Conversion factor analysis of self-balanced loading test of cast-in-situ piles based on analogue test method

Based on the characteristics of pile-soil interaction and the Mohr-Coulomb strength theory,a new method of determining the side friction at a pile-soil interaction is proposed.Combined with the actual engineering cases,the effectiveness of the analogue test method is verified by comparing it with the traditional anchor pile method and self-balanced method.Taking the self-balanced test of the bridge pile foundation in the Songhua River as an example,the conversion factor of sandy soil and weathered mudstone are confirmed by the analogue test method.The results show that the conversion factor of sandy soil and weathered mudstone in the Songhua River area should consider the geological conditions and the construction technology,etc.The standard values are relatively conservative.It is suggested that the engineering application should be properly revised.The recommended range of the conversion factor of sandy soil in this area is 0.65 to 0.85,and that of weathered mudstone is 1.0.

Gross Chemical Profile and Calculation of Nitrogen-to-Protein Conversion Factors for Five Tropical Seaweeds

Despite decades of research on marine algae, there are still significant gaps in basic knowledge about chemical composition of these organisms, especially in tropical environments. In this study, the amino acid composition and contents of total nitrogen, phosphorus, lipid, carbohydrate and protein were determined in Asparagopsis taxiformis, Centroceras clavulatum, Chaetomorpha aerea, Sargassum filipendula and Spyridia hypnoides. The seaweeds showed low lipid contents (lower than 5.5% d.w. in all species) and were rich in carbohydrates (more than 16% d.w. in all seaweeds). The percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and protein varied widely among species, which red algae showed the highest con-centrations. The amino acid composition was similar among the seaweeds, which glutamic acid, aspartic acid and leu-cine as the most abundant. All species are poor in histidine. An average of 24.2% of the total nitrogen is non-proteinaceous. From data of total amino acid and total nitrogen, specific nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors were calculated for each species. The nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors calculated ranged from 4.51 to 5.21, with an overall average of 4.86. These findings show that the traditional conversion factor of 6.25 should be avoided for seaweeds, since it overestimates the actual protein content.

Variability in the empirical leucine-to-carbon conversion factors along an environmental gradient

Bacterial production is one of the key parameters to evaluate bacterial role in ocean carbon fluxes.Estimation of bacterial production requires the leucine-to-carbon conversion factors that change widely across environments.However,empirical leucine-to-carbon conversion factors（e CFs） are seldom determined in situ because of time consuming and little is known on regulating factors for the e CFs.During May 2015 to January 2016,fourteen dilution experiments were conducted,from the Zhujiang（Pearl River） Estuary to the coast of the northern South China Sea,to determine spatiotemporal variability in the e CFs and its potential controlling factors along an environmental gradient.The e CFs showed clear spatial variations with the highest（1.27–1.69（kg C）/（mol Leu）） in low salinity waters（salinity〈15）,intermediate（1.03–1.25（kg C）/（mol Leu）） in moderate salinity（salinity of 15–25）,and the lowest（0.48–0.85（kg C）/（mol Leu）） in high salinity waters（salinity〉25）.Substrate availability was responsible for spatial variability in the e CFs.In the pristine coastal waters,low e CFs was related to substrate limitation and leucine incorporated was respired to maximize the survival rather than bacterial production.Hence,the e CFs measurement was needed for estimating bacterial production accurately in various marine environments.

Conversion Carbon Capture and Storage Factors in Temperate Human Controlled Wetland

This paper provides guidance for the quantification and reporting of blue carbon removals in the temperate coastal ecosystems,“Italian valli da pesca”or H.C.W.(Human Controlled Wetland,Lat.45°Lon.12°),where some pools as seagrasses,and salt marshes,are highly efficient at capturing and storing carbon dioxide(CO_(2))from the atmosphere.Halophyte salt marsh plants were found to have a%C on Dry Weight(D.W.)of 32.26±3.91(mean±standard deviation),macrophytes 33.65±7.99,seagrasses 29.23±2.23,tamarisk 48.42±2.80,while the first 5 centimetres of wetland mud,on average,had a%C of 8.56±0.94.Like the ISO(International Organization for Standardization)14064 guideline to quantify the GHG(Greenhouse Gas)emission,we have studied the different conversion factors to be used as a practical tool for measurement the CO_(2)sink activity.These factors are essential to calculate the overall carbon reduction in a project located in temperate wetland using a method as the ISO 14064.2,UNI-BNeutral,VCS VERRA or other that will come.

Bicycle Conversion Factor Calibration at Two-Phase Intersections in Mixed Traffic Flows

Chinese traffic is typically composed of bicycles and motor vehicles on the same road. The efficiency of bicycle traffic in time and space at intersections was investigated for eight typical intersections in the cities of Tianjin, Shenyang, and Changchun, all in China, by means of video recording. Models were developed to calculate the through bicycle traffic and the left-turn bicycle traffic conversion factors in intersections where bicycles and motor vehicles share the same road. The results indicate that the through bicycle conversion factor is 0.28 and the left-turn bicycle conversion factor is 0.33. This conclusion differs from the current value used in China. More research on the conversion factor is necessary to evaluate the impact of intersections.

Energy Conversion Factor for Gasoline Engines in Real-World Driving Emission Cycle

A precise energy conversion factor is required to define the impact of greenhouse gas emissions by gasoline-powered vehi-cles and policies that will guide the application of future eco-innovations.The current energy conversion factor adopted by many countries is based on the Willans line approach,initially proposed in 1888 for steam engines,later adapted for internal combustion engines.The actual energy conversion factor,which defines the energy conversion for drivers in real traffic,is missing.In this article,eight world-class engines are tested in an engine bench for the acquisition of specific fuel consumption 3D maps.Then,their energy conversion factors,calculated by dividing the energy output by the energy input,are simulated in real and urban traffic,acquired according to the real driving emissions(RDE)cycle.In addition,a reference vehicle is instrumented to measure the energy input(fuel flow)and the energy output(mechanical energy in the half axles)under the same RDE cycle standards.The results of both procedures are very similar,respectively,0.405±0.04 L/kWh for the simulation based on eight benchmark engines,and 0.392±0.04 L/kWh for the reference vehicle driven in RDE traffic conditions,with a 95%confidence interval.For turbocharged engines,the factor attained by the simulation is 0.395±0.04 L/kWh.The values of the energy conversion factor for gasoline engines got in this research are higher than those obtained through the Willans line approach,suggesting a new standard value of 0.405 L/kWh,replacing the current 0.264 L/kWh.It could substantially change the greenhouse gas emissions in a tank-to-wheel approach for the entire vehicle and add-on eco-innovations.

Landscape Pattern Evolution Processes of Alpine Wetlands and Their Driving Factors in the Zoige Plateau of China

Zoige Plateau wetlands are located in the northeastern corner of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.The landscape pattern evolution processes in the Zoige Plateau and their driving factors were identified by analyzing the dynamic changes in landscape modification and conversion and their dynamic rates of alpine wetlands over the past four decades.The results showed that the landscape conversion between wetlands and non-wetlands mainly occurred during the period from 1966 to 1986.The marsh wetland area converted from lake and river wetlands was larger because of swamping compared to other wetland landscapes.Meanwhile,the larger area of marsh wetlands was also converted to lake wetlands more than other types of wetlands.The modification processes mainly occurred among natural wetland landscapes in the first three periods.Obvious conversions were observed between wetland and nonwetland landscapes(i.e.,forestland,grassland,and other landscapes) in the Zoige Plateau.These natural wetland landscapes such as river,lake and marsh wetlands showed a net loss over the past four decades,whereas artificial wetland landscapes(i.e.,paddy field and reservoir and pond wetlands) showed a net decrease.The annual dynamic rate of the whole wetland landscape was 0.72%,in which the annual dynamic rate of river wetlands was the highest,followed by lake wetlands,while marsh wetlands had the lowest dynamic rate.The integrated landscape dynamic rate showed a decreasing trend in the first three periods.The changes in wetland landscape patterns were comprehensively controlled by natural factors and human activities,especially human activities play an important role in changing wetland landscape patterns.

Laser-assisted Simulation of Dose Rate Effects of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Devices

Laser-assisted simulation technique has played a crucial role in the investigation of dose rate effects of silicon-based devices and integrated circuits,due to its exceptional advantages in terms of flexibility,safety,convenience,and precision.In recent years,wide band gap materials,known for their strong bonding and high ionization energy,have gained increasing attention from researchers and hold significant promise for extensive applications in specialized environments.Consequently,there is a growing need for comprehensive research on the dose rate effects of wide band gap materials.In response to this need,the use of laser-assisted simulation technology has emerged as a promising approach,offering an effective means to assess the efficacy of investigating these materials and devices.This paper focused on investigating the feasibility of laser-assisted simulation to study the dose rate effects of wide band gap semiconductor devices.Theoretical conversion factors for laser-assisted simulation of dose rate effects of GaN-based and SiC-based devices were been provided.Moreover,to validate the accuracy of the conversion factors,pulsed laser and dose rate experiments were conducted on GaN-based and SiC-based PIN diodes.The results demonstrate that pulsed laser radiation andγ-ray radiation can produce highly similar photocurrent responses in GaN-based and SiC-based PIN diodes,with correlation coefficients of 0.98 and 0.974,respectively.This finding reaffirms the effectiveness of laser-assisted simulation technology,making it a valuable complement in studying the dose rate effects of wide band gap semiconductor devices.

Developing individual tree-based models for estimating aboveground biomass of five key coniferous species in China

Estimating individual tree biomass is critical to forest carbon accounting and ecosystem service modeling.In this study,we developed one-（tree diameter only） and two-variable（tree diameter and height） biomass equations,biomass conversion factor（BCF） models,and an integrated simultaneous equation system（ISES） to estimate the aboveground biomass for five conifer species in China,i.e.,Cunninghamia lanceolata（Lamb.） Hook.,Pinus massoniana Lamb.,P.yunnanensis Faranch,P.tabulaeformis Carr.and P.elliottii Engelm.,based on the field measurement data of aboveground biomass and stem volumes from 1055 destructive sample trees across the country.We found that all three methods,including the one-and two-variable equations,could adequately estimate aboveground biomass with a mean prediction error less than 5%,except for Pinus yunnanensis which yielded an error of about 6%.The BCF method was slightly poorer than the biomass equation and the ISES methods.The average coefficients of determination（R^2） were 0.944,0.938 and 0.943 and the mean prediction errors were 4.26,4.49 and 4.29% for the biomass equation method,the BCF method and the ISES method,respectively.The ISES method was the best approach for estimating aboveground biomass,which not only had high accuracy but also could estimate stocking volumes simultaneously that was compatible with aboveground biomass.In addition,we found that it is possible to develop a species-invariant one-variable allometric model for estimating aboveground biomass of all the five coniferous species.The model had an exponent parameter of 7/3 and the intercept parameter a_0 could be estimated indirectly from stem basic density（a_0= 0.294 q）.

Estimating the production and mortality of fine roots using minirhizotrons in a Pinus densiflora forest in Gwangneung,Korea

The aim of this study was to estimate fine root production （FP） and fine root mortality （FM） at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm soil depths using minirhizotrons in a 75-year-old Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. forest located in Gwangneung, Korea. We developed the conversion factors （frame cm-2） of three soil depths （0.158 for 0-10 cm, 0.120 for 10-20 cm, and 0.131 for 20-30 cm） based on soil coring and minirhizotron data. FP and FM were estimated using conversion factors from March 26, 2013 to March 2, 2014. The annual FP and FM values at the 0-30 cm soil depth were 3200.2 and 2271.5 kg ha-1 yr -1, respectively. The FP estimate accounted for approximately 17 % of the total net primary production at the study site. FP was highest in summer （July 31-September 26）, and FM was highest in autumn （September 27-November 29）. FP was positively correlated with seasonal change in soil temperature, while FM was not related to that change. The sea- sonality of FP and FM might be linked to above-ground photosynthetic activity. Both FP and FM at the 0-10 cm depth were significantly higher than at 10-20 and 20-30 cm depths, and this resulted from the decrease in nutrient availability with increasing soil depth. The minirhizotron approach and conversion factors developed in this study will enable fast and accurate estimation of the fine root dynamics in P. densiflora forest ecosystems.

Development of monitoring and assessment of forest biomass and carbon storage in China

Addressing climate change has become a common issue around the world in the 21st century and equally an important mission in Chinese forestry.Understanding the development of monitoring and assessment of forest biomass and carbon storage in China is important for promoting the evaluation of forest carbon sequestration capacity of China.The author conducts a systematic analysis of domestic publications addressing＂monitoring and assessment of forest biomass and carbon storage＂in order to understand the development trends,describes the brief history through three stages,and gives the situation of new development.Towards the end of the 20th century,a large number of papers on biomass and productivity of the major forest types in China had been published,covering the exploration and efforts of more than 20 years,while investigations into assessment of forest carbon storage had barely begun.Based on the data of the 7th and 8th National Forest Inventories,forest biomass and carbon storage of the entire country were assessed using individual tree biomass models and carbon conversion factors of major tree species,both previously published and newly developed.Accompanying the implementation of the 8th National Forest Inventory,a program of individual tree biomass modeling for major tree species in China was carried out simultaneously.By means of thematic research on classification of modeling populations,as well as procedures for collecting samples and methodology for biomass modeling,two technical regulations on sample collection and model construction were published as ministerial standards for application.Requests for approval of individual tree biomass models and carbon accounting parameters of major tree species have been issued for approval as ministerial standards.With the improvement of biomass models and carbon accounting parameters,thematic assessment of forest biomass and carbon storage will be gradually changed into a general monitoring of forest biomass and carbon storage,in order to realize their dynamic monitoring in national forest inventories.Strengthening the analysis and assessment of spatial distribution patterns of forest biomass and carbon storage through application of remote sensing techniques and geostatistical approaches will also be one of the major directions of development in the near future.

Estimation of Solar Radiation on Horizontal and Tilted Surface over Bangladesh

To estimate the monthly averaged solar radiations (global, diffuse and direct solar radiation) on horizontal surface and tilted surface over 10 stations (districts) in Bangladesh, thirty years monthly averaged data of various meteorological parameters namely the monthly averaged value of maximum temperature, minimum temperature, humidity and sunshine hours were used in this study. Assessment of the solar resources for the solar based renewable energy technologies of Bangladesh may be based upon this kind of measured data analyzed study. This study tried to estimate the monthly averaged solar radiation by presenting data in table and graph and finally analyze through equations and descriptions. Correlation between the measurements of monthly averaged solar radiation and the meteorological parameters was given for the selected 10 stations in Bangladesh. In conclusion, we tried to make a comparison among solar radiation on horizontal surface, fixed 20.83 ° (degree) optimal tilt angle and variable optimal tilt surface at Dhaka station.

In situ calibrating optical tweezers with sinusoidal-wave drag force method

We introduce a corrected sinusoidal-wave drag force method （SDFM） into optical tweezers to calibrate the trapping stiffness of the optical trap and conversion factor （CF） of photodetectors. First, the theoretical analysis and experimental result demonstrate that the correction of SDFM is necessary, especially the error of no correction is up to 11.25% for a bead of 5μm in diameter. Second, the simulation results demonstrate that the SDFM has a better performance in the calibration of optical tweezers than the triangular-wave drag force method （TDFM） and power spectrum density method （PSDM） at the same signal-to-noise ratio or trapping stiffness. Third, in experiments, the experimental standard deviations of calibration of trapping stiffness and CF with the SDFM are about less than 50% of TDFM and PSDM especially at low laser power. Finally, the experiments of stretching DNA verify that the in situ calibration with the SDFM improves the measurement stability and accuracy.

Peak Load Evaluation Based on the Accumulated Annual Energy

This paper presents a nonlinear approach to estimate the consumed energy in electric power distribution feeders. The proposed method uses the statistical solution algorithm to analyze the active energy monthly consumption, which enables one to estimate the energy consumption during any period of the year. The energy readings and the normalized accumulated energy profile are used to estimate the hourly consumed active power, which can be used for future planning and sizing the equipment of the electrical system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing the simulated results with that of real measured data.

A systematic study of the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic conversion and competition in MnNiGe：Fe ribbon systems

MnNiGe：Fe ribbon samples are prepared. Partial Ni-and Mn-substitution of Fe element can both induce the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic conversion in the Ti Ni Si-type state of these MnNiGe：Fe ribbon systems. It is found out, however, that some factors such as annealing, temperature variation process field-cycling, substituted site and magnetic field can affect the conversion and competition between the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states in these ribbons. Therefore, in this paper these major influencing factors are studied systematically and further discussed are the related magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in MnNiGe：Fe ribbon systems.

How do greenhouse gas emissions vary with biofertilizer type and soil temperature and moisture in a tropical grassland?

Greenhouse gases are known to play an important role in global warming.In this study,we determined the effects of selected soil and climate variables on nitrous oxide(N2O),methane(CH4),and carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions from a tropical grassland fertilized with chicken slurry,swine slurry,cattle slurry,and cattle compost.Cumulative N2O emissions did not differ between treatments and varied from 29.26 to 32.85 mg N m^-2.Similarly,cumulative CH4 emissions were not significantly different among the treatments and ranged from 6.34 to 57.73 mg CH4 m^-2.Slurry and compost application induced CO2 emissions that were significantly different from those in the control treatment.The CH4 conversion factors measured were 0.21%,1.39%,4.39%,and 5.07%for cattle compost,chicken slurry,swine slurry,and cattle slurry,respectively,differing from the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC).The fraction of added Nemitted as N2O was 0.39%,which was lower than the IPCC default value of 2%.Our findings suggest that N2O emissions could be mitigated by replacing synthetic fertilizer sources with either biofertilizer or compost.Our results indicate the following:N2O emission was mainly controlled by soil temperature,followed by soil moisture and then soil NH^"content;CH4 fluxes were mainly controlled by soil moisture and chamber headspace temperature;and CO2 fluxes were mainly controlled by chamber headspace temperature and soil moisture.

Simultaneous Determination of Seven Components in Gamboge and Its Processed Products Using a Single Reference Standard

Objective To establish a quality control method for simultaneous determination of multiple components in gamboge. Methods A single reference standard for the determination of multiple components （SSDMC） with HPLC was proposed. Seven major components of gamboge including gambogenic acid （S）, β-morellic acid （C1）, 2R-30-hydroxygambogic acid （C2）, isogambogenic acid （C3）, gambogellic acid （C4）, 2R-gambogic acid （C5）, and 2S-gambogic acid （C6） were simultaneously analyzed using gambogenic acid as reference standard. The credibility and feasibility of SSDMC method were validated with respect to linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, stability, repeatability, accuracy, ruggedness, and robustness. The relative conversion factors （RCFs） of S and C1-6 were calculated. Twelve batches of gamboge including crude and processed products were successfully analyzed by applying the SSDMC and traditional external standard （ES） methods. Results The SSDMC method was credible and feasible. The RCFs of S and C1-6 were 1.000, 0.913, 0.864, 1.064, 0.777, 0.921, and 0.919, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the contents of the seven components between SSDMC and ES methods. The heat-processing technique caused a reduction in the seven components. Conclusion SSDMC is a simple, reliable, and effective method for the analysis of the complex multiple components in gamboge, and it is also a practical and economical approach.

Changes in Olsen P in Relation to P Balance in Contrasting Agricultural Soils

Maintaining soil phosphorus （P） at adequate levels for plant growth requires assessing how the long-term P balance （viz., the difference between P inputs and outputs） results in changes in soil test P. The hypothesis that routinely measured soil properties can help predict the conversion factor of P balance into Olsen P was tested at 39 sites in agricultural areas of the Mediterranean region in Spair~. A set of soil samples from each site was analyzed for Olsen P, inorganic P （P extracted using 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4）, pseudototal P （P extracted using 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4 following ignition at 550 ~C）, and organic P （the difference between pseudototal P and inorganic P）. Organic and Olsen P were uncorrelated in most of the 39 soil sets, which suggests that organic P content changed little with P inputs and outputs. The slopes of the regression lines of Olsen P against pseudototal and inorganic P, which were used as two different measures of the conversion factor, ranged widely （from 0.03 to 0.25 approximately）, with their average values （about 0.10） being similar to those found in long-term experiments conducted in temperate areas. Neither conversion factor was significantly correlated with any routinely measured soil property; however, the conversion factor for inorganic P was significantly lower for calcareous soils than for noncalcareous soils. Our negative results suggest the need to isolate the influence of soil properties from that of management systems and environmental factors relating to P dynamics in future studies.

Model-based Gait Representation via Spatial Point Reconstruction

This paper proposed a novel model-based feature representation method to characterize human walking properties for individual recognition by gait. First, a new spatial point reconstruction approach is proposed to recover the coordinates of 3D points from 2D images by the related coordinate conversion factor (CCF). The images are captured by a monocular camera. Second, the human body is represented by a connected three-stick model. Then the parameters of the body model are recovered by the method of projective geometry using the related CCF. Finally, the gait feature composed of those parameters is defined, and it is proved by experiments that those features can partially avoid the influence of viewing angles between the optical axis of the camera and walking direction of the subject.

Energy Management Strategy for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Based on System Efficiency and Battery Life Optimization

A novel method to calculate fuel-electric conversion factor for full hybrid electric vehicle（HEV）equipped with continuously variable transmission（CVT）is proposed.Based on consideration of the efficiency of pivotal components,electric motor,system efficiency optimization models are developed.According to the target of instantaneous optimization of system efficiency,operating ranges of each mode of power-train are determined,and the corresponding energy management strategies are established.The simulation results demonstrate that the energy management strategy proposed can substantially improve the vehicle fuel economy,and keep battery state of charge（SOC）change in a reasonable variation range.