No effect of invasive tree species on aboveground biomass increments of oaks and pines in temperate forests

Prunus serotina and Robinia pseudoacacia are the most widespread invasive trees in Central Europe.In addition,according to climate models,decreased growth of many economically and ecologically important native trees will likely be observed in the future.We aimed to assess the impact of these two neophytes,which differ in the biomass range and nitrogen-fixing abilities observed in Central European conditions,on the relative aboveground biomass increments of native oaks Qucrcus robur and Q.petraea and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris.We aimed to increase our understanding of the relationship between facilitation and competition between woody alien species and overstory native trees.We established 72 circular plots(0.05 ha)in two different forest habitat types and stands varying in age in western Poland.We chose plots with different abundances of the studied neophytes to determine how effects scaled along the quantitative invasion gradient.Furthermore,we collected growth cores of the studied native species,and we calculated aboveground biomass increments at the tree and stand levels.Then,we used generalized linear mixed-effects models to assess the impact of invasive species abundances on relative aboveground biomass increments of native tree species.We did not find a biologically or statistically significant impact of invasive R.pseudoacacia or P.serotina on the relative aboveground,biomass increments of native oaks and pines along the quantitative gradient of invader biomass or on the proportion of total stand biomass accounted for by invaders.The neophytes did not act as native tree growth stimulators but also did not compete with them for resources,which would escalate the negative impact of climate change on pines and oaks.The neophytes should not significantly modify the carbon sequestration capacity of the native species.Our work combines elements of the per capita effect of invasion with research on mixed forest management.

A Hybrid Optimization Approach of Single Point Incremental Sheet Forming of AISI 316L Stainless Steel Using Grey Relation Analysis Coupled with Principal Component Analysiss

We investigated the parametric optimization on incremental sheet forming of stainless steel using Grey Relational Analysis(GRA) coupled with Principal Component Analysis(PCA). AISI 316L stainless steel sheets were used to develop double wall angle pyramid with aid of tungsten carbide tool. GRA coupled with PCA was used to plan the experiment conditions. Control factors such as Tool Diameter(TD), Step Depth(SD), Bottom Wall Angle(BWA), Feed Rate(FR) and Spindle Speed(SS) on Top Wall Angle(TWA) and Top Wall Angle Surface Roughness(TWASR) have been studied. Wall angle increases with increasing tool diameter due to large contact area between tool and workpiece. As the step depth, feed rate and spindle speed increase,TWASR decreases with increasing tool diameter. As the step depth increasing, the hydrostatic stress is raised causing severe cracks in the deformed surface. Hence it was concluded that the proposed hybrid method was suitable for optimizing the factors and response.

Application of a Typhoon Initialization Scheme Based on the Incremental Analysis Updates Technique in a Rapid Update Cycle System

Initialization of tropical cyclones plays an important role in typhoon numerical prediction. This study applied a typhoon initialization scheme based on the incremental analysis updates (IAU) technique in a rapid refresh system to improve the prediction of Typhoon Lekima (2019). Two numerical sensitivity experiments with or without application of the IAU technique after performing vortex relocation and wind adjustment procedures were conducted for comparison with the control experiment, which did not involve a typhoon initialization scheme. Analysis of the initial fields indicated that the relocation procedure shifted the typhoon circulation to the observed typhoon region, and the wind speeds became closer to the observations following the wind adjustment procedure. Comparison of the results of the sensitivity and control experiments revealed that the vortex relocation and wind adjustment procedures could improve the prediction of typhoon track and intensity in the first 6-h period, and that these improvements were extended throughout the first 12-h period of the prediction by the IAU technique. The new typhoon initialization scheme also improved the simulated typhoon structure in terms of not only the wind speed and warm core prediction but also the organization of the eye of Typhoon Lekima. Diagnosis of the tendencies of variables showed that use of the IAU technique in a typhoon initialization scheme is efficacious in resolving the spurious high-frequency noise problem such that the model is able to reach equilibrium as soon as possible.

Effect of Different Nitrogen Application Amount on the Net Increment of Fresh Dry Weight in Hybrid Rape

[ Objective] The aim of the research was to provide reference for reasonable application of nitrogen fertilizer for high yield.cultivation of hybrid rape cuhivar Youyan 9 and Youyan 10. [ Method] The net increment changes of individual plant fresh weight and dry matter weight of Youyan 9 and Youyan 10 with different nitrogen application treatments were studied. [ Result] The differences among average fresh weight increments of individual plant and average dry matter weight increment of individual plant with different treatments reached 0. 01 extremely significant level. Fresh weight increment and dry matter weight net increment of individual plant declined gradually with the increase of nitrogen application. In growtheourse ,fresh weight net increment of individual plant increased firstly then decreased and the maximum was in beginning flowering stage, besides that dry matter net increment increased gradually and the maximum was in mature period. The correlations among fresh net increment, dry matter weight net increment and yield net increment were positive or extremely positive. [ Conclusion] Under experimental condition, when nitrogen application was 225 kg/hm^2, hybrid rape Yanyou 9 and Yanyou 10 with low erucic,low glucosinolate could obtain high yield.

Correlation of eco-hydrographic benefit and height increment of Robinia pseudoacacia stand with climatic environmental factors in Yellow River Delta Wetland of China

The relationship between eco-hydrographic benefit of forest vegetation and climatic environmental factors is one of the focuses in the research on environmental protection and ecosystem countermeasures in Wetland. The runoff, sediment and soil moisture rate dynamics in Robinia pseudoacacia plantation and its clearcut area were investigated in the natural runoff experiment plots in Yellow River Delta Wet- land, Shandong Province, China. The correlation of height increment ofR. pseudoacacia with nine climate factors such as light, water, heat, etc. was analyzed by stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that the amounts of runoff and sediment in clearcut area of R. pseudoacacia were 53.9%-150.8% and 172.8%-387.1% higher than that in Robinia pseudoacacia plantation, respectively. The runoff peak value in R. pseudoacacia stand was obviously lower than that in clerarcut area, meantime, the occurrence of runoffpeak in R. pseudoacacia stand was 25 min later than in its clerarcut area. The soil moisture rates in R. pseudoacacia stand and its clearcut varied periodically with annual rainfall precipitation in both dry season and humid season. The annual mean soil moisture rate in R. pseudoacacia stand was 23.3%-25.6% higher than that in its clearcut area. Meanwhile, a regression model reflecting the correlation between the height increment of R. pseudoacacia and climatic factors was developed by stepwise regression procedure method. It showed that the light was the most important factor for the height increment ofR. pseudoacacia, followed by water and heat factors.

Effects of climate factors on the height increment of poplar protec-tion forest in the riverbank field

Based on the data of stand investigation and stem analysis, the effects of climate factors on the poplar protection forest increment in the riverbank field of the Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe rivers of Liaoning Province, China were studied by step-wise regression procedure and grey system theories and methods. A regression model reflecting the correlation between the height increment of poplar protection forest and climatic factors was developed. The order of grey relevance for the effect of climatic factors on the height increment of poplar protection forest is: light>water>heat, and it could be interpreted that the poplar increment was mainly influenced by light factor, water factor, and heat factor. This result will provide scientific basis for the in-tensive cultivation and regeneration of the poplar protection forest in riverbank field in similar regions in China.

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Rice Potential Productivity and Potential Yield Increment in Main Production Regions of China

The vast area and marked variation of China make it difficult to predict the impact of climate changes on rice productivity in different regions.Therefore,analyzing the spatial and temporal characteristics of rice potential productivity and predicting the possible yield increment in main rice production regions of China is important for guiding rice production and ensuring food security.Using meteorological data of main rice production regions from 1961 to 1970（the 1960s） and from 1996 to 2005（the 2000s） provided by 333 stations,the potential photosynthetic,photo-thermal and climatic productivities in rice crop of the 1960s and 2000s in main rice production regions of China were predicted,and differences in the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics between two decades were analyzed.Additionally,the potential yield increment based on the high yield target and actual yield of rice in the 2000s were predicted.Compared with the 1960s,the potential photosynthetic productivity of the 2000s was seen to have decreased by 5.40%,with rates in northeastern and southwestern China found to be lower than those in central and southern China.The potential photo-thermal productivity was generally seen to decrease（2.56%） throughout main rice production regions,decreasing most in central and southern China.However,an increase was seen in northeastern and southwestern China.The potential climatic productivity was observed to be lower（7.44%） in the 2000s compared to the 1960s,but increased in parts of central and southern China.The potential yield increment from the actual yield to high yield target in the 2000s were no more than 6×103 kg ha-1 and ranged from 6×103 to 12×103 kg ha-1 in most of the single-and double-cropping rice growing regions,respectively.The yield increasing potential from the high yield target to the potential photo-thermal productivity in 2000s were less than 10×103 kg ha-1 and ranged from 10×103 to 30×103 kg ha-1 in most of the single-and double-cropping rice growing regions,respectively.The potential yield increment contributed by irrigation was between 5×103 and 20×103 kg ha-1,and between 20×103 and 40×103 kg ha-1 in most of the single-and double-cropping rice growing regions,respectively.These findings suggested that the high yield could be optimized by making full use of climatic resources and through a reasonable management plan in rice crop.

Event-based incremental updating of spatio-temporal database

Based on the relationship among the geographic events, spatial changes and the database operations, a new automatic (semi-automatic) incremental updating approach of spatio-temporal database (STDB) named as (event-based) incremental updating (E-BIU) is proposed in this paper. At first, the relationship among the events, spatial changes and the database operations is analyzed, then a total architecture of E-BIU implementation is designed, which includes an event queue, three managers and two sets of rules, each component is presented in detail. The process of the E-BIU of master STDB is described successively. An example of building’s incremental updating is given to illustrate this approach at the end. The result shows that E-BIU is an efficient automatic updating approach for master STDB.

Assessing the seismic behavior of steel moment frames equipped by elliptical brace through incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)

Incremental dynamic analysis and nonlinear static pushover analysis are carried out on a performance-based design to determine the seismic demands and capacities of an elliptic braced moment resisting frame(ELBRF).The objective is to assess ductility,overstrength and response modification factors in a modern steel-braced structural system based on incremental dynamic analysis.This integrated system is connected to a beam and column with an appropriate length while providing enough architectural space to allow for an opening without having the common problems associated with architectural spaces in braced systems.Several different classes of buildings are considered on soil type II.Linear dynamic analysis,nonlinear static pushover analysis and incremental nonlinear dynamic analysis related to 12 records from past earthquakes are carried out using OpenSees software.The factors of ductility,overstrength and response modification are calculated for this system.The values of 9.5 and 6.5 are found and suggested only for the response modification factor for ELBRF systems in allowable stress and ultimate limit state methods,respectively.The fragility curves are plotted for the first time for this type of bracing,which contributes to the assessment of building seismic damage.

Use of Incremental Analysis Updates in 4D-Var Data Assimilation

The four-dimensional variational （4D-Var） data assimilation systems used in most operational and research centers use initial condition increments as control variables and adjust initial increments to find optimal analysis solutions. This approach may sometimes create discontinuities in analysis fields and produce undesirable spin ups and spin downs. This study explores using incremental analysis updates （IAU） in 4D-Var to reduce the analysis discontinuities. IAU-based 4D-Var has almost the same mathematical formula as conventional 4D-Var if the initial condition increments are replaced with time-integrated increments as control variables. The IAU technique was implemented in the NASA/GSFC 4D-Var prototype and compared against a control run without IAU. The results showed that the initial precipitation spikes were removed and that other discontinuities were also reduced, especially for the analysis of surface temperature.

Optimization of processing parameters for microwave drying of selenium-rich slag using incremental improved back-propagation neural network and response surface methodology

In the non-linear microwave drying process, the incremental improved back-propagation （BP） neural network and response surface methodology （RSM） were used to build a predictive model of the combined effects of independent variables （the microwave power, the acting time and the rotational frequency） for microwave drying of selenium-rich slag. The optimum operating conditions obtained from the quadratic form of the RSM are： the microwave power of 14.97 kW, the acting time of 89.58 min, the rotational frequency of 10.94 Hz, and the temperature of 136.407 ℃. The relative dehydration rate of 97.1895% is obtained. Under the optimum operating conditions, the incremental improved BP neural network prediction model can predict the drying process results and different effects on the results of the independent variables. The verification experiments demonstrate the prediction accuracy of the network, and the mean squared error is 0.16. The optimized results indicate that RSM can optimize the experimental conditions within much more broad range by considering the combination of factors and the neural network model can predict the results effectively and provide the theoretical guidance for the follow-up production process.

Mechanical properties and microstructure evolution in incremental forming of AA5754 and AA6061 aluminum alloys

This study performs single point incremental forming(SPIF)on two aluminum alloys(i.e.AA5754 and AA6061),and analyzes their post forming mechanical properties and microstructure evolution.The forming parameters namely wall angle(35°-55°),feed rate(1-4 m/min),spindle rotational speed(50-1000 r/min),and lubricant(grease and hydraulic oil)are varied to probe detailed processing effects.The pre-and post-SPIF mechanical properties and microstructures are characterized by conducting tensile tests and optical microscopy,respectively.It is shown that an increase in the wall angle,feed rate and rotational speed causes microscopic variations in the alloys such that the grains of AA5754 and the second phase particles of AA6061 elongate.As a result,the ultimate tensile strength of the formed parts is increased by 10%for AA5754 and by 8%for AA6061.And,the ductility of AA5754 is decreased from 22.9%to 12%and that of AA6061 is decreased from 16%to 10.7%.Regarding the lubricant effect,it is shown that the mechanical properties remain insensitive to the type of lubricant employed.These results indicate that SPIF processing modifies the microstructure of Al alloys in a way to enhance the strength at the cost of ductility.

Finite element and experimental analyses of cylindrical hole flanging in incremental forming

The influence of the size of pre-cut hole of blank on the formability of cylindrical hole flanging in single point incremental forming（SPIF） was studied. The flange is produced in four stages starting from 45° to 90° and employing aluminum as the test material. It is shown that the hole size has significant effects on the stress/strain distribution on the cylindrical flange. The magnitude of hoop strains increases and the flange thickness increases as the hole size increases. Likewise, the von Mises stress reduces with the increasing of hole size. Further, there is a threshold value of hole size（i.e., 80 mm） below which severe stresses occur, which lead to sheet fracturing thus failing the successful forming of cylindrical flange. Moreover, the formability reduces as the hole size is increased above the threshold size. Finally, it is concluded that 80 mm is the threshold size of hole for maximizing the formability of aluminum sheet in incremental hole flanging.

Period-doubling bifurcation in two-stage power factor correction converters using the method of incremental harmonic balance and Floquet theory

In this paper, period-doubling bifurcation in a two-stage power factor correction converter is analyzed by using the method of incremental harmonic balance （IHB） and Floquet theory. A two-stage power factor correction converter typically employs a cascade configuration of a pre-regulator boost power factor correction converter with average current mode control to achieve a near unity power factor and a tightly regulated post-regulator DC-DC Buck converter with voltage feedback control to regulate the output voltage. Based on the assumption that the tightly regulated postregulator DC-DC Buck converter is represented as a constant power sink and some other assumptions, the simplified model of the two-stage power factor correction converter is derived and its approximate periodic solution is calculated by the method of IHB. And then, the stability of the system is investigated by using Floquet theory and the stable boundaries are presented on the selected parameter spaces. Finally, some experimental results are given to confirm the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.

Improving convergence of incremental harmonic balance method using homotopy analysis method

We have deduced incremental harmonic balance an iteration scheme in the （IHB） method using the harmonic balance plus the Newton-Raphson method. Since the convergence of the iteration is dependent upon the initial values in the iteration, the convergent region is greatly restricted for some cases. In this contribution, in order to enlarge the convergent region of the IHB method, we constructed the zeroth-order deformation equation using the homotopy analysis method, in which the IHB method is employed to solve the deformation equation with an embedding parameter as the active increment. Taking the Duffing and the van der Pol equations as examples, we obtained the highly accurate solutions. Importantly, the presented approach renders a convenient way to control and adjust the convergence.

APPLICATION OF ROUGH SET THEORY TO MAINTENANCE LEVEL DECISION-MAKING FOR AERO-ENGINE MODULES BASED ON INCREMENTAL KNOWLEDGE LEARNING

The maintenance of an aero-engine usually includes three levels,and the maintenance cost and period greatly differ depending on the different maintenance levels.To plan a reasonable maintenance budget program, airlines would like to predict the maintenance level of aero-engine before repairing in terms of performance parameters,which can provide more economic benefits.The maintenance level decision rules are mined using the historical maintenance data of a civil aero-engine based on the rough set theory,and a variety of possible models of updating rules produced by newly increased maintenance cases added to the historical maintenance case database are investigated by the means of incremental machine learning.The continuously updated rules can provide reasonable guidance suggestions for engineers and decision support for planning a maintenance budget program before repairing. The results of an example show that the decision rules become more typical and robust,and they are more accurate to predict the maintenance level of an aero-engine module as the maintenance data increase,which illustrates the feasibility of the represented method.

DEFORMATION ANALYSIS OF SHEET METAL SINGLE-POINT INCREMENTAL FORMING BY FINITE ELEMENT METHOD SIMULATION

Single-point incremental forming （SPIF） is an innovational sheet metal forming method without dedicated dies, which belongs to rapid prototyping technology. In generalizing the SPIF of sheet metal, the deformation analysis on forming process becomes an important and useful method for the planning of shell products, the choice of material, the design of the forming process and the planning of the forming tool. Using solid brick elements, the finite element method（FEM） model of truncated pyramid was established. Based on the theory of anisotropy and assumed strain formulation, the SPIF processes with different parameters were simulated. The resulted comparison between the simulations and the experiments shows that the FEM model is feasible and effective. Then, according to the simulated forming process, the deformation pattern of SPIF can be summarized as the combination of plane-stretching deformation and bending deformation. And the study about the process parameters＇ impact on deformation shows that the process parameter of interlayer spacing is a dominant factor on the deformation. Decreasing interlayer spacing, the strain of one step decreases and the formability of blank will be improved. With bigger interlayer spacing, the plastic deformation zone increases and the forming force will be bigger.

Effect of intra-abdominal volume increment on kidneys in minipigs with intra-abdominal hypertension after hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation

Background: To investigate the effect of intra-abdominal volume increment(IAVI) on intra-abdominal hypertension(IAH) in the kidneys.Methods: Eight minipigs were successfully established as IAH models and were randomly divided into two groups: the IAVI group and the sham-operated group. The intravesical pressure, inferior vena cava pressure and urine volume were measured before shock, 2 h after IAH, and 22 h after surgery, respectively. The following indices were measured: serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, renal cortical thickness, ratio of abdominal anteroposterior diameter/transverse diameter, renal thickness, diameter of the renal sinus and the wet/dry ratio of renal tissues.Results: The intravesical pressure(IVP) of the 8 minipig IAH models was calculated to be 21.16±4.63 mmHg. There was a significant increase in the abdominal anteroposterior diameter/transverse diameter ratio. The minipigs in the IAVI group survived during the observational period, whereas 2 minipigs died at 18 h and 20 h in the sham-operated group. Twenty-two hours after surgery, the animals in the IAVI group displayed increased urinary volume(UV) and decreased Cr and Ur and remarkable decreases of VP and IVCP. After IAH, the renal cortical thickness and the renal thickness increased significantly. The renal wet/dry ratio in the sham-operated group was higher than that in the IAVI group.Conclusion: IAVI helps to control renal dysfunction after IAH, which may be related to lowering the intra-abdominal pressure, thus alleviating renal edema and blood stasis.

Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of incremental sheet forming process

In order to investigate the process of incremental sheet forming (ISF) through both experimental and numerical approaches, a three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element model (FEM) was developed to simulate the process and the simulated results were compared with those of experiment. The results of numerical simulations, such as the strain history and distribution, the stress state and distribution, sheet thickness distribution, etc, were discussed in details, and the influences of process parameters on these results were also analyzed. The simulated results of the radial strain and the thickness distribution are in good agreement with experimental results. The simulations reveal that the deformation is localized around the tool and constantly remains close to a plane strain state. With decreasing depth step, increasing tool diameter and wall inclination angle, the axial stress reduces, leading to less thinning and more homogeneous plastic strain and thickness distribution. During ISF, the plastic strain increases stepwise under the action of the tool. Each increase in plastic strain is accompanied by hydrostatic pressure, which explains why obtainable deformation using ISF exceeds the forming limits of conventional sheet forming.

Study of the material removal mechanism of glass-ceramics based on consecutive incremental loading in ductile-regime grinding

Glass-ceramics have many excellent properties and are widely used in various fields. During the grinding process,the workpiece surface is typically subject to material removal by grit of incremental heights, which has rarely been the focus of research. As such, it is necessary to study the material removal mechanism of glass-ceramics under consecutive incremental loading, which more closely reflects the actual grinding process. In this paper,to analyze the plastic deformation and residual stress of lithium aluminosilicate(LAS) glass-ceramics, a finite element model is established based on the Drucker–Prager yield criterion for ductile regimes. A nano-scratch test was also conducted and the test results show that both the residual depth and residual stress increase with an increase in the number of increments, and that consecutive incremental loading promotes the plastic deformation of glass-ceramics and increases the residual stress of the material in the ductile-regime process. These findings provide guidance for achieving higher dimensional accuracy in the actual grinding of glass-ceramics parts.