Effects of grassland management on the community structure, aboveground biomass and stability of a temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Plant community structure responds strongly to anthropogenic disturbances, which greatly influence community stability. The changes in community structure, aboveground biomass（AGB）, biodiversity and community stability associated with different management practices were studied with a three-year field investigation in a temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, evenness, plant functional type abundance, AGB, temporal community stability, summed covariance, scaling coefficient and dominant species stability were compared among areas subjected to long-term reservation（R）, long-term grazing（G）, mowing since enclosure in 2008（M） and grazing enclosure since 2008（E）. Site R had higher perennial grass abundance and lower species richness than sites G, M and E, although the AGB was not significantly different among the four sites. The species structure varied from a single dominant species at site R to multiple dominant species at sites G, M and E. The long-term reservation grassland had lower biodiversity but higher stability, whereas the enclosed grassland with/without mowing had higher biodiversity but lower stability. Different stability mechanisms, such as the compensatory dynamics, mean-variance scaling and dominant species stability were examined. Results showed that community stability was most closely related to the relative stability of the dominant species, which supports the biomass ratio hypothesis proposed by Grime.

Empirical Analysis of the Vegetable Industry in Hebei Province

We first introduce the status quo of the development of vegetable industry in Hebei Province,and then conduct empirical analysis of the development of vegetable industry in Hebei Province.Further,we analyze the development advantage of the vegetable industry in Hebei Province using SAI(Scale Advantage Indices) and SCA(Symmetric Comparative Advantage),drawing the conclusion that the vegetable industry in Hebei Province has much room for development;at the same time,we analyze the factors influencing vegetable consumption of residents in Hebei Province through the regression model,drawing the conclusion that the vegetable consumer price index is the main factor affecting the consumption.Finally we make recommendations for the development of vegetable industry in Hebei Province as follows:increasing financial input,promoting policy guarantee capacity;implementing brand strategy,promoting the competitiveness of products;improving the ecological environment,promoting industrialization of pollution-free vegetables.

Benefits of Radiotherapy with Indigenous Tools Aiding Deep Inspiration Breath Holding Technique Compared to Free Breathing Technique among Breast Cancer Patients in Bangladesh

Background: Post-operative breast radiotherapy is used to reduce recurrence. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of Deep Inspiration Breath-Hold (DIBH) technique with indigenous breath holding indicator scale in 3DCRT for breast cancer radiotherapy over Free Breathing (FB) technique. Methods: An observational study conducted at the Department of Radiation Oncology at National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Dhaka and Square Hospital Limited, Dhaka, Bangladesh from June 2015 to May 2016. A total of 60 confirmed breast cancer patients who underwent adjuvant radiotherapy were included. An indigenous reproducible plastic tool (Perspex) was used as breath holding indicator scale with DIBH technique in 3DCRT. Paired sample t-test was used to compare with FB technique. Results: The mean age of patients was 47.32 (SD ± 8.33) years. In FB technique, Mean Heart Dose (MHD) was 413.27 cGy while in DIBH technique, it was 254.91 cGy (P < 0.001). The mean heart V20 and V30 were 5.5%, 4.37% in FB and 3.13%, 2.36% in DIBH respectively. In FB technique LADMD, LAD 0.2 cm3, ILMD and ILV20 were 1698.17 cGy, 2852.53 cGy, 1155.31 cGy and 28.62% while in DIBH technique, it was reduced to 1164.01 cGy, 2132.24 cGy, 1007.98 cGy and 23.39% respectively. Similarly, the lung-CLMD and breast-CLMD were reduced from 38.37 cGy and 55.18 cGy to 24.64 cGy and 33.82 cGy respectively (P < 0.001). The mean difference for breast-CLMD was 21.36 cGy. Conclusion: The use of indigenous breath holding indicator scale with DIBH had better outcomes on breast cancer radiotherapy.