scholarly journals Assessment of the World Largest Afforestation Program: Success, Failure, and Future Directions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Zhu ◽  
X. Zheng ◽  
G.G. Wang ◽  
B.F. Wu ◽  
S.R. Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Program Success ◽  
Ground Survey ◽  
Low Coverage ◽  
Soil Erosion By Water ◽  
Afforestation Program

AbstractThe Three-North Afforestation Program (TNAP), initiated in 1978 and scheduled to be completed in 2050, is the world’s largest afforestation project and covers 4.07 x 106 km2 (42.4%) of China. We systematically assessed goals and outcomes of the first 30 years of the TNAP using high-resolution remote sensing and ground survey data. With almost 23 billion dollars invested between 1978 and 2008, the forested area within the TNAP region increased by 1.20 × 107 ha, but the proportion of high quality forests declined by 15.8%. The establishment of shelterbelts improved crop yield by 1.7%, much lower than the 5.9% expected once all crop fields are fully protected by shelterbelts. The area subjected to soil erosion by water decreased by 36.0% from 6.72 × 107 to 4.27 × 107 ha; the largest reductions occurred in areas where soil erosion had been most severe and forests contributed more than half of this improvement. Desertification area increased from 1978 to 2000 but decreased from 2000 to 2008; the 30-year net reduction was 13.0% (4.05×106 ha), with 8.0% being accounted for by afforestation in areas with only slight, prior desertification. In addition to its direct impacts, the TNAP has enhanced people’s awareness of environmental protection and attracted consistent attention and long-term commitment from the Chinese government to the restoration and protection of fragile ecosystems in the vast Three-North region. The significant decline in forest quality, limited success in reducing desertification, and low coverage of shelterbelts are aspects of the TNAP in need of re-assessment, and additional ca. 34 billion dollars will be needed to ensure the completion of the TNAP.

Cognitive Treatment for OCD

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen L. Whittal ◽  
Melisa Robichaud
Keyword(s):  
Term Treatment ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Cognitive Treatment ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Inflated Responsibility ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Control Of Thoughts

The cornerstone of cognitive treatment (CT) for OCD is based upon the knowledge that unwanted intrusions are essentially a universal experience. As such, it is not the presence of the intrusion that is problematic but rather the associated meaning or interpretation. Treatment is flexible, depending upon the nature of the appraisals and beliefs, but can include strategies focused on inflated responsibility and overestimation of threat, importance and control of thoughts, and the need for perfectionism and certainty. The role of concealment and the relationship to personal values are important maintaining and etiological factors. The short-term and long-term treatment outcome is reviewed, along with predictors of treatment response and mechanisms of action, and the chapter concludes with future directions regarding CT for OCD.

scholarly journals Soil erosion by snow gliding – a first quantification attempt in a subalpine area in Switzerland

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3763-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Meusburger ◽  
G. Leitinger ◽  
L. Mabit ◽  
M. H. Mueller ◽  
A. Walter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Water Erosion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Snow Gliding

Abstract. Snow processes might be one important driver of soil erosion in Alpine grasslands and thus the unknown variable when erosion modelling is attempted. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of snow gliding as a soil erosion agent for four different land use/land cover types in a subalpine area in Switzerland. We used three different approaches to estimate soil erosion rates: sediment yield measurements in snow glide depositions, the fallout radionuclide 137Cs and modelling with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). RUSLE permits the evaluation of soil loss by water erosion, the 137Cs method integrates soil loss due to all erosion agents involved, and the measurement of snow glide deposition sediment yield can be directly related to snow-glide-induced erosion. Further, cumulative snow glide distance was measured for the sites in the winter of 2009/2010 and modelled for the surrounding area and long-term average winter precipitation (1959–2010) with the spatial snow glide model (SSGM). Measured snow glide distance confirmed the presence of snow gliding and ranged from 2 to 189 cm, with lower values on the north-facing slopes. We observed a reduction of snow glide distance with increasing surface roughness of the vegetation, which is an important information with respect to conservation planning and expected and ongoing land use changes in the Alps. Snow glide erosion estimated from the snow glide depositions was highly variable with values ranging from 0.03 to 22.9 t ha−1 yr−1 in the winter of 2012/2013. For sites affected by snow glide deposition, a mean erosion rate of 8.4 t ha−1 yr−1 was found. The difference in long-term erosion rates determined with RUSLE and 137Cs confirms the constant influence of snow-glide-induced erosion, since a large difference (lower proportion of water erosion compared to total net erosion) was observed for sites with high snow glide rates and vice versa. Moreover, the difference between RUSLE and 137Cs erosion rates was related to the measured snow glide distance (R2 = 0.64; p < 0.005) and to the snow deposition sediment yields (R2 = 0.39; p = 0.13). The SSGM reproduced the relative difference of the measured snow glide values under different land uses and land cover types. The resulting map highlighted the relevance of snow gliding for large parts of the investigated area. Based on these results, we conclude that snow gliding appears to be a crucial and non-negligible process impacting soil erosion patterns and magnitude in subalpine areas with similar topographic and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Converging Robotic Technologies in Targeted Neural Rehabilitation: A Review of Emerging Solutions and Challenges

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2084
Author(s):  
Kostas Nizamis ◽  
Alkinoos Athanasiou ◽  
Sofia Almpani ◽  
Christos Dimitrousis ◽  
Alexander Astaras
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Technological Evolution ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Hybrid Solutions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Rehabilitation Robotic

Recent advances in the field of neural rehabilitation, facilitated through technological innovation and improved neurophysiological knowledge of impaired motor control, have opened up new research directions. Such advances increase the relevance of existing interventions, as well as allow novel methodologies and technological synergies. New approaches attempt to partially overcome long-term disability caused by spinal cord injury, using either invasive bridging technologies or noninvasive human–machine interfaces. Muscular dystrophies benefit from electromyography and novel sensors that shed light on underlying neuromotor mechanisms in people with Duchenne. Novel wearable robotics devices are being tailored to specific patient populations, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, and amputated individuals. In addition, developments in robot-assisted rehabilitation may enhance motor learning and generate movement repetitions by decoding the brain activity of patients during therapy. This is further facilitated by artificial intelligence algorithms coupled with faster electronics. The practical impact of integrating such technologies with neural rehabilitation treatment can be substantial. They can potentially empower nontechnically trained individuals—namely, family members and professional carers—to alter the programming of neural rehabilitation robotic setups, to actively get involved and intervene promptly at the point of care. This narrative review considers existing and emerging neural rehabilitation technologies through the perspective of replacing or restoring functions, enhancing, or improving natural neural output, as well as promoting or recruiting dormant neuroplasticity. Upon conclusion, we discuss the future directions for neural rehabilitation research, diagnosis, and treatment based on the discussed technologies and their major roadblocks. This future may eventually become possible through technological evolution and convergence of mutually beneficial technologies to create hybrid solutions.

scholarly journals Deep Brain Stimulation for Tremor: Update on Long-Term Outcomes, Target Considerations and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 3468
Author(s):  
Naomi I. Kremer ◽  
Rik W. J. Pauwels ◽  
Nicolò G. Pozzi ◽  
Florian Lange ◽  
Jonas Roothans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Focused Ultrasound ◽  
Neurosurgical Procedures ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Ventral Intermediate Nucleus ◽  
Deep Brain

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus is one of the main advanced neurosurgical treatments for drug-resistant tremor. However, not every patient may be eligible for this procedure. Nowadays, various other functional neurosurgical procedures are available. In particular cases, radiofrequency thalamotomy, focused ultrasound and radiosurgery are proven alternatives to DBS. Besides, other DBS targets, such as the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) or the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT), may be appraised as well. In this review, the clinical characteristics and pathophysiology of tremor syndromes, as well as long-term outcomes of DBS in different targets, will be summarized. The effectiveness and safety of lesioning procedures will be discussed, and an evidence-based clinical treatment approach for patients with drug-resistant tremor will be presented. Lastly, the future directions in the treatment of severe tremor syndromes will be elaborated.

An educational computer tool for simulating long-term soil erosion on agricultural landscapes

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Jiménez-Hornero ◽  
J. V. Giráldez ◽  
A. M. Laguna ◽  
J. E. Jiménez-Hornero
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Computer Tool ◽  
Educational Computer

scholarly journals Attachment and relationships: Milestones and future directions

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffry A. Simpson ◽  
W. Steven Rholes
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Past

Adult attachment researchers have made important strides during the past 25 years in testing and applying attachment theory to multiple personal and interpersonal domains. We highlight some of the major milestones and then propose several directions for future research. Some of the most important and promising directions include testing additional normative processes implied by attachment theory, developing and testing critical connections between attachment theory and other major interpersonal theories, and identifying pathways between attachment processes and long-term health outcomes.

SHORT COMMUNICATION: Difficulties in using 137Cs to measure erosion in stubble-mulched soil

1995 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bremer ◽  
H. H. Janzen ◽  
E. de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Communication Difficulties ◽  
Cesium 137

Soil erosion may be difficult to quantify from redistribution of 137Cs at sites where stubble-mulch techniques were adopted prior to 137Cs deposition, because appreciable 137Cs may have been transported before it was mixed into the soil Ap layer. We present evidence that this occurred in two long-term cropping experiments in southern Alberta. Key words: Cesium-137, tillage, long-term crop rotations, fallow

scholarly journals Assessment of land cover on soil erosion in Lam Phra Phloeng watershed by USLE model

2018 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 02017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jatuwat Wattanasetpong ◽  
Uma Seeboonruang ◽  
Uba Sirikaew ◽  
Walter Chen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Surface Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Field ◽  
Land Cover Data

Soil loss due to surface erosion has been a global problem not just for developing countries but also for developed countries. One of the factors that have greatest impact on soil erosion is land cover. The purpose of this study is to estimate the long-term average annual soil erosion in the Lam Phra Phloeng watershed, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand with different source of land cover by using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and GIS (30 m grid cells) to calculate the six erosion factors (R, K, L, S, C, and P) of USLE. Land use data are from Land Development Department (LDD) and ESA Climate Change Initiative (ESA/CCI) in 2015. The result of this study show that mean soil erosion by using land cover from ESA/CCI is less than LDD (29.16 and 64.29 ton/ha/year respectively) because soil erosion mostly occurred in the agricultural field and LDD is a local department that survey land use in Thailand thus land cover data from this department have more details than ESA/CCI.

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