Drylands occupy 6.15 billion hectares (Bha) or 47.2% of the world's land area. Of this, 3.5 to 4.0 Bha (57%-65%) are either desertified or prone to desertification. Despite the low soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, total SOC pool of soils of the drylands is 241 Pg (1 Pg = petagram = 10(15)g = 1 billion metric ton) or 15.5% of the world's total of 1550 Pg to 1-meter depth. Desertification...

Soil erosion has been occurring over the geological time. Inappropriate human activities accelerate this process. Soil erosion by water is a widespread problem throughout Europe. The South and Southeast regions of Europe are significantly prone to water erosion. In parts of the region, erosion has reached a stage of irreversibility and in some places erosion has practically ceased because there...

In many cases bioavailability and toxicity of cationic metals in soils is determined by the free metal ion (FMI) activity in soil solution. Recently methods were developed that relate biological effects to FMI activity. The use, validation and further development of such approaches require determination of FMI activities in soil. FMI activity determination is, however, prone to methodological a...

Trace elements (TEs) are vital for the operation of metabolic pathways that promote growth and structural integrity. Paddy soils are often prone to TE limitation due to intensive cultivation and irrigation practices. Apart from this, rice paddies are potentially contaminated with transition metals such as Cd, which are often referred to as toxic TEs. Deficiency of TEs in the soil not only delay...

Major reforestation programs have been initiated on hillsides prone to erosion and landslides in China, but no framework exists to guide managers in the choice of plant species. We developed such a framework based on the suitability of given plant traits for fixing soil on steep slopes in western Yunnan, China. We examined the utility of 55 native and exotic species with regard to the services ...

A cheap and biodegradable modifier, cationic starch (CS), was used to turn local soils into effective flocculants for Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) removal. The isoelectric point of soil particles was remarkably increased from pH 0.5 to 11.8 after modification with CS, which made CS modified soil particles positively charged and obtain algal flocculation ability. At the soil concentrat...

background nowadays percutaneous nephrolithotomy (pcnl) is performed in prone and supine positions. physiologic solutions should be used to irrigate during pcnl. irrigation can cause hemodynamic, electrolyte and acid-base changes during pcnl. objectives the current study aimed to compare the electrolyte, hemodynamic and metabolic changes of prone and complete supine pcnl. patients and methods i...

One of the most important and effective factors in prioritizing high accident prone segments of roads for pedestrians is accident cause which up to now has been neglected in current methods. Since accidents are not additives due to various reasons, prioritizing these segments without considering the accident cause makes the selection of high accident prone segments inaccurate. In this paper, by...

 ABSTRACT Study design: A cross-sectional non-experimental study. Objectives: To collectively detect the reliability and feasibility of the five types of clinical tests that have been used to measure endurance of the trunk muscles in subjects with and without low back pain (LBP) and identifY the sensitivity of each test to predict the probability of the occurrence ofLBP. Background: Testing spi...

Water conservation is a priority in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and other major Texas cities that routinely face water shortages and drought. Soil management is fundamental to water conservation efforts. Incorporation of composted biosolids (CB) in low quality soils can enhance water conservation and provide organic carbon and nutrients that improve growth of vegetation and limit sediment loss...