Steeped in History and Legend

If you ask Chinese people and local expats about the greatest destinations in north China’s Shanxi Province,most of them will probably mention the majestic Yungang Grottoes near Datong,the ancient city of Pingyao and the sacred mountain of Wutaishan.I had the pleasure of visiting all three beautiful places during my stay in China,first as an exchange student and then as a young professional living and working in Beijing.Recently,my work brought me to a lesser-known but equally stunning area in Shanxi Province： Mianshan.

Steeped in Culture

ON the sunny shores of Mauritius, against the island＇s jade-like sea and blue sky, a unique scene is taking place, In a bright-red Chinese traditional silk dress, a young woman delights her guests by performing an elaborate and perfectly synchronized traditional tea ceremony. The public is mesmerized by her passionate but always elegant movements. In fact, her routine is so fluid and natural that the long-mouth teapot gives the impression to be an integral extension of her body. Some Mauritian guests even wonder： Is it really blood flowing in her veins. or could it be hot fragrant Chinese tea？

Assessment of soil erosion in the Irga watershed on the eastern edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau,India

Human activities to improve the quality of life have accelerated the natural rate of soil erosion.In turn,these natural disasters have taken a great impact on humans.Human activities,particularly the conversion of vegetated land into agricultural land and built-up area,stand out as primary contributors to soil erosion.The present study investigated the risk of soil erosion in the Irga watershed located on the eastern fringe of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand,India,which is dominated by sandy loam and sandy clay loam soil with low soil organic carbon(SOC)content.The study used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE)and Geographical Information System(GIS)technique to determine the rate of soil erosion.The five parameters(rainfall-runoff erosivity(R)factor,soil erodibility(K)factor,slope length and steepness(LS)factor,cover-management(C)factor,and support practice(P)factor)of the RUSLE were applied to present a more accurate distribution characteristic of soil erosion in the Irga watershed.The result shows that the R factor is positively correlated with rainfall and follows the same distribution pattern as the rainfall.The K factor values in the northern part of the study area are relatively low,while they are relatively high in the southern part.The mean value of the LS factor is 2.74,which is low due to the flat terrain of the Irga watershed.There is a negative linear correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)and the C factor,and the high values of the C factor are observed in places with low NDVI.The mean value of the P factor is 0.210,with a range from 0.000 to 1.000.After calculating all parameters,we obtained the average soil erosion rate of 1.43 t/(hm^(2)•a),with the highest rate reaching as high as 32.71 t/(hm^(2)•a).Therefore,the study area faces a low risk of soil erosion.However,preventative measures are essential to avoid future damage to productive and constructive activities caused by soil erosion.This study also identifies the spatial distribution of soil erosion rate,which will help policy-makers to implement targeted soil erosion control measures.

44%of steep slope cropland in Europe vulnerable to drought

Steep-slope cropland plays a vital role in food production,economic development,ecosystem diversity,and Eu-ropean cultural heritage.However,these systems are susceptible to extreme weather events.The 2022 summer drought significantly impacted European agriculture,but the specific effects on steep-slope crops remain uncer-tain.Clarifying this is essential for comprehending similar future events and for implementing effective water management strategies to ensure the sustainability of steep-slope agriculture and associated ecosystem services.This study quantitatively analyzes the spatial distribution of twelve major European steep-slope(>12%)crops and assesses agricultural drought severity during the 2022 events using open-access spatial data.The satellite-based Vegetation Health Index(VHI)is utilized to identify critical hotspots.Results show that olive grove is the most widespread crop in steep slope agriculture(34%of total area),followed by wheat(24%),maize(16%),and vineyard(11%).Almost half of the steep-slope agriculture in Europe suffered drought during summer 2022.Vineyards were hardest affected at 79%,primarily in northern Portugal,northern Spain,southern France,and central Italy.Sunflowers followed at 62%,mainly in Spain,central Italy,southern France,and northern Roma-nia.Olive groves ranked third at 59%,with the most impact in northern Portugal,southern and central Spain,and southern Italy.Maize was also significantly affected at 54%.In this paper,we therefore highlight the need to increase steep-slope agriculture resilience by improving water management and promoting sustainable land practices.

Geomorphological responses of rivers to active tectonics along the Karahay?t Fault, Western Türkiye

Understanding the topography in active tectonic areas and assessing the rates and models of active deformation in the upper crust are primary objectives in tectonic geomorphology studies. The drainage pattern of river systems is highly sensitive to tectonically induced changes, and it often preserves the records of the formation and progression of most tectono-geomorphic processes within its boundaries. Therefore, the evolution of landforms is a consequence of the evolution of individual drainage basins in which they are formed. Assessing the rates of tectonic deformation using geomorphic data is a traditionally adopted method to characterize the nature of active faults. Globally, the Digital Elevation Model(DEM) is widely used as a crucial tool to analyze the morphotectonic features of drainage basins. In this study, some geomorphic indices were applied to investigate the impact of tectonism on landscape along the Karahay?t Fault and its associated drainage areas. These geomorphic indices are mountain front sinuosity(Smf values between 1.17-1.52), valley floor width-to-height ratio(Vf values between 0.25-1.46), basin asymmetry factor(AF values between 15-72), drainage basin shape(Bs values between 3.18-6.01), hypsometric integral and curve(HI values between 0.32-047), channel sinuosity(S values between 1-1.6), normalized steepness index(Ksn values between 1-390) and Chi integral(χ values between 200-4400). The development of drainage areas on the hanging wall and footwall block of the Karahayit Fault differs depending on the uplift. The drainage areas developed on the hanging wall present different patterns depending on the regional uplift caused by the fault. This reveals that the fault contributed significantly to the development of drainage areas and regional uplift in the region. In addition, the maximum earthquake magnitude that may occur in the future on the Karahayit Fault, whose activity is supported by geomorphic indices, is calculated as 6.23. Since an earthquake of this magnitude may cause loss of life and property in the region, precautions should be taken.

Exploring mechanism of hidden,steep obliquely inclined bedding landslides using a 3DEC model:A case study of the Shanyang landslide in Shaanxi Province,China

Catastrophic geological disasters frequently occur on slopes with obliquely inclined bedding structures(also referred to as obliquely inclined bedding slopes),where the apparent dip sliding is not readily visible.This phenomenon has become a focal point in landslide research.Yet,there is a lack of studies on the failure modes and mechanisms of hidden,steep obliquely inclined bedding slopes.This study investigated the Shanyang landslide in Shaanxi Province,China.Using field investigations,laboratory tests of geotechnical parameters,and the 3DEC software,this study developed a numerical model of the landslide to analyze the failure process of such slopes.The findings indicate that the Shanyang landslide primarily crept along a weak interlayer under the action of gravity.The landslide,initially following a dip angle with the support of a stable inclined rock mass,shifted direction under the influence of argillization in the weak interlayer,moving towards the apparent dip angle.The slide resistance effect of the karstic dissolution zone was increasingly significant during this process,with lateral friction being the primary resistance force.A reduction in the lateral friction due to karstic dissolution made the apparent dip sliding characteristics of the Shanyang landslide more pronounced.Notably,deformations such as bending and uplift at the slope’s foot suggest that the main slide resistance shifts from lateral friction within the karstic dissolution zone to the slope foot’s resistance force,leading to the eventual buckling failure of the landslide.This study unveils a novel failure mode of apparent dip creep-buckling in the Shanyang landslide,highlighting the critical role of lateral friction from the karstic dissolution zone in its failure mechanism.These insights offer a valuable reference for mitigating risks and preventing disasters related to obliquely inclined bedding landslides.

Extensive identification of landslide boundaries using remote sensing images and deep learning method

The frequent occurrence of extreme weather events has rendered numerous landslides to a global natural disaster issue.It is crucial to rapidly and accurately determine the boundaries of landslides for geohazards evaluation and emergency response.Therefore,the Skip Connection DeepLab neural network(SCDnn),a deep learning model based on 770 optical remote sensing images of landslide,is proposed to improve the accuracy of landslide boundary detection.The SCDnn model is optimized for the over-segmentation issue which occurs in conventional deep learning models when there is a significant degree of similarity between topographical geomorphic features.SCDnn exhibits notable improvements in landslide feature extraction and semantic segmentation by combining an enhanced Atrous Spatial Pyramid Convolutional Block(ASPC)with a coding structure that reduces model complexity.The experimental results demonstrate that SCDnn can identify landslide boundaries in 119 images with MIoU values between 0.8and 0.9;while 52 images with MIoU values exceeding 0.9,which exceeds the identification accuracy of existing techniques.This work can offer a novel technique for the automatic extensive identification of landslide boundaries in remote sensing images in addition to establishing the groundwork for future inve stigations and applications in related domains.

Application of STEEP and Interpretive Structural Modeling in the Design Imagery of Taiwan Public Ceramic Relief Murals

Ceramic relief mural is a contemporary landscape art that is carefully designed based on human nature,culture,and architectural wall space,combined with social customs,visual sensibility,and art.It may also become the main axis of ceramic art in the future.Taiwan public ceramic relief murals(PCRM)are most distinctive with the PCRM pioneered by Pan-Hsiung Chu of Meinong Kiln in 1987.In addition to breaking through the limitations of traditional public ceramic murals,Chu leveraged local culture and sensibility.The theme of art gives PCRM its unique style and innovative value throughout the Taiwan region.This study mainly analyzes and understands the design image of public ceramic murals,taking Taiwan PCRM’s design and creation as the scope,and applies STEEP analysis,that is,the social,technological,economic,ecological,and political-legal environments are analyzed as core factors;eight main important factors in the artistic design image of ceramic murals are evaluated.Then,interpretive structural modeling(ISM)is used to establish five levels,analyze the four main problems in the main core factor area and the four main target results in the affected factor area;and analyze the problem points and target points as well as their causal relationships.It is expected to sort out the relationship between these factors,obtain the hierarchical relationship of each factor,and provide a reference basis and research methods.

The glutamate metabotropic receptor 5(GRM5)gene is associated with beef cattle home range and movement tortuosity

Background:The grazing behaviour of herbivores and their grazing personalities might in part be determined genetically,but there are few studies in beef cattle illustrating this.In this study,we investigated for first time the genetic variation within a candidate‘grazing gene',the glutamate metabotropic receptor 5 gene(GRM5),and tested associations between variation in that gene and variation in grazing personality behaviours(GP-behaviours)displayed by free-ranging cows during winter grazing in the steep and rugged rangelands of New Zealand.Mature beef cows(n=303,from 3 to 10 years of age)were tracked with global positioning system(GPS)and,with 5-minutes(min)relocation frequency,various GP-behaviours were calculated.These included horizontal and vertical distances travelled,mean elevation,elevation range,elevation gain,slope,home range and movement tortuosity,variously calculated using daily relocation trajectories with repeated measurements(i.e.,7 to 24 days(d))and satellite-derived digital elevation models(DEM).The different GP-behaviours were fitted into mixed models to ascertain their associations with variant sequences and genotypes of GRM5.Results:We discovered three GRM5 variants(A,B and C)and identified the six possible genotypes in the cattle studied.The mixed models revealed that A was significantly associated with elevation range,home range and movement tortuosity.Similarly,GRM5 genotypes were associated(P<0.05)to home range and movement tortuosity,while trends suggesting association(P<0.1)were also revealed for elevation range and horizontal distance travelled.Most GP-behaviour models were improved by correcting for cow age-class as a fixed factor.The analysis of GP-behaviours averaged per cow age-class suggests that grazing personality is fully established as beef cows reached 4 years of age.Home range and movement tortuosity were not only associated with GRM5 variation,but also negatively correlated with each other(r=-0.27,P<0.001).Conclusions:There seems to be a genetically determined trade-off between home range and movement tortuosity that may be useful in beef cattle breeding programmes aiming to improve the grazing distribution and utilisation of steep and rugged rangelands.

THE EXISTENCE AND CONCENTRATION OF GROUND STATE SIGN-CHANGING SOLUTIONS FOR KIRCHHOFF-TYPE EQUATIONS WITH A STEEP POTENTIAL WELL

In this paper,we consider the nonlinear Kirchhoff type equation with a steep potential well−(a+b∫_(R)^(3)|∇u|^(2 )dx)Δu+λV(x)u=f(u)in R^(3),where a,b>0 are constants,λ is a positive parameter,V∈C(R3,R)is a steep potential well and the nonlinearity f∈C(R,R)satisfies certain assumptions.By applying a signchanging Nehari manifold combined with the method of constructing a sign-changing(PS)C sequence,we obtain the existence of ground state sign-changing solutions with precisely two nodal domains when λ is large enough,and find that its energy is strictly larger than twice that of the ground state solutions.In addition,we also prove the concentration of ground state sign-changing solutions.

Field experiments on quantifying the contributions of Coreopsis canopies and roots to controlling runoff and erosion on steep loess slopes

Grass recovery is often implemented in the loess area of China to control erosion.However,the effect mechanisms of grass cover on runoff erosion dynamics on steep loess hillslopes is still not clear.Taking the typical forage species(Coreopsis)in semiarid areas as subject,this study quantified the effects of canopies and roots on controlling slope runoff and erosion.A series of field experiments were conducted in a loess hilly region of China.Field plots(5 m length,2 m width,25°slope gradient)constructed with three ground covers(bare soil;Coreopsis with intact grass;only roots of Coreopsis),were applied with simultaneous simulated rainfall(60mm h^(-1))and upslope inflow(10,30,50,70,90L min^(-1)).The results showed that compared with bare soil,intact grass significantly reduced runoff and soil loss rates by 16.6% and 62.4% on average,and decreased soil erodibility parameter by 66.3%.As inflow rate increased,the reductions in runoff and soil loss rates increased from 2.93 to 14.00 L min^(-1)and 35.11 to 121.96 g m^(-2)min^(-1),respectively.Canopies relatively contributed 66.7% to lowering flow velocity,turbulence,weakening erosive force and increasing hydraulic resistance.Roots played a predominant role in reducing soil loss and enhancing soil antierodibility,with relative contributions of 78.8% and 73.8%.Furthermore,the maximum erosion depth reduced by Coreopsis was at the upper slope section which was previously eroded the most.These results demonstrated the efficiency of Coreopsis cover in controlling runoff and erosion on steep loess slopes,especially under large inflow rates and at upper slope sections.We suggest protecting Coreopsis with intact grass at upper slope sections,while the aboveground grass biomass can be used for grazing or harvesting at middle and lower slope sections,with roots reserved.

LIMIT BEHAVIOR OF GROUND STATES OF 2D BINARY BECS IN STEEP POTENTIAL WELLS

We study the ground states of attractive binary Bose-Einstein condensates with N particles,which are trapped in the steep potential wellsλV(x)inℝ2.We show that there exists a positive number N*such that if N>N*,the system admits no ground state for anyλ>0.Moreover,there exist two positive numbers,M*andλ*(N),such that if N<M*,then for anyλ>λ*(N),the system admits at least one ground state.Asλ→∞,for any fixed N<M*,we give a detailed description for the limit behavior of both positive and semi-trivial ground states.

半潜船波浪诱导运动与载荷预报数值方法比较研究

Numerical simulation tools based on potential-flow theory and/or Morison’s equation are widely used for predicting the hydrodynamic responses of floating offshore wind platforms.In general,these simplified approaches are used for the analysis under operational conditions,albeit with a carefully selected approach to account for viscous effects.Nevertheless,due to the limit hydrodynamic modelling to linear and weakly nonlinear models,these approaches severely underpredict the low-frequency nonlinear wave loads and dynamic responses of a semisubmersible.They may not capture important nonlinearities in severe sea states.For the prediction of wave-induced motions and loads on a semisubmersible,this work systematically compares a fully nonlinear viscous-flow solver and a hybrid model combining the potential-flow theory with Morison-drag loads in steep waves.Results show that when nonlinear phenomena are not dominant,the results obtained by the hybrid model and the high-fidelity method show reasonable agreement,while larger discrepancies occur for highly nonlinear regular waves.Specifically,regular waves with various steepness over different frequencies are focused in the present study,which supplements the understanding in applicability of these two groups of method.

浙江建设共同富裕示范区的STEEP模型分析

浙江在共同富裕道路上所做的努力探索与经验积累可从社会、技术、经济、生态、政策五个层面加以提炼概括。浙江成为中国首个共同富裕示范区与居民创业热情、人口流入能力、居民幸福指数、三大科创高地建设、经济能力、自然基础和生态文明建设表现以及社会治理能力等方面均走在全国前列分不开。基于浙江经验分析,可构建以政策力量为保障、以民生福祉为核心、以科学技术为支持、以经济基础为根本、以生态文明为关键的政府主导型“五位一体”共同富裕发展体系,以期为全国系统高效地推进共同富裕提供有益思路和参考。

长河坝水电站工程特陡高边坡开挖施工技术

长河坝水电站工程是大渡河梯级开发中的第10级电站,大坝右岸以1 485 m高程为界分为坝肩开挖和基坑开挖,坝肩边坡最大开挖高程为1 791 m,最大开挖高度306 m(计算至1 485 m高程),开挖厚度15～40 m。右岸高边坡开挖施工条件复杂,经分析,按照钻孔、爆破和开挖甩渣分两个工序循环施工。目前长河坝电站工程右岸坝肩已开挖至坝顶1 697 m高程,工程进度和安全均处于可控状态。这表明施工场内交通布置、开挖施工程序(包括浅层支护、深层支护滞后开挖面高度)、爆破设计参数等的选择是合理、有效的,可供其他类似工程借鉴。

Hanging Gardens in Modern High-Rise Apartment Buildings

Hanging gardens,which follow the concept of ecology and sustainable development, inherit the design ideas of many classic works in the history of afchitecture, ate an important means in improving tlie living envifonment of people when urban residential buildings in China afe graduaEy characterized by high density and high floor area ratio. Through the analysis of the origin and development of hanging gardens, author of this paper summarized three typical types of hanging gardens in higji-rise apartment buildings, analyzed advantages and factors affecting the design of hanging gardens,and concluded main design points of llie gardens. It is believed that in the process of planning, design, construction and management of tiie hanging gafdens in high-rise apartment buildings in China, demand characteristics of different use groups should be taken into account, much emphasis should be placed to service to people than, visual pursuit, and human behaviors should be combined with built environment, thereby achieving the blending of people and scenery.

图书馆竞争情报视角下桂越农业合作的可行性分析

中国-东盟自贸区的建成为桂越进一步深化农业合作提供前所未有的机遇和挑战。在Steep理论框架下分别从社会环境、技术环境、经济环境、生态环境、政治环境方面论述了桂越农业合作可行性,并提出了合作的方法。

Surrounding rock control theory and longwall mining technology innovation

To accommodate surrounding rock structure stability control problem in underground mining, we study the coupling effect principle between hydraulic support and surrounding rock, and develop a series of longwall mining technology and equipment, which solves four common technical problems that significantly undermine coal mining safety, efficiency, and high recovery and extraction rates. Based on the coupling characteristic between mining-induced stress field and supporting stress field of hydraulic support, we identify six controllable factors in the application of hydraulic support to surrounding rock, and further reveal the relationship between hydraulic support and surrounding rock in terms of the strength, the stiffness, and the stability coupling. Our findings provide a plausible solution to the longwall mining technical problem with 6-8 m mining height. By analyzing the dynamic disequilibrium characteristics between hydraulic support and surrounding rock, we propose the intelligent top coal caving control method and the high-coal-recovery-rate tech- nology for fully mechanized caving faces. With the invention of this technology, China is likely to lead the world in terms of the fully mechanized top coal caving mining technology. We are also the first to employ the intelligent coupling technology between hydraulic support and surrounding rock, and automated mining mode, and supporting system coop- erative control with automatic organization. We develop the comprehensive multi-index intelligence adjusting height decision-making mechanism and three-dimensional navigation automatic adjusting straightness technology based on shearer cutting height memory association, cutting power parameters, vibration, and video information, leading to the first set of intelligent longwall mining technology and equipment for thin seam. Our innovation makes a solid contribution to the revolution of intelligence mining technology. With the innovative use of three-dimensional coupling control principle for surrounding rock, we successfully resolve the technological difficulties of longwall mining equipment and surrounding rock control for steep dipping seam, making a breakthrough of longwall mining technology with steep dipping seam.

Application of Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning and Surveying in Geological Investigation of High Rock Slope

The appearance of 3D laser scanning technology is one of the most important technology revolutions in surveying and mapping field. It can be widely used in many interrelated fields, such as engineering constructions and 3D measurements, owing to its prominent characteristics of the high efficiency and high precision. At present its application is still in the initial state, and it is quite rarely used in China, especially in geotechnical engineering and geological engineering fields. Starting with a general introduction of 3D laser scanning technology, this article studies how to apply the technology to high rock slope investigations. By way of a case study, principles and methods of quick slope documentation and occurrence measurement of discontinuities are discussed and analyzed. Analysis results show that the application of 3D laser scanning technology to geotechnical and geological engineering has a great prospect and value.