No abstract

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An agroforestry experiment was conducted that involved four planting systems: monoculture of the focal species Zanthoxylum bungeanum and mixed cultures of Z. bungeanum and Capsicum annuum, Z. bungeanum and Medicago sativa and Z. bungeanum and Glycine max. Soil microbial food web (microorganisms and nematodes) was investigated under manipulated extreme rainfall in the four planting systems to assess whether presence of neighbor species alleviated the magnitude of extreme rainfall on nutrient uptake of the focal species by increasing the stability of soil food web. Our results indicate that in the focal species and G. max mixed culture, leaf nitrogen contents of the focal species were higher than in the monoculture and in the other mixed cultures under extreme rainfall. This result was mainly due to the significant increase under extreme rainfall of G. max species root biomass, resulting in enhanced microbial resistance and subsequent net nitrogen mineralization rate and leaf nitrogen uptake for the focal species. Differences in functional traits of neighbors had additive effects and led to a marked divergence of soil food-web resistance and nutrient uptake of the focal species. Climate change can indirectly alleviate focal species via its influence on their neighbors.

Objective. To investigate effects of foot progression angle (FPA) modification on the first and second peaks of external knee adduction moment (EKAM) and knee adduction angular impulse (KAAI) in individuals with and without medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) during level walking.Methods. PubMed, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to February 2020 by 2 independent reviewers. Included studies compared FPA modification (toe-in or toe-out gait) interventions to lower EKAM and/or KAAI with natural walking. Studies were required to report the first or second peaks of EKAM or KAAI.Results. Sixteen studies were included, and >85% of included patients were graded with Kellgren/Lawrence grade II-IV knee OA. Toe-in gait reduced the first EKAM peak (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.75 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1.05, -0.45]) and KAAI (SMD -0.46 [95% CI -0.86, -0.07]), while toe-out gait reduced the second EKAM peak (SMD -1.04 [95% CI -1.34, -0.75]) in healthy individuals. For patients with knee OA, toe-out gait reduced the second EKAM peak (SMD -0.53 [95% CI -0.75, -0.31]) and KAAI (SMD -0.26 [95% CI -0.49, -0.03]), while toe-in gait did not affect both EKAM peaks and KAAI.Conclusion. Discrepancy in biomechanical effects of FPA modification was demonstrated between individuals with and without medial knee OA. Compared with natural walking, both toe-in and toe-out gait may be more effective in lowering EKAM and KAAI in healthy individuals. Toe-out gait may reduce EKAM and KAAI in patients with mild-tosevere knee OA. There is insufficient data from patients with early-stage knee OA, indicating that future research is required.