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• Experimental studies of the slotted-in dowelled bamboo-to-steel joint with/without infilling grout. • Failure behaviours and load-displacement curves for various specimens were predicted by FEM. • Analytical design models were proposed based on the results from test and FEM for the joints. Bamboo has been widely used for structural and non-structural purpose, for example as scaffolding and cladding for many centuries in South East Asian countries such as China and India, due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, low price and recyclability. In today's trend of sustainable development, there is a renewed interest in the use of bamboo for modern prefabricated structures. In this paper, dowel-type bamboo joints are introduced for prefabricated bamboo structures. An experimental study has been undertaken to investigate the structural behaviour and the failure mechanisms of the dowelled joints with varying configurations. Test results reveal that the ductile failure mode of the bamboo occurred when large end spacing was applied, and the infilling grout can significantly increase the load-carrying capacity of the dowelled joint. Three-dimensional finite element models were established and validated using available experimental data. Extensive parametric studies were carried out based on the simulation approach to investigate the effects of key influencing variables involved, i.e. hole clearance, friction coefficient, bolt strength, bamboo thickness, grout strength and end spacing. Moreover, analytical models for designing the dowelled joints are proposed and compared with the current codified approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CASA model is suitable for NPP estimation in Anji. • The NPP in Moso bamboo forest is higher than that in other vegetation types. • The increase of solar radiation and temperature causes the increase in NPP. • The urbanization is the major factors associated with the decrease in NPP. Long-term and persistent human disturbances, such as the changes in land use types, have degraded the carbon fixation capacity of forest ecosystems. In Anji, China, the changes in land use types, such as the urbanization and increase of Moso bamboo forest, had changed the distribution of the broadleaf forest, needle leaf forest, and Moso bamboo forest, which in turn affected the net primary production (NPP) at the regional scale. This paper used the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach (CASA) model to estimate NPP in Anji during the period 1984–2014. The referenced NPP measured by eddy covariance technique was used to validate the simulated NPP, and the results show that the simulated NPP was consistent with the referenced NPP (R 2 = 0.90, p < 0.01, Root mean square error = 6 g C m−2 year−1). During the period 1984–2014, the annual NPP fluctuated from year to year, but showed a generally increasing trend of 2.99 g C m−2 year−1. The total of the mean annual NPP in Anji was 1.16 Tg C year−1, while the mean annual NPP per unit area was 613 g C m−2 year−1. The mean annual NPP per unit area for the Moso bamboo forest, broadleaf forest, needle leaf forest, and agricultural land was 739, 696, 642, and 616 g C m−2 year−1. The NPP significantly increased in more than half (57.3%) of the total area. The increase trends in solar radiation (8.1 MJ m−2 year−1) and temperature (0.01 °C year−1), and the increase of Moso bamboo forest, which increased in 13.3% of the total area, were the major factors associated with the increase in NPP. However, the NPP significantly decreased in 10.7% of the area. This was caused by the urbanization, which increased in 6.5% of the total area. Our findings suggest that managers and policy makers should consider the impact of urbanization on NPP when expanding urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]