Suitability evaluation of potential arable land in the Mediterranean region.

The existing cultivated land in the Mediterranean region faces great pressure from various sources. A suitability evaluation of potential arable land is urgent for helping adaptation measures to mitigate the impacts of climate change and human pressure on agricultural production in the Mediterranean region. We integrated 15 biophysical and socio-economic factors from GIS and remote sensing data to perform a suitability evaluation of potential arable land in the Mediterranean region using analytical hierarchy process and radial basis function artificial neural network methods. Moreover, we analyzed the gap between potential arable land and existing cultivated land and compared the evaluation results between the analytical hierarchy process and artificial neural network methods. The results show that the suitability index of potential arable land based on artificial neural network with 6 neurons has the best correlation with average yield and average harvested area. The land area with a suitability grade over medium level accounts for 62.95% of the potential arable land area, of which 45.71% is uncultivated land. Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Portugal, Spain and Turkey have great opportunities for agricultural development. Radial basis function artificial neural network outperforms analytical hierarchy process, has better verification results, and requires less input. This study provides an initial insight into the agricultural land suitability of 16 countries around the Mediterranean Sea and introduces a research idea for agricultural land suitability evaluation.

Mapping abandoned farmland in China using time series MODIS NDVI.

Farmland abandonment is an important aspect of land cover land use (LCLU) that has both positive and negative effects on the environment. There is limited information regarding the spatial distribution of abandoned farmland in China. In this study, we 1) use a C5.0 decision tree classification based on a 250 m spatial resolution Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series to develop LCLU maps for the period 2000-2017; 2) produce time series maps of the abandoned farmland during the period 2002-2017 based on LCLU maps; and 3) analyze spatial distribution, intensity, trend, frequency, and recultivation in terms of farmland abandonment. The results show that the overall accuracy of the LCLU maps ranged from 85.45% to 90.56% over the study period (2002-2017). The average national rate of farmland abandonment was 5% over the period 2002-2017, with the lowest rate in 2002 and the highest in 2015. Approximately 60% of the 34 agricultural areas in China showed an increasing trend for abandonment including some of the main grain-producing areas such as the North China Plain and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Abandoned farmland areas with an abandonment frequency of ≤ 3 y comprised 58.24% of the total area of abandoned farmland. The first map detailing the distribution of the abandoned farmland across China was produced in this study, providing guidance for the development of a method of identifying abandoned farmland on a large spatial scale.

Mapping Tobacco Fields Using UAV RGB Images.

Tobacco planting information is an important part of tobacco production management. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing systems have become a popular topic worldwide because they are mobile, rapid and economic. In this paper, an automatic identification method for tobacco fields based on UAV images is developed by combining supervised classifications with image morphological operations, and this method was used in the Yunnan Province, which is the top province for tobacco planting in China. The results show that the produce accuracy, user accuracy, and overall accuracy of tobacco field identification using the method proposed in this paper are 92.59%, 96.61% and 95.93%, respectively. The method proposed in this paper has the advantages of automation, flow process, high accuracy and easy operation, but the ground sampling distance (GSD) of the UAV image has an effect on the accuracy of the proposed method. When the image GSD was reduced to 1 m, the overall accuracy decreased by approximately 10%. To solve this problem, we further introduced the convolution method into the proposed method, which can ensure the recognition accuracy of tobacco field is above 90% when GSD is less than or equal to 1 m. Some other potential improvements of methods for mapping tobacco fields were also discussed in this paper.

Effect of transurethral split of the prostate using a double-columnar balloon catheter for benign prostatic hyperplasia: A single-center experience of 565 consecutive patients.

We aimed to evaluate the long-term therapeutic effect of transurethral split of the prostate (TUSP) with a newly improved double-columnar balloon catheter on patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Total 565 BPH patients (mean age 73.6 years, range 46-94 years) who underwent TUSP surgery between January 2006 and January 2015 were included. Patient's baseline characteristics, prostate size, PSA, preoperative and postoperative maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual (PVR), international prostate symptoms score (IPSS) and quality of life (QOL) score, perioperative data and postoperative complications were recorded.The mean preoperative prostates size was 48.6 ±â€Š8.2 mL (range 33-230 mL), and the PSA level was 0.8 to 18.6 ng/mL. The mean duration of TUSP procedure from the catheter localization to the split of capsula prostatica was ∼10 minutes. After surgery, the mean Qmax increased from 5.2 ±â€Š1.4 to 12.8 ±â€Š2.2 mL/s (P < 0.001). Patients had improved mean PVR, QOL score, and IPSS after TUSP (76 ±â€Š8 vs 20 ±â€Š8.5 mL, 4.6 ±â€Š0.2 vs 1.4 ±â€Š0.3, and 20.2 ±â€Š4.4 vs 6.6 ±â€Š1.1, respectively, all P < 0.001). Until September 2014, 328 patients were successfully followed up for a long-term period of 38 to 99 months. There was no other case of recurrence with dysuria despite 2 recurrent cases.The TUSP with a double-columnar balloons catheter was a safe and long-term efficient treatment for BPH, with minimal invasion, short operative time, few postoperative complications, and low recurrence rate.

Treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia using transurethral split of the prostate with a columnar balloon catheter.

Transurethral dilation of the prostate (TUDP) with a spherical balloon catheter is a traditional treatment for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). TUDP, however, has been abandoned in clinical application because of its unsatisfying treatment benefit and severe complications. In this study, we redesigned an improved TUDP surgical procedure-transurethral split of the prostate (TUSP)-by replacing the spherical balloon with a columnar balloon. To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect, we compared the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of patients with BPH after TUSP treatment and analyzed the urethra through CT films. Animal experiments were performed on aged dogs to investigate the urine function and electromyography (EMG) changes. Histopathology was used to evaluate the inflammation and injury. In addition, collagen content was detected by Trichrome Masson. TUSP attenuated LUTS and reconstructed the urethra in patients with BPH. The attenuation of LUTS was reflected in terms of LUTS parameters such as peak urine flow rate, postvoid residual urine volume, quality of life score, and International Prostate Symptom Score. TUSP expanded the urethra in experimental dogs by splitting the prostate tissues and decreasing the collagen content, with maintenance of normal urinary function and EMG characteristics. The successful clinical application of TUSP with significant therapeutic effect and limited complications made TUSP an ideal choice for the patients with BPH.