Impact of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions on the soil aggregate stability of yellow‒brown soil

Soil aggregate is the basic structural unit of soil,which is the foundation for supporting ecosystem functions,while its composition and stability is significantly affected by the external environment.This study was conducted to explore the effect of external environment(wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions)on the soil aggregate distribution and stability and identify the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability.The yellow‒brown soil from the Three Gorges Reservoir area(TGRA)was used,and 8 wetting-drying conditions(0,1,2,3,4,5,10 and 15 cycles)were simulated under 4 acidic conditions(pH=3,4,5 and 7).The particle size distribution and soil aggregate stability were determined by wet sieving method,the contribution of environmental factors(acid condition,wetting-drying cycle and their combined action)to the soil aggregate stability was clarified and the key soil physicochemical factors that affect the soil aggregate stability under wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions were determined by using the Pearson’s correlation analysis,Partial least squares path modeling(PLS‒PM)and multiple linear regression analysis.The results indicate that wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions have significant effects on the stability of soil aggregates,the soil aggregate stability gradually decreases with increasing number of wetting-drying cycles and it obviously decreases with the increase of acidity.Moreover,the combination of wetting-drying cycles and acidic conditions aggravate the reduction in the soil aggregate stability.The wetting-drying cycles,acidic conditions and their combined effect imposes significant impact on the soil aggregate stability,and the wetting-drying cycles exert the greatest influence.The soil aggregate stability is significantly correlated with the pH,Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),maximum disintegration index(MDI)and soil bulk density(SBD).The PLS‒PM and multiple linear regression analysis further reveal that the soil aggregate stability is primarily influenced by SBD,Ca^(2+),and MDI.These results offer a scientific basis for understanding the soil aggregate breakdown mechanism and are helpful for clarifying the coupled effect of wetting-drying cycles and acid rain on terrestrial ecosystems in the TGRA.

Change in Grain-Size Composition of Lignite under Cyclic Freezing-Thawing and Wetting-Drying

The paper presents the change in grain-size composition of lignite under cyclic freezing-thawing (FTC) and wetting-drying (WDC). The article shows that in the spring and autumn periods the lignites can be subjected to repeated freezing-thawing and wetting-drying, which determines the possibility of changing their grain-size composition and structure. Experimental studies in laboratory conditions on the influence of cyclic freezing-thawing (FTC) and wetting-drying (WDC) on the quality indicators of lignites have been carried out, their granulometric (fractional) composition has been studied. Freezing-thawing cycle conditions are as follows (FTC): minimum exposure temperature: -20°C;maximum: +5°C;relative humidity: 30%;number of processing cycles: 3. Wetting-drying cycles are as follows (WDC): drying temperatures are +20, +40, +60, +80°C, drying time 90 minutes, the coals are further subjected to rain (soaking) for a period of water saturation to humidity of 30% - 40% and dry again. The number of wetting-drying cycles is 3 times. The tests have revealed the destructive effects of FTC and WDC on the samples of lower metamorphic grade coal, and the cycles of wet-dry lead to the much higher yield of fine sizes (-6+0;-13+0 mm) than the cycles of freeze-thaw. Furthermore, it is found that the increase in the yield of fines depends on the heating temperature: coal disintegration proceeds more intensively at a higher temperature of drying.

Changes in Seasonal Cycle and Extremes in China during the Period 1960–2008

Recent trends in seasonal cycles in China are analyzed, based on a homogenized dataset of daily temperatures at 541 stations during the period 1960–2008. Several indices are defined for describing the key features of a seasonal cycle, including local winter/summer （LW/LS） periods and local spring/autumn phase （LSP/LAP）. The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition method is applied to determine the indices for each year. The LW period was found to have shortened by 2–6 d （10 yr）-1, mainly due to an earlier end to winter conditions, with the LW mean temperature having increased by 0.2°C–0.4°C （10 yr）？1, over almost all of China. Records of the most severe climate extremes changed less than more typical winter conditions did. The LS period was found to have lengthened by 2–4 d （10 yr）？1, due to progressively earlier onsets and delayed end dates of the locally defined hot period. The LS mean temperature increased by 0.1°C–0.2°C （10 yr）-1 in most of China, except for a region in southern China centered on the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In contrast to the winter cases, the warming trend in summer was more prominent in the most extreme records than in those of more typical summer conditions. The LSP was found to have advanced significantly by about 2 d （10 yr）-1 in most of China. Changes in the autumn phase were less prominent. Relatively rapid changes happened in the 1980s for most of the regional mean indices dealing with winter and in the 1990s for those dealing with summer.

The Roles of Low-level Jets in “21·7” Henan Extremely Persistent Heavy Rainfall Event

An extremely heavy rainfall event lasting from 17 to 22 July 2021 occurred in Henan Province of China, with accumulated precipitation of more than 1000 mm over a 6-day period that exceeded its mean annual precipitation. The present study examines the roles of persistent low-level jets(LLJs) in maintaining the precipitation using surface station observations and reanalysis datasets. The LLJs triggered strong ascending motions and carried moisture mainly from the outflow of Typhoon In-fa(2021). The varying directions of the LLJs well corresponded to the meridional shifts of the rainfall. The precipitation rate reached a maximum during 20-21 July as the LLJs strengthened and expanded vertically into double LLJs, including synoptic-weather-system-related LLJs(SLLJs) at 850–700 hPa and boundary-layer jets(BLJs)at ~950 hPa. The coupling of the SLLJ and BLJ provided strong mid-and low-level convergence on 20 July, whereas the SLLJ produced mid-level divergence at its entrance that coupled with low-level convergence at the terminus of the BLJ on21 July. The formation mechanisms of the two types of LLJs are further examined. The SLLJs and the low-pressure vortex(or inverted trough) varied synchronously as a whole and were affected by the southwestward movement of the WPSH in the rainiest period. The persistent large total pressure gradient force at low levels also maintained the strength of low-level geostrophic winds, thus sustaining the BLJs on the synoptic scale. The results based on a Du-Rotunno 1D model show that the Blackadar and Holton mechanisms jointly governed the BLJ dynamics on the diurnal scale.

Accelerating Effect of Wetting-Drying Cycles on Steel Bar Corrosion in Concrete

Raining and sun-shining processes in natural climate were simulated by water spraying and infrared lightshining alternately as wetting-drying cycles in accelerated durability test. The accelerating effects of the wet-ting-drying cycles and the variation of corrosion current density and corrosion potential of steel bar in concrete undersuch conditions were studied. The result shows that the main reason leading to accelerating corrosion of steel bar inconcrete is the wetting-drying cycles, which can cause the increase of corrosion potential difference between the an-ode and cathode of steel bar corrosion cell and the decrease of concrete resistance. Corrosion rate of the steel bar inconcrete under four typical conditions, including wetting-drying cycle, long time submerging in water, long time ex-posure to indoor and outdoor environment were measured and compared. The test results indicate that the corrosionrates under the four typical conditions are in the order of spraying and infrared light shining cycles, outdoor environ-ment, indoor environment, and submerging in water, respectively.

Effect of flexural loading on degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete subjected to sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles

The degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC) subjected to sulfate attack under wetting-drying cycles and flexural loading is studied. Three different stress ratios(0, 0.3 and 0.5) were applied in this test. The variations of relative dynamic elastic modulus Erd and water-soluble SO2-4 contents in RAC were used to evaluate degradation progress. The changes in mineral products and microstructures of interior concrete were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), the environmental scanning electron microscope(ESEM) and X-ray computed tomography(X-CT). The results indicate that flexural loading accelerates the degradation of RAC under sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles by expediting the transmission of SO2-4 into interior concrete. Furthermore, the accelerated effect of flexural loading is more obvious with the increase of stress ratio, that is because higher stress ratios can accelerate the extension of microcracks and generate more channels for the transmission of SO2-4. Also, more expansive products(gypsum and ettringite) are generated by the reaction of Ca(OH)2 with SO2-4, which can further accelerate the degradation of RAC.

Development and application of an instrument for simulating wetting-drying cycles of expansive soils under loads

Alternating rainfall and evaporation in nature severely impact the shear strength of expansive soils. This study presents an instrument for simulating the effect of wetting–drying cycles on the strength of expansive soils under different loads, and its testing error is verified. With this instrument,direct shear tests were performed on samples experiencing 0-6 cycles under vertical loads of 0 kPa,5 kPa, 15 kPa, and 30 k Pa. The results found that this instrument provides a new method for evaluating the effects of wetting–drying cycles on soils, and this method represents actual engineering conditions more accurately than do preexisting methods. It accurately controls the water content within 1% while simulating the specified loads at different soil depths.Cohesion is significantly affected by wetting–drying cycles, while the friction angle is not as sensitive to these cycles. Decrease in shear strength can be attributed to the fissures in soils caused by wetting–drying cycles. The existence of vertical loads effectively restricts shrinkage fissuring and cohesion attenuation, consequently inhibiting the attenuation of shear strength.

Long-Term Trends in Pre-Summer Daytime and Nocturnal Extreme Hourly Rainfall in a Coastal City of South China

The long-term trends in the occurrence frequency of pre-summer daytime and nocturnal extreme hourly rainfall(EXHR) during 1988-2018 in Hong Kong and their spatial distributions are examined and analyzed. Despite a significant increasing trend observed in the occurrence frequency of pre-summer EXHRs during the investigated period,the increase in daytime and nocturnal EXHRs show distinct spatial patterns. Nocturnal EXHRs show uniform increasing trends over the entire Hong Kong. However, the increase in daytime EXHRs is concentrated over the northern or eastern areas of Hong Kong, indicating a downstream shift of pre-summer EXHRs in Hong Kong with regard to the prevailing southwesterly monsoonal flows in south China. The clustering of weather types associated with daytime and nocturnal EXHRs further reveals that the increase in EXHRs over Hong Kong are mainly contributed by the increase of the events associated with southwesterly monsoonal flows with relatively high speeds. During the past few decades, the southwesterly monsoonal flows at coastal south China have undergone a substantial weakening due to the increased surface roughness induced by the urbanization over the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area since 1990s,leading to enhanced low-level convergence and thus significant increase in EXHRs at coastal south China. Meanwhile,daytime sea-wind circulation at coastal south China is markedly enhanced during the investigated period, which is the main reason for the northward shift of daytime EXHRs in Hong Kong. In addition, the blocked southwesterly monsoonal flows at coastal south China are detoured eastward, leading to stronger convergence and increase in EXHRs at eastern coast of Hong Kong, especially during daytime, when the easterly sea winds prevail at the region.

Research on Corrosion Effect of Sulfate Ions on Concrete Under Wetting-Drying Cycle

Saline soil is widely distributed in the marine sediments along the coast of the world and the arid-semi-arid areas of the Middle East and Iraq,and calcium sulfate erosion has become one of the important factors affecting the durability of concrete in this area.In order to clarify the mechanism of sulfate ion damage to concrete,this paper mainly takes saline soil with high sulfate content in coastal area as well as arid-semi-arid area as the research object,and uses indoor geotechnical test,field test and numerical simulation to study the influence of different dry-wet cycle times on the unconfined compressive strength of concrete test blocks,and puts forward the relationship between the erosion arrival depth and time of sulfate ion in concrete,so as to predict the long-term erosion depth by using the erosion depth of sulfate ion in concrete in short time.The results show that the shorter the erosion time when the erosion reaches a certain depth,and the larger the erosion reaches when the erosion time is the same,the faster the erosion reaches the depth with the increase of erosion time.Compared with rectangular section concrete,circular section concrete penetrates faster.The results of this study can provide a reference for the durability design of concrete in saline soil sites containing sulfate.

List Extremal Number of Union of Short Cycles

The list extremal number f（G） is defined for a graph G as the smallest integer k such that the join of G with a stable set of size k is not ｜V（G）｜-choosable. In this paper, we find the exact value of f（G）, where G is the union of edge-disjoint cycles of length three, four, five and six. Our results confirm two conjectures posed by S. Gravier, F. Maffray and B. Mohar.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Extreme Hourly Precipitation over Eastern China in the Warm Season

Based on hourly precipitation data in eastern China in the warm season during 1961-2000,spatial distributions of frequency for 20 mm h 1 and 50 mm h 1 precipitation were analyzed,and the criteria of short-duration rainfall events and severe rainfall events are discussed.Furthermore,the percentile method was used to define local hourly extreme precipitation;based on this,diurnal variations and trends in extreme precipitation were further studied.The results of this study show that,over Yunnan,South China,North China,and Northeast China,the most frequent extreme precipitation events occur most frequently in late afternoon and/or early evening.In the Guizhou Plateau and the Sichuan Basin,the maximum frequency of extreme precipitation events occurs in the late night and/or early morning.And in the western Sichuan Plateau,the maximum frequency occurs in the middle of the night.The frequency of extreme precipitation （based on hourly rainfall measurements） has increased in most parts of eastern China,especially in Northeast China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River,but precipitation has decreased significantly in North China in the past 50 years.In addition,stations in the Guizhou Plateau and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River exhibit significant increasing trends in hourly precipitation extremes during the nighttime more than during the daytime.

Trends in Temperature Extremes in Association with Weather-Intraseasonal Fluctuations in Eastern China

Trends in the frequencies of four temperature extremes （the occurrence of warm days, cold days, warm nights and cold nights） with respect to a modulated annual cycle （MAC）, and those associated exclusively with weather-intraseasonal fluctuations （WIF） in eastern China were investigated based on an updated homogenized daily maximum and minimum temperature dataset for 1960–2008. The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition （EEMD） method was used to isolate the WIF, MAC, and longer-term components from the temperature series. The annual, winter and summer occurrences of warm （cold） nights were found to have increased （decreased） significantly almost everywhere, while those of warm （cold） days have increased （decreased） in northern China （north of 40°N）. However, the four temperature extremes associated exclusively with WIF for winter have decreased almost everywhere, while those for summer have decreased in the north but increased in the south. These characteristics agree with changes in the amplitude of WIF. In particular, winter WIF of maximum temperature tended to weaken almost everywhere, especially in eastern coastal areas （by 10%–20%）; summer WIF tended to intensify in southern China by 10%–20%. It is notable that in northern China, the occurrence of warm days has increased, even where that associated with WIF has decreased significantly. This suggests that the recent increasing frequency of warm extremes is due to a considerable rise in the mean temperature level, which surpasses the effect of the weakening weather fluctuations in northern China.

Comparison of Daily Extreme Temperatures over Eastern China and South Korea between 1996–2005

This paper examined the decadal mean, seasonal cycle, and interannual variations of mean and extreme temperatures using daily temperature and relative humidity data from 589 stations over eastern China and South Korea between 1996-2005. The results show that the decadal mean Tm （mean daily mean temperature） and the TNn （minimum daily minimum temperature） increase from north to south; the opposite spatial gradient is found in the DTR （diurnal temperature range）; the value of the DTR over South Korea is in- between that over North China and the mid-low Yangtze River valley; the TXx （maximum daily maximum temperature） has a unique spatial distribution, with the largest value over eastern China. The highest standard deviation （STD） is located over northern China and the TNn has the largest area coverage of the high STD. The peak of the seasonal cycle for the Tm, TXx and TNn over South Korea （August） occurs one month later than that over eastern China （July）. The seasonal cycle of the DTR has two peaks （April and October）; the value in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley is larger than that in South Korea during July and August owing to the seasonal northward jump of the major monsoon rain band. The interannual variations of summertime temperature indices including the Tin, TXx, and DTR over South Korea are consistent （opposite） to that over northern （southern） China. For the wintertime temperature indices however, the variation over South Korea is consistent with that over eastern China.

Effect of cyclic wetting-drying on tensile mechanical behavior and microstructure of clay-bearing sandstone

The understanding of the weakening mechanism of tensile strength of rock subjected to cyclic wetting-drying is critical for rock engineering.Tensile strength tests were conducted on a total of 35 sandstone specimens with different wetting-drying cycles.The crack propagation process and acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples were obtained through a high-speed camera and acoustic emission system.The results indicate that the tensile strength is observably reduced after cyclic wetting-drying,and the extent of the reduction is not only related to the number of wettingdrying cycle,but also closely related to the clay mineral content of the sample.In addition,as the cycles of wetting-drying increase,the effect of each single cycle on tensile strength get reduced until it becomes constant.Moreover,the crack initiation and penetration time is prolonged as the number of wetting-drying cycle increases,which indicates that cyclic wetting-drying weakens the rock stiffness and enhances the ductility of sandstone.Meanwhile,the acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples further confirmed the ductile behaviour of the sandstone samples with increasing wetting-drying cycle.Furthermore,through the analysis of the microstructure and mineral composition of the samples with different wetting-drying cycles,it is concluded that the main weakening mechanisms of sandstones containing clay minerals are frictional reduction,chemical and corrosive deterioration.

A Dynamic Programming Approach for the Max-Min Cycle Packing Problem in Even Graphs

Let be an undirected graph. The maximum cycle packing problem in G then is to find a collection of edge-disjoint cycles Ciin G such that s is maximum. In general, the maximum cycle packing problem is NP-hard. In this paper, it is shown for even graphs that if such a collection satisfies the condition that it minimizes the quantityon the set of all edge-disjoint cycle collections, then it is a maximum cycle packing. The paper shows that the determination of such a packing can be solved by a dynamic programming approach. For its solution, an-shortest path procedure on an appropriate acyclic networkis presented. It uses a particular monotonous node potential.

2019-2022年甘肃瓜州极旱荒漠生态系统碳水通量观测数据集

极旱荒漠生态系统通常位于干旱地区,降水量较低并伴有高温现象,其原生植被具有较高适应性,是极端环境条件下的特殊生态系统类型。极旱荒漠生态系统在帮助保持土壤稳定性、防止土壤侵蚀、维持独特生物多样性等方面发挥着一定作用,在全球生态系统中具有独特而重要的地位。了解中国西北极旱荒漠生态系统碳水通量特征对于研究极旱荒漠生态系统在全球碳水循环中的作用具有重要意义。本数据集为甘肃瓜州极旱荒漠生态系统野外科学观测研究站(以下简称瓜州站)所收集的2019年1月1日至2022年12月31日的日尺度碳水通量观测数据集。采用涡动相关通量观测技术对该生态系统碳水通量进行野外观测,使用ChinaFLUX数据处理技术标准对原始数据进行校正、质量控制和数据插补最终形成日尺度数据集。本数据集包括净生态系统碳交换量(NEE)、生态系统总初级生产力(GPP)、生态系统呼吸(ER)、水通量(FH2O)、土壤热通量(SHF)、蒸散发(ET)、显热通量(H)、潜热通量(LE)和太阳辐射(R_(g))、气温(T_(air))、露点温度(T_(dew))、土壤含水量(SWC)、光量子通量密度(PPFD)、相对湿度(RH)、饱和水汽压差(VPD)、降水(P)等关键气象环境观测数据。本数据集可为深入研究极旱荒漠生态系统在全球碳水循环中的作用与地位提供宝贵的数据基础。

针刺运动疗法对改善痰瘀阻络型脑卒中后肩痛的临床效果

目的 分析针刺运动疗法对改善痰瘀阻络型脑卒中后肩痛的临床效果。方法 选取2020年3月至2022年9月江苏省常州市武进中医医院康复科收治的84例脑卒中后肩痛患者为对象,采用随机数字表法将其分为常规组和试验组,每组42例。常规组采用低周波治疗,试验组在常规组基础上给予针刺运动疗法治疗。于治疗前,治疗3、7、10 d时比较两组肩痛程度,于治疗前、治疗2周后比较两组改良Barthel指数(MBI),Fugl-Meyer评估表上肢部分(FMA-U)评分,匹兹堡睡眠质量量表(PSQI)评分。结果 常规组脱落1例,最终完成41例,试验组脱落3例,最张立完成39例。两组治疗3、7、10 d时肩痛程度评分均低于治疗前(P<0.05);试验组治疗3、7、10 d时肩痛程度评分低于常规组(P<0.05)。治疗后,两组MBI评分、FMA-U评分高于治疗前,PSQI评分低于治疗前,试验组MBI评分、FMA-U评分高于常规组,PSQI评分低于常规组(P<0.05)。治疗后,两组肩关节前屈、后伸、外展、内旋、外旋活动度较治疗前升高,且试验组高于常规组(P<0.05)。结论 针刺运动疗法可改善痰瘀阻络型脑卒中后肩痛程度和肩关节活动度,促进上肢运动功能的恢复,有利于提高睡眠质量。

不同土壤湿度产品对长江中下游极端气候事件响应过程分析

评估了5种常用的土壤湿度产品(SMOS、SMAP、ESA CCI、ERA5、SMCI)在长江中下游地区的适用性,并结合气象数据分析了各产品在极端降水、干旱事件期间的时空变化特征。结果表明:5种产品都能较好地反映长江中下游地区土壤湿度空间分布特征,SMOS与其他产品相比存在普遍低估,时空变化特征与其他几种产品有一定差异。在反映土壤湿度对极端降水响应方面,SMAP、SMCI和ERA5都能反映出与异常降水变化相匹配的土壤湿度空间变化特征,而SMOS在空间上没能准确反映对降水的响应过程。在反映土壤湿度对极端干旱响应方面,SMOS和ESA CCI对极端干旱事件的响应与其他几种产品差异较大,ERA5和SMCI土壤湿度对干旱在空间上的响应较为准确。

用于极寒地区的空气透平循环热泵可行性分析

南极的气候极端,最低温度可达-80℃,平均低温约为-40℃,为科考人员提供适宜生活环境成为挑战。传统的取暖方式在这种极端环境下存在问题,尤其是蒸气压缩式热泵在-40℃极寒温区下蒸发压力过低,无法正常运行。提出了空气透平循环热泵作为解决方案。该热泵以空气为工质,通过气体压缩和膨胀转移热量,没有相变,不存在蒸发压力低无法运行的情况。并且开式空气循环可以方便的切换为新风模式。研究结果显示,空气透平循环热泵新风系统在-40℃极寒温区制热时,仍然能正常运行并保持1.5以上的COP。空气透平循环热泵的优势包括适应极端低温、可提供新风、采用自然工质不存在环境污染和泄漏问题、系统简单可靠、低维护成本等。

基于长期监测数据的全寿命周期内桥梁温致挠度极值的预测

挠度是检验桥梁健康状态的重要参数之一,精准评估桥梁挠度在全寿命周期内是否超限具有重要工程意义。基于某桥挠度和温度场的长期监测数据,分析了桥梁上、下游挠度的时变监测规律,考察了挠度和季节温度之间的相关性监测规律,并通过研究桥梁挠度累积概率特性及其最佳累积分布函数,提出了同时考虑季节温度变化和日变化随机特性影响的桥梁挠度全寿命周期预测方法。结果表明:桥梁挠度具有良好的季节变化特征,且与温度之间具有良好的相关性,因此在预测全寿命周期挠度值时需要充分考虑季节温度的影响;每天内的挠度极大值呈现出平稳随机特征,因此在挠度预测时还需要充分考虑挠度极大值的随机特性影响;挠度极大值的平稳随机特征可采用概率统计特性描述,相较于Normal和Weibull分布函数,GEV分布函数可以较好地描述挠度极大值的概率统计特性;提出了挠度全寿命周期预测方法,挠度在全寿命周期内的预测值由两部分组成,即由季节温度引起的挠度值和极值随机特性引起的挠度值,其中季节温度占主要影响;计算出了桥梁挠度在全寿命周期内的预测值为190.14 mm。研究成果可为桥梁结构服役安全评估提供参考。