrations decreased in the first 12 days and then rose, while Fe 2+ in pore water (W-Fe 2+ ) tended to rise first and then fall. The electron transfer rate of soil in the HB2 treatment was 4.9-fold higher than that in the treatment without biochar (CK). Fe oxide reduction was enhanced by RSB, with a maximum increase in W-Fe 2+ by 62.1% in HB2 on Day 12. The negative correlation between W-Fe 2+ and Fe d showed that Fe 2+ promoted the reformatted of seconded Fe minerals after Day 12, and the Fe d in the HB2 treatments increased by 31.5% in this period. RSB addition also promoted the reformation of poorly crystallized Fe oxide (Fe o ) by increasing soil pH, which increased by 17.2% and 15.1% on average in the LB2 and HB2 treatments, respectively, compared to CK. Compared to Day 7, the increased rate of Fe/Mn-Cd on Day 30 in RSB was approximately twice that of CK. Compared to the molybdate group, the maximum decrease in CaCl 2 -Cd was 29.1% in LB2 on Day 12. LB2 increased SO 4 2- and acid-volatile sulfide concentrations by 6.9- and 4.1-fold, respectively, compared to CK. These results suggested that RSB, particularly HB, promoted more Cd adsorption in Fe minerals by increasing Fe hydroxylation and recrystallization processes. LB increased the contribution of sulfide to Cd immobility., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

For high-quality development, inclusive green growth (IGG) is a crucial strategic option. Given the deceleration in economic growth, monetary policy has several obligations, including stabilizing growth, changing structure, and mitigating risks. However, frequent revisions of monetary policy may diminish its regulatory efficacy due to resulting uncertainty. Accordingly, this study reveals the mechanism of the impact of monetary policy uncertainty (MPU) on IGG. Research suggests that MPU significantly inhibits IGG in the region, as demonstrated by robustness tests. Mechanism test reveal that MPU inhibits IGG by reducing green finance, ecological innovation, media attention, and employment levels. These four transmission mechanisms all show a masking effect. Additionally, further tests show that under different levels of green finance, ecological innovation, media attention, and employment, the impact of MPU on IGG is nonlinear. Heterogeneity analyses also indicate that the inhibition of MPU is weaker in cities with high scientific and technological progress and local fiscal expenditure. Finally, quantile regression demonstrates that the restraining effect of MPU diminishes before rising. This study contributes to the advancement of MPU research, provides a solid foundation for formulating, modifying, and executing monetary policy, and serves as a valuable resource for promoting IGG., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma (LGMS) is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor derived from myofibroblasts. It is commonly identified in the head and neck, and particularly in the oral cavity, but rarely in the larynx. In this case report, we describe a patient who presented with hoarseness and underwent electronic fiber laryngoscopy, which revealed a neoplasm on the surface of his left vocal cord. The vocal cord tumor was resected under general anesthesia, and a malignant LGMS was diagnosed on postoperative pathologic examination. The results of immunohistochemical staining of the sections for vimentin (diffuse +), actin (partial +), and desmin (-) were consistent with this diagnosis. The patient recovered well after the surgery, and there was no recurrence of the neoplasm.

Hamartomas are benign tumors characterized by an abnormal combination and arrangement of normal tissues during development. It is more common in lung, gastrointestinal tract and other parts, rare in the head and neck, such as oral cavity, nasal cavity, nasopharynx, etc. This case report describes a patient with nasopharyngeal hamartoma who presented with headache and rhinorrhea and was confirmed to have smooth nasopharyngeal neoplasm by electronic fibro laryngoscopy. After admission, the nasopharyngeal neoplasm was removed under general anesthesia and was postoperatively diagnosed as a hamartoma polyp. The patient recovered well postoperatively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Pig manure could be an effective fertilizer source for soil, but with high concentrations of xic elements. It has been shown that the pyrolysis method could largely reduce the environmental risk of pig manure. However, the comprehensive analysis of both toxic metals immobilization effect and environmental risk of pig manure biochar applied as a soil amendment is rarely addressed. To address the knowledge gap, this study was carried out with pig manure (PM) and pig manure biochar (PMB). The PM was pyrolyzed at 450 ℃ and 700 ℃, the corresponding biochar was abbreviated as PMB450 and PMB700, respectively. The PM and PMB were applied in a pot experiment growing Chinese cabbage (Brassica rape L. ssp. Pekinensis) with clay-loam paddy soil. The application rates of PM were set at 0.5% (S), 2% (L), 4% (M) and 6% (H). With the equivalent mass principle, PMB450 and PMB700 were applied at 0.23% (S), 0.92% (L), 1.84% (M), 2.76% (H), and 0.192% (S), 0.7% (L), 1.4% (M), 2.1% (H), respectively. Parameters of Chinese cabbage biomass and quality, total and available concentrations of toxic metals in soil, and soil chemical properties were systemically measured. The main results of this study showed that compared with PM, PMB700 was more effective than PMB450, which induced the highest reductions of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd contents in cabbage by 62.6%, 73.0%, 43.9%, and 74.3%, respectively. Both PM and PMB increased the total contents of metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) in soil, and PMB decreased the mobility of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd at high application rates (≥2%). Treatment with H-PMB700 reduced CaCl 2 extractable Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd by 70.0%, 71.6%, 23.3%, and 15.9%, respectively. For Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd fractions with BCR extraction, PMB treatments, especially PMB700, were more effective than PM in decreasing the available fractions (F1 +F2 +F3) at high application rates (≥2%). Overall, pyrolysis with high temperature (e.g., 700 ℃) could significantly stabilize the toxic elements in PM and enhance PM's effect on toxic metals immobilization. The marked effects of PMB700 on toxic metal immobilization and cabbage quality improvement might be attributed to high ash contents and liming effect., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Co-pyrolysis is a potentially effective method for both biomass waste management and multi-functional biochar-based product design. It involves the thermochemical decomposition of biomass waste under anoxic conditions, which can reduce the cost of disposal and produce biochar with beneficial properties. Herein, this study aimed to investigate the properties and environmental applications of biochar from single- and mixed- feedstocks of wheat straw, rice husk, pig manure, and oyster shell at 450 ℃, respectively. A pot experiment with Chinese cabbage was carried out to compare the effects of biochars with limestone on soil Cd and Pb immobilization at two harvest periods. The results indicated that co-pyrolysis of various biomasses exhibited synthetic effects on promoting the calorific value of syngas and enhancing the quality of produced biochar. The pot experiment revealed a significant promotion on soil pH, soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and soluble Ca, which consequently reduced Cd and Pb availability. In contrast with limestone treatment, soil amendment with single biomass-derived and co-pyrolysis-derived (COPB) biochars had a significant positive impact on soil fertility and microbial biomass. Application of COPB at a 0.5% dosage consistently and most effectively enhanced the shoot biomass, increased leaf Vitamin C content but reduced leaf content of nitrate and heavy metals in both harvests. Using COPB for soil remediation would be financially visible due to the enhancement of crop yield. Therefore, this study proposes a strategy for targeted enhancement of the functions of biochar derived from co-pyrolysis of selected biomass waste for soil remediation and agricultural production., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Projected global climate change is a potential threat to nutrient utilization in agroecosystems. However, the combined effects of elevated [CO 2 ] and canopy warming on plant nutrient concentrations and translocations are not well understood. Here we conducted an open-air field experiment to investigate the impact of factorial elevated [CO 2 ] (up to 500 μmol mol -1 ) and canopy air warming (+2°C) on nutrient (N, P, and K) status during the wheat growing season in a winter wheat field. Compared to ambient conditions, soil nutrient status was generally unchanged under elevated [CO 2 ] and canopy warming. In contrast, elevated [CO 2 ] decreased K concentrations by 11.0% and 11.5% in plant shoot and root, respectively, but had no impact on N or P concentration. Canopy warming increased shoot N, P and K concentrations by 8.9%, 7.5% and 15.0%, but decreased root N, P, and K concentrations by 12.3%, 9.0% and 31.6%, respectively. Accordingly, canopy warming rather than elevated [CO 2 ] increased respectively N, P and K transfer coefficients (defined as the ratio of nutrient concentrations in the shoot to root) by 22.2%, 27.9% and 84.3%, which illustrated that canopy warming played a more important role in nutrient translocation from belowground to aboveground than elevated [CO 2 ]. These results suggested that the response of nutrient dynamics was more sensitive in plants than in soil under climate change., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wang, Li, Lam, Shi and Pan.)

The role of biochar-microbe interaction in plant rhizosphere mediating soil-borne disease suppression has been poorly understood for plant health in field conditions. Chinese ginseng ( Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is widely cultivated in Alfisols across Northeast China, being often stressed severely by pathogenic diseases. In this study, the topsoil of a continuously cropped ginseng farm was amended at 20 t ha -1 , respectively, with manure biochar (PB), wood biochar (WB), and maize residue biochar (MB) in comparison to conventional manure compost (MC). Post-amendment changes in edaphic properties of bulk topsoil and the rhizosphere, in root growth and quality, and disease incidence were examined with field observations and physicochemical, molecular, and biochemical assays. In the 3 years following the amendment, the increases over MC in root biomass were parallel to the overall fertility improvement, being greater with MB and WB than with PB. Differently, the survival rate of ginseng plants increased insignificantly with PB but significantly with WB (14%) and MB (21%), while ginseng root quality was unchanged with WB but improved with PB (32%) and MB (56%). For the rhizosphere at harvest following 3 years of growing, the total content of phenolic acids from root exudate decreased by 56, 35, and 45% with PB, WB, and MB, respectively, over MC. For the rhizosphere microbiome, total fungal and bacterial abundance both was unchanged under WB but significantly increased under MB (by 200 and 38%), respectively, over MC. At the phyla level, abundances of arbuscular mycorrhizal and Bryobacter as potentially beneficial microbes were elevated while those of Fusarium and Ilyonectria as potentially pathogenic microbes were reduced, with WB and MB over MC. Moreover, rhizosphere fungal network complexity was enhanced insignificantly under PB but significantly under WB moderately and MB greatly, over MC. Overall, maize biochar exerted a great impact rather on rhizosphere microbial community composition and networking of functional groups, particularly fungi, and thus plant defense than on soil fertility and root growth., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Liu, Xia, Tang, Liu, Bian, Yang, Zheng, Cheng, Zhang, Drosos, Li, Shan, Joseph and Pan.)

To further investigate the effect of pyrolysis temperature on bioavailable Cd, Pb and As, as well as the bacterial community structure in multi-metal(loid) contaminated paddy soil, six types of biochar derived from wood sawdust and peanut shell at 300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C were prepared and incubated with Cd, Pb and As contaminated paddy soil for 45 days. The results showed that adding biochar decreased bioavailable Cd by 31.3%- 42.9%, Pb by 0.61-56.1%, while bioavailable As changed from 9.68 mg kg -1 to 9.55-10.84 mg kg -1 . We found that pyrolysis temperature of biochar had no significant effect on Cd bioavailability while Pb bioavailability decreased obviously with pyrolysis temperature raising. Biochar reduced the proportion of soluble and exchangeable Cd from 45.0% to 11.2-15.4% in comparison with the control, while no significant effect on the speciation of Pb and As. Wood sawdust biochar (WSBs) had more potential in decreasing bioavailable Cd and Pb than peanut shell biochar (PSBs). Although high-temperature biochar resulted a larger increase in bacterial species than low-and mid- temperature biochar, feedstock played a more important role in altering soil bacterial diversity and community composition than pyrolysis temperature. PSBs increased the diversity of soil bacteria through elevating soil dissolved carbon (DOC). Biochar altered soil bacterial community structure mainly by altering the level of soil electricity conductivity, DOC and bioavailable Cd. In addition, applying high-temperature PSBs increased the genus of bacteria that relevant to nitrogen cycling, such as Nitrospira, Nitrosotaleaceae and Candidatus&#95;Nitrosotalea., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Amyloidosis is a disease caused by amyloid deposition in tissues or organs. According to the extent of the lesion, it can be divided into systemic amyloidosis and localized amyloidosis. Amyloidosis originating in the larynx accounts for approximately 0.5% to 1.0% of benign lesions of the larynx; such lesions are relatively rare and mostly localized. Nasopharyngeal amyloidosis combined with laryngeal amyloidosis is even rarer. We herein present a case involving a patient with amyloidosis in the nasopharynx and larynx who presented with a foreign body sensation and hoarseness in the pharynx. Electronic fiber laryngoscopy revealed a smooth neoplasm in the left nasopharynx and left vocal cord. The patient underwent surgical treatment, and the postoperative pathologic examination results suggested amyloidosis. Special staining performed using Congo red and crystal violet was positive, confirming amyloidosis. The patient recovered after surgery, and no recurrence was present at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

Biochar has been used as an amendment in Cd-contaminated soils. However, the mechanisms of which biochar reduce Cd mobility and rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cd uptake by modifying the iron and sulfur cycling in soil has rarely been addressed in the literature. A pot experiment has been carried out with two Cd-contaminated paddy soils (FG and DBS) from South China. Rice straw biochar (RSB) and rape straw biochar (RASB) pyrolyzed at 450 °C were applied at 0, 0.5, and 1% (w/w), respectively. The results showed that biochar amendment at a rate of 1% reduced grain Cd concentrations by 29.3-35.2%. Furthermore, biochar significantly reduced the Cd concentration of root, while the decline of Cd concentration by RASB treatment was higher than by RSB treatment. Root Cd in RASB 0.5 was significantly reduced by 56.4-51.8% compared to than that in RSB 0.5 at the maturing stage. Biochar reduced soil acid-soluble Cd by 15.9-25.3% with the increase of pH at the maturing stage in FG soil, and 30.1-59.3% by promoting soil into more reductive condition at the heading stage in DBS soil with higher contents of Fe and S. In addition, biochar impeded Cd transport from soil to rice roots by increasing the formation of iron plaque at the flooding stage. Owing to the influence of RASB 1 , DCB-Cd concentration increased significantly, with 99.7% at the heading stage in FG soil and 237.9% at the tillering stage in DBS soil, respectively. Furthermore, RASB with a higher sulfur concentration had a more positive effect on Cd immobilization and iron plaque formation compared to RSB. As a conclusion, this study suggested that biochar might be able to promote the Cd immobilization by affecting the cycling of iron and sulfur in soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Angiomyolipoma is an extremely rare, benign mesenchymal tumor of the nasal cavity, primarily common in the kidney and secondarily common in the liver. According to the author's knowledge, no cases of angiomyolipoma of the nasal septum have been identified to date. We report a case of a patient with a giant angiomyolipoma at the posterior end of the nasal septum who recovered after surgery without any complication., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Biochar-based compound fertilisers (BCF) are gaining increasing attention as they are cost-effectiveness and improve soil fertility and crop yield. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which micron-size BCF particles enhance crop growth. In the present study, Wuyunjing7 rice seedlings were exposed to micron-size particles of wheat straw-based BCF (mBCF) diffused through a 25-μm nylon mesh. The control was fertilised with urea, diammonium phosphate, and potassium chloride to ensure that both treatments received comparables level of N, P, and K. The effects of mBCF on rice seedling growth were evaluated by determining the changes in nitrogen uptake and utilisation via nitrogen content measurements, short-term 15 N-NH 4 + influx assays, and analyses of transcript-level nutrient transporter gene expression. The shoot biomass of rice seedling treated with mBCF at the rate of 5 mg/ g soil was 33% greater than that for the control. Root and shoot 15 N accumulation rates were 44% and 14% higher, respectively, in the mBCF-treated than the control. The mBCF-treated rice seedlings had higher phosphorus, potassium, and iron content than the control. Moreover, the treatments significantly differed in terms of their nutrient transporter gene expression levels. Spectroscopy and microscopy were used to visualise nutrient distributions across transverse root sections. There were relatively higher iron oxide nanoparticle and silicon-based compound concentrations in the roots of the mBCF-treated rice seedlings than in those of the control. The foregoing difference might account for the fact that the growth of the mBCF-treated rice was superior to that of the control. We demonstrated that the mBCF treatment created a more negative electrical potential at the root epidermal cell layer (~ - 160 mV) than the root surface. This potential difference may have been the driving force for mineral nutrient absorption., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The production of ginseng, an important Chinese medicine crop, has been increasingly challenged by soil degradation and pathogenic disease under continuous cropping in Northeast China. In a field experiment, an Alfisol garden continuously cropped with Chinese ginseng ( Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) was treated with soil amendment at 20 t ha -1 with maize (MB) and wood (WB) biochar, respectively, compared to conventional manure compost (MC). Two years after the amendment, the rooted topsoil and ginseng plants were sampled. The changes in soil fertility and health, particularly in the soil microbial community and root disease incidence, and in ginseng growth and quality were portrayed using soil physico-chemical assays, biochemical assays of extracellular enzyme activities and gene sequencing assays as well as ginsenoside assays. Topsoil fertility was improved by 23% and 39%, ginseng root biomass increased by 25% and 27%, and root quality improved by 6% and 18% with WB and MB, respectively, compared to MC. In the ginseng rhizosphere, fungal abundance increased by 96% and 384%, with a significant and insignificant increase in bacterial abundance, respectively, under WB and MB. Specifically, the abundance of Fusarium spp. was significantly reduced by 19-35%, while that of Burkholderia spp. increased by folds under biochar amendments over MC. Relevantly, there was a significant decrease in the abundance proportion of pathotrophic fungi but a great increase in that of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, along with an enhanced microbial community network complexity, especially fungal community complexity, under biochar amendments. Thus, biochar, particularly from maize residue, could promote ginseng quality production while enhancing soil health and ecological services, including carbon sequestration, in continuously cropped fields., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nanjing Agricultural University.)

Microbial communities of soil aggregate-size fractions were explored with molecular and networking assays for topsoil samples from a clayey rice paddy under long-term fertilization treatments. The treatments included no fertilizer (NF) as control, chemical fertilizer only (CF), chemical fertilizer with swine manure (CFM), and chemical fertilizer with rice straw return (CFS). Following a wet-sieving protocol, water-stable aggregates were separated into size fractions of large macroaggregates (L-MacA, >2,000 μm), macroaggregates (MacA, 2,000-250 μm), microaggregates (MicA, 250-53 μm), fine microaggregates (F-MicA, 53-2 μm), and fine clay (F-Clay, <2 μm). Mass proportion was 32.3-38.2% for F-MicA, 23.0-31.5% for MacA, 19.0-23.1% for MicA, 9.1-12.0% for L-MacA, and 4.9-7.5% for F-Clay, respectively. The proportion of MacA was increased, but F-Clay was reduced by fertilization, whereas the mean weight diameter was increased by 8.0-16.2% from 534.8 μm under NF to 621.5 μm under CFM. Fertilization affected bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal 18S rRNA gene abundance in F-MicA and F-Clay but not in aggregates in size larger than 53 μm. However, bacterial and fungal community α-diversities and community structures were quite more divergent among the fertilization treatments in all size fractions. Organic carbon and gene abundance of bacteria and fungi were enriched in both L-MacA and MacA but depleted in F-Clay, whereas microbial Shannon diversity was rarely changed by fraction size under the four treatments. L-MacA and MacA contained more bacteria of r-strategists and copiotrophs, whereas F-MicA and F-Clay were demonstrated with a higher abundance of K-strategists and oligotrophs. Guilds of parasitic and litter saprotrophic fungi were enriched in F-MicA but depleted in L-MacA. Furthermore, most of bacterial and fungal operational taxonomic units were strongly interacted in L-MacA and MacA rather than in MicA and F-Clay. Thus, MacA acted as micro-hotspots enriched with functional and networked microbial communities, which were enhanced with organic/inorganic fertilization in the rice paddy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rui, Lu, Li, Lin, Lu, Zhang, Shen, Liu, Zheng, Drosos, Cheng, Bian, Zhang, Li and Pan.)

While plant growth promotion with increased nutrient uptake had been well addressed for biochar soil amendment in agriculture, there was limited knowledge on the variation of such effects with crop genotypes. In a rice field experiment without and with biochar soil amendment at 20 t ha -1 , 19 mutants of a rice cultivar Wuyunjing 7 (Oryza sativa L.) were tested for plant growth in split plots respectively. At harvest, the biomass of grain, stem and leaves were measured and soil and plant samples were collected for measuring N, P and K nutrients. Across the 19 mutants, relative change with biochar soil amendment varied in a range of -41.6% to +35.6% for biomass production and agronomic traits, and -87.0% to +117% for nutrient accumulation. For the nutrients content, the relative change for N was seen in a narrow range of -29.4% to +16.6%, being similar among grain, leaf and shoot samples while that for P in a wide range of -109% to +105%. With factor analysis, variation of biomass and nutrient uptake was least explained with biochar effect (up to 7.0%) but largely by genotype effect (mostly by 40-70%). However, the genotype × biochar interaction effect could also explain 10-40% of the total variations though the interaction explained 40-70% of leaf P variation. Therefore, mutant and mutant × biochar interactions dominated the agronomic variation of rice production of the Wuyunjing 7 cultivar. Furthermore, across the traits analyzed, genotype effects were shown very significantly but negatively correlated to biochar effects. In other words, biochar soil amendment provided little growth or nutrient enhancement for those mutants bred for high efficiency. Hence, genotype selection should be considered in optimizing prioritizing biochar application in crop production. Of course, variation of biochar effect with crop genotypes deserved further plant physio-ecological studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest exists., (Copyright © 2021 Nanjing Agricultural University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fe-modified biochar has been shown to have high sorption ability for cadmium (Cd), while Cd immobilization effects of Fe-modified biochars with Si-rich and S-rich feedstocks have been rarely addressed. To explore the effects of Fe-modified Si-rich and S-rich biochars on Cd translocation in the soil-rice system, a pot experiment was carried out with an acidic Cd-contaminated sandy loam paddy from central South China and a late season rice cultivate during July to November 2018. Rice straw and rice husk were chosen as Si-rich feedstocks, and rape straw was applied as S-rich feedstock, these feedstocks were further collected and pyrolyzed at 450 °C. Pristine and Fe-impregnated rice straw (BRS/BRS-Fe), rice husk (BRH/BRH-Fe) and rape straw (BRE/BRE-Fe) biochars were applied at 0 and 10 t/ha, respectively. The reductions in Cd concentrations in rice grains were 23.8%, 22.3% and 46.1% with treatments of BRE, BRS and BRH, respectively, compared to the control. Compared to other pristine biochars, BRH is more effective in Cd remediation in paddy soil. For Fe-modified biochars, BRE-Fe achieved the highest reductions in Cd concentrations in rice grains with 46.7% and 30.1%, compared with the control and BRE, respectively. BRE-Fe decreased Cd remobilization from leaves to grains. Only BRE-Fe enhanced the formation and Cd sorption capacity of iron plaque. BRS-Fe and BRH-Fe enhanced Fe content in rice plants, which might induce the reduction in iron plaque formation. Fe and S-contained complexes contents increased in the contaminated pristine biochar particles, but reduced in the contaminated BRE-Fe particles. Therefore, Fe modification could not enhance Cd immobilization effect of Si-rich biochar, while Fe modified S-rich biochar has promising potential for Cd remediation with enhancement in iron plaque formation and Cd fixation in rice leaves., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Biochar amendment has been proposed as a promising means to increase carbon (C) sequestration and simultaneously benefit plant productivity. However, quantifying the assimilation and dynamics of photosynthetic C in plant-soil systems under biochar addition remains elusive. This study established two experimental factors involving biochar addition and nitrogen (N) fertilization to quantitatively assess the effect of biochar on photosynthetic C fate in a rice plant-soil system. The rice plants and soil samples were collected and analyzed after 6-h pulse labeling with 13 CO 2 at the tillering, jointing, heading and ripening stages. Biochar did not affect the proportions of photoassimilated carbon-13 ( 13 C) allocations in plant-soil systems. Nevertheless, biochar enhanced the 13 C contents in the shoot, root, and soil pools, especially when combined with N fertilization, and biochar increased the cumulative assimilated 13 C contents in the shoot, root, and soil pools by 23%, 14% and 20%, respectively, throughout the whole growth stage. Moreover, biochar addition significantly enhanced the N use efficiency (NUE) by c. 23% at the heading and ripening stages. In summary, biochar increases the content of photoassimilated C in plant-soil systems by improving plant productivity via enhancing NUE, thus resulting in a higher soil C sequestration potential., (© 2021 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2021 New Phytologist Foundation.)

As one of the most important nutrients for plant growth, phosphorus was often poorly available in soil. While biochar addition induced improvement of soil structure, nutrient and water retention as well as microbial activity had been well known, and the effect of biochar soil amendment (BSA) on soil phosphorus availability and plant P uptake had been not yet quantitatively assessed. In a review study, data were retrieved from 354 peer-reviewed research articles on soil available P content and P uptake under BSA published by February 2019. Then a database was established of 516 data pairs from 86 studies with and without BSA in agricultural soils. Subsequently, the effect size of biochar application was quantified relative to no application and assessed in terms of biochar conditions, soil conditions, as well as experiment conditions. In grand mean, there was a significant and great effect of BSA on soil available P and plant P uptake by 65% and 55%, respectively. The effects were generally significant under manure biochar, biochar pyrolyzed under 300 °C, soil pH <5 and fine-textured soil, and soils that are very low in available P. Being significantly correlated to soil P availability (R 2 =0.29), plant P uptake was mostly enhanced with vegetable crops of high biomass yield. Overall, biochar amendment at a dosage up to 10 t ha -1 could be a tool to enhance soil availability and plant uptake of phosphorus, particularly in acid, heavy textured P-poor soils., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

While biochar use in agriculture is widely advocated, how the effect of biochar on plant growth varies with biochar forms and crop genotypes is poorly addressed. The role of dissolvable organic matter (DOM) in plant growth has been increasingly addressed for crop production with biochar. In this study, a hydroponic culture of rice seedling growth of two cultivars was treated with bulk mass (DOM-containing), water extract (DOM only), and extracted residue (DOM-free) of maize residue biochar, at a volumetric dosage of 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1%, respectively. On seedling root growth of the two cultivars, bulk biochar exerted a generally negative effect, while the biochar extract had a consistently positive effect across the application dosages. Differently, the extracted biochar showed a contrasting effect between genotypes. In another hydroponic culture with Wuyunjing 7 treated with biochar extract at sequential dosages, seedling growth was promoted by 95% at 0.01% dosage but by 26% at 0.1% dosage, explained with the great promotion of secondary roots rather than of primary roots. Such effects were likely explained by low molecular weight organic acids and nanoparticles contained in the biochar DOM. This study highlights the importance of biochar DOM and crop genotype when evaluating the effect of biochar on plants. The use of low dosage of biochar DOM could help farmers to adopt biochar technology as a solution for agricultural sustainability., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liu, Lin, Ke, Fan, Joseph, Taherymoosavi, Liu, Bian, Solaiman, Li and Pan.)

While biochar enhanced carbon sequestration and stability of soil organic matter (SOM), changes in organic molecular composition in biochar-amended soils had been poorly addressed. In this study, molecular composition changes of a paddy topsoil 2 years following amendments at 10 t ha -1 OC equivalent with untreated (CS), manured (CM) and charred (CB) maize straw were compared to no amendment (CK). Topsoil SOM was sequentially extracted with ultrapure water (UWE), solvent (TSE), base hydrolysis (BHY) and CuO oxidation (CUO) and molecular compounds in these extracted fractions were detected quantitatively by GC/MS. Compared to CK, SOC content was increased respectively by 12% under CS and CM, and by 36% under CB. Fraction abundance both of UWE and CUO was increased but that of TSE unchanged under CS and CM, while that of BHY unchanged under CS but increased by > 60% under CM and CB, respectively. Under CB relative to CS and CM, abundance of TSE and BHY fractions was greatly increased but that of UWE and CUO unchanged. Specifically, abundances of water-soluble monosaccharides, low molecular weight organic acids and lignin-derived phenols, especially cinnamyl-based monomers, were all enhanced under CS, but abundances of n-alkanols, fatty acids in free lipids and di-acids and hydroxyl fatty acids in bound lipids were decreased under both CS and CM. In contrast, CB amendment increased abundances of n-alkanols, alkanes and sterols in free lipids while enhanced molecular and functional group diversity of UWE and TSE fractions. Overall, short-term crop residue amendment altered the abundance and molecular diversity of OM mainly associated with short-lived UWE and labile TSE fractions and biochar enhanced preservation of plant derived molecules mainly in lipids. Thus, returning crop residue as biochar could be a sustainable approach to enhance not only SOM pool but molecular diversity also in agricultural soils., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Cadmium pollution in the environment is ubiquitous and can be a serious health issue. Crop straw-based biochar is a promising adsorbent, yet few studies have systematically examined the effects of both feedstock and pyrolysis temperature on biochar efficacy for cadmium (Cd) sorption. Sorption-desorption experiments were conducted to explore the mechanisms of Cd sorption for biochars derived from wheat straw (WSB), rape straw (RASB), soybean straw (SSB), and peanut straw (PSB) feedstocks, which were produced by pyrolysis at 450 °C and 650 °C. For biochars pyrolyzed at 450 °C, the sorption capacities varied as PSB>SSB>RASB≈WSB, while the order changed as RASB≈WSB>PSB>SSB for 650 °C biochars. With the increase in pyrolysis temperature, for wheat straw biochar and rape straw biochars, Cd sorption capacities increased by 72% and 63%, while there were 61% and 63% decreases for peanut straw biochar and soybean straw biochar, respectively. Compared to the non-legume straw biochars (WSB and RASB), legume straw biochars (SSB and PSB) have higher sorption capacities for Cd. Peanut straw biochar (PSB) produced at 450 °C was found to be the most promising adsorbent for cadmium. Examination of the sorbed biochars using a range of analytical techniques indicated that 450 °C PSB immobilized cadmium by precipitation with non-electrostatic adsorption. The precipitation of Cd on 450 °C PSB was mainly induced by cation exchange between Cd with mineral cations, which caused Cd complexation with carboxyl functional groups.

Application of iron (Fe)- and silica (Si)-enhanced biochar compound fertilisers (BCF) stimulates rice yield by increasing plant uptake of mineral nutrients. With alterations of the nutrient status in roots, element homeostasis (e.g., Fe) in the biochar-treated rice root was related to the formation of biominerals on the plaque layer and in the cortex of roots. However, the in situ characteristics of formed biominerals at the micron and sub-micron scale remain unknown. In this study, rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) were grown in paddy soil treated with BCF and conventional fertilizer, respectively, for 30 days. The biochar-induced changes in nutrient accumulation in roots, and the elemental composition, distribution and speciation of the biomineral composites formed in the biochar-treated roots at the micron and sub-micron scale, were investigated by a range of techniques. Results of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) showed that biochar treatment significantly increased concentrations of nutrients (e.g., Fe, Si, and P) inside the root. Raman mapping and vibrating sample magnetometry identified biochar particles and magnetic Fe nanoparticles associated with the roots. With Fe plaque formation, higher concentrations of FeO x - and FeO x H - anions on the root surface than the interior were detected by time-of-flight secondary ionization mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Analysis of data from scanning electron microscopy energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) coupled with EDS or energy electron loss spectroscopy (EELS), determined that Fe(III) oxide nanoparticles were accumulated in the crystalline fraction of the plaque and were co-localized with Si and P on the root surface. Iron-rich nanoparticles (Fe-Si nanocomposites with mixed oxidation states of Fe and ferritin) in the root cortex were identified by using aberration-corrected STEM and in situ EELS analysis, confirming the biomineralization and storage of Fe in the rice root. The findings from this study highlight that the deposition of Fe-rich nanocomposites occurs with contrasting chemical speciation in the Fe plaque and cortex of the rice root. This provides an improved understanding of the element homeostasis in rice with biochar-mineral fertilization.

Global expansion of invasive plant species has caused serious ecological and economic problems. Two such invasive species, ragweed and horseweed, were pyrolyzed at temperatures of 350, 450 and 550 ℃ for biochar production (RB350, RB450, RB550 and HB350, HB450, HB550). The biochars produced were used for Cd(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) removal in aqueous solutions. The results indicated that the properties of the biochars varied with pyrolysis temperature, which further affected their adsorption performance. The maximum adsorption capacity of RB450 for Cd(Ⅱ) (139 mg·g -1 ) and Pb(Ⅱ) (358.7 mg·g -1 ) was much higher than that shown in previous studies. The immobilized Cd(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) fraction on RB450, RB550, HB450 and HB550 was mainly attributable to the acid soluble and non-available fractions. These findings suggested that pyrolysis of invasive plants at 450 ℃ could not only be an option to control invasive plants but also could be of benefit in using biochar as excellent adsorbent., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biochar-based compound fertilizers (BCF) and amendments have proven to enhance crop yields and modify soil properties (pH, nutrients, organic matter, structure etc.) and are now in commercial production in China. While there is a good understanding of the changes in soil properties following biochar addition, the interactions within the rhizosphere remain largely unstudied, with benefits to yield observed beyond the changes in soil properties alone. We investigated the rhizosphere interactions following the addition of an activated wheat straw BCF at an application rates of 0.25% (g·g - 1 soil), which could potentially explain the increase of plant biomass (by 67%), herbage N (by 40%) and P (by 46%) uptake in the rice plants grown in the BCF-treated soil, compared to the rice plants grown in the soil with conventional fertilizer alone. Examination of the roots revealed that micron and submicron-sized biochar were embedded in the plaque layer. BCF increased soil Eh by 85 mV and increased the potential difference between the rhizosphere soil and the root membrane by 65 mV. This increased potential difference lowered the free energy required for root nutrient accumulation, potentially explaining greater plant nutrient content and biomass. We also demonstrate an increased abundance of plant-growth promoting bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere. We suggest that the redox properties of the biochar cause major changes in electron status of rhizosphere soils that drive the observed agronomic benefits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To examine the effect of rice straw biochar and the synergism with silicon on Cd immobilization, a Cd-contaminated acidic sandy loam paddy, polluted from emissions from industrial activity, was chosen in central South China. A field trial was conducted over three rice growing seasons during 2016-2017. Rice straw biochar (BR), produced by the pyrolysis of rice straw pellets at 450 °C, was amended at 10 t/ha (BR1), 20 t/ha (BR2), and supplemented with 0.75 t/ha sodium silicate (SS) at 10 t/ha, (BR1 + SS) and 20 t/ha (BR2 + SS), compared to the control without biochar and sodium silicate (BR0). BR supplemented with Si enhanced Cd soil immobilization and decreased Cd accumulation in rice plant within three rice seasons. Compared to BR0, BR + SS reduced Cd concentrations in grains by 19.5-73.7%, higher than that of 8.6-50.2% following BR. Cd bio-concentration factor of the root was reduced by an average of 54.6% from BR + SS and by 19.0% from BR, compared to BR0 in last two rice seasons. BR + SS significantly increased soil pH and available Si, and soil CaCl 2 -Cd was negatively related to soil available Si (p < 0.05). The synergistic effect of BR and Si induced liming effect and co-precipitation of Cd with Si compounds during the aging process of biochar. Thus, we suggest that an alkaline silicon supplementation is used as an amendment to BR, which could be used as a strategic approach for tackling Cd contamination in South China rice paddies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Over use of N fertilizers, most commonly as urea, had been seriously concerned as a major source of radiative N (Nr) for severe environment impacts through leaching, volatilization, and N 2 O emission from fertilized croplands. It had been well known that biochar could enhance N retention and use efficiency by crops in amended croplands. In this study, a granular biochar-mineral urea composite (Bio-MUC) was obtained by blending urea with green waste biochar supplemented with clay minerals of bentonite and sepiolite. This Bio-MUC material was firstly characterized by microscopic analyses with FTIR, SEM-EDS and STEM, subsequently tested for N leaching in water in column experiment and for N supply for maize in pot culture, compared to conventional urea fertilizer (UF). Microscopic analyses indicated binding of urea N to particle surfaces of biochar and clay minerals in the Bio-MUC composite. In the leaching experiment over 30 days, cumulative N release as NH 4 + -N and of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was significantly smaller by >70% and by 8% from the Bio-MUC than from UF. In pot culture with maize growing for 50 days, total fresh shoot was enhanced by 14% but fresh root by 25% under Bio-MUC compared to UF. This study suggested that N in the Bio-MUC was shown slow releasing in water but maize growth promoting in soil, relative to conventional urea. Such effect could be related mainly to N retention by binding to biochar/mineral surfaces and partly by carbon bonds of urea to biochar in the Bio-MUC. Therefore, biochar from agro-wastes could be used for blending urea as combined organo/mineral urea to replace mineral urea so as to reduce N use and impacts on global Nr. Of course, how such biochar combined urea would impact N process in soil-plant systems deserve further field studies., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration ([CO 2 ]) can stimulate plant growth through enhanced photosynthetic rate. However, plant C, N and P ratios in response to elevated [CO 2 ] combined with canopy warming in rice-winter wheat rotation system remain largely unknown. Here we investigated the impacts of elevated [CO 2 ] and warming on plant nutrient ratios under open-air conditions. Four treatments including the ambient condition (CK), elevated [CO 2 ] (500 ppm, CE), canopy warming (+2 °C, WA), and the combination of elevated [CO 2 ] and warming (CW) were used to investigate the responses of plant C, N and P ratios in a rice-winter wheat rotation system in southeast China. Results showed that elevated [CO 2 ] increased C:N ratio in whole plant by 8.4-14.3% for both crops, and increased C:P ratio by 11.3% for rice. The changes in ratio were due to an increase in C concentration by 0.8-1.2% and a reduction in N concentration by 7.4-10.7% for both crops, and a reduction in P concentration by 10.0% for rice. Warming increased N allocation in rice leaf and N concentration by 12.4% for rice, resulting in increases in the ratios of N to C and P by 11.9% and 9.7% in rice, but not in wheat. However, CW had no effect on plant C:N ratio in rice, indicating the positive effect of elevated [CO 2 ] could offset the negative impact of warming on C:N ratio. By contrast, CW significantly decreased plant C:P and N:P ratios by 16% due to the increase in P allocation in stem for wheat. These results suggest that impacts of climate change on plant nutrient balance occur through interactions between the effects of climate change on nutrient uptake and allocation, which is important for food quality and productivity under global climate change.

Projected global climate change is a potential threat for food security. Both rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations ([CO 2 ]) and temperatures have significant impacts on crop productivity, but the combined effects on grain quality are not well understood. We conducted an open-air field experiment to determine the impacts of elevated [CO 2 ] (E-[CO 2 ], up to 500 μmol mol -1 ) and warming (+2°C) on grain yield, protein and amino acid (AAs, acid digests) in a rice-winter wheat rotation system for 2 yr. E-[CO 2 ] increased grain yield by 11.3% for wheat and 5.9% for rice, but decreased grain protein concentration by 14.9% for wheat and by 7.0% for rice, although E-[CO 2 ] slightly increased the ratio of essential to nonessential AAs. With a consistent decline in grain yield, warming decreased protein yield, notably in wheat, despite a smaller increase in protein concentration. These results indicate that warming could partially negate the negative impact by E-[CO 2 ] on grain protein concentration at the expense of grain yield; this tradeoff could not fully offset the negative effects of climate change on crop production., (© 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.)

Safe recycling of the growing amounts of municipal sewage sludge containing toxic metals had been critically challenged with the fast urbanization. In this study, we investigated soil amendment of municipal wastewater treatment (MSS) converted biochar for its recycling in agricultural soils. In a field experiment, unpyrolyzed (USS) and pyrolyzed municipal sewage sludge (PSS) was amended at 20 t ha -1 on dry base to a rice paddy before rice plantation, with a control without amendment. Grain yield and emission of non-CO 2 potent greenhouse gases were examined as well as topsoil metal mobility and plant uptake determined throughout a rice-wheat rotation year. Compared to USS treatment, addition of PSS caused a significantly increased grain yield of rice by 35% but no change in grain yield of wheat following the rice season. No distinct difference was observed in grain concentration of major nutrients of N, P, and K between USS and PSS treatments. Compared to USS treatment, PSS treatment reduced CH 4 emissions by 91.6% from soil and by 78.5% from ecosystem during rice-growing season. Whereas, PSS treatment led to a reduction of ecosystem N 2 O emissions by 70.8% relative to USS treatment during wheat-growing season. While both USS and PSS treatments slightly but insignificantly increased soil total content of heavy metals, PSS treatment reduced CaCl 2 -extractable Cd pool by 33~40% over USS treatment. Grain contents of Cd and Pb and Cd/Zn were markedly reduced under PSS over USS, without exceeding the Chinese state guideline limit. Carbon emission intensity was considerably (by over 20%) reduced for soil and ecosystem but unchanged for wheat soil, under PSS over USS. Thus, soil amendment of pyrolyzed sewage sludge could be a measure for climate smart soil and for safe grain production in rice agriculture. It deserves further study if repeated amendment could exert sustainable impacts on soil health and food security in the paddy.

While metal immobilization had been increasingly reported with biochar soil amendment (BSA), changes in microbial activity and nitrogen (N) transformation in metal contaminated croplands following biochar addition had been insufficiently addressed. In a field experiment, a Pb/Cd contaminated Inceptisol from North China was amended to topsoil with wheat straw biochar at 0 (CK), 20 (C1) and 40 t ha -1 (C2). The changes within two years following BSA were tested in microbial biomass and respiration, and in abundance of N transforming microbial communities and their activities. Corresponding to the results of decreased soil extractable Cd and Pb, significant reductions in qCO 2 were found in rhizosphere and bulk soil only under C2 in the first year. The potential nitrification activity was significantly increased by 20-71%, along with an increase in ammonium (by 7-21%) and nitrate (by 21%-70%) concentration, with BSA compared to CK. Meanwhile, N 2 O production activity was slightly increased (by up to 20%) but N 2 O reduction activity greatly enhanced (by up to 84%), with a higher ratio of nosZ/(nirS + nirK), under C2 in rhizosphere in both wheat seasons. Whereas, such changes were not remarkable in bulk soil. Moreover, microbial communities were less respondent to biochar in the second year following the addition. Therefore, microbial growth and functioning for N transforming and cycling in metal contaminated soils could be largely improved with BSA at 40 t ha -1 . Of course, studies are still deserved to mimic the long term changes with biochar in N cycling of the metal contaminated dry croplands., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Biochar can be an effective amendment for immobilizing heavy metals in contaminated soils but has variable effects depending on its chemical and physical properties and those of the treated soil. To investigate the range of biochar's effects on heavy metal accumulation in plants in responses to the variation of soil, biochar and plant, we carried out a meta-analysis of the literature that was published before March 2016. A total of 1298 independent observations were collected from 74 published papers. Results showed that across all studies, biochar addition to soils resulted in average decreases of 38, 39, 25 and 17%, respectively, in the accumulation of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in plant tissues. The effect of biochar on heavy metal concentrations in plants varied depending on soil properties, biochar type, plant species, and metal contaminants. The largest decreases in plant heavy metal concentrations occurred in coarse-textured soils amended with biochar. Biochar had a relatively small effect on plant tissue Pb concentrations, but a large effect on plant Cu concentrations when applied to alkaline soils. Plant uptake of Pb, Cu and Zn was less in soils with higher organic carbon contents. Manure-derived biochar was the most effective for reducing Cd and Pb concentrations in plants as compared to biochars derived from other feedstock. Biochar having a high pH and used at high application rates resulted in greater decreases in plant heavy metal uptake. The meta-analysis provides useful guidelines on the range of effects that can be anticipated for different biochar materials in different plant-soil systems., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biochar soil amendment had been increasingly advocated for improving crop productivity and reducing carbon footprint in agriculture worldwide. However, the long-term benefits of biochar application with farming systems had not been thoroughly understood. This study quantified and assessed emergy, energy, and economic benefits of rice and wheat production throughout 6 rotation years following a single biochar amendment in a rice paddy from Southeastern China. Using the data from farm inventory, the quantified emergy indices included grain outputs, unit emergy value, and relative percentage of free renewable resources, environmental loading ratio, emergy yield ratio, and emergy sustainability index (ESI). The results indicated contrasting differences in these emergy values between biochar-amended and unamended production systems over the 6 years. The overall emergy efficiency of rice and wheat productions in biochar-amended system were higher by 11-28 and 15-47%, respectively, than that of unamended one of which the production being highly resource intensive. Moreover, ESI on average was 0.46 for rice and 0.63 for wheat in amended system, compared to 0.35 for rice and 0.39 for wheat in unamended one. Furthermore, over the 6 years following a single application, the ESI values showed considerable variation in the unamended system but consistently increasing in the amended system. Again, the biochar-amended system exerted significantly higher energy and economic return than the unamended one. Nonetheless, there was a tradeoff between rice and wheat in grain yield and net economic gain. Overall, biochar amendment could be a viable measure to improve the resilience of grain production while to reduce resource intensity and environment impacts in paddy soil from China.

Biochar has been widely studied for its ability to reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by lowering metal bioavailabilities through adsorption and pH-driven fixation reactions. However, the long-term effect of biochar on heavy metal bioavailabilities in alkaline soils under natural redox condition is rarely studied. Here, we report a study examining the effects of biochar on bioavailability and partitioning of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) among different soil fractions over 3 years in a field study with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plots were established on two similar soils having low and high levels of contamination, both of which were amended in the first year with wheat straw biochar at 0, 20, and 40 t ha -1 . Precipitation patterns varied greatly over the study period, with 2014 having record drought, which was followed by 2 years having extreme flooding events. Results showed a significant increase in grain yield and reductions in Cd and Pb concentrations in wheat grain in the biochar-amended soils in 2014. In contrast, bioavailable (exchangeable) heavy metal concentrations and plant uptake of Cd and Pb were significantly higher in the subsequent very wet years in 2015 and 2016, where the effects of biochar were much more variable and had an overall lesser effect on reducing heavy metal uptake. The results suggest that fluctuations in soil pH and redox caused by periodic drought and flood cycles strongly drive metal cycling through mobilization and immobilization of metals associated with different mineral phases. Under these conditions, biochar may have reduced efficacy for reducing heavy metal uptake in wheat.

A novel rhodamine based fluorescent sensor, L, was developed and investigated as a colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for Fe 3+ in dimethyl sulfoxide. The compound L showed a good selectivity and sensitivity toward Fe 3+ in the presence of large excess of other competitive ions. L can be used as a colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for Iron recognition in potential.

The cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the results are inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the CYP2E1 polymorphisms and NPC risk. All eligible case-control studies published up to April 4, 2016 were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and Weipu databases. The NPC risk associated with the CYP2E1 polymorphism was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95 % confidence interval (CI), respectively. Seven case-control studies were included. Of those, there were seven studies (1302 cases and 1319 controls) for RsaI/PstI polymorphism and three studies (732 cases and 642 controls) for DraI polymorphism. Overall, a significant association was found for RsaI/PstI polymorphism under recessive and homozygote comparison models (OR = 2.72, 95 % CI 1.73-4.25; OR = 2.64, 95 % CI 1.68-4.16, respectively), while there was no significant association for RsaI/PstI polymorphism under other two genetic models. When stratified by ethnicity, similar results were observed between them. As for DraI polymorphism, we also observed a significant association under recessive and homozygote comparison models, but not for the other two models. This meta-analysis suggests that the CYP2E1 polymorphisms contributed to the susceptibility of NPC, especially in Asian populations.