Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In an analysis pub...Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In an analysis published in 2018,both unconfined and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics of 84 specimens of a Utah coal,including the spalling limits,the ratio of apparent unconfined compressive strength to unconfined compressive strength(UCS),the damage characteristics,and the post-yield dilatancy.These mechanical characteristics were found to be strongly anisotropic as a function of the orientation of the cleats relative to the loading direction,defined as the included angle.A total of four different included angles were used in the work performed in 2018.The authors found that the degree of anisotropic strength differed according to the included angle.However,the transition from extensional to shear failure at the given confinements was not clearly identified.In this study,a total of 20 specimens were additionally prepared from the same coal sample used in the previous study and then tested under both unconfined and triaxial compressive conditions.Because the authors already knew the most contrasting cases of the included angles from the previous work using the four included angles,they chose only two of the included angles(0°and 30°)for this study.For the triaxial compressive tests,a greater confining stress than the mean UCS was applied to the specimens in an attempt to identify the brittle-ductile transition of the coal.The new results have been compiled with the previous results in order to re-evaluate the confinement-dependency of the coal behavior.Additionally,the different confining stresses are used as analogs for different width-to-height(W/H)conditions of pillar strength.Although the W/H ratios of the specimens were not directly considered during testing,the equivalent W/H ratios of a pillar as a function of the confining stresses were estimated using an existing empirical solution.According to this relationship,the W/H at which in situ pillar behavior would be expected to transition from brittle to ductile is identified.展开更多
With respect to the different hydrological responses of catchments, even the adjacent ones, in mountainous regions, there are a great number of motivations for classifying them into homogeneous clusters. These motivat...With respect to the different hydrological responses of catchments, even the adjacent ones, in mountainous regions, there are a great number of motivations for classifying them into homogeneous clusters. These motivations include prediction in ungauged basins(PUB), model parameterization, understanding the potential impact of environmental changes, transferring information from gauged catchments to the ungauged ones. The present study investigated the similarity of catchments through the hydro-climatological pure time-series of a 14-year period from 2001 to 2015. Data sets encompass more than 13,000 month-station streamflow, rainfall, and temperature data obtained from 27 catchments in Utah State as one of the eight mountainous states of the USA. The identification, analysis, and interpretation of homogeneous catchments were investigated by applying the four approaches ofclustering, K-means, Ward, and SOM(Self-Organized Map) and a newly proposed Wavelet-Entropy-based(WE-SOM) clustering method. By using two clustering evaluation criteria, 3, 5, and 6 clusters were determined as the best numbers of clusters, depending on the method employed, where each cluster represents different hydro-climatological behaviors. Despite the absence of geographic characteristics in input data matrix, the results indicated a regionalization in agreement with topographic characteristics. Considering the dependency of the hydrological behavior of catchments on the physiographic field aspects and characteristics, WE-SOM method demonstrated a more acceptable performance, compared to the other three conventional clustering methods, by providing more clusters. WE-SOM appears to be a promising approach in catchment clustering. It preserves the topological structure of data which can, as a result, be proofed in a greater number of clusters by dividing data into higher numbers of distinct clusters withsimilar altitudes of catchments in each cluster. The results showed the aptitude of wavelets to quantify the time-based variability of temperature, rainfall and streamflow, in the way contributing to the regionalization of diverse catchments.展开更多
This paper was developed as part of an effort by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)to identify risk factors associated with bumps in the prevention of fatalities and accidents in highly s...This paper was developed as part of an effort by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)to identify risk factors associated with bumps in the prevention of fatalities and accidents in highly stressed,bump-prone ground conditions.Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional-to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In the previous analysis conducted in 2018,both unconfined and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics of some specimens of a Utah coal,including the spalling limits,the ratio of apparent unconfined compressive strength(AUCS)to unconfined compressive strength(UCS),the damage characteristics,and the postyield dilatancy.These mechanical characteristics were found to be strongly anisotropic as a function of the orientation of the cleats relative to the loading direction.However,the transition from extensional to shear failure at the given confinements was not clearly identified.In this study,a total of 20 specimens were additionally prepared from the same coal sample used in the previous study and then tested under both unconfined and triaxial compressive conditions.The different confining stresses are used as analogs for different width-to-height(W/H)ratios of pillar strength.Although the W/H ratios of the specimens were not directly considered during testing,the equivalent W/H ratios of a pillar as a function of the confining stresses were estimated using an existing empirical solution.According to this relationship,theW/H atwhich in-situ pillar behavior would be expected to transition from brittle to ductile is identified.展开更多
Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historical range. Because most of the population occurs on private land, this threatened species is continually in conflict with land-owners due to burrowing. The...Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historical range. Because most of the population occurs on private land, this threatened species is continually in conflict with land-owners due to burrowing. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating Utah prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Utah prairie dogs were relocated in 2010 and 2011 from the golf course in Cedar City, Utah to two prepared sites near Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Vegetation transects were established at each site to determine if there was a correlation between site vegetation composition and structure, and Utah prairie dog survival at relocation sites. The vegetation at the two sites was significantly different. One site had significantly less grass cover, more invasive plant cover, and rockier soils. The sites also had different soil structures and long-term Utah prairie dog retention rates. Newly established burrows were clustered rather than randomly distributed. Utah prairie dogs appeared to avoid placing burrows in areas with tall vegetation and rocky soils. More research is needed to determine how site selection determines longterm retention and colonization of a relocation site.展开更多
Snow data collection systems in the western United States were originally designed to forecast water supply and may be subject to several sources of bias. In addition to climate change and weather modification effects...Snow data collection systems in the western United States were originally designed to forecast water supply and may be subject to several sources of bias. In addition to climate change and weather modification effects, site-specific effects may be introduced from vegetation changes, site physical changes, measurement technique, and sensor changes. This paper examines changes in Utah＇s snowpack conditions over the past decade compared with all previous measurement years, focusing on the 15 snow courses with the longest observational record within the state of Utah. Although patterns in snowpack data consistent with those that would be expected due to temperature h as greater declines at lower elevations and latitudes--were not identified, snow water equivalent decreased at sites with significant increases in vegetation coverage. Additionally, we provide a list of 22 snow courses in Utah that are best-suited for long-term climate analysis.展开更多
Strength and conditioning coaches have become a vital part of sport programs. The majority of college and professional teams have one or more strength and conditioning coaches on their staff. Currently there is limite...Strength and conditioning coaches have become a vital part of sport programs. The majority of college and professional teams have one or more strength and conditioning coaches on their staff. Currently there is limited information on the profile of high school strength and conditioning coaches. This study provides a profile, which can be used by state athletic associations, school districts, athletic directors, and head coaches, to determine the desired criteria for high school strength and conditioning coaches. This study also provides future coaches with a guide to help them become appealing candidates for positions as high school strength and conditioning coaches. PURPOSE： The purpose of this study was to identify the individual responsible for designing and implementing the football strength and conditioning programs in Utah high schools and provide a profile of the coach and the program. METHODS： The participants were high school football strength and conditioning coaches in the state of Utah. Participants were asked to complete an online survey. RESULTS： Thirty-six percent （36/100） of the surveys were completed and useable for the study. Eighty seven percent of the respondents identified the strength and conditioning coach as their secondary position in the football program. All （n = 36） of the respondents held at least a Bachelor degree and a majority （61.1%） held a graduate degree. Physical Education was the most widely reported major in undergraduate degrees, while the majority of graduate degrees were in areas outside of the physical education/exercise field （63.6%）. A total of 64.5% of the respondents did not hold a strength and conditioning certification. Strength and conditioning experience ranged from 30 to 2 years among respondents. CONCLUSION： Within the parameters of this study, a profile of the coaches and the respective strength and conditioning programs has been provided. The data culled during this study is inconclusive with respect to the preparation of coaches and administration of strength and conditioning protocols with respect to team wins and losses.展开更多
Ichnosedimentologic evidence of periodic anoxic shelf in the Early-Middle Ordovician transition includes lower ichnodiversity, shallower bioturbation and burrowing depth (【4 cm), rare domichnia, tinyChondrites occupy...Ichnosedimentologic evidence of periodic anoxic shelf in the Early-Middle Ordovician transition includes lower ichnodiversity, shallower bioturbation and burrowing depth (【4 cm), rare domichnia, tinyChondrites occupying shallower or shallowest tiering, widely distributed nodules of limonite pseudomorphs after pyrite, occurrence of trace fossils being closely associated with the storm event layers, and stratigraphic successions with orbital cyclostratigraphic architecture. It is suggested that lower atmospheric oxygen level during the Early Paleozoic, the Ordovician radiation, dramatic transgression and warmer temperatures would result in the periodic anoxia in the Early-Middle Ordovician transition. This episode began at the later Early Ordovician and lasted about 3.4 Ma on the basis of orbital cyclostratigraphy.展开更多
Background:The epidemic Dendroctonus rufipennis(spruce beetle)outbreak in the subalpine forests of the Colorado Plateau in the 1990s killed most larger Picea engelmannii(Engelmann spruce)trees.One quarter century late...Background:The epidemic Dendroctonus rufipennis(spruce beetle)outbreak in the subalpine forests of the Colorado Plateau in the 1990s killed most larger Picea engelmannii(Engelmann spruce)trees.One quarter century later,the larger snags are beginning to fall,transitioning to deadwood(down woody debris)where they may influence fire behavior,regeneration,and habitat structure.Methods:We tracked all fallen trees≥1 cm in diameter at breast height(1.37-m high)and mapped all pieces of deadwood≥10-cm diameter and≥1 m in length within 13.64 ha of a high-elevation mixed-species forest in the Picea–Abies zone annually for 5 years from 2015 through 2019.We examined the relative contribution of Picea engelmannii to snag and deadwood pools relative to other species and the relative contributions of large-diameter trees(≥33.2 cm at this subalpine site).We compared spatially explicit mapping of deadwood to traditional measures of surface fuels and introduce a new method for approximating vertical distribution of deadwood.Results:In this mixed-species forest,there was relatively high density and basal area of live Picea engelmannii 20 years after the beetle outbreak(36 trees ha^(−1) and 1.94 m^(2) ha^(−1)≥10-cm diameter)contrasting with the near total mortality of mature Picea in forests nearby.Wood from tree boles≥10-cm diameter on the ground had biomass of 42 Mg ha^(−1),7 Mg ha^(−1) of Picea engelmannii,and 35 Mg ha^(−1) of other species.Total live aboveground biomass was 119 Mg ha^(−1),while snag biomass was 36 Mg ha^(−1).Mean total fuel loading measured with planar transects was 63 Mg ha^(−1) but varied more than three orders of magnitude(0.1 to 257 Mg ha^(−1)).Planar transects recorded 32 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥7.62-cm diameter compared to the 42 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥10-cm diameter recorded by explicit mapping.Multiple pieces of deadwood were often stacked,forming a vertical structure likely to contribute to active fire behavior.Conclusion:Bark beetle mortality in the 1990s has made Picea an important local constituent of deadwood at 20-m scales,but other species dominate total deadwood due to slow decomposition rates and the multi-centennial intervals between fires.Explicit measurements of deadwood and surface fuels improve ecological insights into biomass heterogeneity and potential fire behavior.展开更多
Vice-President Xie Yuan met with Dan Stephenson, executive director of Overseas Partnerships for Golden Spike 150th Anniversary—known as Spike 150—and the executive director of Economic Bridge International on Jan 1...Vice-President Xie Yuan met with Dan Stephenson, executive director of Overseas Partnerships for Golden Spike 150th Anniversary—known as Spike 150—and the executive director of Economic Bridge International on Jan 17.Stephenson told his host that Spike 150, which was initiated by Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Xie spoke highly of Utah’s government and legislature in commemorating the efforts and contribution of Chinese people.展开更多
文摘Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In an analysis published in 2018,both unconfined and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics of 84 specimens of a Utah coal,including the spalling limits,the ratio of apparent unconfined compressive strength to unconfined compressive strength(UCS),the damage characteristics,and the post-yield dilatancy.These mechanical characteristics were found to be strongly anisotropic as a function of the orientation of the cleats relative to the loading direction,defined as the included angle.A total of four different included angles were used in the work performed in 2018.The authors found that the degree of anisotropic strength differed according to the included angle.However,the transition from extensional to shear failure at the given confinements was not clearly identified.In this study,a total of 20 specimens were additionally prepared from the same coal sample used in the previous study and then tested under both unconfined and triaxial compressive conditions.Because the authors already knew the most contrasting cases of the included angles from the previous work using the four included angles,they chose only two of the included angles(0°and 30°)for this study.For the triaxial compressive tests,a greater confining stress than the mean UCS was applied to the specimens in an attempt to identify the brittle-ductile transition of the coal.The new results have been compiled with the previous results in order to re-evaluate the confinement-dependency of the coal behavior.Additionally,the different confining stresses are used as analogs for different width-to-height(W/H)conditions of pillar strength.Although the W/H ratios of the specimens were not directly considered during testing,the equivalent W/H ratios of a pillar as a function of the confining stresses were estimated using an existing empirical solution.According to this relationship,the W/H at which in situ pillar behavior would be expected to transition from brittle to ductile is identified.
文摘With respect to the different hydrological responses of catchments, even the adjacent ones, in mountainous regions, there are a great number of motivations for classifying them into homogeneous clusters. These motivations include prediction in ungauged basins(PUB), model parameterization, understanding the potential impact of environmental changes, transferring information from gauged catchments to the ungauged ones. The present study investigated the similarity of catchments through the hydro-climatological pure time-series of a 14-year period from 2001 to 2015. Data sets encompass more than 13,000 month-station streamflow, rainfall, and temperature data obtained from 27 catchments in Utah State as one of the eight mountainous states of the USA. The identification, analysis, and interpretation of homogeneous catchments were investigated by applying the four approaches ofclustering, K-means, Ward, and SOM(Self-Organized Map) and a newly proposed Wavelet-Entropy-based(WE-SOM) clustering method. By using two clustering evaluation criteria, 3, 5, and 6 clusters were determined as the best numbers of clusters, depending on the method employed, where each cluster represents different hydro-climatological behaviors. Despite the absence of geographic characteristics in input data matrix, the results indicated a regionalization in agreement with topographic characteristics. Considering the dependency of the hydrological behavior of catchments on the physiographic field aspects and characteristics, WE-SOM method demonstrated a more acceptable performance, compared to the other three conventional clustering methods, by providing more clusters. WE-SOM appears to be a promising approach in catchment clustering. It preserves the topological structure of data which can, as a result, be proofed in a greater number of clusters by dividing data into higher numbers of distinct clusters withsimilar altitudes of catchments in each cluster. The results showed the aptitude of wavelets to quantify the time-based variability of temperature, rainfall and streamflow, in the way contributing to the regionalization of diverse catchments.
基金The authors would like to thanks to Steve Berry at Montana Tech for his working on the lab testing.
文摘This paper was developed as part of an effort by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)to identify risk factors associated with bumps in the prevention of fatalities and accidents in highly stressed,bump-prone ground conditions.Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional-to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In the previous analysis conducted in 2018,both unconfined and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics of some specimens of a Utah coal,including the spalling limits,the ratio of apparent unconfined compressive strength(AUCS)to unconfined compressive strength(UCS),the damage characteristics,and the postyield dilatancy.These mechanical characteristics were found to be strongly anisotropic as a function of the orientation of the cleats relative to the loading direction.However,the transition from extensional to shear failure at the given confinements was not clearly identified.In this study,a total of 20 specimens were additionally prepared from the same coal sample used in the previous study and then tested under both unconfined and triaxial compressive conditions.The different confining stresses are used as analogs for different width-to-height(W/H)ratios of pillar strength.Although the W/H ratios of the specimens were not directly considered during testing,the equivalent W/H ratios of a pillar as a function of the confining stresses were estimated using an existing empirical solution.According to this relationship,theW/H atwhich in-situ pillar behavior would be expected to transition from brittle to ductile is identified.
文摘Utah prairie dogs have been extirpated in 90% of their historical range. Because most of the population occurs on private land, this threatened species is continually in conflict with land-owners due to burrowing. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been relocating Utah prairie dogs from private to public land since the 1970s, but relocations have been largely unsuccessful due to high mortality. Utah prairie dogs were relocated in 2010 and 2011 from the golf course in Cedar City, Utah to two prepared sites near Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Vegetation transects were established at each site to determine if there was a correlation between site vegetation composition and structure, and Utah prairie dog survival at relocation sites. The vegetation at the two sites was significantly different. One site had significantly less grass cover, more invasive plant cover, and rockier soils. The sites also had different soil structures and long-term Utah prairie dog retention rates. Newly established burrows were clustered rather than randomly distributed. Utah prairie dogs appeared to avoid placing burrows in areas with tall vegetation and rocky soils. More research is needed to determine how site selection determines longterm retention and colonization of a relocation site.
文摘Snow data collection systems in the western United States were originally designed to forecast water supply and may be subject to several sources of bias. In addition to climate change and weather modification effects, site-specific effects may be introduced from vegetation changes, site physical changes, measurement technique, and sensor changes. This paper examines changes in Utah＇s snowpack conditions over the past decade compared with all previous measurement years, focusing on the 15 snow courses with the longest observational record within the state of Utah. Although patterns in snowpack data consistent with those that would be expected due to temperature h as greater declines at lower elevations and latitudes--were not identified, snow water equivalent decreased at sites with significant increases in vegetation coverage. Additionally, we provide a list of 22 snow courses in Utah that are best-suited for long-term climate analysis.
文摘Strength and conditioning coaches have become a vital part of sport programs. The majority of college and professional teams have one or more strength and conditioning coaches on their staff. Currently there is limited information on the profile of high school strength and conditioning coaches. This study provides a profile, which can be used by state athletic associations, school districts, athletic directors, and head coaches, to determine the desired criteria for high school strength and conditioning coaches. This study also provides future coaches with a guide to help them become appealing candidates for positions as high school strength and conditioning coaches. PURPOSE： The purpose of this study was to identify the individual responsible for designing and implementing the football strength and conditioning programs in Utah high schools and provide a profile of the coach and the program. METHODS： The participants were high school football strength and conditioning coaches in the state of Utah. Participants were asked to complete an online survey. RESULTS： Thirty-six percent （36/100） of the surveys were completed and useable for the study. Eighty seven percent of the respondents identified the strength and conditioning coach as their secondary position in the football program. All （n = 36） of the respondents held at least a Bachelor degree and a majority （61.1%） held a graduate degree. Physical Education was the most widely reported major in undergraduate degrees, while the majority of graduate degrees were in areas outside of the physical education/exercise field （63.6%）. A total of 64.5% of the respondents did not hold a strength and conditioning certification. Strength and conditioning experience ranged from 30 to 2 years among respondents. CONCLUSION： Within the parameters of this study, a profile of the coaches and the respective strength and conditioning programs has been provided. The data culled during this study is inconclusive with respect to the preparation of coaches and administration of strength and conditioning protocols with respect to team wins and losses.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.40072041, 49472086), SSER project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the National Science Foundation of USA.
文摘Ichnosedimentologic evidence of periodic anoxic shelf in the Early-Middle Ordovician transition includes lower ichnodiversity, shallower bioturbation and burrowing depth (【4 cm), rare domichnia, tinyChondrites occupying shallower or shallowest tiering, widely distributed nodules of limonite pseudomorphs after pyrite, occurrence of trace fossils being closely associated with the storm event layers, and stratigraphic successions with orbital cyclostratigraphic architecture. It is suggested that lower atmospheric oxygen level during the Early Paleozoic, the Ordovician radiation, dramatic transgression and warmer temperatures would result in the periodic anoxia in the Early-Middle Ordovician transition. This episode began at the later Early Ordovician and lasted about 3.4 Ma on the basis of orbital cyclostratigraphy.
基金Funding was received from the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station(projects 1153 and 1398 to JAL and 1423 to JAL,LLY,and DJM)and the Smithsonian Institution ForestGEO.Research was performed under the National Park Service research permits CEBR-2014-SCI-0001,CEBR-2015-SCI0001,CEBR-2016-SCI-0001,CEBR-2017-SCI-0001,CEBR-2018-SCI-0001,and CEBR-2019-SCI-0001 for study CEBR-00016.
文摘Background:The epidemic Dendroctonus rufipennis(spruce beetle)outbreak in the subalpine forests of the Colorado Plateau in the 1990s killed most larger Picea engelmannii(Engelmann spruce)trees.One quarter century later,the larger snags are beginning to fall,transitioning to deadwood(down woody debris)where they may influence fire behavior,regeneration,and habitat structure.Methods:We tracked all fallen trees≥1 cm in diameter at breast height(1.37-m high)and mapped all pieces of deadwood≥10-cm diameter and≥1 m in length within 13.64 ha of a high-elevation mixed-species forest in the Picea–Abies zone annually for 5 years from 2015 through 2019.We examined the relative contribution of Picea engelmannii to snag and deadwood pools relative to other species and the relative contributions of large-diameter trees(≥33.2 cm at this subalpine site).We compared spatially explicit mapping of deadwood to traditional measures of surface fuels and introduce a new method for approximating vertical distribution of deadwood.Results:In this mixed-species forest,there was relatively high density and basal area of live Picea engelmannii 20 years after the beetle outbreak(36 trees ha^(−1) and 1.94 m^(2) ha^(−1)≥10-cm diameter)contrasting with the near total mortality of mature Picea in forests nearby.Wood from tree boles≥10-cm diameter on the ground had biomass of 42 Mg ha^(−1),7 Mg ha^(−1) of Picea engelmannii,and 35 Mg ha^(−1) of other species.Total live aboveground biomass was 119 Mg ha^(−1),while snag biomass was 36 Mg ha^(−1).Mean total fuel loading measured with planar transects was 63 Mg ha^(−1) but varied more than three orders of magnitude(0.1 to 257 Mg ha^(−1)).Planar transects recorded 32 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥7.62-cm diameter compared to the 42 Mg ha^(−1) of wood≥10-cm diameter recorded by explicit mapping.Multiple pieces of deadwood were often stacked,forming a vertical structure likely to contribute to active fire behavior.Conclusion:Bark beetle mortality in the 1990s has made Picea an important local constituent of deadwood at 20-m scales,but other species dominate total deadwood due to slow decomposition rates and the multi-centennial intervals between fires.Explicit measurements of deadwood and surface fuels improve ecological insights into biomass heterogeneity and potential fire behavior.
文摘Vice-President Xie Yuan met with Dan Stephenson, executive director of Overseas Partnerships for Golden Spike 150th Anniversary—known as Spike 150—and the executive director of Economic Bridge International on Jan 17.Stephenson told his host that Spike 150, which was initiated by Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Xie spoke highly of Utah’s government and legislature in commemorating the efforts and contribution of Chinese people.
