Tree failure modes influenced by the characteristics of tree and its root distribution caused by debris flows

Forests play an important role in controlling the formation and movement processes of debris flows.They contribute to soil stabilization,regulation of soil water content,and act as robust structures impeding the downstream progression of debris flows.On the positive side,trees,to some extent,can intercept debris flows and effectively mitigate their velocity by increasing flow resistance.On the negative side,trees may suffer damage from debris-flow hazards,characterized by the generation of substantial quantities of wood fragments and consequential ramifications such as river channel blockage,resulting in backwater rise.In extreme cases,this blockage collapse can lead to instantaneous discharge amplification,thereby adversely impacting urban safety and impeding sustainable development.Therefore,in order to grasp the effects of tree characteristics on tree failure modes,the tree failure modes and corresponding parameters,diameters at breast height(DBH)and root-soil plate size,were identified and recorded through the post-event field investigation in Keze Gully,a region prone to debrisflow events in Sichuan,China,respectively.To investigate the impact of spatial variability in tree root distribution on tree failure modes,the root crosssectional area ratio(RAR),root density(RD),root length density(RLD)and soil detachment rate(SDR)were obtained.The findings indicated that:(1)Tree characteristics reflect the interactions of debris flows and trees,and influence the tree failure modes ultimately.The root distribution characteristics influence the size and shape of the root-soil plate to affect the resistance of trees.(2)Compared to burial and abrasion,stem breakage and overturning are the predominant modes of tree failure in debris-flow hazards.Trees with a smaller DBH primarily experience stem breakage and bending,and trees with a larger DBH mostly experience overturning.(3)The root-soil plate shapes of overturned trees,affected by the root architecture and root growth range,are generally semielliptical or semicircular,and the horizontal and vertical radii increase with DBH,but the correlation between the root-soil plate’s breadth-depth ratio and DBH is low.(4)The biomass and RAR decrease with distance.The RAR distribution exhibit the order of upslope direction>downslope direction>lateral direction.The coarse root biomass significantly increases with DBH,but no clear trend in fine root biomass.(5)The roots can significantly enhance the soil erosion resistance,but the erosion resistance of coarse roots is not as significant as that of fine roots.The erosion resistance increases with DBH,and follows the order of upslope direction>downslope direction>lateral direction.The results could provide new insights into the influences of tree and root distribution characteristics on tree failure modes during debris flows.

Leaf stable carbon isotope composition in Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica in relation to leaf physiological and morphological characteristics along an altitudinal gradient

To understand the effects of leaf physiological and morphological characteristics on δ13C of alpine trees, we examined leaf δ13C value, LA, SD, LNC, LPC, LKC, Chla+b, LDMC, LMA and Narea in one-year-old needles of Picea schrenkiana var. tianschanica at ten points along an altitudinal gradient from 1420 m to 2300 m a.s.l. on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China. Our results indicated that all the leaf traits differed significantly among sampling sites along the altitudinal gradient(P<0.001). LA, SD, LPC, LKC increased linearly with increasing elevation, whereas leaf δ13C, LNC, Chla+b, LDMC, LMA and Narea varied non-linearly with changes in altitude. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that four controlled physiological and morphological characteristics influenced the variation of δ13C. Among these four controlled factors, LKC was the most profound physiological factor that affected δ13C values, LA was the secondary morphological factor, SD was the third morphological factor, LNC was the last physiological factor. This suggested that leaf δ13C was directly controlled by physiological and morphological adjustments with changing environmental conditions due to the elevation.

Classification of Sitting States for the Humanoid Robot SJTU-HR1

The classification of sitting issues is investigated since detailed state classification for humanoid robots plays a key role in the practical application of humanoid robots, particularly for the humanoid robots doing complicated tasks. This paper presents the concept, the characteristics tree, and the prototype of the humanoid robot SJTU-HR1. The basic states lbr humanoid robots are proposed, including lying, sitting, standing, and handstanding. Moreover, the sitting states are classified into several states from the viewpoint of topology. The Gy （generalized function） set theory is applied to achieve the kinematic characteristics of the interested end-effectors of the humanoid robot SJTU-HR1. Finally, the results indicate that a large number of the sitting states can be represented by the meaningful notations systematically. Furthermore, the one-to-one correspondence between the state and kinematic characteristics of the interested end-effectors of the SJTU-HR 1 leads to deeper insight into the capabilities of the humanoid robot SJTU-HR1.

Mapping Deciduous Broad-leaved Forested Swamps Using ALOS/Palsar Data

Accurate, updated information on the distribution of wetlands is essential for estimating net fluxes of greenhouse gases and for effectively protecting and managing wetlands. Because of their complex community structure and rich surface vegetation, deciduous broad-leaved forested swamps are considered to be one of the most difficult types of wetland to classify. In this research, with the support of remote sensing and geographic information system, multi-temporal radar images L-Palsar were used initially to extract the forest hydrological layer and phenology phase change layer as two variables through image analysis. Second, based on the environmental characteristics of forested swamps, three decision tree classifiers derived from the two variables were constructed to explore effective methods to identify deciduous broad-leaved forested swamps. Third, this study focused on analyzing the classification process between flat-forests, which are the most severely disturbed elements, and forested swamps. Finally, the application of the decision tree model will be discussed. The results showed that: 1) L-HH band(a L band with wavelength of 0–235 m in HH polarization mode; HH means Synthetic Aperture Radars transmit pulses in horizontal polarization and receive in horizontal polarization) in the leaf-off season is shown to be capable of detecting hydrologic conditions beneath the forest; 2) the accuracy of the classification(forested swamp and forest plat) was 81.5% based on hydrologic features, and 83.5% was achieved by combining hydrologic features and phenology response features, which indicated that hydrological characteristics under the forest played a key role. The HHOJ(refers to the band created by the subtraction with HH band in October and HH band in July) achieved by multi-temporal radar images did improve the classification accuracy, but not significantly, and more leaf-off radar images may be more efficient than multi-seasonal radar images for inland forested swamp mapping; 3) the lower separability between forested swamps dominated by vegetated surfaces and forest plat covered with litter was the main cause of the uncertainty in classification, which led to misleading interpretations of the pixel-based classification. Finally, through the analysis with kappa coefficients, it was shown that the value of the intersection point was an ideal choice for the variable.

Traits of Masson Pine Affecting Attack of Pine Wood Nematode

Masson pine characteristics were analyzed in five sample plots in Zhejiang Province, China. Bursaphelenchus xylophilus （Steiner et Buhrer） Nickle （pine wood nematode, PWN） carried by Monochamus alternatus predominately attacked Masson pines in the lower diameter classes. Among the 10 tree characteristics examined, mean crown width, percentage of bole with crown, 5-year cumulative diameter growth, and resin amount showed significant variation between successfully attacked and unattacked trees. The attacked trees had a lower percentage of the bole covered with tree crown, lower crown width, lower radial growth in the last 5 years, and produced less induced resinosis than unattacked trees. Results allowed for effective ranking of the pine forest based on individual tree resistance to PWN. This index of resistance should be considered throughout the development of an ＂Evaluation Criterion and Indicator System＂. The preceding ranking can be used to evaluate the resistance and resiliency of the pine forest ecosystem to PWN＇s invasion, which is similar to Pest Risk Analysis （PRA）.