Glacier area change (1993-2019) and its relationship to debris cover, proglacial lakes, and morphological parameters in the Chandra-Bhaga Basin, Western Himalaya, India

Glacier inventories serve as critical baseline data for understanding the impacts of climate change on glaciers.The present study maps the outlines of glaciers in the Chandra-Bhaga Basin(western Himalaya)for the years 1993,2000,2010,and 2019 using Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM),Enhanced Thematic Mapper(ETM),and Operational Land Imager(OLI)datasets.A total of 251 glaciers,each having an area above 0.5 km^(2),were identified,which include 216 clean-ice and 35 debris-covered glaciers.Area changes are estimated for three periods:1993-2000,2000-2010,and 2010-2019.The total glacierized area was 996±62 km^(2) in 1993,which decreased to 973±70 km^(2) in 2019.The mean rate of glacier area loss was higher in the recent decade(2010-2019),at 0.036 km^(2),compared to previous decades(0.029 km^(2) in 2000-2010 and 0.025 km^(2) in 1993-2000).Supraglacial debris cover changes are also mapped over the period of 1993 and 2019.It is found that the supraglacial debris cover increased by 14.12±2.54 km^(2)(15.2%)during 1993-2019.Extensive field surveys on Chhota Shigri,Panchi II,Patsio,Hamtah,Mulkila,and Yoche Lungpa glaciers were carried out to validate the glacier outlines and supraglacial debris cover estimated using satellite datasets.Controls of various morphological parameters on retreat were also analyzed.It is observed that small,clean ice,south oriented glaciers,and glaciers with proglacial lakes are losing area at faster rates than other glaciers in the basin.

A New Discovery on the Deformation Behavior of Shale Gas Reservoirs Affecting Pore Morphology in the Juhugeng Coal Mining Area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China

Objective The Juhugeng mining area in Qinghai Province of northwest China has attracted wide attention among geologists for it hosts typical coal measure gases.The shale gas reservoirs were reformed by intensive structural movements during geological periods,

Assessment of Human Impacts on Vegetation in Built-up Areas in China Based on AVHRR,MODIS and DMSP_OLS Nighttime Light Data,1992–2010

Since the reform and opening-up program started in 1978,the level of urbanization has increased rapidly in China.Rapid urban expansion and restructuring have had significant impacts on the ecological environment especially within built-up areas.In this study,ArcGIS 10,ENVI 4.5,and Visual FoxPro 6.0 were used to analyze the human impacts on vegetation in the built-up areas of 656Chinese cities from 1992 to 2010.Firstly,an existing algorithm was refined to extract the boundaries of the built-up areas based on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System(DMSP_OLS)nighttime light data.This improved algorithm has the advantages of high accuracy and speed.Secondly,a mathematical model(Human impacts(HI))was constructed to measure the impacts of human factors on vegetation during rapid urbanization based on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer(AVHRR)Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)NDVI.HI values greater than zero indicate relatively beneficial effects while values less than zero indicate proportionally adverse effects.The results were analyzed from four aspects:the size of cities(metropolises,large cities,medium-sized cities,and small cities),large regions(the eastern,central,western,and northeastern China),administrative divisions of China(provinces,autonomous regions,and municipalities)and vegetation zones(humid and semi-humid forest zone,semi-arid steppe zone,and arid desert zone).Finally,we discussed how human factors impacted on vegetation changes in the built-up areas.We found that urban planning policies and developmental stages impacted on vegetation changes in the built-up areas.The negative human impacts followed an inverted′U′shape,first rising and then falling with increase of urban scales.China′s national policies,social and economic development affected vegetation changes in the built-up areas.The findings can provide a scientific basis for municipal planning departments,a decision-making reference for government,and scientific guidance for sustainable development in China.

Morphological Characteristics of Precipitation Areas over the Tibetan Plateau Measured by TRMM PR

The multidimensional morphological characteristics(including scale, horizontal shape and 3 D morphology) of precipitation areas over the Tibetan Plateau in summer were studied using 15 years(1998–2012) of observational data from the precipitation radar onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite. As the scale of the precipitation area increased from 20 to 150 km, the near-surface rain rate(RRav) of the precipitation area increased by up to 78%(from ~1.12 to ~2 mm h~(-1)). Linear precipitation areas had the lowest median RRav(~1 mm h~(-1) over the eastern Tibetan Plateau),whereas square-shaped precipitation areas had the highest median RRav(~1.58 mm h~(-1) over the eastern Tibetan Plateau).The 3D morphology was defined as the ratio of the average vertical scale to the average horizontal scale, where a large value corresponds to thin and tall, and a small value corresponds to plump and short. Thin-and-tall precipitation areas and plump-and-short precipitation areas had a greater median RRav, whereas the precipitation areas with a moderate 3D morphology had the lowest median RRav. The vertical structure of the precipitation-area reflectivity was sensitive to both size and 3D morphology, but was not sensitive to the horizontal shape. The relationship between RRav and the morphological characteristics was most significant over the southern slopes of the Tanggula Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau east of 100°E. The morphological characteristics of precipitation areas are therefore closely related to the intensity of precipitation and could potentially be used to forecast precipitation and verify numerical models.

Space-time Relationship Between Urban Municipal District Adjustment and Built-up Area Expansion in China

Municipal district adjustment and built-up area expansion are two main forms of urban spatial expansion. Using geometric methods, this study constructed a space-time path method to characterize the space-time relationship between municipal district adjustment and built-up area expansion, and drew the space-time path sets of major prefecture level cities from 2000 to 2010 by constructing a coordinate system of the standardized built-up areas and municipal district areas. This divided them into four quadrants, namely, H-H, L-H, L-L, and H-L, based on the relative mean value to evaluate overall and individual stability by three indexes of the trajectory vectors, namely, direction, length, and slope. Results provide the following conclusions. 1) Municipal district adjustment is an effective spatial expansion way for city-scale promotion in China. Since 2000, municipal district adjustments have been mainly distributed in the eastern coastal regions and mid-western capital cities along with their surrounding cities. 2) Municipal district adjustment affects the scale and status of a city in China. Many cities that have expanded municipal districts behave stably and cross quadrants. 3) Great majority second-tier cities have effectively promoted their scale and status through municipal district adjustment. The municipal district adjustment of medium and small cities in the mid-west area is relatively advanced compared with city development. 4) Municipal district adjustment with minimal magnitude is severely restricted from upgrading the scale and status of a city. The transformation from entirely incorporated counties or cities to municipal districts should be the mainstream in future municipal district adjustment.

Quantitative Analysis of Spatial Vitality of Urban Built-up Area: A Case Study of Shenzhen

As an important goal of urban design research,the evaluation of urban spatial vitality has been widely concerned.Taking Shenzhen as an example,the urban built-up area of Shenzhen was identifi ed using improved DENsi-Graph analysis,from the perspective of quantifi cation of urban spatial morphological features.The accessibility of urban streets,degree of construction and architectural form,and degree of functional mixing were quantitatively analyzed through space syntax,space matrix and mixeduse index(MXI),and the spatial vitality of urban built-up area was evaluated.Research results demonstrated that the improved Densi-Graph analysis could better identify the built-up area of Shenzhen,and the overall classifi cation accuracy was 0.810.The analysis results of spatial vitality showed that the urban spatial vitality in Shenzhen urban built-up area was well created.The street accessibility of Shenzhen generally hindered the creation of urban vitality;the spatial matrix value in the north of Shenzhen urban built-up area was lower;and the MXI of most areas within the study area was above the medium.

Ecological Optimization Design Methods for the Green Space System in Densely Built-up Areas

This paper is aimed at studying the environmental degradation of densely built-up areas in the process of urbanization in Qiina. In consideration of the severe environmental conditions of die densely built-up afeas, such as the lack of green space and. open space, ecological disturbance in some areas, poor landscape quality, this paper focused on the ecological space optimization in the process of urban renewal Firstly, theories related to this field were analyzed, and a comprehensive ecological efficiency evaluation sjrstem was established based on disciplines such as urban ecology, landscape ecology, urban sociology, behavioral psychology, biology, urban planning and design. Secondly, this system was used to judge the ecological efficiency of typical blocks on GIS platform and to find out the key spatial nodes that need to be updated. Thirdly, in different cases, space optimization projects witii different theories were designed, and the spatial model of influence was used to comprehensively evaluate their ecological efficiency. Finally, the parameters under different conditions were corrected to get a systematic system for evaluating the green space system in densely built-up areas＊ Due to the lack of undetstanding of the ecological fonction of green space in the past, die environmental condition of densely built-up areas is not good. Therefore, the most important task of urban oigauic renewal is ecological restoiation. In this paper, die exploiation is based on the reservation for built-up afeas to avoid repeated reconstruction and interference. Authors of this paper tried to find out a way to rebuild green space system that performed more complex functions with limited spatial resources. The application of “micfo-ttansfotmation” of green space system in densely built-up areas turns out to improve the quality of landscape while reducing the construction costrds

The Incorporation of Precautionary Principle in the Planning of Global System for Mobile Communications Mast Locations in Built-up Areas： Proposals for Jimeta, Nigeria

This paper aimed at incorporating the precautionary principles into the planning and development of GSM （global system for mobile communications） masts within the built-up areas of Jimeta. Using GIS （geographic information system） analysis technique, the zone of precautionary principle was defined to 500 meters radius as the zone within which precautionary measures are exercised. The criteria for siting GSM base station are also equally identified. For instance, the presence of certain elements within the precautionary zone like schools, hospitals, residential density and overlap of RF （radio frequency） occurrences, may disqualify any mast location. Analysis of the land use within precautionary zone has shown various proportions of exposure to RF, whereas, only 3.39% of the masts are suitably located and 94.92% are not and therefore should be relocated. The study recommend measures for addressing physical development within precautionary areas, including land conversion and mast sharing to reduce potential harmful effects of RF emanating from GSM base stations.

Examining Rate of Built-Up Areas on the Vegetation Cover along River Riara Riparian within Kiambu Town, Kenya

Urban river riparian spaces and their natural systems are valuable to urban dwellers;but are increasingly affected and ruined by human activities and in particular, urbanization processes. In this research, land sat and sentinel satellite imagery apt for change detection in vegetation cover, both landsat and sentinel imagery, covering the period between 1970 and 2021 in epochs of 1973, 1984, 1993, 2003, 2015 and 2021 years were used to establish the correlation between vegetation cover and built-up area along River Riara river reserve. The images were analysed to extract the built-up areas along the river reserve, including the buildings, and the rate of human settlements, which influenced vegetation cover. Normalized Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were computed using the Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) and the Near Infra-Red (NIR) bands to show the rate of change over the years. Results indicate NDVI values were high, compared to NDBI values along river Riara in the years 1973 and 1993 implying that there was more vegetation cover then. However, in the year 2021, the NDVI indicated the highest value at 0.88, with the complementary NDBI indicating the highest NDBI value at 0.47. This represents a significant increase in built-up areas since 2015 more than in previous epochs. Either, there was a significant increase in NDBI values, from 0.24 in 1993 to 0.47 in 2021. More so, the R-squared value at 0.80 informed 80% relationship between NDBI and NDVI values indicating a negative correlation.

西安都市圈生态空间结构特征与生态网络构建研究

面对西安都市圈发展过程中出现的生态空间碎片化问题,生态功能完善的需求及区域高质量一体化的发展目标,通过分析西安都市圈生态空间景观格局,提取其结构特征进而构建区域生态网络。利用形态学空间格局等方法提取西安都市圈生态空间结构特征,通过植被覆盖演变分析并识别潜在的具有生态功能的用地,通过设计转化阻力指标体系获得区域生态网络的构建基础。提出网络整合、廊道桥接、网络织补、生态修复4种生态网络整合策略。通过分析生态空间结构发现都市圈的生态斑块、廊道等不同类型生态功能区的分布特点,针对都市圈尺度提出多中心生态网络的规划模式,针对重要生态单元提出“核心—廊道—缓冲区”的规划模式,基于不同的整合策略调整生态用地布局及空间结构,以提高生态网络的连通性与稳定性,构建都市圈生态网络。聚焦生态空间结构演变机制分析、生态网络构建技术路径及模式探索,提出西安都市圈的生态空间结构,为生态空间规划提供新思路和新方法,这对于推动中国都市圈发展迈向更高水平具有积极意义。

Low temperature solid-phase sintering of sintered metal fibrous media with high specific surface area

A procedure of low temperature solid-phase sintering（LTSS） was carried out to fabricate sintered metal fibrous media（SMFM） with high specific surface area.Stainless steel fibers which were produced by cutting process were first plated with a coarse copper coating layer by electroless plating process.A low-temperature sintering process was then completed at about 800 °C for 1 h under the protection of hydrogen atmosphere.The results show that a novel SMFM with complex surface morphology and high specific surface area（0.2 m2/g） can be obtained in this way.The effect of sintering temperature on the surface morphology and specific surface area of SMFM was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller.The damage of micro-structure during the sintering process mainly contributed to the loss of specific surface area of SMFM and the optimal sintering temperature was 800 °C.

低频脉冲磁场慢性暴露对健康成年股四头肌收缩力及形态的影响

背景:目前已有关于低频脉冲磁场对骨骼肌结构形态影响研究发现了骨骼肌质量变化,但对接受慢性暴露后的形态变化未见相关研究。目的:观察低频脉冲磁场慢性暴露对腿部股四头肌最大自主收缩力与形态指标的影响,为使用该技术作为肌肉功能改善策略提供组织形态变化的参考依据。方法:招募普通健康受试者70名,随机分为接受磁场刺激的试验组与进行假治疗的对照组,每组35名,试验时长共计4周,试验组受试者每隔48 h进行1次15 min的低频脉冲磁刺激干预,对照组进行假治疗,干预间隔与时长与试验组一致,干预4周后观察不同组别受试者股四头肌最大自主收缩力值变化,利用B型超声影像作为评估手段,观察肌肉厚度、肌肉横截面积及羽状角指标的变化。结果与结论:①经过4周的低频脉冲磁场慢性暴露,68名受试者完成试验,试验组受试者股四头肌最大自主收缩力测试值显著增长(P=0.000),提升幅度显著高于对照组(P=0.008);②试验组受试者的肌肉形态3项指标均显著高于试验前测(P=0.000),而对照组肌肉厚度指标呈显著性下降(P=0.020),羽状角无显著性变化,横截面积显著性提升(P=0.000);③组间对比发现,试验组关于肌肉形态的肌肉厚度(P=0.012)、羽状角(P=0.003)及横截面积(P=0.049)3项指标均显著高于对照组;④上述数据证实,健康成年受试者经过4周的低频脉冲磁场慢性暴露,股四头肌的最大自主收缩力显著提升,同时观察到试验组的肌肉厚度、横截面积及羽状角3项肌肉形态指标的显著增长,对使用该技术作为肌肉改善的运动替代与医疗策略提供了肌组织形态改善的支持依据。

Critical area computation for real defects and arbitrary conductor shapes

In current critical area models, it is generally assumed the defect outlines are circular and the conductors to be rectangle or the merger of rectangles. However, real defects and conductors associated with optimal layout design exhibit a great variety of shapes. Based on mathematical morphology, a new critical area model is presented, which can be used to estimate the critical area of short circuit, open circuit and pinhole. Based on the new model, the efficient validity check algorithms are explored to extract critical areas of short circuit, open circuit and pinhole from layouts. The results of experiment on an approximate layout of 4 × 4 shifts register show that the new model predicts the critical areas accurately. These results suggest that the proposed model and algorithm could provide new approaches for yield prediction.

Synthesis and Characterization of Large Surface Area Yttrium Oxide by Precipitation Method

The method for preparing yttrium oxide with large specific surface area was introduced. By means of BET, SEM, TG and DTA analysis, the effects of precipitant, stirring velocity, non-RE impurity in solution, calcination temperature, on the surface area were studied respectively. The Y_2O_3 sample with specific surface area of more than 60 m^2·g^(-1) and L.O.I less than 1% was prepared in the suitable precipitation condition and calcinations temperature when the ammonia used as precipitant. The SEM shows that the Y_2O_3 prepared with large surface area is the aggregation of about 50 nm particles.

Environmental Conditions of Barchan Dune and Barchan Chain-A Case Study from the Hexi Desert Area of Gansu

[Objective] The paper was to discuss why the top of tall barchan dunes and barchan chains widespread in single prevailing wind area had not been leveled by wind erosion. [Method] Based on the preliminary survey of distribution status,the morphological characteristics and environmental conditions of barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu were investigated in details. The significance of difference between samples and significance of correlation between indicators were examined via variance test. [Result] Barchan dunes and barchan chains in Hexi desert area of Gansu distributed at the leeward direction of desert fringe,generally in patch distribution. The distribution area was gravelly beach or cohesive gravel beach,with broader dune slack; winds in distribution area of barchan dunes and barchan chains blew obviously from one direction,while winds at other directions were light or occasionally strong but with low frequency;the barchan dune in the desert fringe of Hexi desert area of Gansu was relatively tall,while barchan chain was even more taller and larger. Coincidence or separation of the dune peak and the sand ridge might be related to distribution frequency of dominant prevailing wind or wind at opposite direction and the observation seasons.[Conclusion]Studying top stability of barchan dune has an important academic value in revealing blowing sand movement rule at desert fringe,invasion of sand flow,and expansion of desert.

GC-MS Analysis on Form and Content of Phytosterol in the Beans from Different Producing Areas

This paper established the GC-MS method to analyze phytosterol in beans and study the content and distribution of phytosterol in green beans,red beans,black beans and soybeans in 5 main producing areas of China(Inner Mongolia,Heilongjiang,Jilin,Hebei,Shandong).This paper used GC-MS method to analyze the content and distribution of campesterol,stigmasterol,sitostanol,brassicasterol,ergosterol,cycloartanol,cycloartenol,2,4-methylenecycloartanol,spinasterol,cholesterol and cholestanol in the beans from different producing areas.Results showed that the content of sterol in green beans was higher than in three other kinds of beans,and the content of sterol in red beans was the lowest.Different producing areas had a significant impact on the content of sterol in beans,and the dominant producing areas included Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang.The study provided a basis for quality assessment and nutritional evaluation of beans and provided a reference for traceability and variety distinction study of other edible beans.

Morphological and physiological differences in heteromorphic leaves of male and female Populus euphratica Oliv.

Leaf traits can directly reflect the adaptation strategies of plants to the environment.However,there is limited knowledge on the adaptation strategies of heteromorphic leaves of male and female Populus euphratica Oliv.in response to individual developmental stages(i.e.,diameter class)and canopy height changes.In this study,morphological and physiological properties of heteromorphic leaves of male and female P.euphratica were investigated.Results showed that both male and female P.euphratica exhibited increased leaf area(LA),leaf dry weight(LDW),leaf thickness(LT),net photosynthetic rate(P_(n)),transpiration rate(T_(r)),stomatal conductance(g_(s)),proline(Pro),and malondialdehyde(MDA)concentration,decreased leaf shape index(LI)and specific leaf area(SLA)with increasing diameter and canopy height.Leaf water potential(LWP)increased with increasing diameter,LWP decreased significantly with increasing canopy height in both sexes,and carbon isotope fraction(δ^(13)C)increased significantly with canopy height in both sexes,all of which showed obvious resistance characteristics.However,males showed greater LA,LT,P_(n),T_(r),and Pro than females at the same canopy height,and males showed significantly higher LA,SLA,LT,P_(n),T_(r),g_(s),and MDA,but lower LWP and δ_(1)3C than females at the same canopy height,suggesting that male P.euphratica have stronger photosynthetic and osmoregulatory abilities,and are sensitive to water deficiency.Moreover,difference between male and female P.euphratica is closely related to the increase in individual diameter class and canopy height.In summary,male plants showed higher stress tolerance than female plants,and differences in P_(n),g_(s),T_(r),Pro,MDA,δ_(13)C,and LWP between females and males were related to changes in leaf morphology,diameter class,and canopy height.The results of this study provide a theory for the differences in growth adaptation strategies during individual development of P.euphratica.

Investigation of the methane hydrate surface area during depressurization-induced dissociation in hydrate-bearing porous media

The surface area of hydrate during dissociation in porous media is essentially important for the kinetics of hydrate dissociation.In this study,the methane hydrate surface area was investigated by the comparison results of experiments and numerical simulations during hydrate decomposition in porous media.The experiments of methane hydrate depressurizationinduced dissociation were performed in a 1D high pressure cell filled with glass beads,an improved and valid 1D corescale numerical model was developed to simulate gas production.Two conceptual models for hydrate dissociation surface area were proposed based on the morphology of hydrate in porous media,which formed the functional form of the hydrate dissociation surface area with porosity,hydrate saturation and the average radius of sand sediment particles.With the establishment of numerical model for depressurizationinduced hydrate dissociation in porous media,the cumulative gas productions were modeling and compared with the experimental data at the different hydrate saturations.The results indicated that the proposed prediction equations are valid for the hydrate dissociation surface area,and the graincoating surface area model performs well at lower hydrate saturation for hydrate dissociation simulation,whereas at higher hydrate saturation,the hydrate dissociation simulation from the porefilling surface area model is more reasonable.Finally,the sensitivity analysis showed that the hydrate dissociation surface area has a significant impact on the cumulative gas production.

Morphological parameters of both surfaces of coupled joint

Twenty one joints were made with Brazilian tests and each surface was scanned by the Talysurf CLI 2000. Morphological characteristics of joint surface were quantified by statistical and textural parameters. By the contrast of these parameters between both sides of each coupled joint, the following conclusions are drawn. The upper and lower surfaces of coupled joints have approximately equal values of Sp（maximum height of joint surface）, Sa（arithmetic mean height of joint surface） and Sq（root mean square height of joint surface）, but the Ssk（skewness of the height distribution of joint surface） values of the two surfaces of a coupled joint are different, one is positive while the other is negative. The Saj（auto-correlation length） parameter values of both surfaces of each coupled joint are quite close, and the S^（texture aspect ratio） values have the same situation to the Sal parameter, but the same parameters of different surfaces have big differences which illustrates its own characteristics of each joint. The two surfaces of each coupled joint have similar values of θp （mean profile angle） which can be used to deduce the value of θp each other.

THE MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS OF ROCK GLACIERS IN TIANSHAN MOUNTAINS

-Rock glaciers are developed at permafrost areas of periglacial environment in Tianshan Mountains [7,17]. Based on field surveying andair-photo interprestation, the paper discusses the shape, characteristics of supply area, formation conditions and environmental differentiations of rockglaciers at head area of Urmqi River (43°05'-43°08' N, 86°48’-86°53E) inKalawuchen Range and the head areas of Toudao River and Danangou River (43°30’-43°50’N, 85°00-85°30’E) in Yilanhabierga Rangu at ShawanCounty. Formation conditions and morphological characteristics of rockglaciers are studies in terms of topographic conditions, climate, compositionand age.