Research on Rapid Initial Adaption to the Environment of a Plateau

We designed two types of pre-adaption plans for this study. One was a pre-adaption training with progressive intermittent hypoxia, with a constant lower pressure oxygen tank used in the plain before arriving at the plateau （PG）. The other was by progressively increasing the time of exposure to hypoxia with oxygen supplied in stages after radical plateau （RG）. By testing the blood oxygen saturation （SpO2）, heart rate （HR）, and quality of sleep after arriving at the 3800 m high plateau, results showed that the pre-acclimatization and radical groups performed better than the control group （CG）. Both strategies were equivalent in terms of effects and principles in providing more flexible choices for acclimatization.

Occupational Therapy in Cancer Survivorship—A Toolkit for Stimulating Rapid-Research on the Neglected Domain of “Participation” during COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted people’s occupational daily activities with detrimental impact on their daily living performances and quality of life. Occupational therapy contributes toward restoring health by remediating limitation in participation in meaningful occupation with lifestyle redesign interventions. However, the research gap on the area of “participation-limitation” for the field of Occupational Therapy in cancer survivorship during the COVID-19 is largely untapped and unknown. This commentary-review paper discussed the PEO-OT (person-environment-occupation) grid as a conceptual toolkit for stimulating research in the domain of occupational participation—an essential aspect in the field of occupational therapy, for cancer survivors. It applies the expertise finding from a large Delphi study on research priority in the fields and integrating these into evidenced methodology, to provide a structure to guide the novice researchers towards rapid reviews, by selecting evidence-based methods to ensure contextually-relevant enquiry to identify the “occupational-participation issues”—i.e., an emerging social determinant of health, affecting the daily self-management of cancer survivors with or without comorbidities.

Community Soil Resources Management for Sub-Saharan West Africa： Case Study of the Gourma Region in Burkina Faso

A study on community soil fertility management concepts and practices was conducted through rapid and participatory method of research in 15 villages of the Gourma region in Eastern part of Burkina Faso. These investigations aimed at determining farmers＇ knowledge on soil resources： local soil taxonomy and indicators of soil degradation, soil fertility management practices, and capacity for adoption of new technologies in soil fertility management. The results of the study showed that the main parameter for soil classification for all the investigated villages was soil texture composition; soil degradation was evaluated according to crops yield decrease and the development Striga sp. in 100% of the investigated villages; the use of organic manure and long term fellow were the main practices for soil fertility management; concerning the villages where modem technologies of soil fertility management were introduced, the lack of tools and capacity building were the main limiting factors of the adoption of these improved practices at small scale farmers＇ level. Even if discordance between scientific and local soil taxonomy were revealed by our investigations; significant similarities between indigenous and scientific indices of soil degradation were noticed. With regard to the actual magnitude of soil degradation; the local techniques of soil fertility management need to be improved and accessible to a big number of farmers.

Rapid growth of environmental research in China

Environmental research in China has grown tremendously over the last thirty years.This rapid and sustained growth has been supported by the remarkable increases in research funding,the number of graduate students,the degree-offering programs in environmental sciences and engineering,the state-of-the-art facilities,and international collaboration.