Impact of agricultural digitalization on carbon emission intensity of planting industry: Evidence from China.

Studying the impact of agricultural digitalization (ADT) on the carbon emission intensity of planting industry (PCI) can help promote sustainable development and realize the "dual carbon" goal. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2010 to 2020, this study uses the entropy weight method and emission coefficient method to measure the development level of ADT and PCI, respectively. By using the regression analysis method, as well as the robustness test, heterogeneity test, and spatial spillover effect and threshold tests, the impact of ADT on PCI was examined. The results are as follow: (1) PCI is high in the north and low in the south, and the north-south divide is becoming prominent. (2) ADT in China can significantly reduce PCI, as verified through the robustness test. (3) Regional differences exist in the impact of ADT on PCI, with the most significant effect observed in the northeast region, followed by the western and central regions. (4) ADT exerts a significant spatial spillover effect on PCI and an inhibitory effect on PCI of adjacent provinces. (5) The proportion of urban population exerts a threshold effect in the impact of ADT on PCI. When the urban population ratio crosses 69 %, the inhibitory effect of agricultural carbon emissions decreases marginally. Therefore, promoting the green and low-carbon development of the planting industry is highly recommended.

Impact of resistance exercise on patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an increasingly important public health disease with a high incidence rate and mortality. Although several studies have explored the effectiveness of resistance exercise in improving the prognosis of CKD patients, the number of studies is still limited and the results are still controversial. OBJECTIVES: We conducted this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies to evaluate the effectiveness of resistance exercise on CKD patients. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from the inception date to October 2023. The meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate 12 main indicators, including glomerular filtration rate (GFR)(ml/(min•1.73m2)), C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/L), serum creatinine (mg/dL), hemoglobin (g/dL), Glycosylated Hemoglobin, Type A1C (HBA1c) (%), high Density Lipoprotein (HDL) (mg/dL), low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (mg/dL), 6-min walk(m), body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), fat-free mass (kg), fat mass (kg), grip strength (kgf). RESULTS: Sixteen RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis from 875 records. GFR exhibited no significant change in CKD patients treated with resistance exercise (WMD 1.82; 95%CI -0.59 to 4.23; P = 0.139). However, 6-min walk (WMD 89.93; 95%CI 50.12 to 129.74; P = 0.000), fat-free mass (WMD 6.53; 95%CI 1.14 to 11.93; P = 0.018) and grip strength (WMD 3.97; 95%CI 1.89 to 6.05; P = 0.000) were significantly improved with resistance exercise. The level of CRP (WMD - 2.46; 95%CI -4.21 to -0.72; P = 0.006) and HBA1c (WMD - 0.46; 95%CI -0.63 to -0.29; P = 0.000) dropped significantly after resistance exercise treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance exercise can improve physical function, metabolic condition, inflammatory response and cardiopulmonary function in CKD patients, specifically reflected in the increase of indicators fat-free mass, grip strength, 6-min walk, as well as the decrease of indicators HBA1c and CRP.

Mediating effect of social support between caregiver burden and quality of life among family caregivers of cancer patients in palliative care units.

PURPOSE: To identify factors influencing the quality of life of family caregivers with terminal cancer in Chinese palliative wards and to test whether social support mediates the relationship between caregiver burden and caregiver quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. Sociodemographic data were collected and the Quality of Life Scale, the Caregiver Burden Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale were administered to Chinese family caregivers from December 2021 to December 2022. The factors influencing quality of life and caregiver burden were examined using the Mann‒Whitney U test and the Kruskal‒Wallis H test. The mediating role of social support was assessed using the bootstrap method. RESULTS: Family caregivers' quality of life in Chinese terminal cancer palliative units was related to caregivers' daily care time, the caregiver-patient relationship, and patient age. Caregiver quality of life was negatively associated with caregiver burden and positively associated with social support. In addition, social support mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and caregiver quality of life. CONCLUSION: Social support mediated the impact of caregiver burden on caregiver quality of life. Family, society, and palliative care institutions should be integrated to take actions to reduce family caregiver burden, increase social support, and transfer the positive aspects of specific cultural contexts to the culture of palliative care in general to collaboratively cope with various problems related to end-stage cancer.

Effects of exercise interventions on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life among cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: In this study, exercise interventions were evaluated for their effects on cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients. DESIGN: A meta-analysis was performed. METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases, and gray literature sources including the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library and Google Scholar. This study only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining how exercise interventions affect CRF and QoL among cancer patients. Based on the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias Assessment Tool, version 2 (RoB 2) and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, the methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated. In addition, standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to assess the intervention effect with respect to CRF and QoL. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager (version 5.4). RESULTS: There were a total of 1573 participants in the 28 included articles. According to the meta-analysis, CRF (SMD = -0.35, 95% CI: -0.63 to -0.07, p = 0.01) and QoL (SMD = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.53, p < 0.01) were positively affected by exercise interventions. Subgroup analyses revealed considerable improvements in CRF (SMD = -0.54, 95% CI: -1.00 to -0.09, p = 0.02) and QoL (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.59, p < 0.01) from aerobic exercise. An intervention duration less than 12 weeks had a better effect on CRF (SMD = -0.80, 95% CI: -1.43 to -0.17, p = 0.01) and QoL (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.85, p < 0.01), and three times per week was the most effective frequency in improving QoL (SMD = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.28 to 1.11, p < 0.01). Exercise intervention was more successful in improving CRF (SMD = -0.66, 95% CI: -1.10 to -0.21, p < 0.01) and QoL (SMD=-0.50, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.78, p < 0.01) in female cancer patients. Sensitivity analyses showed that the pooled outcomes were reliable and stable. CONCLUSION: Exercise interventions are a workable approach to improve CRF and QoL among cancer patients. An aerobic exercise intervention of less than 12 weeks might be most effective in improving CRF and QoL, and three times per week might be the most appropriate frequency. Exercise might have a more positive effect on improving CRF and QoL in female cancer patients. Additionally, a larger number of high-quality RCTs should be conducted to further confirm the efficacy of exercise interventions on CRF and QoL among cancer patients. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022351137.

Immersive cultural heritage digital documentation and information service for historical figure metaverse: a case of Zhu Xi, Song Dynasty, China.

Cultural heritage is closely linked with individual historical figures, who become a key focus for cultural tourism. Confucianism laid the foundation for much of Chinese civilization, and Confucius and Mencius have been studied extensively and have been influential in many parts of the world. Zhu Xi, the founder and master of Neo-Confucianism (an important part of the Mount Wuyi world cultural heritage), has received less research attention. With the big bang of the metaverse, research on the immersive cultural heritage digital documentation and information service for historical figures has become a new perspective. This paper presents a metaverse-based digital documentation framework for historical figures. This framework addresses the digitization of multimodal data for cultural heritage and adapts to the needs of metaverse presentations. For cultural research and cultural preservation, the paper has explored a combined contactless virtual and real cultural heritage experience system. For tourists, we intend to develop an immersive and holistic cultural tourism information service before, during and after the tour. In particular, we have also developed the Zhu Xi metaverse system. This is a step forward in the construction of a metaverse of historical figures.

Structure parameter design and bench test research of paddy field blades.

Aiming at the problems of high labor intensity and low efficiency in manual operation during the pulping process of rice seedling nursing in thin mud in hilly and mountain areas, this paper designed a new type of paddy field blade for seedling nursing, and utilized a rice nursery pulper to help manual operation complete the pulping process. It created a mathematical model of mud-throwing mass and operating power in the operation process of paddy field blade, and obtained the main structure factors that influenced the mud-throwing mass and operating power of paddy field blade, which included the area of mud splashing board, the angle between the front cutting edge and the mud splashing board, and the inclination angle between the front cutting surface and the mud splashing board. To further analyze the degree of influence of the blade's main structure parameters on mud-throwing mass and operating power, it used EDEM discrete element simulation software to establish a discrete element simulation model of paddy field blade and mud particle system, performed simulation analysis with the method of orthogonal experimental design, and conducted a bench test for comparison. The results showed that: (1) the degree of influence of the three structure parameters on mud-throwing mass and operating power from large to small in order was the area of mud splashing board > the inclination angle between front cutting surface and mud splashing board > the angle between front cutting edge and mud splashing board; (2) the maximum relative error for mud-throwing mass between simulation analysis and bench test was 4.53%, and that for operating power was 8.67%; and (3) three reference parameters combinations were selected by P2-1/M2 graph, the mud-throwing mass of the three combinations was 40.43%, 27.52% and 0.16% higher than that of the original blade, and the power consumed was 13.99%, 21.83% and 36.65% lower than that of the original blade, indicating that the new paddy field blade had good operating performance.

Maps of cropping patterns in China during 2015-2021.

Multiple cropping is a widespread approach for intensifying crop production through rotations of diverse crops. Maps of cropping intensity with crop descriptions are important for supporting sustainable agricultural management. As the most populated country, China ranked first in global cereal production and the percentages of multiple-cropped land are twice of the global average. However, there are no reliable updated national-scale maps of cropping patterns in China. Here we present the first recent annual 500-m MODIS-based national maps of multiple cropping systems in China using phenology-based mapping algorithms with pixel purity-based thresholds, which provide information on cropping intensity with descriptions of three staple crops (maize, paddy rice, and wheat). The produced cropping patterns maps achieved an overall accuracy of 89% based on ground truth data, and a good agreement with the statistical data (R2 ≥ 0.89). The China Cropping Pattern maps (ChinaCP) are available for public download online. Cropping patterns maps in China and other countries with finer resolutions can be produced based on Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) images using the shared code.

Dense canopies browning overshadowed by global greening dominant in sparse canopies.

Greening, an increase in photosynthetically active plant biomass, has been widely reported as period-related and region-specific. We hypothesized that vegetation trends were highly density-dependent with intensified browning in dense canopies and increased greening in sparse canopies. We exploited this insight by estimating vegetation trends in peak growth from dense to sparse canopies graded from 1 to 20 using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall trend test based on the 500 m 8-day composite MODIS Near Infrared Reflectance of terrestrial vegetation (NIRv) time series datasets in the past two decades (2001-2019) at the global scale. We found that global greening increased by 1.42% per grade with strong fit before grade 15 (R2 = 0.95): net browning (11% browning vs 9% greening) exhibited in high-density canopies (NIRv > 0.39) in contrast to 32% greening in low-density canopies (NIRv ≈ 0.15). While the density-dependent greening was evidenced across different biomes and ecosystems, the steepest gradient (changes per grade) in cropland highlighted the increasingly intensified agricultural activities globally. Greening gradients declined in the dryland, but enhanced in the High-latitude ecosystems driven by warming, especially in the shrubland. Density-dependent vegetation trends were accounted for by the disproportionately impacts from climate changes and the unequal contributions of Land Cover Changes (LCC) among dense and sparse canopies. Vegetation trends and greening gradients could be extensively facilitated by Wetting or Decreasing solar Radiation (WDR), especially in sparse grassland and shrubland. Browning was dominant in dense canopies, which was further aggravated by Drying and Increasing solar Radiation (DIR), especially woody vegetation. This study implied the widespread degradation or mortality of highly productive vegetation hidden among global greening dominant in open ecosystems, which might be further exacerbated by the predicted increasing drought under global warming.

Status and factors related to post-traumatic growth in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: A multi-centre study.

AIM: To investigate the extent of post-traumatic growth, and the correlation between post-traumatic growth and self-perceived stress, post-traumatic growth and self-perceived burden among CAPD patients. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: This was a multi-centre study including 752 patients from 44 hospitals. Self-perceived stress, self-perceived burden and post-traumatic growth were measured using the post-traumatic growth inventory (PTGI), the Chinese version of the perceived stress questionnaire (CPSQ) and the self-perceived burden scale (SPBS). A multiple stepwise regression analysis was fit with the total PTGI score as the outcome of interest. RESULTS: Patients concurrently experienced post-traumatic growth and stress following peritoneal dialysis. The initiation of patients' education level, employment status and self-perceived stress were all found to relate to growth among Chinese CAPD patients. There was not sufficient evidence to suggest that self-perceived burden was related to experiencing growth.

Case Report: A Rare Condition of Abdominal Pain: Chemotherapy Induced Portal Vein Pneumatosis Mimicking the Bowel Necrosis.

Portal vein pneumatosis is the presence of air in the portal venous system, which is one of the classic radiologic features of bowel ischemia or necrosis. However, there are several other morbidities that can have portal vein pneumatosis as a complication. This is a case of a 44-year-old man who suffered from severe abdominal pain after chemotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma of his left hip. The physical signs, laboratory findings, as well as the portal venous pneumatosis sign of the CT scan strongly indicated the probability of bowel necrosis and subjected the treatment decision of the patient finally to laparotomy. However, nothing abnormal except a segment of swollen small intestine was detected. Caution should be kept in mind when encountering a patient with suspected bowel necrosis following chemotherapy since several chemotherapeutic agents could cause portal vein pneumatosis. Diagnostic laparoscopy might be a better option for such cases.

Reproductive concerns and associated factors among female chronic kidney diseases patients: a Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: The study aimed to investigate the current status of reproductive concerns and explore the associated factors among young female chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. DESIGN: A multi-center cross-sectional study was designed. METHODS: The study was conducted in six representative tertiary hospitals across southwest China. A total of 295 female Chronic kidney disease patients between 18-45 years of age completed a 20 min, web-based survey, which included demographics and disease-related information questionnaire, Reproductive Concerns Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) instrument and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) instrument. RESULT: The survey total collected 270 valid questionnaires. The mean reproductive concern score was 54.39 ± 10.90 (out of a maximum of 90), with the mean scores for sub-scales ranging from 7.80 ± 1.69 to 10.44 ± 1.85. Multiple regression analysis showed that those with higher reproductive concerns were more likely to have pregnancy intentions, to be in Chronic kidney disease stages 1-3, and to have a higher GAD-7 score. This study offered further evidence of the need for improved education and emotional support surrounding reproductive concerns among young Chinese women with Chronic kidney disease.

Optimal Design of Plant Canopy Based on Light Interception: A Case Study With Loquat.

Canopy architecture determines the light distribution and light interception in the canopy. Reasonable shaping and pruning can optimize tree structure; maximize the utilization of land, space and light energy; and lay the foundation for achieving early fruiting, high yield, health and longevity. Due to the complexity of loquat canopy architecture and the multi-year period of tree growth, the variables needed for experiments in canopy type training are hardly accessible through field measurements. In this paper, we concentrated on exploring the relationship between branching angle and light interception using a three-dimensional (3D) canopy model in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl). First, detailed 3D models of loquat trees were built by integrating branch and organ models. Second, the morphological models of different loquat trees were constructed by interactive editing. Third, the 3D individual-tree modeling software LSTree integrated with the OpenGL shadow technique, a radiosity model and a modified rectangular hyperbola model was used to calculate the silhouette to total area ratio, the distribution of photosynthetically active radiation within canopies and the net photosynthetic rate, respectively. Finally, the influence of loquat tree organ organization on the light interception of the trees was analyzed with different parameters. If the single branch angle between the level 2 scaffold branch and trunk is approximately 15° and the angles among the level 2 scaffold branches range from 60 to 90°, then a better light distribution can be obtained. The results showed that the branching angle has a significant impact on light interception, which is useful for grower manipulation of trees, e.g., shoot bending (scaffold branch angle). Based on this conclusion, a reasonable tree structure was selected for intercepting light. This quantitative simulation and analytical method provides a new digital and visual method that can aid in the design of tree architecture.

Mild weather changes over China during 1971-2014: Climatology, trends, and interannual variability.

While previous studies largely focus on extreme events, little is known about the behaviors of mild weather, a positive and pleasant condition occurring frequently, directly associated with outdoor activities, and highly relatable to the public. Here we examine the climatological characteristics and long-term trends of mild weather over China during 1971-2014, as well as the possible linkage with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. It is found that, on average, China experiences 94.5 days (25.4% of all days) of mild weather in a year, and the annual number of mild days increased by 1.02% per decade (3.73 days per decade) during 1971-2014, especially in summer (1.54% per decade), spring (1.49% per decade), and autumn (1.03% per decade). We also find that most parts of China have been experiencing increasing mild weather in 1971-1998 but decreasing in 1998-2014. Clustering analysis reveals six subregions that exhibit distinct mild weather behaviors. In particular, harsh seasons (i.e., summer of southern China and winter of northern China) are becoming even less pleasant. Besides these secular trends, it is also noticed that El Niño event in the preceding winter is followed by less pleasant spring and summer and more pleasant autumn and winter in most areas of China. The results reported here have significant implications for urban planners and governmental policymakers.

Three-dimensional digitization of the arid land plant Haloxylon ammodendron using a consumer-grade camera.

Plant structural parameters are important for ecological studies and for monitoring the environment. Terrestrial laser scanning has become a widely accepted technique for acquiring accurate high-density three-dimensional information about plant surfaces; however, this instrument is expensive, technically challenging to operate, heavy, and difficult to transport to hard-to-reach areas such as dense forests and undeveloped areas without easy vehicle access. Using Haloxylon ammodendron, a plant widely distributed in arid lands, as an example, we used a consumer-grade handheld camera to take a series of overlapping images of this plant. Computer vision and photogrammetric software were used to reconstruct highly detailed three-dimensional data of the plant surface. This surface data was compared to the point cloud of the plant acquired from concomitant terrestrial laser scanning. We demonstrated that the accuracy and degree of completeness of the image-derived point clouds are comparable to that of laser scanning. Plant structural parameters (such as tree height and crown width) and three-dimensional models extracted from the point clouds also agree well with a relative difference of less than 5%. Our case study shows that a common camera and image processing software can be an affordable, highly portable, and viable option for acquiring accurate and detailed high-density and high-resolution three-dimensional information about plant structure in the environment. This digitization technique can record the plant and its surrounding environment effectively and efficiently, and it can be applied to many ecological fields and studies.

Automatic and adaptive paddy rice mapping using Landsat images: Case study in Songnen Plain in Northeast China.

Spatiotemporal explicit information on paddy rice distribution is essential for ensuring food security and sustainable environmental management. Paddy rice mapping algorithm through the Combined Consideration of Vegetation phenology and Surface water variations (CCVS) has been efficiently applied based on the 8day composites time series datasets. However, the great challenge for phenology-based algorithms introduced by unpromising data availability in middle/high spatial resolution imagery, such as frequent cloud cover and coarse temporal resolution, remained unsolved. This study addressed this challenge through developing an automatic and Adaptive paddy Rice Mapping Method (ARMM) based on the cloud frequency and spectral separability. The proposed ARMM method was tested on the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) image (path/row 118/028) in the Songnen Plain in Northeast China in 2015. First, the whole study region was automatically and adaptively subdivided into undisturbed and disturbed regions through a per-pixel strategy based on Landsat image data availability during key phenological stage. Second, image objects were extracted from approximately cloud-free images in disturbed and undisturbed regions, respectively. Third, phenological metrics and other feature images from individual or multiple images were developed. Finally, a flexible automatic paddy rice mapping strategy was implemented. For undisturbed region, an object-oriented CCVS method was utilized to take the full advantages of phenology-based method. For disturbed region, Random Forest (RF) classifier was exploited using training data from CCVS-derived results in undisturbed region and feature images adaptively selected with full considerations of spectral separability and the spatiotemporal coverage. The ARMM method was verified by 473 reference sites, with an overall accuracy of 95.77% and kappa index of 0.9107. This study provided an efficient strategy to accommodate the challenges of phenology-based approaches through transferring knowledge in parts of a satellite scene with finer time series to targets (other parts) with deficit data availability.

Greater phenological sensitivity on the higher Tibetan Plateau: new insights from weekly 5 km EVI2 datasets.

Plateau vegetation is considered to be highly sensitive to climate change, especially at higher altitudes. Although the Tibetan Plateau has experienced intensive warming over the past few decades, there is much contradictory evidence regarding its phenological variations and the impact of climatic change. In this study, we explored vegetation phenology through the inflexion point-based method with the weekly 0.05° EVI2 datasets from 1982 to 2010. We observed complex spatiotemporal variations in vegetation phenology on the higher Tibetan Plateau from three aspects. From a spatial aspect, the altitudinal gradients of phenological dates, as well as their directions, varied among different altitudes over the past three decades. Compared with delaying with elevation at altitudes below 5000 m, the phenological parameters at altitudes above 5000 m significantly advanced with increasing altitudes. At higher altitudes, much stronger altitudinal gradients (slope) of phenological dates were observed in the 2000s than in the 1980s and 1990s, i.e., 2.19, 3.47, and 3.68 days' advance for start, maximum, and end dates, respectively, compared to less than 1 day's change per 100 m increase in altitude. From a temporal dynamic aspect, when analyzed at different altitudinal bands, the dynamic trends in phenological dates were generally not significant except the advancing trends in the maximum dates at altitudes above 5000 m and the delaying trend in the end dates at altitudes of 4500-5000 m in the twenty-first century. Remarkable elevation dependency was also observed at the pixel level: increasing amplitudes of phenological dynamic trends were observed at higher altitudes when obtaining their minimum around 5000 m. These spatiotemporal variations of vegetation phenology were due to combined effects from both temperature and precipitation: more abundant rainfall and greater magnitudes of dynamic trends were observed in the average daily minimum temperature (slope = 0.08 °C/year) and annual precipitation (slope = 2.17 mm/year) at higher altitudes.

The Efficacy of a Nurse-Led Disease Management Program in Improving the Quality of Life for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impacts of nurse-led disease management programs on the quality of life for patients with chronic kidney disease have not been extensively studied. Furthermore, results of the existing related studies are inconsistent. The focus of the proposed meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy of nurse-led disease management programs in improving the quality of life for patients with chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Literature survey was performed to identify the eligible studies from PubMed, Current Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials with predefined terms. The outcome measured was quality of life. This meta-analysis was conducted in line with recommendations from the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. RESULTS: Eight studies comprising a total of 1520 patients were included in this meta-analysis, with 766 patients assigned to the nurse-led disease management program. Nurse-led disease management improved the quality of life in terms of symptoms, sleep, staff encouragement, pain, general health perception, energy/fatigue, overall health and mental component summary when evaluated 6 weeks after the beginning of intervention. When evaluated 12 weeks later, the quality of life in terms of symptoms, sleep, staff encouragement, energy/fatigue, and physical component summary was improved. Stratified by the modalities of dialysis, similar results of pooled analyses were observed for patients with peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis, compared with the overall analyses. The results of sensitivity analyses were the same as the primary analyses. The symmetric funnel plot suggested that the possibility of potential publication bias was relatively low. CONCLUSION: Nurse-led disease management program seems effective to improve some parameters of quality of life for patients with chronic kidney disease. However, the seemingly promising results should be cautiously interpreted and generalized and still need to be confirmed through well-designed large-scale prospective randomized controlled trials.

Lessons Learned From a Case of Gastric Cancer After Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Report and Literatures Review.

Nowadays, de novo malignancies have become an important cause of death after transplantation. According to the accumulation of cases with liver transplantation, the incidence of de novo gastric cancer is anticipated to increase among liver transplant recipients in the near future, especially in some East Asian countries where both liver diseases requiring liver transplantation and gastric cancer are major burdens. Unfortunately, there is limited information regarding the relationship between de novo gastric cancer and liver transplantation. Herein, we report a case of stage IIIc gastric cancer after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma, who was successfully treated by radical distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy but died 15 months later due to tumor progression. Furthermore, we extract some lessons to learn from the case and review the literatures. The incidence of de novo gastric cancer following liver transplantations is increasing and higher than the general population. Doctors should be vigilant in early detection and control the risk factors causing de novo gastric cancer after liver transplantation. Curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy is still the mainstay of treatment for such patients. Preoperative assessments, strict postoperative monitoring, and managements are mandatory. Limited chemotherapy could be given to the patients with high risk of recurrence. Close surveillance, early detection, and treatment of posttransplant cancers are extremely important and essential to improve the survival.

Rice cropping density and intensity lessened in southeast China during the twenty-first century.

Accurate and updated time series maps of paddy rice distribution and planting intensity will greatly improve our knowledge. Unfortunately, spatiotemporal explicit information on rice fields is relatively limited, and considerable uncertainties still exist as regards to its inter-annual variations in China. In this study, an improved rice mapping methodology was proposed through combined consideration of vegetation phenology and surface moisture variations from different seasonal rice. This method was applied to southeast China based on 500 m 8 day composite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhance Vegetation Indices with two bands (EVI2) during the period 2001-2013. Its efficiency was validated with 763 ground survey sites, with an overall accuracy of 95.02 % and the kappa index of 0.9217. Spatiotemporal analysis indicated that rice cropping density and intensity lessened in southeast China during the period 2001-2013. Particularly, the paddy rice-planted areas reduced by 30.09 %, changing from 231,005 to 161,484 km(2). Among them, the planted areas of double rice decreased by 49.34 %, changing from 34,215 to 17,335 km(2). Therefore, averaged rice cropping intensity in southeast China decreased from 1.148 to 1.107. The primary dynamic patterns were from single rice or a rotation of rice plus other crops to non-rice (93,386 km(2)) and double rice to non-double rice (24,132 km(2)). When analyzed at provincial and altitudinal gradient levels, it was obvious that areas with greater rice cropping density or intensity were associated with more remarkable reductions. Graphical abstract The left graph shows that the rice cropping density lessened in Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan provinces and other three provincial-level administrative units (Zhejiang, Fujian and Shanghai) from 2001 to 2013. The middle graph indicates the movement of gravity center as well as the variations in the total planted areas of single rice, rice plus others and double rice. The right graph denotes that the rice cropping intensity decreased in each provincial-level administrative unit from 2001 to 2013.