Diel cycling and flux of HCO3− in a typical karst spring-fed stream of southwestern China

We investigated the diel variations of the dissolved inorganic carbon, isotopic composition, and partial CO2 pressure from a karst spring (Guangcun Village, Guangxi, Southwest China) to the 1,350 m downstream profile of the stream. In addition, the carbon loss and CO2 exchange flux at the water-gas interface were also estimated. The results showed that the pH value and DO in the stream varied regularly on a daily basis with the temperature of stream water, suggesting that the photosynthesis of aquatic plants and algae is the controlling factor for the diel variations of the pH and DO. During the monitoring period, while the DIC (mainly in HCO3−) input (at spring) was relatively stable at about 4.46 mmol L−1, the concentrations of HCO3− and Ca2+ at downstream showed a diel cycle of daytime decrease and nighttime increase, with an amplitude of 22.4 %. We also found out that the CO2 degassing mainly occurred in the upper reach of the surface stream right after groundwater is exposed to the surface. The total CO2 exchange flux of the entire monitoring stream section was calculated to be 29.83 kg d−1, accounting for 17.8 % of the DIC loss, which means that approximately 4/5 of the loss was converted into organic carbon or calcite precipitation. Compared with the total carbon input at spring, this carbon loss only accounts for 6.5 % of the total carbon amount (1.4 % of which was converted into organic carbon and 1.1 % of which was degassed to the atmosphere), indicating that the DIC of karst groundwater in low order surface stream of Guancun is stable in general, with 1 % being lost to the atmosphere. This suggests that on a daily timescale, carbon loss in the form of CO2 of low order karst streams with lower gradient is much less pronounced.Key words: inorganic carbon cycle, spring-fed stream, aquatic vegetation photosynthesis, CO2 degassing, inorganic carbon flux, karst

Sleep quality as a mediator of problematic smartphone use and clinical health symptoms

Background and aims Although smartphone use brings many benefits for adolescents, it is also associated with many serious health problems. This study examined the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and clinical health symptoms (e.g., body dysfunction) and the mediating effects of sleep quality on this relationship in adolescents. Methods Participants in this cross-sectional survey were 686 middle- and high-school students (girls = 55.7%, Mage = 12.98 ± 1.38 years). Participants completed self-report measures of PSU, sleep quality, and physical symptoms. Correlation analyses and structural equation modeling between adolescents’ PSU and the variables of interest were conducted. Results This study indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between PSU and health symptoms. Furthermore, sleep quality mediated the relationship between PSU and health symptoms. Discussion and conclusions Findings suggest that to promote health and wellness in adolescents, individuals should be encouraged to place boundaries on smartphone use, especially at bedtime. Reducing adolescents’ exposure to smartphone use in this way may hold promise for improving the efficacy of PSU prevention efforts for adolescents

Spatial Heterogeneity of Bacteria: Evidence from Hot Composts by Culture-independent Analysis

The phylogenetic diversity of the bacteria in hot composting samples collected from three spatial locations was investigated by molecular tools in order to determine the influence of gradient effect on bacterial communities during the thermophilic phase of composting swine manure with rice straw. Total microbial DNA was extracted and bacterial near full-length 16S rRNA genes were subsequently amplified, cloned, restriction fragment length polymorphism-screened and sequenced. The superstratum sample had the highest microbial diversity among the three samples which was possibly related to the surrounding conditions of the sample resulting from the location. The results showed that the sequences related to Bacillus sp. were most common in the composts. In superstratum sample, 45 clones (33%) and 36 clones (27%) were affiliated with the Bacillus sp. and Clostridium sp., respectively; 74 clones (58%) were affiliated with the Clostridium sp. in the middle-level sample; 52 clones (40%) and 29 clones (23%) were affiliated with the Clostridium sp. and Bacillus sp. in substrate sample, respectively. It indicated that the microbial diversity and community in the samples were different for each sampling site, and different locations of the same pile often contained distinct and different microbial communities

Event-Triggered Reliable Control in Networked Control Systems with Probabilistic Actuator Faults

This paper introduces a novel event-triggered scheme into networked control systems which is used to determine when to transmit the newly sampled state information to the controller. Considering the effect of the network transmission delay and probabilistic actuator fault with different failure rates, a new actuator fault model is proposed under this event-triggered scheme. Then, criteria for the exponential mean square stability (EMSS) and criteria for codesigning both the feedback and the trigger parameters are derived by using Lyapunov functional method. These criteria are obtained in the form of linear matrix inequalities. A simulation example is employed to show that our event-triggered scheme can lead to a larger release period than some existing ones

Molecular Phylogenetic Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Bacterial Communities in Cooling Stage during Swine Manure Composting

Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and subsequent sub-cloning and sequencing were used in this study to analyze the molecular phylogenetic diversity and spatial distribution of bacterial communities in different spatial locations during the cooling stage of composted swine manure. Total microbial DNA was extracted, and bacterial near full-length 16S rRNA genes were subsequently amplified, cloned, RFLP-screened, and sequenced. A total of 420 positive clones were classified by RFLP and near-full-length 16S rDNA sequences. Approximately 48 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found among 139 positive clones from the superstratum sample; 26 among 149 were from the middle-level sample and 35 among 132 were from the substrate sample. Thermobifida fusca was common in the superstratum layer of the pile. Some Bacillus spp. were remarkable in the middle-level layer, and Clostridium sp. was dominant in the substrate layer. Among 109 OTUs, 99 displayed homology with those in the GenBank database. Ten OTUs were not closely related to any known species. The superstratum sample had the highest microbial diversity, and different and distinct bacterial communities were detected in the three different layers. This study demonstrated the spatial characteristics of the microbial community distribution in the cooling stage of swine manure compost

Patterns of deep fine root and water utilization amongst trees, shrubs and herbs in subtropical pine plantations with seasonal droughts

IntroductionSeasonal droughts will become more severe and frequent under the context of global climate change, this would result in significant variations in the root distribution and water utilization patterns of plants. However, research on the determining factors of deep fine root and water utilization is limited.MethodsWe measured the fine root biomass and water utilization of trees, shrubs and herbs, and soil properties, light transmission, and community structure parameters in subtropical pine plantations with seasonal droughts.Results and DiscussionWe found that the proportion of deep fine roots (below 1 m depth) is only 0.2-5.1%, but that of deep soil water utilization can reach 20.9-38.6% during the dry season. Trees improve deep soil water capture capacity by enhancing their dominance in occupying deep soil volume, and enhance their deep resource foraging by increasing their branching capacity of absorptive roots. Shrubs and herbs showed different strategies for deep water competition: shrubs tend to exhibit a “conservative” strategy and tend to increase individual competitiveness, while herbs exhibited an “opportunistic” strategy and tend to increase variety and quantity to adapt to competitions.ConclusionOur results improve our understanding of different deep fine root distribution and water use strategies between overstory trees and understory vegetations, and emphasize the importance of deep fine root in drought resistance as well as the roles of deep soil water utilization in shaping community assembly

The site conditions of the Guo Shou Jing Telescope

The weather at Xinglong Observing Station, where the Guo Shou Jing Telescope (GSJT) is located, is strongly affected by the monsoon climate in north-east China. The LAMOST survey strategy is constrained by these weather patterns. In this paper, we present a statistics on observing hours from 2004 to 2007, and the sky brightness, seeing, and sky transparency from 1995 to 2011 at the site. We investigate effects of the site conditions on the survey plan. Operable hours each month shows strong correlation with season: on average there are 8 operable hours per night available in December, but only 1-2 hours in July and August. The seeing and the sky transparency also vary with seasons. Although the seeing is worse in windy winters, and the atmospheric extinction is worse in the spring and summer, the site is adequate for the proposed scientific program of LAMOST survey. With a Monte Carlo simulation using historical data on the site condition, we find that the available observation hours constrain the survey footprint from 22h to 16h in right ascension; the sky brightness allows LAMOST to obtain the limit magnitude of V = 19.5mag with S/N = 10.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in RA