The Influence of Typical Forest Types on Soil Erosion Resistance in the Water Source Areas of Central Yunnan

In order to clarify the influence of different forest types on soil erosion resistance in water source area of Central Yunnan, with the soils under three different kinds of typical forest in Yizhe watershed as the research object, this paper uses field simulation method and principal component analysis to analyze the soil erosion resistance of three kinds of soils. The results show that there is a significant difference in the shear strength of soil among three types of typical forest, and the size of soil shear strength is in the order of Pinus yunnanensis forest land>mixed broadleaf-conifer forest land>eucalyptus forest land. The difference in the soil erosion coefficient among different forests is not significant, and the soil erosion resistance is highest in mixed broadleaf-conifer forest land (39.0%), followed by eucalyptus woodland (37.0%) and Pinus yunnanensis forest land (24.0%). Under heavy rain intensity and long duration of rainfall, the ability of soil under Eucalyptus ×Pinus yunnanensis mixed forests to resist disintegration is more obvious. Using principal component analysis to analyze soil erosion resistance of soils under three different forests, we get the comprehensive evaluation model for soil erosion resistance: Y=0.763Y1+0.236Y2. The soil erosion resistance is in the order of mixed broadleaf-conifer forest land (0.150)> eucalyptus forest land (0.127)> Pinus yunnanensis forest land (-0.079), indicating that the mixed forests have better water loss and soil erosion control effect than pure forests

The application effect of percutaneous cryoablation for the stage IIIB/IV advanced non-small-cell lung cancer after the failure of chemoradiotherapy

Summary: Background/Objective: A retrospective review is required to assess the application effect of percutaneous cryoablation on the stage IIIB/IV advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after the failure of chemoradiotherapy. A total of twenty-two cases with stage IIIB/IV advanced NSCLC after failure of chemoradiotherapy were enrolled. Methods: Computed Tomography (CT) was used for the assessment of tumor response, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) was applied for the evaluation of quality of life. After the treatment of cryoablation, we performed a follow-up analysis. Results: The primary technique effectiveness of 100% was observed in the one month of follow-up. At three months, local tumor progression was shown in 4 of 31 lesions (13.6%). The one-year survival rate of 81.8% and progression-free rate of 27.8% were obtained. Six patients died 7, 9, 10, 12, 15 and 22 months after treatment, respectively. Decreased scores of total quality of life at one week after cryoablation (P = 0.006), but increased scores at one month after cryoablation (P = 0.024) were observed, compared with pre-cryoablation. Conclusion: Cryoablation contributes to the effective local tumor therapy for stage IIIB/IV advanced NSCLC after the failure of chemoradiotherapy. Keywords: Cryoablation, Lung cancer, Stage IIIB/I

Growth and carbon sequestration of poplar plantations on the Tibetan Plateau

Tree radial growth has long-term adaptation and rapid responses to climate, manifested as age-dependent low-frequency and climate-sensitive high-frequency signals. Although the former is usually removed in climate-growth analyses, its overall change still profoundly affects forest biomass and carbon sequestration. The iterative growth model (IGM) reveals the underlying links among organism lifespan, growth rate, and respiration, providing a set of theoretical indicators to evaluate or predict growth. Here, IGM was extended to the tree-ring scale (IGMR) to study the low-frequency growth signals of poplar plantations in the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Tibetan Plateau. As predicted by the IGMR, the low-frequency growth signals all follow a unimodal pattern over the diameter at breast height (DBH) gradient while constraining the high-frequency signals. The unimodal growth curves’ length (maximum DBH), height (maximum growth rate of tree DBH), and resulting tree lifespan could be used to assess and predict tree growth. The results showed that the maximum DBH, growth rate and inverse of the longevity of the trees were greater at lower elevations. The indicators of Populus × beijingensis (PB) were better than those of P. alba (PA). Overall, poplars adapted to the plateau climate by reducing growth rates and increasing longevity. Temperature was the key factor affecting these trade-offs, with the best temperature at 14.69 ℃. Combined with stand density, PB plantations (11695.58 ± 1704.98 g/m2) had greater potential maximum biomass than PA plantations (9032.50 ± 2031.21 g/m2). This study highlights that the response of low-frequency growth signals to environments is holistic, and the resulting indicators have important value for evaluating and predicting tree growth and forest carbon sequestration. Moreover, the results have important practical significance for reasonable plantations and proper assessment of the ecological contribution of plantation forests on the Tibetan Plateau

Interprovincial food trade aggravates China’s land scarcity

Land is an increasingly scarce resource that plays a critical role in achieving many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Land scarcity, namely the imbalance state between cropland availability and demand, can be mitigated by the trade of agricultural products, but how effective it is remains unclear. Here, by integrating grid-level data on cropland into multi-regional input–output analysis, this paper accounts for the scarce land footprint and virtual scarce land flows within China at a 1 km × 1 km resolution. Results show that over 70% of China’s land footprint and scarce land footprint can be attributed to less than 20% of the land, and nearly 38% of the land footprint and scarce land footprint hotspot clusters are found to cross provinces. Generally, while virtual land trade mitigates the land scarcity of land-importing provinces by 50.8%, it disproportionately aggravates the land scarcity of land-exporting provinces by 119.8%. These findings challenge the dominant thinking about food trading and call for new policies to improve land resources management and promote collaborative governance across administrative boundaries. Our study also highlights the critical importance of considering land scarcity, shedding lights on how it may be integrated into environmental footprints to better assist the SDG framework.</p