In manned deep-space exploration,extremely isolated environments may adversely affect the mood and cognition of astronauts.Horticultural plants and activities have been proven to be effective in improving their physic...In manned deep-space exploration,extremely isolated environments may adversely affect the mood and cognition of astronauts.Horticultural plants and activities have been proven to be effective in improving their physical,psychological,and cognitive states.To assess the effects of applying horticultural plants and activities in isolated environments,this study investigated the influence of viewing strawberry plants on the mood of people in a laboratory experiment as indicated by heart rate,salivary cortisol,and psychological scales.The results showed that heart rate and salivary cortisol were significantly decreased after viewing strawberry plants for 15 min.“Tension”and“confusion”scored using the Profile of Mood States negative mood subscales,and anxiety levels measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale were also significantly reduced.This study further explored the impact of viewing strawberry plants on cognition.A notable reduction of the subjects’reaction time after 15-min plant viewing was observed.Based on these findings,a long-duration isolated experiment in a bioregenerative life support system—“Lunar Palace I”—was conducted.A similar trend was obtained that crew members’mood states were improved by viewing the strawberry plants,but no significant change was observed.This study provided some experimental evidence for the benefits of interacting with strawberry plants in isolated environments.展开更多
Studies related to the quantitation and distribution of soil organic carbon （C） under different land use types can help to fill the knowledge gaps regarding estimation of the amount of C stored in soils at a global ...Studies related to the quantitation and distribution of soil organic carbon （C） under different land use types can help to fill the knowledge gaps regarding estimation of the amount of C stored in soils at a global scale. Orchards are an important land use type in southern China; the total area （1.15 x 107 ha） of orchards in China comprises approximately 20.5% of the area of all orchards worldwide. We assessed soil organic C stocks （SOCS） in citrus orchards in Yongchun County （consisting of 22 towns）, Fujian Province, China in 1982 and 2010. The southeastern part of the county, an area featuring extensive citrus farming with a gently sloping landscape and low rates of water erosion, had the highest SOCS. In contrast, the lowest SCOS was observed in the northern part of the county, where steep hills with severe erosion problems are common and citrus orchards are sparsely distributed. From 1982 to 2010, the mean SOCS in citrus orchards increased from 22.1 to 41.7 Mg ha-1 which indicated that current management practices such as fertilization, irrigation, and cultivation enhanced soil C stocks. Further in-depth studies on the effects of these practices on C sequestration would be worthwhile and surveys of SOCS throughout Fujian Province are needed, to support efforts to mitigate global C emission.展开更多
Since last year,Fujian Province in southeast China has had a pilot program that offers free education to male students enrolled in primary school and kindergarten teacher training schools.The first 500 students recrui...Since last year,Fujian Province in southeast China has had a pilot program that offers free education to male students enrolled in primary school and kindergarten teacher training schools.The first 500 students recruited last summer are currently studying in college,and detailed information about this year’s recruitment has yet to be released.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81871520)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.230210513)
文摘In manned deep-space exploration,extremely isolated environments may adversely affect the mood and cognition of astronauts.Horticultural plants and activities have been proven to be effective in improving their physical,psychological,and cognitive states.To assess the effects of applying horticultural plants and activities in isolated environments,this study investigated the influence of viewing strawberry plants on the mood of people in a laboratory experiment as indicated by heart rate,salivary cortisol,and psychological scales.The results showed that heart rate and salivary cortisol were significantly decreased after viewing strawberry plants for 15 min.“Tension”and“confusion”scored using the Profile of Mood States negative mood subscales,and anxiety levels measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale were also significantly reduced.This study further explored the impact of viewing strawberry plants on cognition.A notable reduction of the subjects’reaction time after 15-min plant viewing was observed.Based on these findings,a long-duration isolated experiment in a bioregenerative life support system—“Lunar Palace I”—was conducted.A similar trend was obtained that crew members’mood states were improved by viewing the strawberry plants,but no significant change was observed.This study provided some experimental evidence for the benefits of interacting with strawberry plants in isolated environments.
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (No.2012BAD14B15)
文摘Studies related to the quantitation and distribution of soil organic carbon （C） under different land use types can help to fill the knowledge gaps regarding estimation of the amount of C stored in soils at a global scale. Orchards are an important land use type in southern China; the total area （1.15 x 107 ha） of orchards in China comprises approximately 20.5% of the area of all orchards worldwide. We assessed soil organic C stocks （SOCS） in citrus orchards in Yongchun County （consisting of 22 towns）, Fujian Province, China in 1982 and 2010. The southeastern part of the county, an area featuring extensive citrus farming with a gently sloping landscape and low rates of water erosion, had the highest SOCS. In contrast, the lowest SCOS was observed in the northern part of the county, where steep hills with severe erosion problems are common and citrus orchards are sparsely distributed. From 1982 to 2010, the mean SOCS in citrus orchards increased from 22.1 to 41.7 Mg ha-1 which indicated that current management practices such as fertilization, irrigation, and cultivation enhanced soil C stocks. Further in-depth studies on the effects of these practices on C sequestration would be worthwhile and surveys of SOCS throughout Fujian Province are needed, to support efforts to mitigate global C emission.
文摘Since last year,Fujian Province in southeast China has had a pilot program that offers free education to male students enrolled in primary school and kindergarten teacher training schools.The first 500 students recruited last summer are currently studying in college,and detailed information about this year’s recruitment has yet to be released.
