Common Slope Research Articles

Structural Behavior of Prefabricated Ecological Grid Retaining Walls and Application in a Highway in China

The retaining wall is a common slope protection structure. To tackle the current lack of sustainable and highly prefabricated retaining walls, an environmentally friendly prefabricated ecological grid retaining wall with high construction efficiency has been developed. Due to the asymmetrical condition of the project considered in this paper, the designed prefabricated ecological grid retaining wall was divided into the excavation section and the filling section. By utilizing the ABAQUS finite element software, the stress and deformation characteristics of the retaining wall columns, soil, anchor rods, and inclined shelves in an excavation section, and the force and deformation relationships of the columns, rivets, and inclined shelves in three working conditions in a filling section were studied. The study results imply that the anchor rods may affect the columns in the excavation section and the stress at the column back changes in an M-shape with height. Moreover, the peak appears at the contact point between the column and the anchor rod. The displacement of the column increases slowly along with the height, and the column rotates at its bottom. In the excavation section, the stress of the anchor rod undergoes a change at the junction of the structure. The inclined shelf is an open structure and is very different from the retaining plate structure of traditional pile-slab retaining walls. Its stress distribution follows a repeated U-shaped curve, which is inconsistent with the trend of the traditional soil arching effect between piles, which increases first and then decreases. For the retaining wall structure in the filling section, the numerical simulated vehicle load gives essentially consistent results with the effects of the equivalent filling on the concrete column.

Fine silt and clay content is the main factor defining maximal C and N accumulations in soils: a meta-analysis

When studying carbon (C) sequestration in soil, it is necessary to recognize the maximal storage potential and the main influencing factors, including the climate, land use, and soil properties. Here, we hypothesized that the silt and clay contents in soils as well as the clay mineralogy are the main factors affecting the maximal C and N storage levels of soils. This hypothesis was evaluated using a database containing the organic C contents of topsoils separated by ultrasonic dispersion to determine the particle size fractions. The slopes of the linear regressions between the C contents in silt and clay to the soil organic C (SOC) and between the N contents in silt and clay to the total N content were independent of the clay mineralogy (2:1, 1:1, calcareous soil, amorphous clays), climate type (tropical, temperate, and Mediterranean), and land use type (cropland, grassland, and forest). This clearly shows that the silt and clay content is the main factor defining an upper SOC level, which allowed us to propose a generalized linear regression (R2 > 0.95) model with a common slope, independent of the land use and climate type, to estimate the soil C sequestration potential. The implications of these findings are as follows: (1) a common slope regression was accurately calculated (0.83 ± 0.02 for C-silt + clay < 63 μm and 0.81 ± 0.02 for C-silt + clay < 20 μm) and (2) there was no asymptotic pattern found to support the existence of an SOC saturation pool.

Allometric scaling relationships of Larix potaninii subsp. chinensis traits across topographical gradients

The variation of phenotypic traits with environmental gradient can reveal the plant adapting strategies and predict reactions to future climate changes. However, it remains elusive, especially for alpine timberline tree species. To quantify the variation and explore the patterns of twig, leaf, stoma traits, and determine the scaling relationships along the topographic gradients, 576 current-year branches of Larix potaninii ssp. chinensis were collected and scaling relationships were analyzed. The results showed that the twig, leaf and stoma traits varied nonlinearly along altitudinal gradients (2900–3500 m) in both sunny and shady slopes, with a reversal point at about 3250 m, at which the optimum growth of twig length (78.53 mm), twig cross-sectional area (3.35 mm2), internode length (13.14 mm), leaf length (19.30 mm), specific leaf area (0.01 mm2mg−1), stomatal length (47.05 µm) and density (160.20 mm−2). In addition, the values of leafing intensity, leaf number and stomatal density on sunny slope, 1.52 mm−3, 88.79 and 160.20 mm−2 respectively, were higher than that on shady slope. Moreover, the relationships between leaf-twig traits were significantly correlative, and the leaf area-twig cross-sectional area and leaf intensity-leaf area scaling relationships were allometric (slope ≠ 1 or slope ≠ −1) and showed common slope with different y-intercept across altitudes and slope aspects (P < 0.01). Overall, the scaling relationships of different traits across topographical gradients were governed by functional coordination. The twig-size-leaf-size always maintains the balance between geometric dimension and mass in a certain growth rate. The inverse proportion in leaf size and number revealed its maximizing limited resource use efficiency.

Nexus Between Carbon Emissions, Energy Consumption, Urbanization and Economic Growth in Asia: Evidence From Common Correlated Effects Mean Group Estimator (CCEMG)

This study investigates the dynamic relationships between carbon emission, urbanization, energy consumption, and economic growth in a panel of 42 Asian countries for the period 2000–2014 using dynamic common correlated effects panel data modeling. This study employs second generation cross-sectional Pesaran (J. Appl. Econom., 2007, 22(2), 265-312) panel unit root, Westerlund panel cointegration tests (Econom. Stat., 2007, 69(6), 709-748), and Pesaran’s (Econometrica, 2006, 74(4), 967-1012) common correlated effects mean group estimation technique. These approaches allow for cross-sectional dependence, and are robust to the presence of common factors, serial correlation, and slope heterogeneity. The Common Correlated Effect Mean Group test reveals a high average coefficient of 0.602 between carbon emission and energy consumption while low coefficients of 0.114 and 0.184 for the pairs of carbon emission-urbanization and carbon emission-GDP, respectively for the panel as a whole, suggesting a cointegration between carbon emission, urbanization, energy consumption, and economic growth. The results indicate that there is relatively high carbon emission especially for highly populated and geopolitical risk Asian countries in the short run. Findings reveal long run relationships between the variables, which is attributed to the on-going carbon taxation and energy prices. Our results are robust to PMG-ARDL estimator. Overall, these findings cast important implications on renewable energy policy and urban planning insights for the policymakers.

Separation of lutetium using a novel bifunctional ionic liquid based on phosphonate functionalization

By functionalizing the cation of ionic liquid (IL), a novel bifunctional ionic liquid [trioctyl(2-(diethoxyphosphoryl)ethyl)ammonium][bis(2,4,4 trimethylpentyl)phosphinate] ([N888DOPE][C272]) was developed to separate Lutetium (Lu) from mixed solution of Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), Lutetium (Lu). Extraction behaviors of the IL in chlorinated medium were investigated by changing parameters including initial aqueous pH, equilibrium time, temperature, diluent, etc. The maximum load capacity of IL to Lu(III) reaches 2.55 g L−1 for the distribution ratio of Lu(III) and the separation coefficient of Lu/Yb were 18.56 and 1.36, respectively, which surpassed that of [A336][C272]. It can be proved that the extraction ability, maximum load capacity and selectivity of [N888DOPE][C272] for Lu(III) were better than unphosphonate-functionalized ionic liquid. The thermodynamic parameters calculated by equilibrium extractant concentration suggest the extraction process to be spontaneous and endothermic. 0.5 mol L−1 of HCl was able to almost completely strip Lu(III) from the organic phase, and IL remained stable after six cycles. The analysis of infrared spectra reveals the extraction mechanism of [N888DOPE][C272] as an ion association, i.e. the extraction of Lu(III) could be achieved by the combined action of anion and cation in chlorinated medium. To determine the stoichiometry of extraction process, a simple and effective method was used to improve the common slope analysis method. This could provide some guidance for investigations on extraction mechanism.

FNIRS Evidence for Distinguishing Patients With Major Depression and Healthy Controls.

In recent years, major depressive disorder (MDD) has been shown to negatively impact physical recovery in a variety of patients. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a tool that can potentially supplement clinical interviews and mental state examinations to establish a psychiatric diagnosis and monitor treatment progress. Thirty-two subjects, including 16 patients clinically diagnosed with MDD and 16 healthy controls (HCs), participated in the study. Brain oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) responses were recorded using a 22-channel continuous-wave fNIRS device while the subjects performed the emotional sound test. This study evaluated the difference between MDD patients and HCs using a variety of methods. In a comparison of the Pearson correlation coefficients between the HbO/HbR responses of each fNIRS channel and four scores, MDD patients and HCs had significantly different Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) scores. By quantitative evaluation of the functional association, we found that MDD patients had aberrant functional connectivity compared with HCs. Furthermore, we concluded that compared with HCs, there were marked abnormalities in blood oxygen in the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Four statistical-based features extracted from HbO signals and four vector-based features from both HbO and HbR served as inputs to four simple neural networks (multilayer neural network (MNN), feedforward neural network (FNN), cascade forward neural network (CFNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN)). Through an analysis of combinations of different features, the combination of 4 common features (mean, STD, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and slope) yielded the highest classification accuracy of 89.74% for fear emotion. The combination of four novel feature (CBV, COE, |L | and K) resulted in a classification accuracy of 99.94% for fear emotion. The top 10 common and novel features were selected by the ReliefF feature selection algorithm, resulting in classification accuracies of 83.52% and 91.99%, respectively. This study identified the AUC and angle K as specific neuromarkers for predicting MDD across specific depression-related regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These findings suggest that the fNIRS measurement of the PFC may serve as a supplementary test in routine clinical practice to further support a diagnosis of MDD.

Using Mixture of Normal Distributions to Detect Treatment Effects when the Frequentist Method Fails

Background: Results from a clinical trial can either support the efficacy and safety of a new compound or fail to provide such evidence. One reason for ‘non[1]positive’ result is due to the underlying assumption of normality and homogeneity of variances, which are quite often violated when analyzing data from clinical trials, despite randomization. A question of interest is can we obtain more informative results when using mixture of normal distributions or linear models (MLMs) in such cases. Introduction: MLM can be used when traditional methods fail. MLMs “search” within the variability in data to identify components or subgroups of individuals (also known as latent classes) who have common intercepts and common slopes of change in a variable/endpoint of interest but whose intercepts and slopes are different from other subsets of patients. Thus, MLMs can be used to identify subgroups of patients exhibiting differential response to treatment within each treatment arm. The purpose of our study was to examine the usefulness of using MLM in such circumstances. Methods: Data of 155 subjects taken from a Multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy of Cpn10, administered twice weekly subcutaneously to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis was taken to evaluate the usefulness of MLM. The primary efficacy measure ACR20 was analyzed using a 3-step process: first, MLM was used to estimate RA duration using a 3-component model. The second step took the results of the first step to inform the logistic model and its analyses. Model was fitted with an intercept, MLM components, treatment arm, RA duration (linear and quadratic), dose response (modeled as an interaction effect), age and baseline weight. LOCF was used to impute for missing data. Data was analyzed using MLM and SAS v 9.0. Results: The model was a good fit to the data with a likelihood ratio significant at p=0.026, and a significant increase in the -2log L. We also observed low p-values for those variables that were non normal. Overall and for the 75 mg dose, Cpn 10 was efficacious relative to placebo, p&lt;0.050. We also observed that dose response was significant at p&gt;&lt;0.15 Conclusion: The use of MLM adds value because it can be used to understand the disease experience or the value of treatment when traditional statistical methods cannot. Key words: Mixture of linear models, normality, entropy.

Trade-off relationship between light interception and leaf water shedding at different canopy positions of 73 broad-leaved trees of Yangji Mountain in Jiangxi Province, China

<p indent=0mm>As light interception and leaf water shedding may require different leaf traits, trade-offs may exist between the leaves’ abilities in light interception and leaf water shedding. Moreover, such trade-offs may vary with the vertical canopy position as leaf traits vary with tree height. We studied the variations in leaf traits at different canopy positions to study how canopy positions would affect the trade-off between the traits related to light interception and leaf water shedding in subtropical broad-leaved trees. We used the standardized major axis regression method to analyze the relationships among leaf morphological traits (leaf thickness and leaf length/width ratio), configuration traits (leaf angle and leaf drip tip length), and physiological traits (photosynthesis-light saturation point and photosynthesis-light compensation point) between sun and shade leaves. The results are as follows: (i) There was no significant difference in the leaf thickness and leaf length/width ratio at different canopy positions (<italic>P</italic>>0.05). The leaf angle (34.92°±1.15°), light saturation point ((954.89±27.86) µmol/(m²·s)), and light compensation point ((29.45±1.02) µmol/(m²·s)) at the upper canopy were significantly higher than those at the lower canopy (leaf angle: 16.66°±0.50°, light saturation point: (520.74±15.47) µmol/(m²·s), and light compensation point: (12.54±0.38) µmol/(m²·s); <italic>P<</italic>0.05). However, the leaf drip tip length was significantly shorter at the upper canopy position ((4.26±0.15) mm) than at the lower canopy position ((7.18±0.22) mm; <italic>P</italic><0.05). (ii) There were significant correlations among leaf angle, leaf drip tip length, light saturation point, and light compensation point at different canopy positions (<italic>P</italic><0.05), but the leaf drip tip length and leaf length/width ratio were only weakly correlated at the upper canopy leaves (<italic>P</italic><0.05). (iii) Common slope (<italic>P</italic>>0.05) and isometric scaling existed among the leaf angle, light saturation point, and light compensation point at different canopy positions, but there was no common constant (<italic>P</italic><0.05). These results indicated that the canopy position does not alter the trade-off strategy between light interception and leaf water shedding. The leaf drip tip length and inclination were mainly affected by the light saturation point and light compensation point.

Time-varying individual effects in a panel data probit model with an application to female labor force participation

In this article, we study a panel data probit model with time-varying individual effects. Under a Gaussian assumption on the error term, we show the common slope coefficients and time factors can be identified up to scale. We propose for the identified parameters a multi-stage estimation procedure. The proposed estimators have a closed form expression, thus are very convenient to compute even in large samples. We establish the root-n consistency as well as asymptotically normality for these estimators. Using a German socioeconomic panel dataset, we estimate the labor supply function for married women. We find that the unobserved skill premium is positive and shows an upward trend during 2008–2012, in support of the biased technological progress hypothesis.

Influence of Tourism on Economic Development in Asian Countries

Although the tourism industry has recorded the lowest pollution, it significantly contributes to the global economy. Therefore, many countries have spent great efforts in promoting their tourism industry to support their entire economic development. This article considers factors related to the relationship between national economic growth and international entry tourism for 11 Asian countries to investigate the existence of the cross-sectional difference between these countries. Results show that exchange rate fluctuation is an alternative factor affecting economic growth risk, and common slope exists between countries. Moreover, international entry tourist headcount and income show differential slope in some countries, implying that these factors affect the economies of different Asian countries differently.

The NANOGrav 12.5 yr Data Set: Search for an Isotropic Stochastic Gravitational-wave Background

Abstract We search for an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) in the 12.5 yr pulsar-timing data set collected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. Our analysis finds strong evidence of a stochastic process, modeled as a power law, with common amplitude and spectral slope across pulsars. Under our fiducial model, the Bayesian posterior of the amplitude for an f −2/3 power-law spectrum, expressed as the characteristic GW strain, has median 1.92 × 10−15 and 5%–95% quantiles of 1.37–2.67 × 10−15 at a reference frequency of f yr = 1 yr − 1 ; the Bayes factor in favor of the common-spectrum process versus independent red-noise processes in each pulsar exceeds 10,000. However, we find no statistically significant evidence that this process has quadrupolar spatial correlations, which we would consider necessary to claim a GWB detection consistent with general relativity. We find that the process has neither monopolar nor dipolar correlations, which may arise from, for example, reference clock or solar system ephemeris systematics, respectively. The amplitude posterior has significant support above previously reported upper limits; we explain this in terms of the Bayesian priors assumed for intrinsic pulsar red noise. We examine potential implications for the supermassive black hole binary population under the hypothesis that the signal is indeed astrophysical in nature.

Sensitivity of the stability assessment of a deep excavation to the material characterisations and analysis methods

Due to the spatial variability of material characterisations in deep and large scale excavations, stability assessment is often a challenging task. Numerous slope stability analysis methods based on a range of assumptions and principles are implemented in commercial software packages to ease the process of stability assessment of non-homogeneous and multi-layered slopes. However, the selection of a suitable method remains crucial as the application of an unrealistic or unsuitable method may lead to catastrophic consequences. Besides material shear strength parameters, and analysis methods, non-strength characterisations such as permeability and creep can affect the result of slope stability analysis significantly. In this study, the sensitivity of the stability assessment of a deep excavation in Australia to material characterisations such as friction angle, cohesion and permeability and creep is investigated by the use of different formulations and assumptions of the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) as the two most common slope stability methods. The results show that the stability assessment is highly sensitive to the applied method and assumptions. Moreover, the role of material strength and non-strength parameters and the selection of a suitable constitutive model in slope stability assessment is presented.

Bayesian hierarchical dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies: Modeling and target population prediction methods

When assessing the human risks due to exposure to environmental chemicals, traditional dose-response analyses are not straightforward when there are numerous high-quality epidemiological studies of priority cancer and non-cancer health outcomes. Given this wealth of information, selecting a single “best” study on which to base dose-response analyses is difficult and would potentially ignore much of the available data. Therefore, systematic approaches are necessary for the analysis of these rich databases. Examples are meta-analysis (and further, meta-regression), which are well established methods that consider and incorporate information from multiple studies into the estimation of risks due to exposure to environmental contaminants. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical, Bayesian meta-analysis approach for the dose-response analysis of multiple epidemiological studies. This paper is the second of two papers detailing this approach; the first covered “pre-analysis” steps necessary to prepare the data for dose-response modeling. This paper focuses on the hierarchical Bayesian approach to dose-response modeling and extrapolation of risk to populations of interest using the association between bladder cancer and oral inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure as an illustrative case study. In particular, this paper addresses the modeling of both case-control and cohort studies with a flexible, logistic model in a hierarchical Bayesian framework that estimates study-specific slopes, as well as a pooled slope across all studies. This approach is akin to a random effects model in which no assumption is made a priori that there is a single, common slope for all included studies. Further, this paper also details extrapolation of the estimates of logistic slope to extra risk in a target population using a lifetable analysis and basic assumptions about background iAs exposure levels. In this case, the target population was the general United States population and information on all-cause mortality and incidence and mortality from bladder cancer was used to perform the lifetable analysis. The methods herein were developed for general use in investigating the association between any pollutant and observed health-effects in epidemiological studies. In order to demonstrate these methods, inorganic arsenic was chosen as a case study given the large epidemiological database that exists for this contaminant.

Substituting Far-Red for Traditionally Defined Photosynthetic Photons Results in Equal Canopy Quantum Yield for CO2 Fixation and Increased Photon Capture During Long-Term Studies: Implications for Re-Defining PAR.

Far-red photons regulate shade avoidance responses and can have powerful effects on plant morphology and radiation capture. Recent studies have shown that far-red photons (700 to 750 nm) efficiently drive photosynthesis when added to traditionally defined photosynthetic photons (400–700 nm). But the long-term effects of far-red photons on canopy quantum yield have not yet been determined. We grew lettuce in a four-chamber, steady-state canopy gas-exchange system to separately quantify canopy photon capture, quantum yield for CO2 fixation, and carbon use efficiency. These measurements facilitate a mechanistic understanding of the effect of far-red photons on the components of plant growth. Day-time photosynthesis and night-time respiration of lettuce canopies were continuously monitored from seedling to harvest in five replicate studies. Plants were grown under a background of either red/blue or white light, each background with or without 15% (50 μmol m−2 s−1) of far-red photons substituting for photons between 400 and 700 nm. All four treatments contained 31.5% blue photons, and an equal total photon flux from 400 to 750 nm of 350 μmol m−2 s−1. Both treatments with far-red photons had higher canopy photon capture, increased daily carbon gain (net photosynthesis minus respiration at night), and 29 to 31% more biomass than control treatments. Canopy quantum yield was similar among treatments (0.057 ± 0.002 mol of CO2 fixed in gross photosynthesis per mole of absorbed photons integrated over 400 to 750 nm). Carbon use efficiency (daily carbon gain/gross photosynthesis) was also similar for mature plants (0.61 ± 0.02). Photosynthesis increased linearly with increasing photon capture and had a common slope among all four treatments, which demonstrates that the faster growth with far-red photon substitution was caused by enhanced photon capture through increased leaf expansion. The equivalent canopy quantum yield among treatments indicates that the absorbed far-red photons were equally efficient for photosynthesis when acting synergistically with the 400–700 nm photons.

Global patterns of the leaf economics spectrum in wetlands

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes consistent correlations among a variety of leaf traits that reflect a gradient from conservative to acquisitive plant strategies. So far, whether the LES holds in wetland plants at a global scale has been unclear. Using data on 365 wetland species from 151 studies, we find that wetland plants in general show a shift within trait space along the same common slope as observed in non-wetland plants, with lower leaf mass per area, higher leaf nitrogen and phosphorus, faster photosynthetic rates, and shorter leaf life span compared to non-wetland plants. We conclude that wetland plants tend to cluster at the acquisitive end of the LES. The presented global quantifications of the LES in wetland plants enhance our understanding of wetland plant strategies in terms of resources acquisition and allocation, and provide a stepping-stone to developing trait-based approaches for wetland ecology.

Research on the Road Route Design of the Wind Farm in Mountainous Area

[Introduction] Topography in mountainous area is complex, the large-scale equipments for transportation are heavy and long, better economy is demanded for the construction of the transportation road, which leads to difficulty in road route design. [Method] Based on a practical engineering, considering the cost proportion of the project investment, the feature of the wind farm equipments and the performance of the transport vehicles, analyzed the basic principles of the road route selection, researched the common and limited minimum horizontal curve radius and the maximum longitudinal grade of the road. [Result] The technical indicator demand of the road route and the constraint of the environment shall be considered in the road design, the grade of longitudinal profile is mainly dominated and the limited index is commonly used. [Conclusion] In use of the special vehicles for the transportation, the common minimum horizontal curve radius of the road is 30.0 m, the limited minimum horizontal curve radius is 20.0 m; and the common maximum slope is 0.14, the limited maximum slope is 0.17, the results can be reference for wind farm transportation road design and construction.

Incorporating Constraints Improves Least-Squares Multiwell Deconvolution

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 195271, “Constrained Least-Squares Multiwell Deconvolution,” by J. Cumming, Durham University; V. Jaffrezic, SPE, Total; and T. Whittle, Imperial College, et al., prepared for the 2019 SPE Western Regional Meeting, San Jose, California, 23-26 April. The paper has not been peer reviewed. In the complete paper, the authors reduce nonuniqueness and ensure physically feasible results in multiwell deconvolution by incorporating constraints and knowledge to methodology already established in the literature. The paper demonstrates that a combination of constraints on the shapes of the deconvolved derivatives and knowledge of the reservoir results in an improved level of quality and consistency in multiwell deconvolution solutions. The new constrained least-squares multiwell deconvolution approach is illustrated by synthetic examples with known solutions involving up to nine wells. Introduction To apply multiwell deconvolution to real data, confidence must exist in the validity of the solution it provides and the consequent interpretation that is inferred. Therefore, for practical multiwell deconvolution of field data, reducing the nonuniqueness in a solution, ensuring the results are physically feasible, and providing the desired consistency and quality of solutions are essential. With these goals in mind, the authors extend existing methodology to incorporate additional constraints and introduce additional knowledge. These constraints allow encoding of information about the behavior of the deconvolved derivatives to penalize and discourage nonphysical solutions and improve solution quality. Additionally, the approach encodes a priori knowledge, for instance that all pressure responses ultimately will show a closed reservoir by imposing a constraint that future derivative behaviors should tend toward a common unit slope. Through a combination of these techniques, an improved level of quality and consistency of deconvolution solutions can be achieved. Constrained Least-Squares Multiwell Deconvolution A key issue in any deconvolution, single-well or multiwell, is the lack of a unique solution, which results in sets or ranges of possible response functions that yield pressure matches of indistinguishable quality. When this space of possible solutions is large, then the associated response function could correspond to reservoir models with multiple differing (and potentially contradictory) interpretations. Clearly, reducing the range of possible solutions as much as possible, and assessing and quantifying the uncertainty surrounding those solutions, is critical to provide confidence in the accuracy of conclusions. One primary reason why the space of potential deconvolution solutions is so large is the choice of parameterization as a sequence of straight-line segments. In single-well deconvolution, such concerns motivated the introduction of the smoothness component to the error function in order to penalize potential deconvolution solutions with unfeasibly rough or oscillatory response functions. A second source of nonuniqueness in deconvolution is the error and uncertainty associated with the measured test data. The smoothness constraint also is particularly useful in addressing this problem.

Long-term effects of restoration measures on soil C and C: nutrient ratios in a semiarid steppe

Quantifying long-term effects of restoration measures on soil carbon (C) and C: nutrient ratios is of great importance for understanding the changes in C cycle of the grassland ecosystem in degradation and restoration, and for managing the grassland for both production and soil C. We investigated soil organic C (SOC) and C: nutrient ratios within the 0–40 cm soil layer in the grasslands restored following the application of different improvement measures, i.e., shallow plowing (SP), harrowing (HA) or natural recovery (NR), and that under sustained animal grazing (GR) in Xilingol steppe (China). The results showed that SOC content and soil C/P decreased, whereas soil C/N increased, significantly with soil depth. Restoration following different measures have all improved SOC contents of grassland ecosystem, and the SOC increasing rate was greatest under NR, and had an order of NR > HA > SP > GR. No significant difference was detected in soil C accumulation rate between shallow plowed (SP: 44.9 g C m−2 yr−1) and harrowed grassland (HA: 60.3 g C m−2 yr−1), and both were significant lower than that in naturally recovered grassland (NR: 123.2 g C m−2 yr−1). Significant linear relationship existed between soil CN and CP. Restored grasslands shared the common slope of soil CN linear regression, which were significantly greater than that of grazing grassland, indicating that ecological restoration changed soil CN coupling relation, and formed a stable soil CN coupling relation. Thus, soil CN stoichiometric relation can be used as an important indicator to diagnose the stages of soil degradation or restoration succession processes of grassland ecosystem.

Convergent nitrogen-phosphorus scaling relationships in different plant organs along an elevational gradient.

A general relationship between the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content of all plant organs (e.g. leaf, stem, and root) is hypothesized to exist according to whole-plant economics spectrum (PES) theory, but the evidence supporting these expected patterns remains scarce. We measured the N and P content of the leaves, twigs and fine roots of 64 species in three different forest communities along an elevational gradient (evergreen broad-leaved forest, 1319 m a.s.l., coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, 1697 m a.s.l., and deciduous forest, 1818 m a.s.l.) in the Wuyishan National Nature Reserve, southeastern China. The scaling relationship between the N and P content and the linear regression relationship between the N:P ratio and N and P content were analysed. The leaf N and P content was significantly higher at the high-elevation site than at the low- or middle-elevation sites (P < 0.001). The N and P content followed a power-law relationship with similar scaling slopes between organs. The N (common slope, 1.13) and P (common slope, 1.03) content isometrically covaried among leaves, twigs and roots. The scaling exponents of the N–P relationship were not significantly different from 1.0 in all organs, with a common slope of 1.08. The scaling constants of N–P decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from the highest value in fine roots (β = 1.25), followed by leaves (β = 1.17), to the lowest value in twigs (β = 0.88). Standardized major axis (SMA) analyses and comparisons of 95 % confidence intervals also showed that the numerical values of the scaling slopes and the scaling constants did not differ regardless of elevation. The N content, but not the P content, accounted for a large proportion of the variation in the N:P ratio in leaves (N:P and N: r2 = 0.31, F = 33.36, P < 0.001) and fine roots (N:P and N: r2 = 0.15, F = 10.65, P < 0.05). In contrast, the N:P ratio was significantly related to both the N and P content in the twigs (N:P and N: r2 = 0.20, F = 17.86, P < 0.001; N:P and P: r2 = 0.34, F = 35.03, P < 0.001, respectively). Our results indicate that different organs of subtropical woody plants share a similar isometric scaling relationship between their N and P content, providing partial support for the PES hypothesis. Moreover, the effects of the N and P content on the N:P ratio differ between metabolic organs (leaves and fine roots) and structural organs (twigs), elucidating the stoichiometric regulatory mechanism of different organs.

Deformations Of Fastenings Of Slopes Of Retaining Structures At Technological Purpose Reservoirs

The article presents the data of field, laboratory and theoretical studies, which made it possible to determine that processing, abrasion destruction of natural shores and loose upstream slopes of dams and enclosing structures, takes place on technological water bodies of Belarus - regardless of their economic use - technical, drinking water supply, regulation of runoff, energy, land reclamation, etc. The period of development of the processing process and the formation of the equilibrium profile is divided into a number of time periods (stages). Three stages are distinguished for the conditions of water bodies in Belarus: initial, intense dynamics and attenuation (equilibrium). Based on the data of field surveys of shore protection structures, the current state of various types of fasteners is assessed with the identification of the causes of their destruction and the extent of deformations. It has been established that the most common shore and slope fastenings are fastenings in the form of reinforced concrete monolithic or prefabricated plates. It is determined that the most widespread are the deformations of the fastenings in the form of the disclosure of inter-tile construction, temperature and settlement joints. As a result of opening the joints of the plates, the destruction and washing out of the sand and gravel bed, the formation of hollows and niches in the body of the slope with its subsequent processing, deformation and destruction of the fastening take place. It should be noted that the destruction of the fastening also occurs in stages, and the stages of the destruction of the fastening coincide with the staging of the processing of loose ground slopes. Based on the data of full-scale and experimental laboratory studies, scientifically substantiated criteria for assessing the stability of soil slopes and slopes with fastening by reinforced concrete slabs are proposed, which can be used to predict the state of designed and operated shore protection structures and fastening slopes. An enlarged methodology has been developed for assessing the risks abrasion of coasts and slopes of retaining structures based on the proposed territorial coefficient of abrasion risk, a mathematical factor model of risk based on the fault tree, and also an experimental electronic map of the risks of abrasion for the conditions of water bodies in the Minsk region of Belarus are developed.