pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Rotational thyrotracheopexy after cricoidectomy for low-grade laryngeal chrondrosarcoma.

OBJECTIVES: The complex laryngeal functions are fundamentally defined by the cricoid cartilage. Thus, lesions requiring subtotal or total resection of the cricoid cartilage commonly warrant total laryngectomy. However, from an oncological perspective, the resection of the cricoid cartilage would be an optimal solution in these cases. The poor functional results of the few reported  cases of total and subtotal cricoidectomy with different reconstruction techniques confirm the need for new approaches to reconstruct the infrastructure  of the larynx post cricoidectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series review. METHODS: Four consecutive patients with low-grade chondrosarcoma were treated by  cricoidectomy with rotational thyrotracheopexy reconstruction to enable the functional creation of a complete cartilaginous ring that can substitute the functions of the cricoid cartilage. The glottic structures were stabilized with endoscopic arytenoid abduction lateropexy. Patients were evaluated with objective and subjective function tests. RESULTS: Tumor-free margins were proven; patients  were successfully decannulated within 3 weeks. Voice outcomes were adequate for social conversation in all cases. Oral feeding was possible in three patients. CONCLUSION: Total and subtotal cricoidectomy can be a surgical option to avoid total laryngectomy in cases of large chondrosarcomas destroying the cricoid cartilage. The thyrotracheopexy rotational advancement technique enables the effective reconstruction of the structural deficit of the resected cricoid cartilage in cases of total and subtotal cricoidectomy. An adequate airway for breathing, swallowing, and voice production can be reconstructed with good oncological control. In cases where the pharynx is not involved, good swallowing  function can also be achieved. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 2016
Science for Improving the Monitoring and Assessment of\ud
Dryland Degradation\ud

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) commissioned its First Scientific Conference in 2009 to deliberate on\ud
ways to improve the global monitoring and assessment of dryland degradation to support decision-making in land and water management. The\ud
papers included in this issue of Land Degradation & Development elaborate the reasoning behind the 11 recommendations that emerged from\ud
the Conference and were formally submitted to the UNCCD. These papers argue for a more holistic, harmonised and integrated approach to\ud
dryland monitoring and assessment, and describe scientific and institutional approaches for achieving this goal. A central challenge is to\ud
integrate human/social with environmental observations in accordance with the Convention’s view that the interactions and tradeoffs between\ud
human development needs and land condition must be considered. A global monitoring and assessment regime should be established to gather\ud
and analyse relevant data on a routine basis, allowing locally-relevant indicators to be aggregated into meaningful classes appropriate to\ud
different decision-making levels. The underlying forces that cause changes in land condition should also be monitored and assessed so that\ud
remedial actions can target the true causes of dryland degradation, including social, economic, policy, institutional and knowledge drivers that\ud
have often been overlooked in the past. Monitoring and assessment should hybridise differing types of knowledge generated by different\ud
stakeholders in order to strengthen collective capacities to combat dryland degradation. An independent scientific advisory mechanism should\ud
be created to advise the UNCCD about the results emerging from the monitoring and assessment regime in order to improve decision-making
Afforestation of agricultural land with Pinus radiata D. don and Betula alba L. in NW Spain: effects on soil PH, understorey production and floristic diversity eleven years after establishment

Afforestation of abandoned agricultural lands has been the main change in land use over the past decade in Europe. However, the impact of tree species and understorey management on production and plant diversity over the medium- and long-term has not been thoroughly studied. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of an afforestation of Pinus radiata D. Don and Betula alba L. on soil pH, understorey production and plant diversity and life cycle type (annuals vs. perennials) managed with different soil fertilisation treatments over a period of 11 years. The results show an acidification of the soil 11 years after establishment, better vertical growth and diameter of pine compared with birch as usually happens in the region and important variation in the biomass production and composition of the understorey below both tree species. Understorey species remained similar during the first 5 years below both canopies. However, species richness (S) was drastically reduced under Pinus radiata D. Don plantation compared to Betula alba L. (Spine = 2 vs. Sbirch = 17) after 11 years of tree establishment at a very high density (2500 trees ha−1). Inorganic and organic fertilisation also caused a reduction in floristic diversity. Soil pH, pasture production and floristic understorey plant diversity are better preserved under autochthonous broadleaves, which increased the multiple uses of recently afforested lands in the short- and medium-term. In the European context of high need for sawn wood, the use of autochthonous broadleaved tree species like Betula should be promoted due to their better sustainabilit
Effect of land use and topography on soil properties and agronomic productivity on calcareous soils of a semiarid region, Iran

In this research, the effects of land use and slope position on soil properties and its agronomic productivity were studied in a greenhouse experiment. The study also covered the effects of water stress, fertilizer treatment and their interactions. Eight soil samples were collected from four slope positions along hill slopes from two adjacent land use types of rangeland and dry farmland in a semiarid region of Iran. Soil samples were analyzed for their physical and chemical properties and yield and yield components of wheat were measured as indices of soil agronomic productivity in a replicated pot experiment. Soils of the dry farmland showed higher fertility and better quality than the soils from the adjacent degraded rangeland, especially at the upper slope positions. The results indicated that yield components of wheat were all higher for the dry farming land compared to the degraded rangeland, and at the bottom of slopes compared to the top. The effect of land use and slope position on agronomic productivity of soil was influenced by water supply. The actual impact on soil productivity of soil degradation, induced by land use and slope position, was overshadowed by the dominating effect of water stress. While both chemical fertilizer and fertilizer + manure treatments enhanced the agronomic productivity of all soils, their effects were much more pronounced on the degraded soils of the rangeland. Water stress reduced fertilizer efficiency on all the soils used in this study.Full Tex
Factors controlling gully development : comparing continuous and discontinuous gullies

Gully erosion is a degradation process affecting soils in many parts of theWorld. Despite the complexity of a series of collective factors across
different spatial scales, previous research has not yet explicitly quantified factor dominance between different sized gullies. This factorial
analysis quantifies the differences in factor dominance between continuous gullies (cgs) and discontinuous gullies (dgs). First, gullies (totaling
5273 ha) visible from SPOT 5 imagery were mapped for a catchment (nearly 5000 km2) located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Eleven important factors were integrated into a geographical information system including topographical variables, parent material-soil
associations and land use–cover interactions. These were utilized in a zonal approach in order to determine the extent factors differ between
cgs and dgs. Factors leading to the development of cgs are gentle footslopes in zones of saturation along drainage paths with a large
contributing area, erodible duplex soils derived from mudstones and poor vegetation cover due to overgrazing. Compared to cgs conditions,
more dgs occur on rolling slopes where the surface becomes less frequently saturated with a smaller contributing area, soils are more stable
and shallow. Factorial analysis further illustrates that differences in factor dominance between the two groups of gullies is most apparent for
soil factors. A combination of overgrazing and susceptible mudstones proves to be key factors that consistently determine the development of
cgs and dgs.The ARC-ISCW, as well as Mr. D. J. Pretorius and his
colleagues at the Department of Agriculture Forestry and
Fisheries (DAFF), Directorate Land Use and Soil Management.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-145X
Utilising biological geotextiles: Introduction to the BORASSUS project and global perspectives

Field and laboratory studies indicate that utilisation of biological geotextiles constructed from palm-leaves and other selected organic materials are an effective, sustainable and economically viable soil conservation technique. The three-year plus (1 July 2005–28 February 2009) EU-funded BORASSUS Project (contract no. INCO-CT-2005-510745) evaluated the long-term effectiveness of biological geotextiles in controlling soil erosion and assessing their sustainability and economic viability. These studies progressed in ten countries, both in the ‘industrial north’ (in Europe) and in the ‘developing south’ (Africa, South America and South East Asia). The studied countries in the ‘developing south’ included Brazil, China, The Gambia, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam. The ‘industrial north’ countries included Belgium, Hungary, Lithuania and the UK. The main findings of these studies are summarised in this paper and thematic information is presented in the other four papers in this Special Issue.\ud
\ud
Biological geotextiles offer potentially novel bioengineering solutions to environmental problems, including technologies for soil conservation, sustainable plant production and use of indigenous plants, improved ecosystem management by decreasing deforestation, improving agroforestry and cost-effective biogeotextile applications in diverse environments. Biogeotextiles may provide socio-economic platforms for sustainable development and the benefits for developing countries may include poverty alleviation, engagement of local people as stakeholders, employment for disadvantaged groups, small and medium enterprise (SME) development, earning hard currency, environmental education and local community involvement in land reclamation and environmental education programmes. These benefits are achieved through: (i) promotion of sustainable and environmentally friendly palm-agriculture to discourage deforestation, promoting both reforestation and agroforestry; (ii) construction of biogeotextiles enabling development of a rural labour-intensive industry, particularly encouraging employment of socially disadvantaged groups and (iii) export of biogeotextiles to industrialised countries could earn hard currency for developing economies, based on the principles of fair trade. Research and development activities of the BORASSUS Project have improved our knowledge on the effect of biogeotextile mats on the micro- and macro-soil environments and at larger scales through controlled laboratory and field experiments in diverse environments
Trends in recovery of mediterranean soil chemical properties and microbial activities after infrequent and frequent wildfires

Since the 1970s, increase in fire frequency has been observed in all European Mediterranean regions. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the effects of wildfire frequency on the recovery at short- and long-term of soil chemical and microbial properties and (2) to identify the mechanisms underlying the recovery of these sites properties. Soils from 17 plots (Maures mountains range, Var, France) were classified into 5 wildfire regimes (i.e. not burned since at least 57 years ago, infrequently and frequently burned-with time since fire between 4 and 17 years). Soil samples from these plots were analysed for their nutrient content, chemical functions of soil organic matter (SOM) using FT-MIR spectroscopy and microbial mineralising activities. Our results showed that the frequent wildfire regime slowed down the recovery in the short term of SOM spectroscopic properties and nutrient availability. Both low quantity and low quality (i.e. high percentage of aromatic and phenolic organic forms) of soil organic matter were found to be related to soil microbial recovery at 4 years after frequent wildfires. The frequent wildfires improved the recovery in net nitrification and nitrate content, leading to an increase in catabolic evenness and a recovery in microbial C-substrate utilisation profiles between 4 and 17 years. However, frequent wildfires slowed down the recovery of hydrolytic enzyme pool (i.e. FDA hydrolases) and phenol oxidase activity, both involved in soil C cycling. Overall, our observations suggest that 4 fires in 50 years is a threshold beyond which soil quality may be endangered
Saline wetlands fate in inland deserts: an example of eighty years decline from Monegros, Spain

37 Pags., 3 Tabls., 7 Figs.  The definitive version is available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-145XWetlands inventory is one of the goals of conservation plans on a national scale and a global scale. Inventories are needed for long-term monitoring or for identifying lost wetlands and those where restoration is feasible. In this article, we present an updated inventory of the saline wetlands of Southern Monegros, Spain. We depicted the evolution of these saline wetlands, locally named saladas with a unique long-term retrospective study based on aerial photographs from 1927. Their inventory has been accomplished through a map analysis based on a geographical information system using aerial photographs and orthophotographs, topographic maps, unpublished local studies and field surveys. Remaining vegetation, changes in soil moisture and colour, and geomorphology have been the key features in identifying the saladas. Their changes in number, size and shape have been driven by human pressure, the main modifier of landscape in the last 80 years. The information gathered will contribute to the awareness of stakeholders and decision makers for their conservation as natural resources. Moreover, our large retrospective approach is a consistent base from which to propose the inclusion of the saladas of Monegros in the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance.This study was funded by the Spanish projects GALC-006-2008 and AGL2009-08931. The first author was given a grant by the Spanish Government (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria, INIA).Peer reviewe
Changing sediment yield and sediment dynamics in the Karoo uplands, South Africa: post-European impacts.

We provide an overview of published results and a significant body of new data from an ongoing research programme designed to reconstruct sediment yields and sources in small (<60 km2) catchments in the Eastern Cape, South Africa over the last 150 years. Our analysis of four catchments has determined that sediment yield increased significantly in the latter half of the 20th Century but that the exact timing of these increases was different in each of the four catchments. In two high altitude locations, sediment yield increases were not associated with a significant change in sediment source, although in one case areas of former cultivation appear to have made a slightly greater contribution since the 1960s.  In a third catchment, increases in sediment yield appear to have been driven by the development of badlands and by an increase in connectivity between the badlands and the main channel network in the 1960s. In the fourth catchment, increased connectivity between the main catchment and dam occurred as a result of the construction of a causeway to carry a main road and by the construction of culverts beneath the road. Occasional changes in sediment source have also been identified in the sedimentary record but these were not linked directly to road construction. Research to date shows the complexity of sediment delivery in these semi-arid catchment systems and emphasises the need to combine sediment yield with source ascription in order to better understand the dynamics of these systems.
Rural Households' Demand for Frankincense Forest Conservation in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Contingent Valuation Analysis

Frankincense from Boswellia papyrifera forest (BPF) is a traded commodity used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and chemical
industries. Ethiopia is an important producer of frankincense, but the resource is under continuous degradation and requires conservation.
We applied a contingent valuation to assess rural households’ willingness to pay and willingness to contribute labor for BPF conservation.
Next to the bid, willingness to pay is in!uenced most by income, education, and willingness to contribute labor by family labor and gender of
the household head. A household is willing to pay at least $4!86 or contribute 7!17 labor days per year, which amounts to $6!64 at per capita
daily income. This suggests that using per capita daily income rather than market wage rates could result in convergence in response
asymmetry of labor and cash payment vehicles. The potential local demand for conservation of BPF could be mobilized effectively with
complementary policy interventions aimed at sustainable use and poverty reduction.status: publishe
Soil surface-active fauna in degraded and restored lands of Northeast Brazil.

Land degradation reducing vegetation cover may affect the soil surface-active fauna because both aboveground and belowground invertebrates depend on complex plant communities. In this study, we evaluated the effect of land degradation and restoration on soil fauna in northeast Brazil. Sites differed in degradation status: native vegetation, moderately degraded land, highly degraded land, and land under restoration for 4 years.2013Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/ldr.224
Comparative Assessment of Goods and Services Provided by Grazing Regulation and Reforestation in Degraded Mediterranean Rangelands

Several management actions are applied to restore ecosystem services in degraded Mediterranean rangelands, which range from adjusting the grazing pressure to the removal of grazers and pine plantations. Four such actions were assessed in Quercus coccifera L. shrublands in northern Greece: (i) moderate grazing by goats and sheep; (ii) no grazing; (iii) no grazing plus pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) plantation in forest gaps (gap reforestation); and (iv) no grazing plus full reforestation of shrubland areas, also with P. pinaster. In addition, heavy grazing was also assessed to serve as a control action. We comparatively assessed the impact of these actions on key provisioning, regulating and supporting ecosystem services by using ground-based indicators. Depending on the ecosystem service considered, the management actions were ranked differently. However, the overall provision of services was particularly favoured under moderate and no grazing management options, with moderate grazing outranking any other action in provisioning services and the no grazing action presenting the most balanced provision of services. Pine reforestations largely contributed to water and soil conservation and C sequestration but had a negative impact on plant diversity when implemented at the expense of removing natural vegetation in the area. Heavy grazing had the lowest provision of ecosystem services. It is concluded that degraded rangelands can be restored by moderating the grazing pressure rather than completely banning livestock grazing or converting them into pine plantations.This research is part of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and Support Action PRACTICE (Prevention and Restoration Actions to Combat Desertification: An Integrative assessment—grant agreement no. 226828). The research of S. B., A. G. M. and V. R. V. has received funding from the projects CASCADE (funded by EU-FP7; grant agreement no. 283068), GRACCIE (CSD2007-00067, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science, Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program) and SFUN (CGL2011-30515-C02-00, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness)
Multi-temporal Forest Cover Change and Forest Density Trend Detection in a Mediterranean Environment

The loss of forests along with the various types of shrubs in the Mediterranean region is seen as an important driver of climate change and has been repeatedly related with the observed land degradation and desertification in the region. Nevertheless, the extent of woody perennial vegetation cover (WPVC) and its density remain largely unclear. Here, we apply a series of algorithms and methods operationally used in Australia for large-scale WPVC mapping and monitoring and demonstrate their applicability in the Mediterranean region using a Spanish area as the trial site. Five Landsat TM and ETM+ images from various dates spanning 14 years are used to map changes in the extent of WPVC and to identify areas with a declining, stabilising or recovering trend. Results show that the applied methodology, which incorporates (i) preprocessing of the Landsat imagery, (ii) a canonical variate analysis to spectrally discriminate between woody and non-woody land cover types, (iii) a conditional probability network and (iv) spectral indices for mapping woody cover and density trend, is highly successful and well suited for use in Mediterranean environments. A rigorous accuracy assessment is undertaken producing overall accuracies above 97% for both woody and non-woody cover types and all dates. Results also show that in the area of study, the majority of WPVC disturbances were due to forest fires, which represent the region's most frequent natural and anthropogenic disturbance. This raises significant concerns about the future of the area's WPVC. Regeneration compensated to some degree for the high disturbance rates. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Spatial modelling of organic carbon in burned mountain soils using hyperspectral images, field datasets, and NIR spectroscopy (Cantabrian Range; NW Spain)

Soil organic matter is seriously affected by fires and suffers changes in stock, composition, and distribution. In the North-West side of the Cantabrian Range (northern Spain) fires are very common. In order to develop a cartographic technique to map areas with high carbon stocks caused by fire, we test a technique based on calibrated VIS-NIR soil organic carbon models and hyperspectral images. Total (TOC) and oxidizable carbon (OC) were measured in 89 soil samples. The samples were scanned with VIS-NIR spectrometer (400–2500 nm), and the spectra were resampled to the hyperspectral image channels. Spectroscopic models for TOC and OC were fitted (R2>0.81) using partial least squares regression (PLSR). The predictions were regionalized to the hyperspectral image and the results validated with a new soil population consisting of 12 Valeri plots collected in burned slopes of the study area under heather vegetation. In soil samples, TOC and OC values are highly correlated (R = 0.92), and the coefficients of the PLSR models have a similar pattern, which suggests similar organic components. Nevertheless, there are significant differences in the values of the regression coefficients, much higher in the TOC model except at 560 and 2054 nm that might be interpreted as labile carbon components, and at 1590 nm. At this wavelength the coefficient of TOC is positive and OC is negative, and it could be interpreted as hydrocarbons components present in the TOC model