Mixing planting proportions in a plantation affects functional traits and biomass allocation of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Phoebe bournei seedlings

Functional traits of trees are significantly associated with their adaptation strategies and productivity.However,the effects of species composition and mixing proportion on the functional traits of trees grown in mixed plantations have not been studied extensively.In this study,planting experiments(duration about seven months)were used to study variations in functional traits and biomass allocation of C unninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.)Hook and Phoebe bournei(Hemsley)Yang seedlings in five different mixes(0C:4P,1C:3P,1C:1P,3C:1P,and 4C:0P).Total leaf area per seedling increased in each species as its respective proportion in the mixture decreased.However,the specific leaf area decreased for P.bournei under low percent composition,and the specific leaf area for C.lanceolata differed only marginally among the plantings.The net photosynthetic rates of the two species were higher in the mixed plantings than in their corresponding monocultures,whereas the transpiration rate,stomatal conductance,and instantaneous water use efficiency were not different among the plantings.The average root length and root surface area of C.lanceolata and P.bournei were higher in the mixed plantings than in their monocultures.Specifically,root surface area of C.lanceolate and both root length and surface area of P.bournei increased significantly in the 1C:3P and 2C:2P mixed plantings.Leaf,stem,root,and total dry mass per seedling for C.lanceolata decreased with its increasing percent composition in the mixed plantings,while these variables varied less for P.bournei.The plasticity of biomass allocation was relatively low for both species.Total biomass per planting was higher in the mixed plantings than in the monocultures.Our study indicates that species composition and mixing proportion can considerably affect the functional traits of C.lanceolata and P.bournei.The increase in productivity in the mixed plantings may be partially attributed to low rates of competition between the two species,and future studies should examine the different interspecies relationships.The results of this study can be used to improve plantation productivity and ultimately increase the sustainability of tree products and help to better understand the adaptation strategies of plant coexistence.

Comprehensive utilization of solid waste resources: Development of wet shotcrete for mines

The development of solid waste resources as constituent materials for wet shotcrete has significant economic and environmental advantages. In this study, the concept of using tailings as aggregate and fly ash and slag powder as auxiliary cementitious material is proposed and experiments are carried out by response surface methodology(RSM). Multivariate nonlinear response models are constructed to investigate the effect of factors on the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) of tailings wet shotcrete(TWSC). The UCS of TWSC is predicted and optimized by constructing Gaussian process regression(GPR) and genetic algorithm(GA). The UCS of TWSC is gradually enhanced with the increase of slag powder dosage and fineness modulus, and it is enhanced first and then decreased with the increase of fly ash dosage. The microstructure of TWSC has the highest gray value and the highest UCS when the fly ash dosage is about 120 kg·m^(-3). The GPR–GA model constructed in this study achieves high accuracy prediction and optimization of the UCS of TWSC under multi-factor conditions.

Fly Ash and Slag as Partial Replacement of Cement for the Synthesis of Low Carbon Cementitious Materials

Tailings known as solid waste are generated by the mining industry.The development of tailings as wet shotcrete aggregates has significant economic and environmental benefits.The fine particle size of the tailings results in a large consumption of traditional cement as a cementitious material and insignificant improvement in strength.Therefore,a composite cementitious system of cement and solid waste resources(fly ash and slag powder)is explored for this study.In this paper,the response surface methodology(RSM)is used to optimize the experimental design and a multivariate nonlinear response model with cement,fly ash and slag powder contents as variables are constructed,which can investigate the effect of the composite cementitious system on the strength of tailing wet shotcrete(TWSC).In addition,the information entropy(IE)is introduced and combined with the RSM to evaluate the composite cementitious system.Finally,the desirability function(DF)combined with RSM is used to optimize the composite cementitious system.The results show that the response model constructed in this paper has R^(2)=0.96 and P-value<0.01(the test result of the model is P-value<0.01),which indicates that the model has high reliability.The higher the content of slag powder and cement in the composite cementitious system,the higher the strength and comprehensive score of the TWSC.There is a critical value of fly ash content,which makes the maximum cementation of the composite cementing system.The optimal mix proportion of the composite cementitious system is obtained based on RSM-DF,which leads to the strength of TWSC at different curing time to achieve the expected index.

Effects of Recycled Aggregate Content on Pervious Concrete Performance

A recycled aggregate(RA)was prepared by crushing and sieving demolished discarded concrete pavements and was subsequently tested and analyzed to determine its various physical properties.On this basis,pervious concrete(PC)mix proportions were designed.Coarse RA particles with sizes of 5–10 and 10–20 mm were selected.Concrete specimens were prepared with a water–cement ratio of 0.3,an aggregate–cement ratio of 4.5,the substitute rates of RA with 0,25%,50%,75%and a single-/double-gap-graded RA mix(mass ratio of particles with sizes of 5–10 mm to particles with sizes of 10–20 mm:1:1,1:2,2:1,2:3 and 3:2).Various properties of the RA-containing PC(RPC)were determined by analyzing the compressive strength,splitting tensile strength,effective porosity,permeation coefficient and impact and abrasion resistance of the specimens.The results showed the following:The density of the RPC decreased with an increasing RA replacement ratio.The density of the RPC prepared with a double-gapgraded RA mix was lower than that prepared with a single-gap-graded RA(particle size:10–20 mm)mix.The permeation coefficient of the RPC increased with increasing porosity.The splitting tensile strength of the RPC was positively correlated with its compressive strength.The compressive strength of the RPC decreased with increasing porosity.The regression analysis showed that the impact and abrasion resistance of the RPC increased with increasing compressive strength.In addition,all of the RPC specimens met the strength and permeation requirements.This study can provide theoretical support for the application of RPC.

A Simple Mix Proportion Design Method Based on Frost Durability for Recycled High Performance Concrete Using Fully Coarse Recycled Aggregate

Durability design of recycled high performance concrete（RHPC） is fundamental for improving the use rate and level of concrete waste as coarse recycled aggregate（CRA）. We discussed a frostdurability-based mix proportion design method for RHPC using 100 % CRA and natural sand. Five groups of RHPC mixes with five strength grades（40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 MPa） were produced using CRA with four quality classes, and their workability, 28 d compressive strengths and frost resistances（measured by the compressive strength loss ratio and the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity） were tested. Relationships between the 28 d compressive strength, the frost resistance and the CRA quality characteristic parameter, water absorption, were then developed. The criterion of a CRA maximum water absorption limit value for RHPC was suggested, independent of its source and quality class. The results show that all RHPC mixes achieve the expected target workability, strength, and frost durability. The research results demonstrate that the application of the proposed method does not require trial testing prior to use.

A successful case of hydrocarbon dew point analysis during mixing of natural gases in transmission pipeline

The occurrence of liquid condensation in natural gas accounts for new challenges during the interoperability between transmission networks,where condensation would lead to higher pressure drops,lower line capacity and may cause safety problem.A successful case of hydrocarbon dew point(HCDP)analysis is demonstrated during the mixing of natural gases in the transmission pipeline.Methods used to predict the HCDP are combined with equations of state(EOS)and characterization of C6+heavy components.Predictions are compared with measured HCDP with different concentrations of mixed gases at a wide range of pressure and temperature scopes.Software named"PipeGasAnalysis"is developed and helps to systematic analyze the condensation problem,which will provide the guidance for the design and operation of the network.

Effects of Curing Conditions on Strength Development of High Strength Concrete

This paper presents the results of a series of studies on the influence of curing conditions on the strength development of high strength concrete. The 1-, 3-, 7-, 14- and 28-day strengths of four different mixes of Grade 75 similar to 80 concrete, with or without pulverized fuel ash and/or condensed silica fume, under five different curing regimes were investigated. It is revealed that the curing conditions have significant influence on both the short term and long term strength development of the concrete and that concrete mixes of the same grade but containing different mineral admixtures show distinct favour for a curing regime. These results will be helpful for evaluating suitable curing methods for high strength concrete with different mix proportions.

The Creep Feature Analysis of The High Performance Concrete

In order to seek the creep change rules of ased concrete with two different mix proportions, the test is carried out in the situation which is similar to that of the creation of concrete C60, and the creep test on the concrete of two different mix proportions is done under standard lab. Based on creep test of the high performance concrete, the creep degree and the creep coefficient are obtained. By comparing with the wide-adopted models of AC1209 （1997） and CEB- FIP MC90, it is found that the test result is good at its regularity and the research results offer reference to the calculating analysis of the on-the-spot experimental data.

Cracking behaviors and crack control of self-consolidating concrete: a review of literature

Cracking in concrete occurs from volumetric instability, mechanical loading, and/or environmental attack. Compared to conventional vibrated concrete, self-consolidating concrete often has a higher susceptibility to crack due to different mixture design, material properties and construction practices. To obtain a better understanding of self-consolidating concrete cracking behaviors for designing and constructing crack-controlled structural elements, reported current research and practices are reviewed and analyzed in this paper. It has been believed that when well designed and welt constructed, high quality self- consolidating concrete can be successfully used in various structures with cracks properly controlled.

Mix design optimization of seawater sea sand coral aggregate concrete

With the resource shortage in coastal areas,the construction of concrete structures using freshwater and river sand has brought great economic and environmental costs.The use of seawater,sea sand,and coral aggregates in concrete mixes has become an alternative solution for coastal and marine structures,especially for offshore structures and artificial islands.In this study,378 seawater,sea sand,and coral aggregate concrete(Coral-SWSSC)specimens were prepared,and their mechanical properties were investigated comprehensively through compressive tests to explore the optimized mix design at different grades.Results showed that the mechanical properties of Coral-SWSSC were strongly correlated with the water-to-binder ratios,coastal particle gradings,and pretreatment method of coastal particles.Based on the experimental results,mix proportion designs of CoralSWSSC were proposed for concrete from C20 to C50 grades,and the failure mechanism of Coral-SWSSC at different grades was discussed according to their respective failure modes.The findings of the current study provide knowledge on the optimized design of Coral-SWSSC,which can be used to promote the application of Coral-SWSSC in offshore,marine,and ocean engineering.

Statistical inference on mixing proportion

In this paper, the interval estimation and hypothesis testing of the mixing proportion in mixture distributions are considered. A statistical inferential method is proposed which is inspired by the generalized p-values and generalized pivotal quantity. In some situations, the true levels of the tests given in the paper are equal to nominal levels, and the true coverage of the interval estimation or confidence bounds is also equal to nominal one. In other situations, under mild conditions, the tests are consistent and the coverage of the interval estimations or the confidence bounds is asymptotically equal to nominal coverage. Meanwhile, some simulations are performed which show that our method is satisfactory.

A risk-based model for predicting the impact of using condoms on the spread of sexually transmitted infections

We create and analyze a mathematical model to understand the impact of condom-use and sexual behavior on the prevalence and spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs).STIs remain significant public health challenges globally with a high burden of some Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STDs)in both developed and undeveloped countries.Although condom-use is known to reduce the transmission of STIs,there are a few quantitative population-based studies on the protective role of condom-use in reducing the incidence of STIs.The number of concurrent partners is correlated with their risk of being infectious by an STI such as chlamydia,gonorrhea,or syphilis.We develop a Susceptible-Infectious-Susceptible(SIS)model that stratifies the population based on the number of concurrent partners.The model captures the multi-level heterogeneous mixing through a combination of biased(preferential)and random(proportional)mixing processes between individuals with distinct risk levels,and accounts for differences in condom-use in the low-and high-risk populations.We use sensitivity analysis to assess the relative impact of high-risk people using condom as a prophylactic intervention to reduce their chance of being infectious,or infecting others.The model predicts the STI prevalence as a function of the number of partners of an individual,and quantifies how this distribution of effective partners changes as a function of condom-use.Our results show that when the mixing is random,then increasing the condom-use in the high-risk population is more effective in reducing the prevalence than when many of the partners of high-risk people have high risk.The model quantifies how the risk of being infected increases for people who have more partners,and the need for high-risk people to consistently use condoms to reduce their risk of infection.

Performance of Sacrificial Anodes in Reinforced Concrete

The electrochemical performance of the anodes was measured in the reinforced concrete test block in artificial sea water. Their chemical composition,metallographic structure and surface morphology were analyzed. It was found that concrete mix proportion and the covering layer thickness had an impact on the performance of sacrificial anodes. The thermal-sprayed zinc alloy anodes had a more negative corrosion potential and larger galvanic current than metallurgy ones in the same conditions. They had similar chemical composition. But metallographic structure showed that the structure of thermal-sprayed zinc alloy anodes was a loose porous. This structure had the catalytic effect on the andes electrochemical reactions and made the anodes the electrochemical exchange current density increase and the corrosion potential move to negative direction.