Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China:2005 to 2020

Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

Structure-controlled slow dynamics in Al−Mg melts

Molecular dynamics simulation was employed to investigate the dynamical and structural properties of Al−Mg melts with the Al concentration systematically changed.The results show that the viscosity of Al67Mg33 abnormally surpasses that of Al85Mg15 below 550 K,inconsistent with the tendency at high temperatures.The evolution of the icosahedral order population is found to account for this dynamic behavior.Structural analysis shows a preferred bonding between Al and Mg atoms in the nearest neighbor shells,while a repelling tendency between them in the second shells,leading to the prepeak emergence in the partial static structure factors.The formation of icosahedral clusters is constrained in the Al-rich compositions because of the lack of sufficient Mg atoms to stabilize the clusters geometrically.These results demonstrate the structural consequence through the interplay between geometric packing and chemical interaction.These findings are crucial to understanding the structure−dynamic properties in Al−Mg melts.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of the social structure of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins(Sousa chinensis)in Xiamen waters from 2007 to 2019

As highly social animals,Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins(Sousa chinensis)exhibit community differentiation.Nevertheless,our understanding of the external and internal factors influencing these dynamics,as well as their spatiotemporal variations,is still limited.In the present study,variations in the social structure of an endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in Xiamen Bay,China,were monitored over two distinct periods(2007–2010 and 2017–2019)to analyze the effects of habitat utilization and the composition of individuals within the population.In both periods,the population demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of social differentiation,characterized by the division of individuals into two main clusters and one small cluster.Spatially,the two primary clusters occupied the eastern and western waters,respectively,although the core distribution area of the eastern cluster shifted further eastward between the two periods.Despite this distribution shift,the temporal stability of the social structure and inter-associations within the eastern cluster remained unaffected.A subset of 16individuals observed in both periods,comprising 51.6%and 43.2%of the population in each respective period,emerged as a foundational element of the social structure and may be responsible for sustaining social structure stability,especially during the 2007–2010 period.These observations suggest that the composition of dominant individuals,an internal factor,had a more substantial influence on the formation of the social network than changes in habitat use,an external factor.Consequently,the study proposes distinct conservation measures tailored to each of the two main clusters.

The chemical environment and structural ordering in liquid Mg-Y-Zn system:An ab-initio molecular dynamics investigation of melt for the formation mechanism of LPSO structure

In an effort to clarify the formation mechanism of LPSO structure in Mg-Y-Zn alloy,the chemical environment and structural ordering in liquid Mg-rich Mg-Y-Zn system are investigated with the aid of ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation.In liquid Mg-rich Mg-Y alloys,the strong Mg-Y interaction is determined,which promotes the formation of fivefold symmetric local structure.For Mg-Zn alloys,the weak Mg-Zn interaction results in the fivefold symmetry weakening in the liquid structure.Due to the coexistence of Y and Zn,the strong attractive interaction is introduced in liquid Mg-Y-Zn ternary alloy,and contributes to the clustering of Mg,Y,Zn launched from Zn.What is more,the distribution of local structures becomes closer to that in pure Mg compared with that in binary Mg-Y and Mg-Zn alloys.These results should relate to the origins of the Y/Zn segregation zone and close-packed stacking mode in LPSO structure,which provides a new insight into the formation mechanism of LPSO structure at atomic level.

Evolutionary game dynamics of combining two different aspiration-driven update rules in structured populations

In evolutionary games,most studies on finite populations have focused on a single updating mechanism.However,given the differences in individual cognition,individuals may change their strategies according to different updating mechanisms.For this reason,we consider two different aspiration-driven updating mechanisms in structured populations:satisfied-stay unsatisfied shift(SSUS)and satisfied-cooperate unsatisfied defect(SCUD).To simulate the game player’s learning process,this paper improves the particle swarm optimization algorithm,which will be used to simulate the game player’s strategy selection,i.e.,population particle swarm optimization(PPSO)algorithms.We find that in the prisoner’s dilemma,the conditions that SSUS facilitates the evolution of cooperation do not enable cooperation to emerge.In contrast,SCUD conditions that promote the evolution of cooperation enable cooperation to emerge.In addition,the invasion of SCUD individuals helps promote cooperation among SSUS individuals.Simulated by the PPSO algorithm,the theoretical approximation results are found to be consistent with the trend of change in the simulation results.

Emerging structures and dynamic mechanisms ofγ-secretase for Alzheimer’s disease

γ-Secretase,called“the proteasome of the membrane,”is a membrane-embedded protease complex that cleaves 150+peptide substrates with central roles in biology and medicine,including amyloid precursor protein and the Notch family of cell-surface receptors.Mutations inγ-secretase and amyloid precursor protein lead to early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease.γ-Secretase has thus served as a critical drug target for treating familial Alzheimer’s disease and the more common late-onset Alzheimer’s disease as well.However,critical gaps remain in understanding the mechanisms of processive proteolysis of substrates,the effects of familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations,and allosteric modulation of substrate cleavage byγ-secretase.In this review,we focus on recent studies of structural dynamic mechanisms ofγ-secretase.Different mechanisms,including the“Fit-Stay-Trim,”“Sliding-Unwinding,”and“Tilting-Unwinding,”have been proposed for substrate proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein byγ-secretase based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.While an incorrect registry of the Notch1 substrate was identified in the cryo-electron microscopy structure of Notch1-boundγ-secretase,molecular dynamics simulations on a resolved model of Notch1-boundγ-secretase that was reconstructed using the amyloid precursor protein-boundγ-secretase as a template successfully capturedγ-secretase activation for proper cleavages of both wildtype and mutant Notch,being consistent with biochemical experimental findings.The approach could be potentially applied to decipher the processing mechanisms of various substrates byγ-secretase.In addition,controversy over the effects of familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations,particularly the issue of whether they stabilize or destabilizeγ-secretase-substrate complexes,is discussed.Finally,an outlook is provided for future studies ofγ-secretase,including pathways of substrate binding and product release,effects of modulators on familial Alzheimer’s disease mutations of theγ-secretase-substrate complexes.Comprehensive understanding of the functional mechanisms ofγ-secretase will greatly facilitate the rational design of effective drug molecules for treating familial Alzheimer’s disease and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease in general.

Molecular dynamics simulation of relationship between local structure and dynamics during glass transition of Mg_7Zn_3 alloy

The rapid solidification process of Mg7Zn3 alloy was simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The relationship between the local structure and the dynamics during the liquid-glass transition was deeply investigated. It was found that the Mg-centered FK polyhedron and the Zn-centered icosahedron play a critical role in the formation of Mg7Zn3 metallic glass. The self-diffusion coefficients of Mg and Zn atoms deviate from the Arrhenius law near the melting temperature and then satisfy the power law. According to the time correlation functions of mean-square displacement, incoherent intermediate scattering function and non-Gaussian parameter, it was found that the β-relaxation in Mg7Zn3 supercooled liquid becomes more and more evident with decreasing temperature, and the α-relaxation time rapidly increases in the VFT law. Moreover, the smaller Zn atom has a faster relaxation behavior than the Mg atom. Some local atomic structures with short-range order have lower mobility, and they play a critical role in the appearance of cage effect in theβ-relaxation regime. The dynamics deviates from the Arrhenius law just at the temperature as the number of local atomic structures begins to rapidly increase. The dynamic glass transition temperature （Tc） is close to the glass transition point in structure （TgStr）.

Vegetation landscape structure and dynamics in sandy forest-steppe ecotone

Sandy forest-steppe ecotone in Baiyinaobao Natural Reserve of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China is one of the special landscape types in forest-steppe vegetation zone in China. Vegetation landscape types, landscape patches, and patch size were measured by the field investigation, forest photograph, and airscape. The structure of landscape patches in sandy forest-steppe ecotone, including composition structure, and size structure, was studied and the dynamics and transformation of landscape patches were analyzed. The data obtained in this study could provide theoretical basis for the research on vegetation landscape in forest-steppe ecotones and other vegetation types.

Effects of Joint on Dynamics of Space Deployable Structure

Joints are necessary components in large space deployable truss structures which have significant effects on dynamic behavior of these joint dominated structures.Previous researches usually analyzed effects of one or fewer joint characters on dynamics of jointed structures.Effects of joint stiffness,damping,location,number,clearance and contact stiffness on dynamics of jointed structures are systematically analyzed.Cantilever beam model containing linear joints is developed based on finite element method,influence of joint on natural frequencies and mode shapes of the jointed system are analyzed.Analytical results show that frequencies of jointed system decrease dramatically when peak mode shapes occur at joint locations,and there are cusp shapes present in mode shapes.System frequencies increase with joint damping increasing,there are different joint damping to achieve maximum system damping for different joint stiffness.Joint nonlinear force-displacement is described by describing function method,one-DOF model containing nonlinear joints is established to analyze joints freeplay and hysteresis nonlinearities.Analysis results show that nonlinear effects of freeplay and hysteresis make dynamic responses switch from one resonance frequency to another frequency when amplitude exceed demarcation values.Joint contact stiffness determine degree of system nonlinearity,while exciting force level,clearance and slipping force affect amplitude of dynamic response.Dynamic responses of joint dominated deployable truss structure under different sinusoidal exciting force levels are tested.The test results show obvious nonlinear behaviors contributed by joints,dynamic response shifts to lower frequency and higher amplitude as exciting force increasing.The test results are further compared with analytical results,and joint nonlinearity tested is coincident with hysteresis nonlinearity.Analysis method of joint effects on dynamic characteristics of jointed system is proposed,which can be used in optimal design of joint parameters to achieve optimum dynamic performance of jointed system.

Phytosociology, structure and dynamics of Pinus roxburghii associations from Northern Pakistan

We investigated the phytosociology, structure and dynamics of Pinus roxburghii in 40 stands in northern areas of Pakistan by using cluster analysis （Ward’s agglomerative clustering） and ordination （Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling）. Cluster analysis revealed three major groups associated with specific environmental characteristics： （1） P. roxburghii （2） Pinus-Quercus baloot and （3） Pinus-Olea ferruginea community types. NMS-ordination showed the major gradient as an amalgam of elevation （r2=0.441, p＆lt;0.01） and slope （r2=0.391, p＆lt;0.05） as the two topographic factors correlated with species distribution. The first ordination axis also showed positive correlation with soil variables like pH and electrical conductivity, suggesting that soil chemistry was related to topographic characteristics and probably acted as a secondary gradient. We also examined size class distributions, age structures and growth rates of the three communities in order to describe community development and dynamics. Total tree density was 14700 plants/ha, with P. roxburghii having a relative density of 82%to 100%. Density of juve-nile and total density and basal area of the subordinate tree species were low. The low density of trees in the smallest diameter size-class sug-gested that the recruitment of small P. roxburghii plants into the adult population may be lower than the required replacement rate for the stands. Pooled size-class distributions for the species showed a multimo-dal pattern with some regeneration gaps. Browsing, heavy logging and＆amp;nbsp;other anthropogenic activities were the overriding factors responsible for the poor recruitment of P. roxburghii. We concluded from the age struc-ture that the forests were characterized by the dominance of young trees. Growth rate analysis revealed that P. roxburghii was the fastest growing species among the conifers species in Pakistan. In view of its relatively fast growth and longevity, P. roxburghii seems to be a suitable choice for short-term cultural practices in order to enhance wood production in lesser Himalaya and Hindukush ranges of Pakistan.

Seasonal dynamics of crustacean zooplankton community structure in Erhai Lake, a plateau lake, with reference to phytoplankton and environmental factors

The seasonal dynamics of a crustacean zooplankton community in Erhai Lake was investigated from May 2010 to April 2011. In total, 11 species were recorded, including six(6 genera) cladoceran and five(5 genera) copepod species. The crustacean zooplankton densities ranged from 24.3 to 155.4 ind./L. In winter and spring, the large-bodied cladoceran Daphnia galeata dominated the crustacean plankton community. In summer and autumn, when the colonial or filamentous algae dominated the phytoplankton communities, the small-bodied species(e.g. B osmina fatalis, Ceriodaphnia quadrangular, and Mesocyclops leuckarti) replaced the large-bodied ones. One-way ANOVA and redundancy analysis revealed that community structure was dependent upon total nitrogen, total phosphorus, water temperature, transparency, and the biomass of small algae. The variation in both phytoplankton structure and environmental variables were important factors in the seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton structure in Erhai Lake.

Molecular dynamics simulation of structure H clathrate-hydrates of binary guest molecules

Molecular dynamics （MD） simulations are performed to study the stability of structure H clathrate-hydrates of methane＋large-molecule guest substance （LMGS） at temperatures of 270, 273, 278 and 280 K under canonical （NVT-） ensemble condition in a 3×3×3 structure H unit cell replica with 918 TIP4P water molecules. The studied LMGS are 2-methylbutane （2-MB）, 2,3-dimethylbutane （2,3-DMB）, neohexane （NH）, methylcyclohexane （MCH）, adamantane and tert-butyl methyl ether （TBME）. In the process of MD simulation, achieving equilibrium of the studied system is recognized by stability in calculated pressure for NVT-ensemble. So, for the accuracy of MD simulations, the obtained pressures are compared with the experimental phase diagrams. Therefore, the obtained equilibrium pressures by MD simulations are presented for studying the structure H clathrate-hydrates. The results show that the calculated temperature and pressure conditions by MD simulations are consistent with the experimental phase diagrams. Also, the radial distribution functions （RDFs） of host-host, host-guest and guest-guest molecules are used to analysis the characteristic configurations of the structure H clathrate-hydrate.

SEMI-EMPIRICAL CALCULATION FOR ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF C60 CLUSTER BY MOLECULAR DYNAMICS AND MNDO APPROACH

The electronic structure for C 60 was semi empirically investigated by using MD (molecular dynamics) and MNDO (modified neglect of diatomic overlap) approach of quantum chemistry.Especially,taking both σ and π orbitals into account,one electron energy levels,those symmetries and π orbital occupancies as well as electron excitation energies for different select rules,cohesive energy,ionization energies and electronic affinity forces were calculated.The obtained molecular orbital ratio shows a wide separation of σ and π types,and near HOMO and LUMO levels there are π orbitals mainly.The calculated semi empirical calculation results are in good agreement with experimental and ab initio calculation data.

Evaluation on Stability of Stope Structure Based on Nonlinear Dynamics of Coupling Artificial Neural Network

The nonlinear dynamical behaviors of artificial neural network (ANN) and their application to science and engineering were summarized. The mechanism of two kinds of dynamical processes, i.e. weight dynamics and activation dynamics in neural networks, and the stability of computing in structural analysis and design were stated briefly. It was successfully applied to nonlinear neural network to evaluate the stability of underground stope structure in a gold mine. With the application of BP network, it is proven that the neuro-com- puting is a practical and advanced tool for solving large-scale underground rock engineering problems.

Spatial structure optimization of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse based on system dynamics model and CLUE-S model

The mountainous abandoned mine land is often distributed in the fomi of fragmented patches. Therefore, it can greatly promote the reuse value of abandoned mine land and relieve the pressure of land demand to realize the rational reuse of abandoned mine land based on the future land use structure and spatial layout of mountainous area. In this paper, optimization of the spatial structure of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse is realized through the system dynamics model and CLUE-S model. Mentougou district, Beijing, China is selected as the research area. System dynamics model with feedback functions is constructed to simulate land use structure from 2011 to 2025, which is taken as the quanfiiative constraint on spatial structure optimization. CLUE-S model with neighborhood analysis function is applied to simulate future land use spatial structure. The simulation result layer is superimposed with the abandoned mine land distribution layer and the optimized spatial structure of abandoned mine land reuse then is determined, checked by reuse suitability evaluation. The result shows that abandoned mine land can be fully optimized as other land use types according to demand, and the reuse directions are water conservancy facilities land, urban land, rural residential land, tourism land, garden land, woodland and grassland. The trend of abandoned mine land reuse tend to be consistent with land use types of neighboring patches. This study can provide theoretical reference for the practices of mountainous abandoned mine land reuse.

Age structure and dynamics of Zoysia japonica module population

The age structure of the natural Zoysia japonica clonal population at QipanMountain in Huishan Scenic Spot of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China was studied using themorphological method in 2003 and 2004. The dynamics of leaves were recorded and the dynamics oftiller and rhizome in the growing season were observed. The results indicated that the rhizomesformed in different years changed in color and rigidity. Its internodes produced in autumn becameshorter. The number of naked nodes changed with the tiller age. Rhizome and tiller characters wereused as a foundation for judging the ages of modules in this study. The longevity of tiller andrhizome was 3 years at most. At the beginning of the growing season, 2-year-old tillers and rhizomespredominated. Then 1-year-old tillers and rhizomes increased rapidly and became dominant in July.The proportion of buds to tillers on quantity was stable at about 30% in the mid-phase of thegrowing season and rose to about 50% in autumn. The seasonal dynamics of tiller, rhizome and bud wasvery important to guarantee the sustained existence of the Zoysia japonica population. The turnoverof modules was the mechanism of sustaining the rejuvenation of the Zoysiajaponica clonalpopulation.

Analysis and forecasts of investment scale and structure in upstream sector for oil companies based on system dynamics

Oil and gas exploration and production is the most important and key segment in the whole business chain of the petroleum industry.Therefore,oil companies always put much emphasis on making scientific and reasonable decisions about investment scale and structure in the upstream sector,so that they can minimise business risks and obtain high returns.According to the system dynamics theories and methods and based on the actual results from an oil company＇s practice in China,a system dynamics model is built in this paper for analyzing and forecasting the upstream investment scale and structure for an oil company.This model was used to analyze the investment effect of a large oil company in China, and the results showed that the total upstream investment scale will decline slowly in a short period and the investment proportion of different parts should be adjusted if some influencing factors are taken into account.This application practice was compared with the actual data and indicated that the system dynamics（SD） model presented in this paper is a useful tool for analyzing and forecasting of upstream investment scale and structure of oil companies in their investment decisions.

Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Two-phase Flow in a Structured Packing Column

Characterizing the complex two-phase hydrodynamics in structured packed columns requires a power- ful modeling tool. The traditional two-dimensional model exhibits limitations when one attempts to model the de- tailed two-phase flow inside the columns. The present paper presents a three-dimensional computational fluid dy- namics （CFD） model to simulate the two-phase flow in a representative unit of the column. The unit consists of an CFD calculations on column packed with Flexipak 1Y were implemented within the volume of fluid （VOF） mathe- matical framework. The CFD model was validated by comparing the calculated thickness of liquid film with the available experimental data. Special attention was given to quantitative analysis of the effects of gravity on the hy- drodynamics. Fluctuations in the liquid mass flow rate and the calculated pressure drop loss were found to be quali- tatively in agreement with the experimental observations.

Structures and Dynamics of a Two-Dimensional Confined Dusty Plasma System

The influence of the confining potential strength and temperature on the structures and dynamics of a two-dimensional (2D) dusty plasma system is investigated through molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The circular symmetric confining potential leads to the nonuniform packing of particles, that is, an inner core with a hexagon lattice surrounded by a few outer circular shells. Under the appropriate confining potential and temperature, the particle trajectories on middle shells form a series of concentric and nested hexagons due to tangential movements of particles.Mean square displacement, self-diffusion constant, pair correlation function, and the nearest bond are used to characterize the structural and dynamical properties of the system. With the increase of the confining potential, the radial and tangential movements of particles have different behaviors. With the increase of temperature, the radial and tangential motions strengthen, particle trajectories gradually become disordered, and the system gradually changes from a crystal or liquid state to a gas state.

Effect of grain boundary sliding on the toughness of ultrafine grain structure steel: A molecular dynamics simulation study

Molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to investigate the mechanisms of low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel. The simulation results suggest that the sliding of the {001 }/{ 110} type and { 110}/{ 111 } type grain boundary can improve the impact toughness. Then, the mechanism of grain boundary sliding is studied and it is found that the motion of dislocations along the grain boundary is the underlying cause of the grain boundary sliding. Finally, the sliding of the grain boundary is analyzed from the standpoint of the energy. We conclude that the measures which can increase the quantity of the {001}/{110} type and {110}/{ 111} type grain boundary and elongate the free gliding distance of dislocations along these grain boundaries will improve the low-temperature impact toughness of the ultrafine grain structure steel.