Stability Analysis Method for Rock Slope with an Irregular Shear Plane Based on Interface Model

Landslide developed in rock mass usually has irregular shear plane. An approach for calculating distributed factor of safety of the irregular shear plane was put forward in this paper. The presented method can obtain not only the detailed stability status at any grid node of a complex shear plane but also the global safety of the slope. Thus, it is helpful to thoroughly understand the mechanism of slope failure. Comparing with the result obtained through the limit equilibrium method, the presented method was proved to be more accurate and suitable for stability analysis of rock slope with a thin shear plane. The stability of a potentially unstable rock slope was analyzed based on the presented method at the end of this paper. The detailed local stability, global stability, and the potential failure mechanism were provided

An Experimental Comparison of Two Methods on Photosynthesis Driving Soil Respiration: Girdling and Defoliation.

Previous studies with different experimental methods have demonstrated that photosynthesis significantly influences soil respiration (RS). To compare the experimental results of different methods, RS after girdling and defoliation was measured in five-year-old seedlings of Fraxinus mandshurica from June to September. Girdling and defoliation significantly reduced RS by 33% and 25% within 4 days, and 40% and 32% within the entire treatment period, respectively. The differential response of RS to girdling and defoliation was a result of the over-compensation for RS after girdling and redistribution of stored carbon after defoliation. No significant effect on RS was observed between girdling and defoliation treatment, while the soluble sugar content in fine roots was higher in defoliation than in girdling treatment, indicating that defoliation had less compensation effect for RS after interrupting photosynthates supply. We confirm the close coupling of RS with photosynthesis and recommend defoliation for further studies to estimate the effect of photosynthesis on RS

The basic information on meteorological factors, monthly cumulative net ecosystem carbon exchange rates (<i>NEE</i>_d) and the dates of onset of photosynthesis investigated from Changbai Mountains forest site during study period.

<p>The basic information on meteorological factors, monthly cumulative net ecosystem carbon exchange rates (<i>NEE</i>_d) and the dates of onset of photosynthesis investigated from Changbai Mountains forest site during study period.</p

The inhibitory effects of frost on recovery of photosynthetic capacity in Korean pine in the Changbai Mountains region over the four observation years.

<p>The inhibitory effects of frost on recovery of photosynthetic capacity in Korean pine in the Changbai Mountains region over the four observation years.</p

Light response curves for needles of Korean pine measured one day before soil thawing (A) and two days after the soil temperature was above freezing (B).

<p>PPFD is photosynthetic photon flux density, <i>T</i>_s is soil temperature and <i>T</i>_a is air temperature.</p

Seasonal courses in three-day moving average of <i>NEE</i>_d (daily integrated net ecosystem carbon exchange), the 26-m height air temperature and 5-cm depth soil temperature at the Changbai Mountains Korean pine forest from DOY 91 to DOY 151 (1^st of April to 31^st of May) in year of 2006 (A–A’), 2007 (B–B’), 2008 (C–C’) and 2009 (D–D’).

<p>Seasonal courses in three-day moving average of <i>NEE</i>_d (daily integrated net ecosystem carbon exchange), the 26-m height air temperature and 5-cm depth soil temperature at the Changbai Mountains Korean pine forest from DOY 91 to DOY 151 (1^st of April to 31^st of May) in year of 2006 (A–A’), 2007 (B–B’), 2008 (C–C’) and 2009 (D–D’).</p

Quantitative Investigations of Water Balances of a Dune-Interdune Landscape during the Growing Season in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeastern China

Dune-interdune is the main landscape pattern of desert areas, such as the Horqin sandy land of Northeastern China. Exploring the temporal and spatial variation of the water balance is crucial for efficient vegetation restoration at the micro-landform scale. The SWMS-2D model was used to estimate the seasonal variations of the water balance including evapotranspiration, soil water storage changes, lateral flow and drainage, and to examine the effects of micro-landforms (i.e., the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, and the interdune lowland area) on these components from May to October 2013 and 2015. Results showed that the soil water content was sensitive to rainfall pulses, particularly large precipitation events. Over 70% of the total evapotranspiration occurred from June to August, with a maximum daily value of 6.56 mm. At a monthly scale, evapotranspiration was not synchronous with precipitation. The ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation was 1.84, 0.39, 2.49, 0.93, 2.26, and 1.14 in May, June, July, August, September, and October 2013 (a wet year), respectively; and 2.40, 1.11, 0.69, 2.14, 1.07, and 1.11 in 2015 (a dry year), respectively. The components of the water balance were significantly different among different micro-landforms. Evapotranspiration of a lowland area was greater than that in other micro-landforms, and the value in the wet year (2013) was significantly greater than that in the dry year (2015). However, water consumption in the lowland area was similar in both years. At the top, upper, down, and bottom positions of the dune slope, the ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation in the wet year (2013) was 96%, 97%, 86%, and 96%, respectively; while in the dry year (2015), the ratio was 103%, 103%, 88%, and 104%. Therefore, in the dry year, evapotranspiration was generally larger than precipitation, indicating that almost all water from precipitation was evaporated. The lateral flow of the root zone from top to bottom accounted for only a small portion of water budget at the growing season scale. The results could be generalized to other similar region with corresponding model calibration, and would help to reveal seasonal variations of water balance components under the local topography, climate, soil, and vegetation conditions

Seasonal evolution of air and soil temperature and sap flow rates measured in Korean pine stems in the early spring of 2010.

<p>Seasonal evolution of air and soil temperature and sap flow rates measured in Korean pine stems in the early spring of 2010.</p

The diurnal patterns of soil respiration (R_S) in the control (CK), girdling (G) and defoliation (D) treatments on Jul. 6 (a), Aug. 9 (b) and Aug. 31 (c) along with PAR and soil temperature.

<p>Error bars represent standard deviation.</p

Transcriptional Profiles Associated with Marek’s Disease Virus in Bursa and Spleen Lymphocytes Reveal Contrasting Immune Responses during Early Cytolytic Infection

Marek&rsquo;s disease virus (MDV), an alpha herpes virus, causes a lymphoproliferative state in chickens known as Marek&rsquo;s disease (MD), resulting in severe monetary losses to the poultry industry. Because lymphocytes of bursa of Fabricius and spleen are prime targets of MDV replication during the early cytolytic phase of infection, the immune response in bursa and spleen should be the foundation of late immunity induced by MDV. However, the mechanism of the MDV-mediated host immune response in lymphocytes in the early stage is poorly understood. The present study is primarily aimed at identifying the crucial genes and significant pathways involved in the immune response of chickens infected with MDV CVI988 and the very virulent RB1B (vvRB1B) strains. Using the RNA sequencing approach, we analyzed the generated transcriptomes from lymphocytes isolated from chicken bursa and spleen. Our findings validated the expression of previously characterized genes; however, they also revealed the expression of novel genes during the MDV-mediated immune response. The results showed that after challenge with CVI988 or vvRB1B strains, 634 and 313 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in splenic lymphocytes, respectively. However, 58 and 47 DEGs were observed in bursal lymphocytes infected with CVI988 and vvRB1B strains, respectively. Following MDV CVI988 or vvRB1B challenge, the bursal lymphocytes displayed changes in IL-6 and IL-4 gene expression. Surprisingly, splenic lymphocytes exhibited an overwhelming alteration in the expression of cytokines and cytokine receptors involved in immune response signaling. On the other hand, there was no distinct trend between infection with CVI988 and vvRB1B and the expression of cytokines and chemokines, such as IL-10, IFN-&gamma;, STAT1, IRF1, CCL19, and CCL26. However, the expression profiles of IL-1&beta;, IL-6, IL8L1, CCL4 (GGCL1), and CCL5 were significantly upregulated in splenic lymphocytes from chickens infected with CVI988 compared with those of chickens infected with vvRB1B. Because these cytokines and chemokines are considered to be associated with B cell activation and antigenic signal transduction to T cells, they may indicate differences of immune responses initiated by vaccinal and virulent strains during the early phase of infection. Collectively, our study provides valuable data on the transcriptional landscape using high-throughput sequencing to understand the different mechanism between vaccine-mediated protection and pathogenesis of virulent MDV in vivo