This paper is devoted to study a problem of plane waves reflection at a traction-free surface of a pre-stressed functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM). The effects of initial stress and material gradient on the reflection of plane waves are studied in this paper. Secular equation has been derived analytically for the pre-stressed FGPM half-space and used to show the existence of two ...

At the lower parts of the forest belt at Mt. Kilimanjaro, selective logging has led to a mosaic of mature forest, old secondary forests ( approximately 60 years), and old clearings ( approximately 10 years) covered by shrub vegetation. These variations in the vegetation are reflected by differences in nutrient leaching from the canopy and in both amount and quality of litter reaching the ground...

In this paper, we explore the relationship between the topological characteristics of a complex network and its robustness to sustained targeted attacks. Using synthesised scale-free, smallworld and random networks, we look at a number of network measures, including assortativity, modularity, average path length, clustering coefficient, rich club profiles and scale-free exponent (where applicab...

The interception of precipitation by plant canopies can alter the amount and spatial distribution water inputs to ecosystems. We asked whether canopy could locally augment shrubs their crowns funneling (freshwater) as stemflow bases, in a wetland where relict overstory trees are dying persisting only grow on small hummocks that sit above mesohaline floodwaters. Precipitation, throughfall, were ...

Throughfall makes up the major portion of understory rainfall, and thereby plays a vital role in regulating hydrological biogeochemical processes forest ecosystems. The aim this study was to explore alterations throughfall associated chemical composition (Ca2+, Na2+, K+, Mg2+, H+, SO42−, NO3−, Cl−, F−) under Quercus acutissima Carruth. Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Her. ex Vent. trees, relatio...

Abstract Background Drought can exert a profound influence on soil nutrient availability, and understanding whether how tree species adapt to this change is critical priority for predicting the consequence of climate forest structure function. The objective study was examine adaptability Mongolian pine ( Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica ) drought-induced changes in availability from perspective ...

Companies adopt smoke-free workplace policies to improve health of their employees, but how severely such policies are enforced can have an impact on non-smoking employees as well and can also affect employees' view about their companies. The current study examined the extent to which perceived severity of and organizational support for a smoke-free workplace policy affected employees’ attracti...