Investigation of the block toppling evolution of a layered model slope by centrifuge test and discrete element modeling

Primary toppling usually occurs in layered rock slopes with large anti-dip angles.In this paper,the block toppling evolution was explored using a large-scale centrifuge system.Each block column in the layered model slope was made of cement mortar.Some artificial cracks perpendicular to the block column were prefabricated.Strain gages,displacement gages,and high-speed camera measurements were employed to monitor the deformation and failure processes of the model slope.The centrifuge test results show that the block toppling evolution can be divided into seven stages,i.e.layer compression,formation of major tensile crack,reverse bending of the block column,closure of major tensile crack,strong bending of the block column,formation of failure zone,and complete failure.Block toppling is characterized by sudden large deformation and occurs in stages.The wedge-shaped cracks in the model incline towards the slope.Experimental observations show that block toppling is mainly caused by bending failure rather than by shear failure.The tensile strength also plays a key factor in the evolution of block toppling.The simulation results from discrete element method(DEM)is in line with the testing results.Tensile stress exists at the backside of rock column during toppling deformation.Stress concentration results in the fragmented rock column and its degree is the most significant at the slope toe.

Large-scale toppling slope under water level fluctuation of reservoir:A case of Yunnan Province,China

Landslides induced by reservoir inundation are common in Southwest China,negatively influencing hydropower stations.TheWunonglong hydropower station dam was constructed in the upper reaches of the Lancang River,accordingly causing the water level at the Lajinshengu slope to increase by 30 m.A tension crack with a visible depth of 8 m was observed in the upper sector of the Lajinshengu slope after reservoir impoundment for 170 d.In the following days,numerous cracks appeared on the surface of the slope,and the maximum displacement of the slope reached 3.22 m.Then,a large-scale active deformation body within the Lajinshengu slope formed with an area of 2.62×10^(5)m^(2)and a volume of 1.65×10^(7)m^(3).Detailed field investigations,on-site monitoring,and centrifugal model tests were carried out to analyze the surface features,deformation characteristics,and failure mechanism of the Lajinshengu slope.The results show that the slope is an ancient landslide,divided into two parts(i.e.zone A and zone B)by the gully.Zone B is a traction landslide caused by the displacement of zone A.The longterm inundation weakens the soft rock at the slope foot,intensifying the toppling of bedrock and consequently triggering the sliding of the overburden in zone A.The failure mode of the Lajinshengu slope is a typical case of toppling-sliding failure,and the underlying rock toppling drives the overlying sliding.In addition,early identification methods for toppling deformation covered by overburdened soil were proposed based on monitoring data and deformation signs.

Machine learning-based estimates of aboveground biomass of subalpine forests using Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2B images in the Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve,Eastern Tibet Plateau

Accurate estimates of forest aboveground biomass(AGB)are critical for supporting strategies of ecosystem conservation and climate change mitigation.The Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve,located in Eastern Tibet Plateau,has rich forest resources on steep slopes and is very sensitive to climate change but plays an important role in the regulation of regional carbon cycles.However,an estimation of AGB of subalpine forests in the Nature Reserve has not been carried out and whether a global biomass model is available has not been determined.To provide this information,Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2B data were combined to estimate subalpine forest AGB using linear regression,and two machine learning approaches–random forest and extreme gradient boosting,with 54 inventory plots.Regardless of forest type,Observed AGB of the Reserve varied from 61.7 to 475.1 Mg hawith an average of 180.6 Mg ha.Results indicate that integrating the Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2B imagery significantly improved model efficiency regardless of modelling approaches.The results highlight a potential way to improve the prediction of forest AGB in mountainous regions.Modelled AGB indicated a strong spatial variability.However,the modelled biomass varied greatly with global biomass products,indicating that global biomass products should be evaluated in regional AGB estimates and more field observations are required,particularly for areas with complex terrain to improve model accuracy.

The Effect of the Cyp19a1 Gene Methylation Modification on Temperature-dependent Sex Determination of Reeves' Turtle(Mauremys reevesii)

Temperature-dependent sex determination（TSD） is a type of environmental sex determination in which the sex of the embryos depends on the ambient temperature; however,the molecular mechanisms governing this process remain unknown.Aromatase,encoded by the cyp19a1 gene,which converts androgens into estrogens in animals,was considered to be the key gene for TSD.In this study,the 5＇-flanking region of the cyp19a1 gene in Reeves＇ turtle（Mauremys reevesii） was cloned,and the promoter region was identified using the luciferase reporter assay.Then the eggs of Reeves＇ turtle were incubated at different temperatures（26°C： male-biased temperature; 29°C： non-sex-biased temperature and 32°C： female-biased temperature）.During the thermosensitive period,the adrenal kidney gonad complexes（AKG） were sampled.DNA methylation analysis of the AKG samples showed that the promoter region of the cyp19a1 gene was significantly de-methylated in the female-biased temperature regime（P＆lt;0.01）.Quantitative analysis of the cyp19a1 gene and estrogen by q PCR and Elisa assay showed that the expression level of the cyp19a1 gene and estrogen content were both upregulated significantly at the female-biased temperature（P＆lt;0.01）.These results indicated that the de-methylation response of the cyp19a1 gene to incubation temperature,especially at the female-biased temperature,could lead to temperature-specific expression of aromatase and increased estrogen levels,which may further determine gonadal development in Reeves＇ turtle.These findings provide insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying TSD.

Effects of Acute Temperature Stress on mRNA Expression of Transferrin in the Yellow Pond Turtle Mauremys mutica

The yellow pond turtle Mauremys mutica is widely cultured using both greenhouse-reared and outdoor pond-reared models.Individuals from the two models often show different tolerances to dramatic temperature changes caused by extreme weather events.However,the mechanism underlying the difference is unclear.In this study,we found that for greenhouse-reared turtles(GRTs),the expression levels of an immune-related gene for transferrin were significantly different(P<0.05)between the control group and the acute cold stress(ACS)group for most time points(3 h,6 h and 48 h),while at two time points(6 h and 12 h)there was a significant difference(P<0.05)between the control group and the acute heat stress(AHS)group.However,for the outdoor pond-reared turtles(OPTs),we found the opposite pattern:the ACS group showed no significant difference(P>0.05)from the control group for all time points(3 h,6 h,12 h,24 h and 48 h),whereas two time points(12 h and 24 h)were significantly different(P<0.05)for the AHS group.Our results indicate that ACS may influence the immunity of GRTs and have no influence on OPTs,whereas AHS may largely affect the immunity of OPTs and have little influence on GRTs.The findings provide insights into the mechanism underlying the different morbidity and mortality rates of turtles from different culture models after extreme weather events.

低温热循环加速非晶合金剪切带在室温的结构弛豫

低温热循环是实现非晶合金结构回春的一种简单有效方法,但某些非晶合金在低温热循环处理后发生弛豫而不是回春.本研究通过在非晶合金中引入剪切带,在同一块样品上获得了不同区域初始能量不同的非晶合金,系统地研究了不同初始状态对低温热循环处理效果的影响.研究结果发现,在经过低温热循环处理后,同一试样中的剪切带发生结构弛豫,而基体发生结构回春.类似的双向变化趋势还可以从显微硬度、纳米压痕曲线以及压痕形状的变化上得到验证.经历了100次低温热循环处理后,剪切带和基体的焓和硬度均收敛到一个平衡值.低温热循环能够加速剪切带的结构弛豫,实现了在低温热循环的上限温度上做长时间退火所达不到的状态.文中还采用自由体积模型对实验结果进行分析,阐明了非晶合金的初始状态影响其结构演化方向的机理.本研究为低温热循环处理非晶合金提供了新见解,阐明非晶合金初始状态在其焓变方向上的关键作用.

Adaptive wave-particle decomposition in UGKWP method for high-speed flow simulations

With wave-particle decomposition,a unified gas-kinetic wave-particle(UGKWP)method has been developed for multiscale flow simulations.With the variation of the cell Knudsen number,the UGKWP method captures the transport process in all flow regimes without the kinetic solver’s constraint on the numerical mesh size and time step being determined by the kinetic particle mean free path and particle collision time.In the current UGKWP method,the cell Knudsen number,which is defined as the ratio of particle collision time to numerical time step,is used to distribute the components in the wave-particle decomposition.The adaptation of particles in the UGKWP method is mainly for the capturing of the non-equilibrium transport.In this aspect,the cell Knudsen number alone is not enough to identify the non-equilibrium state.For example,in the equilibrium flow regime with a Maxwellian distribution function,even at a large cell Knudsen number,the flow evolution can be still modelled by the Navier-Stokes solver.More specifically,in the near space environment both the hypersonic flow around a space vehicle and the plume flow from a satellite nozzle will encounter a far field rarefied equilibrium flow in a large computational domain.In the background dilute equilibrium region,the large particle collision time and a uniform small numerical time step can result in a large local cell Knudsen number and make the UGKWP method track a huge number of particles for the far field background flow in the original approach.But,in this region the analytical wave representation can be legitimately used in the UGKWP method to capture the nearly equilibrium flow evolution.Therefore,to further improve the efficiency of the UGKWP method for multiscale flow simulations,an adaptive UGKWP(AUGKWP)method is developed with the introduction of an additional local flow variable gradient-dependent Knudsen number.As a result,the wave-particle decomposition in the UGKWP method is determined by both the cell and gradient Knudsen numbers,and the use of particles in the UGKWP method is solely to capture the non-equilibrium flow transport.The current AUGKWP method becomes much more efficient than the previous one with the cell Knudsen number only in the determination of wave-particle composition.Many numerical tests,including Sod shock tube,normal shock structure,hypersonic flow around cylinder,flow around reentry capsule,and an unsteady nozzle plume flow,have been conducted to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the AUGKWP method.Compared with the original UGKWP method,the AUGKWP method achieves the same accuracy,but has advantages in memory reduction and computational efficiency in the simulation for flows with the co-existing of multiple regimes.