Neighbor competition modifies demographic responses of desert dune annuals to gradients in sand stability

A field experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that competitive interactions affect demographic responses of desert dune annuals to gradients in sand stability. The experiment was based on a three-way factorial design with two types of neighbor treatments (complete neighbor removalvs. control), two types of habitats (stablevs. unstable sands) and two species which characterize sandy areas of the western Negev Desert (Neurada procumbensandBromus fasciculatus). Each of the eight treatment/habitat/species combinations was characterized by three demographic variables: seedling survival to reproduction, fruit number per reproductive plant and fruit number per seedling. All of these variables exhibited significant interactions between the effects of neighbor removal and habitat type, indicating that neighbor conditions were important in determining the observed patterns of demographic variation. Moreover, while plants ofNeurada procumbensgrowing without neighbors suffered more mortality on unstable sands, conspecific plants growing at natural density conditions suffered more mortality on stable sands. In the case ofBromus fasciculatus, individuals growing in the absence of competitive effects produced more fruits on stable sands, but conspecific plants growing at natural density conditions exhibited higher fruit production on unstable sands. These findings indicate that competitive effects not only modify, but may even reverse demographic responses of desert dune annuals to gradients in sand stability. Based on these results and evidence from two other studies it is suggested that seed dispersal from abiotically favorable into less favorable habitats may increase fitness of desert annuals by reducing the average effect of competition.     

The comparative influence of past management and rainfall on range herbaceous standing crop in east-central Argentina: 14 years of observations

Impacts of six initial treatments and rainfall on maximum above-ground herbaceous standing crop were assessed in 1978 and annually from 1984 to 1992 in rangelands of east-central semi-arid Argentina. Treatments applied in 1977–1978 were: (1) untreated control; (2) burning; (3) herbicide application (shrub control); (4) Old Field 1 or (5) Old Field 2 (areas previously exposed to different degrees of mechanical soil disturbance for 25 years); and (6) overgrazing. Domestic herbivores were excluded thereafter from all treatments until 1993.During 1984–1992, total above-ground herbaceous standing crop often remained greater in both Old Fields than in the other treatments; highest mean values were 2336 and 1640 kg ha⁻¹for Old Field 1 and Old Field 2 treatments, respectively. Lowest total above-ground standing crops in all treatments (M = 296–475 kg ha⁻¹) occurred in 1989, the year with the lowest annual rainfall (257·5 mm). Desirable perennial grasses contributed most (44–100%) to total herbaceous standing crop in all treatments during the study period. Most of this standing crop was made up of the cool-season grassesPiptochaetium napostaense, Poa ligularis, Stipa clarazii, S. papposaandS. tenuis. Annual rainfall was closely related (p< 0·05) to total herbaceous and desirable perennial grass standing crops in most treatments, and accounted for most of the variation in herbage production between years.     

Entropy of sea wave height field and its annual variation in Northwest Pacific Ocean

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Annual variation rate of global sea-level rise and the prediction for the 21st century

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广西沿海年极值波高分析

经分析发现广西沿海极值波高不符合用的P－Ⅲ型分布，并分析了其符合的分布函数，结果表明对Weibull分布符合最好，为解决Weibull分布参数难于确定的问题，引入了共轭梯度法计算其参数，最终计算了多年一遇极值波高。     

设计波高分布函数比较

利用澳大利亚悉尼观测站连续16年的实测资料,并结合波高阈值法以及年N大波法两种新的采样方法,利用最小二乘法原理,对对数正态分布、Gumbel第一型极值分布、Weibull分布、指数分布和皮尔逊Ⅲ型曲线五种分布函数进行分析和比较,从而选出一种适用的分布函数。同时,文章介绍了一种最新的估计三参数Weibull分布参数的方法。结果表明:三参数Weibull分布函数的相关系数较大,拟合较好,而且均方误也都较小。从而得出结论,三参数Weibull分布函数得到的结果较好,并建议使用该分布函数进行设计波高的计算。     

Parametric Equation of Stress Concentration Factor for Circular X-Joints Under Axial Loads

In engineering practice,tubular X-joints have been widely used in offshore structures.The fatigue failure of tubular X-joints in offshore engineering is mainly caused by axial tensile stress.In this study,the stress concentration factor distribution along the weld toe in the hot spot stress region for tubular X-joints subject to axial loads have been analyzed by use of finite element method.Through numerical analysis,it has been found that the peak stress concentration factor is located at the saddle position.Thereafter,80 models have been analyzed,and the effect of the geometric parameters of a tubular X-joint on the stress concentration factor has been investigated.Based on the experimental values of the numerical stress concentration factor,a parametric equation to calculate the stress concentration factor of tubular X-joints has been proposed.The accuracy of this equation has been verified against the requirement of the Fatigue Guidance Review Panel,and the proposed equation is found capable of producing reasonably accurate stress concentration factor values for tubular X-joints subject to axial loads.     

Tropospheric Ozone at the Swedish Mountain Site Åreskutan: Budget and Trends

Ozone measurements, performed since 1987, at the Swedish TOR/EUROTRACstation Åreskutan (lat. 63.4° N, long. 13.1° E, 1250 m abovesea level) are analyzed. The annual average ozone concentration at the sitehas increased by about 0.4 ppbv (1%) per year during the period1987–1994. The corresponding trends for individual months show adecrease during April–September and an increase during the rest of theyear. The ozone budget at Åreskutan has been investigated using backtrajectories of the air parcels, and the cosmogenic radionuclide⁷Be as a tracer of stratospheric air. From a simple diagnosticmodel, it is estimated that the contribution of stratospheric ozone to theconcentrations measured at Åreskutan is 5 ppbv (or 14% of themeasured values) on average, reaching a maximum of 23 ppbv (50%),during the episodes of direct stratospheric influence. In spring, thestratospheric contribution to ozone budget at Åreskutan is at itsmaximum, and approximately equal to the net photochemical ozone productionin the air mass affecting the site, whereas in winter, it is compensated byozone chemical sink during the transport of air masses from pollutedEuropean regions, to Scandinavia.     

Uplift capacity of pile group anchors

Experimental investigations on model single pile anchor and pile group anchors of configuration 2 × 2 subjected to uplift loads were conducted on dry Ennore sand, obtained from Madras, India. The embedment length to shaft width ratios, L/d = 20 and L/d = 30, and enlarged base width to shaft width ratios, B/d = 1,2,3, center to center spacing of pile anchors in the groups, 3d, 4d, 6d and 8d were used. The load displacement response, ultimate resistance and variation of group efficiency with L/d, B/d and spacing have been studied quantitatively and qualitatively. For short pile group anchors (L/d = 20), the isolation spacing appears to be at a spacing of about 4d to 6d and 8d for B/d = 1 and B/d = 2 and 3, respectively. For long pile group anchors (L/d = 30), the isolation spacing appears to be at a spacing of about 4d, 6d and 8d for B/d = 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The analytical model of limit equilibrium method has been proposed to predict the net uplift capacity of pile group anchors. The predicted results compare reasonably well with the experimental results.     

Modelling Seismic Hazard in Earthquake Loss Models with Spatially Distributed Exposure

The prediction of possible future losses from earthquakes, which in many cases affect structures that are spatially distributed over a wide area, is of importance to national authorities, local governments, and the insurance and reinsurance industries. Generally, it is necessary to estimate the effects of many, or even all, potential earthquake scenarios that could impact upon these urban areas. In such cases, the purpose of the loss calculations is to estimate the annual frequency of exceedance (or the return period) of different levels of loss due to earthquakes: so-called loss exceedance curves. An attractive option for generating loss exceedance curves is to perform independent probabilistic seismic hazard assessment calculations at several locations simultaneously and to combine the losses at each site for each annual frequency of exceedance. An alternative method involves the use of multiple earthquake scenarios to generate ground motions at all sites of interest, defined through Monte–Carlo simulations based on the seismicity model. The latter procedure is conceptually sounder but considerably more time-consuming. Both procedures are applied to a case study loss model and the loss exceedance curves and average annual losses are compared to ascertain the influence of using a more theoretically robust, though computationally intensive, procedure to represent the seismic hazard in loss modelling.An erratum to this article can be found at