Functional morphology of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill) fire-adapted traits

Shortleaf pine is one of the most important trees in the southeastern United States for lumber, plywood, and pulpwood production. Throughout its range, shortleaf pine is subjected to frequent fires that can be detrimental to seedlings, often leading to death of the stem (top-kill). Frequent fire occurrence has led to the development of fire-adapted traits in shortleaf pine, specifically thick bark and sprouting from the basal crook after top-kill. The thick bark of shortleaf pine acts as a protective barrier for the cambium layer during a fire; while the basal crook is insulated from fire in the soil, protecting auxiliary buds that can initiate sprouts after top-kill. Our study aims to determine what fire adapted traits are responsible for protecting shortleaf pine throughout its life, from seedling to mature tree. The objectives of our study were to characterize shortleaf pine sprouting after top-kill and the development of bark thickness in relation to stem size. To address our objectives, we top-killed shortleaf pines in the Clemson Experimental Forest, SC and the Ouachita National Forest, AR, and measured bark thickness and counted sprouts from the basal crook after a growing season. We found defense mechanism varied by tree size: smaller trees relied on sprouting after top-kill, while larger trees did not sprout as readily. We hypothesize that the larger trees did not sprout because the thicker bark would have protected the cambium layer to decrease the probability of mortality, ultimately demonstrating a shift in fire-defense mechanisms throughout the life of the tree

Thermal evolution history after collision of North China plate with Yangtze plate

对采自苏北一胶南一大别高压变质构造混杂岩带的片麻岩、糜棱岩和郑庐断裂带上的片麻岩中9个钾长石进行了40Ar-39Ar 年龄测定和多重扩散域(MDD)模式处理, 9个样品的热演化史表明上述地区存在5个不同的快速冷却时段, 并就其可能的构造含义, 提出了华北与扬子板块碰撞后的折返历史过程。40Ar-39Ar analyses and MDD（multiple diffusion domain）model treatements were performed for 9 K-feldspar samples. They were collected from gneiss and mylonite of North Jiangsu-Jiaonan-Dabie tectonic melange belt and Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone. The thermal evolution history exhibits five fast ccoling stages found in these samples．In relation with their possible tectonic implications a recovery process after the collision of the North China plate with the Yangtze plate is suggested here.published_or_final_versio

A numerical study of the impact of climate and emission changes on surface ozone over South China in Autumn time in 2000-2050

2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Myositis ossificans in the diabetic foot: A review of the literature with an illustrative case series

We report the first cases (to our knowledge) of myositis ossificans (MO) in the ‘diabetic foot’

Rethinking how external pressure can suppress dendrites in lithium metal batteries

We offer an explanation for how dendrite growth can be inhibited when Li metal pouch cells are subjected to external loads, even for cells using soft, thin separators. We develop a contact mechanics model for tracking Li surface and sub-surface stresses where electrodes have realistically (micron-scale) rough surfaces. Existing models examine a single, micron-scale Li metal protrusion under a fixed local current density that presses more or less conformally against a separator or stiff electrolyte. At the larger, sub-mm scales studied here, contact between the Li metal and the separator is heterogeneous and far from conformal for surfaces with realistic roughness: the load is carried at just the tallest asperities, where stresses reach tens of MPa, while most of the Li surface feels no force at all. Yet, dendrite growth is suppressed over the entire Li surface. To explain this dendrite suppression, our electrochemical/mechanics model suggests that Li avoids plating at the tips of growing Li dendrites if there is sufficient local stress; that local contact stresses there may be high enough to close separator pores so that incremental Li+ ions plate elsewhere; and that creep ensures that Li protrusions are gradually flattened. These mechanisms cannot be captured by single-dendrite-scale analyses

Assessment of the needs of vulnerable youth populations in post-conflict Liberia

Objective: The study examined key informants’ perceptions of the emotional impact of traumatic events, major problems, functional limitations and appropriate treatment settings for children, adolescents, and young adults in post-conflict Liberia.Method: This research is a based on cross-sectional survey conducted between March 30, 2009 and April 30, 2009 in Liberia with 171 local key Liberian informants. Analysis was conducted using mixed methods. The findings we will report were collected in the qualitative portion of the survey. Results: We found that while different interventions were preferred for different types of young people, some interventions were mentioned for all youth and by all age and gender groups of key informants. These includedcounseling, education, and skills training. Also frequently chosen were housing, community reintegration, recreation, and medical care. In general, key informants reported similar concerns regardless of their ages or genders. Notable exceptions to this were in interventions for youth who joined fighting forces. Men over 50 were the only ones to recommend apology and reparations. Similarly, in recommendations for criminals and violent youth, a number of men mentioned prison, whereas the women did not.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the needs of post-conflict Liberian youth span a variety of domains, including physical, emotional, medical, psychological, and educational. These findings can be used to guide the development of treatment programs for these young people.Keywords: Post-Conflict Liberia; Mental Health Needs Assessment; Children and Adolescent

Manganese dioxide nanosheet functionalized sulfur@PEDOT core-shell nanospheres for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries

MnO2 nanosheet functionalized S@PEDOT core–shell nanospheres demonstrate highly enhanced electrochemical performance for Li–S batteries, benefitting from effectively trapping polysulfides, minimizing polysulfide dissolution, and improving cathode conductivity and wettability.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/ta/c6ta03211g#!divAbstract

Unique walnut-shaped porous MnO<inf>2</inf>/C nanospheres with enhanced reaction kinetics for lithium storage with high capacity and superior rate capability

Unique walnut-shaped porous MnO2/carbon nanospheres via in situ carbonization of amorphous MnO2 nanospheres demonstrate enhanced reaction kinetics for lithium storage.This work is realized in the frame of a program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team (IRT_15R52) of Chinese Ministry of Education. B. L. Su acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the Program of the “Thousand Talents” and a Life Membership at the Clare Hall, Cambridge and the financial support of the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge. Y. Li acknowledges Hubei Provincial Department of Education for the “Chutian Scholar” program. T. Hasan acknowledges funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering (Graphlex) and an Impact Acceleration Award (GRASS). This work is also financially supported by the National Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (No. 21301133 and 51302204), International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2015DFE52870) and and Self-determined and Innovative Research Funds of the SKLWUT (2015‐ZD‐7). The authors also would like to thank Dr. Bin-Jie Wang from Shanghai Nanoport (FEI, Shanghai) for TEM analysis, and thank Hang Ping from Wuhan University of Technology for the TGA/DSC tests.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Royal Society of Chemistry via http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C6TA00594

Trajectories of self-rated health in people with diabetes: Associations with functioning in a prospective community sample

© 2013 Schmitz et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is a single-item measure that is one of the most widely used measures of general health in population health research. Relatively little is known about changes and the trajectories of SRH in people with chronic medical conditions. The aims of the present study were to identify and describe longitudinal trajectories of self-rated health (SRH) status in people with diabetes. Methods: A prospective community study was carried out between 2008 and 2011. SRH was assessed at baseline and yearly at follow-ups (n=1288). Analysis was carried out through trajectory modeling. The trajectory groups were subsequently compared at 4 years follow-up with respect to functioning. Results: Four distinct trajectories of SRH were identified: 1) 72.2% of the participants were assigned to a persistently good SRH trajectory; 2) 10.1% were assigned to a persistently poor SRH trajectory; 3) mean SRH scores changed from good to poor for one group (7.3%); while 4) mean SRH scores changed from poor to medium/good for another group (10.4%). Those with a persistently poor perception of health status were at higher risk for poor functioning at 4 years follow-up than those whose SRH scores decreased from good to poor. Conclusions: SRH is an important predictor for poor functioning in diabetes, but the trajectory of SRH seems to be even more important. Health professionals should pay attention to not only SRH per se, but also changes in SRH over time.This work was supported by Operating Grant MOP-84574 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). GG was supported by a doctoral fellowship from the CIHR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript