Research status, development trends, and the prospects of cultivated land risk

Cultivated land risk poses a critical threat to food security, and managing it is crucial for sustainable land use. To effectively manage this risk, it is essential to identify different types of cultivated land risk, understand their development trends, and research hotspots. This review constructs a comprehensive search strategy for subject terms in CiteSpace to analyze 12,581 literature sources related to cultivated land risk. Through tracking hot spots in cultivated land risk research, we have identified two main phases over the past 20 years. The first phase (2002–2015) focused on exploring various types of cultivated land risk, including soil, nitrogen, sewage sludge, organic matter, and carbon sequestration. Three keywords:soil, nitrogen, and sewage sludge were studied extensively during this period, with research on agricultural intensification, transport conservation, all aimed at enhancing the theoretical framework concerning cultivated land risk. The second phase (2015–2022) emphasized in-depth research into the mechanisms behind the generation of cultivated land risk. Key topics included methods and models for cultivated land risk research, source analysis, and source apportionment, as well as potentially toxic element and random forest analyses. This phase saw a shift towards a more comprehensive understanding of cultivated land risk, with a focus on uncovering underlying causes and developing effective mitigation strategies. Our research has identified three pivotal steps aimed at reducing cultivated land risk: 1) Rigorous Land Use Management: Implement stringent land use regulations to safeguard high-quality land resources. 2) Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Curtail the utilization of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, fostering improved soil fertility and minimizing environmental repercussions. 3) Robust Environmental Oversight: Establish a robust monitoring network to consistently track environmental concerns, concurrently encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly farming techniques. This comprehensive review holds substantial theoretical significance in advancing the agenda of sustainable cultivated land management and effectively alleviating the perils linked with land use alterations

Threats to the Soil Resource Base of Food Security in China and Europe. A report from the Sino-EU Panel on Land and Soil

To secure adequate food supply is the major challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Growing world population and its urbanization put pressure on this basic need, which is further threatened by the constant loss of fertile land. The assessment of sustainability of food supply under increasing pressure on land resources has been selected as one of the most important priority topics of the activities of Sino-EU Panel on Land and Soil (SEPLS). The Panel has performed a number of related researches and discussed the results on a scientific seminar in January 2012 in Nanjing, China. This report is an output of this seminar with a summary of the structured discussions on the below issues. 1. Urban and peri-urban development (soil sealing and loss of land functions) Urbanization and the linked spread of infrastructural development mean sealing of soil surfaces. Soil sealing is the most rapidly growing limitation for soil functions (including biomass production function) both in China and Europe. Soil sealing in China has been taking dramatic degree in the last two decades and the process is estimated to continue in the coming period as well. While urban and peri-urban development is looked as a necessity for social development, its negative effect on natural resources are inevitable. 2. Land degradation Despite the widely recognized importance of land degradation in the unsustainability of economic development and implementation of various policies to halt degradation (e.g. green for grain programme in China; cross-compliance measures in the EU), loss of land productivity by degradation is an ongoing process both in China and the EU. Major forms of soil degradation (erosion, desertification, landslides etc.) are similar in both regions. Assessment of the causes and consequences of soil degradation processes in relation to policy actions is highlighted among the priorities of the SEPLS. 3. Intensive agriculture and multi-function management of land resources Intensification and extensification in agriculture can be considered as the main changes in land use in rural areas in both EU and China. While agricultural intensification is one of the greatest threats to the soil and environment and then hampers the sustainable development of agriculture and food security. To meet this challenge, sustainable management of multi-functionality of land resources is undoubtedly an effective strategy, in which the EU has a good expertise. Bilateral exchange of the experience and knowledge benefits the sustainable management of land resources.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Effect of Ginkgo Biloba on Visual Field and Contrast Sensitivity in Chinese Patients With Normal Tension Glaucoma: A Randomized, Crossover Clinical Trial

Citation: Guo X, Kong X, Huang R, et al. Effect of Ginkgo biloba on visual field and contrast sensitivity in Chinese patients with normal tension glaucoma: a randomized, crossover clinical trial. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014;55:110-116. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.13-13168 PURPOSE. We evaluated the effect of ginkgo biloba extract on visual field defect and contrast sensitivity in a Chinese cohort with normal tension glaucoma. METHODS. In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study, patients newly diagnosed with normal tension glaucoma, either in a tertiary glaucoma clinic (n ¼ 5) or in a cohort undergoing routine general physical examinations in a primary care clinic (n ¼ 30), underwent two 4-week phases of treatment, separated by a washout period of 8 weeks. Randomization determined whether ginkgo biloba extract (40 mg, 3 times per day) or placebo (identical-appearing tablets) was received first. Primary outcomes were change in contrast sensitivity and mean deviation on 24-2 SITA standard visual field testing, while secondary outcomes included IOP and self-reported adverse events. RESULTS. A total of 35 patients with mean age 63.7 (6.5) years were randomized to the ginkgo biloba extract-placebo (n ¼ 18) or the placebo-ginkgo biloba extract (n ¼ 17) sequence. A total of 28 patients (80.0%, 14 in each group) who completed testing did not differ at baseline in age, sex, visual field mean deviation, contrast sensitivity, IOP, or blood pressure. Changes in visual field and contrast sensitivity did not differ by treatment received or sequence (P > 0.2 for all). Power to have detected a difference in mean defect as large as previously reported was 80%. CONCLUSIONS. In contrast to some previous reports, ginkgo biloba extract treatment had no effect on mean defect or contrast sensitivity in this group of normal tension glaucoma patients. (http://www.chictr.org number, ChiCTR-TRC-08000724

Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant Injection in Eyes with Comorbid Hypotony

PurposeTo evaluate outcomes in patients with hypotony treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex).DesignRetrospective cohort study.ParticipantsThirteen patients (15 eyes) that received a total of 99 dexamethasone implant injections on occasions at which the intraocular pressure was low, meeting the definition of statistical hypotony.MethodsThe medical records of 13 patients (15 consecutive eyes) receiving 1 or more intravitreal dexamethasone implants between December 2014 and April 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Hypotony was defined as intraocular pressure less than 6.5 mmHg. The indications for intravitreal dexamethasone implant injection were intermediate or posterior uveitis (86.7%), diabetic macular edema (13.3%), and/or cystoid macular edema (6.7%).Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome measures were safety outcomes and best visual acuity within 6 months of the final intravitreal dexamethasone implant injection in a hypotonous eye.ResultsIn 15 eyes (13 patients), 99 injections were administered to eyes under circumstances of hypotony. Uveitic cystoid macular edema or diabetic macular edema was reduced after treatment in all cases. No complications were noted during the injection procedure. Three complications were noted in 2 patients after injection. Pseudophakodonesis and mild vitreous hemorrhage immediately after injection were noted in 1 patient, and a case of delayed-onset vitreous hemorrhage with pigment release was noted in another. All 3 complications resolved without intervention. The primary end point of this study-mean visual acuity-was stable over the follow-up period. In patients with hypotony whose intraocular pressure normalized during the follow-up period, this was attributable to management of glaucoma surgery-related complications rather than an effect of the intravitreal dexamethasone implant.ConclusionsIntravitreal dexamethasone implant injection is a reasonable treatment option for patients with comorbid hypotony in whom clinical findings warrant treatment with a sustained-delivery intravitreal steroid implant. Further studies, including imaging of zonules before and after intravitreal dexamethasone implant injection in a hypotonous eye, could help define risks to intraocular lens stability with this procedure

A High-Performance Communication Service for Parallel Servo Computing

International audienceCour de cassation, 3e civ., 9 juill. 2014, n° 13-21.02

Land Use Transitions under Rapid Urbanization: A Perspective from Developing China

Land use transition is a manifestation of land use and land cover change (LUCC) and is also a major research focus of the Global Land Project (GLP), as well as land system science (LSS) [...

Farmland Transitions in China: An Advocacy Coalition Approach

In recent decades, global social and economic development has resulted in substantial land-use transitions. This was first observed with respect to losses of forested land, attracting worldwide concern. Forest transitions have an important impact on global ecology, whilst farmland transitions are key in terms of global food security. However, research into farmland transitions is lacking, particularly with respect to mechanistic analysis. Using data on China’s farmland areas between 1950 and 2017, we investigated the transitional characteristics, and triggers, of farmland change through linear regression analysis. Furthermore, based on the Advocacy Coalition Framework, we reveal the internal mechanism of these transitions. Our main findings are as follows: (1) between 1950 and 2017, China’s farmland area exhibited significant growth, and there were two transitions, namely in 1984 and 2004; (2) macroscopic economic and social changes determine the overall evolution of the farmland area; (3) there were two advocacy coalitions in the farmland transition policy subsystem—the farmland supplement and farmland consumption coalitions; (4) under the influence of macroscopic economic and social development, external events play a catalytic role in the transitions, and relatively stable parameters have an indirect but lasting effect in terms of transition outcomes

Does Crop Rotation Enhance Groundwater Health? A Review of the Winter Wheat Fallow Policy in the North China Plain

Agricultural water management is a vital component of realizing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals because of water shortages worldwide leading to a severe threat to ecological environments and global food security. As an agro-intensified irrigation area, the North China Plain (NCP) is the most important grain basket in China, which produces 30%–40% of the maize and 60%–80% of the wheat for China. However, this area has already been one of the largest groundwater funnels in the world due to long-term over-exploitation of groundwater. Due to the low precipitation during the growing period, winter wheat requires a large amount of groundwater to be pumped for irrigation, which consumes 70% of the groundwater irrigation. To alleviate the overexploitation of groundwater, the Chinese government implemented the Winter Wheat Fallow Policy (WWFP) in 2014. The evaluation and summarization of the WWFP will be beneficial for improving the groundwater overexploitation areas under high-intensity irrigation over all the world. So far, there have been few attempts at estimating the effectiveness of this policy. To fill this gap, we assessed the planting area of field crops and calculated the evapotranspiration of crops based on remote-sensed and meteorological data in the key area—Hengshui. We compared the agricultural water consumption before and after the implementation of this policy, and we analyzed the relationship between changes in crop planting structure and groundwater variations based on geographically weighted regression. Our results showed the overall classification accuracies for 2013 and 2015 were 85.56% and 82.22%, respectively. The planting area of winter wheat, as the most reduced crop, decreased from 35.71% (314,053 ha) in 2013 to 32.98% (289,986 ha) in 2015. The actual reduction in area of winter wheat reached 84% of the target (26 thousand ha) of the WWFP. The water consumption of major crops decreased from 2.98 billion m3 of water in 2013 to 2.83 billion m3 in 2015, a total reduction of 146 million m3, and 88.43% of reduced target of the WWFP (166 million m3). The planting changes of winter wheat did not directly affect the change of shallow groundwater level, but ET was positively related to shallow groundwater level and precipitation was negatively related to shallow groundwater levels. This study can provide a basis for the WWFP’s improvement and the development of sustainable agriculture in high-intensity irrigation areas