Evaluation, prediction, and protection of water quality in Danjiangkou Reservoir, China

The water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir has attracted considerable attention from the Chinese public and government since the announcement of the Middle Route of the South to North Water Diversion Project （SNWDP）, which commenced transferring water in 2014. Integrated research on the evaluation, prediction, and protection of water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir was carried out in this study in order to improve environmental management. Based on 120 water samples, wherein 17 water quality indices were measured at 20 monitoring sites, a single factor evaluation method was used to evaluate the current status of water quality. The results show that the main indices influencing the water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir are total phosphorus （TP）, permanganate index （CODM,）, dissolved oxygen （DO）, and five-day biochemical oxygen demand （BODs）, and the concentrations of TP, BODs, ammonia nitrogen （NH3--N）, CODM,, DO, and anionic surfactant （Surfa） do not reach the specified standard levels in the tributaries. Seasonal Mann--Kendall tests indicated that the CODMn concentration shows a highly significant increasing trend, and the TP concentration shows a significant increasing trend in the Danjiangkou Reservoir. The distribution of the main water quality indices in the Danjiangkou Reservoir was predicted using a two-dimensional water quality numerical model, and showed that the sphere of influence from the tributaries can spread across half of the Han Reservoir if the pollutants are not controlled. Cluster analysis （CA） results suggest that the Shending River is heavily polluted, that the Jianghe, Sihe, and Jianhe rivers are moderately polluted, and that they should be the focus of environmental remediation.

Influence of total dissolved gas-supersaturated water on silver carp(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

Dam discharges over spillways are the main reason for the gas-supersaturated water generated in rivers.Local aquatic organisms,especially fish,readily develop gas bubble disease(GBD) in a river with total dissolved gas supersaturation(TDGS).Sometimes,fish will die after a specific exposure period,which negatively affects the biological equilibrium.In this study,the influence of TDGS on silver carp was explored.Silver carp were exposed to gas-supersaturated water with TDGS levels of 140%,135%,130%,125%,120%,and 110%to test the impact of TDGS.Some silver carp died when the TDGS level was 120%or higher,and all the silver carp exposed to a TDGS level of 140%died within10 h.In comparison with the Chinese sucker,Prenant's schizothoracin,and rock carp,silver carp seem less sensitive to TDGS.In addition,we tested the catalase(CAT) activity in the muscles and gills of silver carp after they were exposed to gas-supersaturated water with a TDGS level of140%.The CAT activity changed with time;it increased first and then decreased until it was lower than the initial CAT activity.The results of this study can provide basic data for developing a standard for environmental evaluation.

Estimation of non-point source pollution loads with flux method in Danjiangkou Reservoir area,China

The estimation of non-point source pollution loads into the Danjiangkou Reservoir is highly significant to environmental protection in the watershed. In order to overcome the drawbacks of traditional watershed numerical models, a base flow separation method was established coupled with a digital filtering method and a flux method. The digital filtering method has been used to separate the base flows of the Hanjiang,Tianhe, Duhe, Danjiang, Laoguan, and Qihe rivers. Based on daily discharge, base flow, and pollutant concentration data, the flux method was used to calculate the point source pollution load and non-point source pollution load. The results show that:(1) In the year 2013, the total inflow of the six rivers mentioned above accounted for 95.9% of the total inflow to the Danjiangkou Reservoir. The total pollution loads of chemical oxygen demand(CODMn) and total phosphorus(TP) from the six rivers were 58.20 103 t and 1.863 10~3 t, respectively, and the non-point source pollution loads were 39.82 10~3 t and 1.544 10~3 t, respectively, indicating that the non-point source pollution is a major factor(with a contribution rate of 68.4% for CODMnand 82.9% for TP).(2) The Hanjiang River is the most significant contributor of pollution loads to the Danjiangkou Reservoir, and its CODMnand TP contribution rates reached 79.3% and 83.2%, respectively. The Duhe River took the second place.(3) Non-point source pollution mainly occurred in the wet season in 2013, accounting for 80.8% and 90.9% of the total pollution loads of CODMnand TP, respectively. It is concluded that the emphasis of pollution control should be placed on non-point source pollution.

Experimental study on total dissolved gas supersaturation in water

More and more high dams have been constructed and operated in China. The total dissolved gas （TDG） supersaturation caused by dam discharge leads to gas bubble disease or even death of fish, Through a series of experiments, the conditions and requirements of supersaturated TDG generation were examined in this study. The results show that pressure （water depth）, aeration, and bubble dissolution time are required for supersaturated TDG generation, and the air-water contact area and turbulence intensity are the main factors that affect the generation rate of supersaturated TDG. The TDG supersaturation levels can be reduced by discharging water to shallow shoals downstream of the dam or using negative pressure pipelines. Furthermore, the TDG supersaturation levels in stilling basins have no direct relationship with those in reservoirs. These results are of great importance for further research on the prediction of supersaturated TDG generation caused by dam discharge and aquatic protection.

Chondrogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by puerarin and tetrandrine

Objective: This study aims to clarify the effect of the active components puerarin and tetrandrine on the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs).Methods: Using network pharmacology, protein targets of puerarin and tetrandrine were predicted, and a database of cartilage formation targets was established. The protein target information related to disease was then collected, and the drug-targeting network was constructed by analyzing the protein–protein interactions. Genes related to chondrogenesis induced by puerarin and tetrandrine and chondroblast differentiation signaling pathways were searched. Finally, potential drug-and disease-related genes,as well as proteins, were screened and verified using real-time RT-PCR and western blotting.Results: Network pharmacological studies have shown that puerarin and tetrandrine are involved in BMSCs cartilage differentiation. The experimental results showed that puerarin and tetrandrine could regulate the expression of cartilage differentiation-related genes and proteins. Puerarin increased the protein expression of COL2 A1, COL10 A1, MMP13, and SOX-9,as well as the gene expression of Col2 a1, Mmp13, Tgfb1, and Sox-9. Tetrandrine increased the protein expression of COL2 A1,COL10 A1, MMP13, and SOX-9, as well as the gene expression of Col10 a1, Tgfb1, Sox-9, and Acan. The combination of puerarin and tetrandrine increased the protein expression of COL2 A1, COL10 A1, MMP13, and SOX-9 and the gene expression of Col2 a1,Col10 a1, Sox-9, and Acan.Conclusions: Puerarin, tetrandrine, and their combination can promote the proliferation of BMSCs and induce their differentiation into chondrocytes, and they are thus expected to be inducers of chondrogenic differentiation. These results suggest that puerarin and tetrandrine have potential therapeutic effects on osteoarthritis.

Effects of total dissolved gas supersaturated water on lethality and catalase activity of Chinese sucker(Myxocyprinus asiaticus Bleeker)

Total dissolved gas(TDG) supersaturation caused by dam sluicing can result in gas bubble trauma(GBT) in fish and threaten their survival.In the present study,Chinese suckers(Myxocyprinus asiaticus Bleeker) were exposed to TDG supersaturated water at levels ranging from 120% to 145% for 48 h.The median lethal concentration(LC 50) and the median lethal time(LT 50) were determined to evaluate acute lethal effects on Chinese suckers.The results showed that the LC 50 values of 4,6,8,and 10 h were 142%,137%,135%,and 130%,respectively.The LT 50 values were 3.2,4.7,7.8,9.2,and 43.4 h,respectively,when TDG supersaturated levels were 145%,140%,135%,130%,and 125%.Furthermore,the biological responses in Chinese suckers were studied by assaying the catalase(CAT) activities in gills and muscles at the supersaturation level of 140% within LT 50.The CAT activities in the gills and muscle tissues exhibited a regularity of a decrease after an increase.CAT activities in the muscles were increased significantly at 3/5LT 50(P<0.05) and then came back to the normal level.However,there were no significant differences between the treatment group(TDG level of 140%) and the control group(TDG level of 100%) on CAT activities in the gills before 3/5LT 50(P>0.05),but the activities were significantly lower than the normal level at 4/5LT 50 and LT 50(P<0.05).

Effects of gas supersaturation on lethality and avoidance responses in juvenile rock carp(Procypris rabaudi Tchang)

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effects of total dissolved gas （TDG） supersaturation on acute lethality and avoidance responses in juvenile rock carp （Procypris rabaudi Tchang）. The juvenile rock carp were exposed to water with different levels of supersaturation （105%, 115%, 120%, 125%, 130%, 135%, 140%, and 145%） and depth of 0.20 m at 25℃ for 60 h. Median lethal time （LT50） was used to assess the lethal responses corresponding to different levels of gas supersaturation. The results show that half of the juvenile rock carp died at the 120%, 125%, 130%, 135%, 140%, and 145% levels of supersaturation, and the LT50 corresponding to different levels of supersaturation was 18.7, 15.4, 8.2, 6.6, 3.5, and 1.7 h. When the level of supersaturated water is below 115%, the mortality is negligible. Avoidance responses were observed 5 min after the fish were put into equilibrated water （99%, 0.08 m deep） and water with different supersaturated levels （105%, 115%, 125%, 135%, and 145%, 0.08 m deep） at 25 ℃. The fish exhibited strong avoidance responses in supersaturated water when the gas supersaturation was above 135%. However, they exhibited an obvious preference to supersaturated water when the gas supersaturation was below 115%. Thus, the juvenile rock carp can likely survive in water with a supersaturated level of 115%.

Effect of total dissolved gas supersaturated water on early life of David's schizothoracin (Schizothorax davidi)

The effect of total dissolved gas （TDG） supersaturation on fish living downstream of dams is one of the main ecological risks of high dam construction. A strategy for mitigating the negative effects is needed urgently since many high dams are under construction in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Experiments on the hatching process of David＇s schizothoracin were carried out and the results show that the hatching rate decreased with increasing TDG levels, and that most eggs hatched within a very short time in the higher TDG saturation groups. By using a stereomicroscope, damages to the head, yolk sac, body, anus, etc. were found in larvae which hatched in TDG supersaturated water. Results show that the lesion rate increased with increasing TDG levels. Furthermore, 7-d-old David＇s schizothoracin were exposed to TDG supersaturated water levels of 100%, 105%, 110%, 115%, 120%, 125%, 130%, 135%, and 140% for testing their tolerance to TDG supersaturation. We found that the median lethal concentrations （LC50） for 13, 14, 20, 35, 52, 73, and 96 h exposure were 138%, 138%, 134%, 130%, 129%, 128%, and 126%, respectively. The median lethal times （LTs0） were 7.49, 11.04, 19.25, and 35.38 h for exposure to water with TDG levels of 145%, 140%, 135%, and 130%, respectively.

Numerical study of heat transfer of gas-atomized Fe-6.5 %Si （mass and solidification behavior fraction） droplets

During spray atomization process, the heat transfer and solidification of droplets play very important roles for the deposition quality. Due to the difficulties of experimental approach, a numerical model is developed, which integrates liquid undercooling, nucleation recalescence and post-re- calescence growth to present the full solidification process of Fe-6.5%Si （mass fraction） droplet. The droplet velocity, temperature, cooling rate as well as solid fraction profiles are simulated for droplets with different sizes to demonstrate the critical role of the size effect during the solidification process of droplets. The relationship between the simulated cooling rate and the experimentally obtained secondary dendrite arm spacing is in excellent agreement with the well-established formula. The pre-constant and exponent values lie in the range of various rapid solidified Fe-based alloys reported, which indicates the validity of the numerical model.

Growth rate,catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in rock carp(Procypris rabaudi Tchang) exposed to supersaturated total dissolved gas

Total dissolved gas supersaturation(TDGS) appears when the pressures of gases in a solution exceed the barometric pressures.TDGS is often caused by flood discharge at dams.It may lead to gas bubble disease(GBD) for fish and biochemical responses of selected fish and other aquatic organisms.The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of long-term TDGS levels on the growth and biochemical responses of rock carp(Procypris rabaudi Tchang) dwelling in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.Three-year-old rock carp were exposed to TDGS levels at 100%,104%,108%,112%,and 116% for 42 d.Samples were taken every 7 d after the start of the trial in order to determine catalase(CAT) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activities in gill and muscle tissues.Samples were taken at Days 0 and 42 of exposure to determine growth rate.Little effect was found on growth rate in all treatment groups.SOD and CAT activities varied in different tissues,according to time of exposure and TDGS levels.The biochemical response of fish exposed to TDGS was more obvious in gill tissue than in muscle tissue.Surveys of SOD and CAT activities in different tissues offer important information about the effect of TDGS on the rare fish in the Yangtze River,and may help evaluate the risk to the aquatic eco-environment and aquatic ecosystem in the downstream of the Yangtze River.

Enhanced mechanical performance of gradient-structured CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys induced by industrial shot-blasting

In this study,CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys(HEAs)with a surface gradient nanostructure were produced using industrial shot blasting,which improved their mechanical properties compared to the untreated alloy.The severely plastically deformed(SPD)surface layer had a multi-scale hierarchical structure with a high density of stacking faults,deformation nanotwins,and amorphous domains.The depth of the SPD layer steadily increased as the shot-blasting time increased.The differences in the microhardness and tensile strength before and after shotblasting demonstrated the significant effect of the SPD layer on the mechanical performance.The microhardness of the homogenized HEA was~5 GPa.In comparison,the maximum microhardness of the specimens after 20 min of shot blasting was~8.0 GPa at the surface.The yield strength also improved by 178%,and a large ductility of~36%was retained.Additional nanograin boundary,stacking fault,and twin strengthening within the gradientnanostructured surface layer caused the strength to increase.During tensile deformation,strain concentration began at the surface of the specimen and gradually spread to the interior.Thus,the gradient-nanostructured surface layer with improved strain hardening can prevent early necking and ensure steady plastic deformation so that high toughness is achieved.

Microstructural Features and Mechanical Behaviors of Al_(0.5)Cr_(0.8)CoFeNi_(2.5)V_(0.2) High-Entropy Alloys Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting Technique

In this work,high strength and ductile Al_(0.5)Cr_(0.8)CoFeNi_(2.5)V_(0.2) high-entropy alloys(HEAs)were fabricated by the selective laser melting(SLM)technique.After orthogonal experiments,it was verified that a wide SLM processing parameter window can be used to produce crack-free samples for the investigated HEAs.All the printed HEA samples exhibit good densification higher than 98.3%.It was found that obvious epitaxial growth leads to the formation of the cylindrical and equiaxed ordered face-centered cubic(FCC)crystals,displaying the characteristics of sub-cylindrical and sub-cellular microstructures.The low-angle grain boundaries(LAGBs)prefer appearing around subgrain structures,while the high-angle grain boundaries(HAGBs)tend to form around coarse grains.Two HEA samples with high and low apparent densities were selected to observe their mechanical properties,which exhibit Vickers hardness higher than 263 HV and do not fail during compression.With increasing densification,the strength gradually rises.According to the engineering stress–strain curves during compression,the yield strength is higher than 530 MPa,while the strength near 40%engineering strain is larger than 1840 MPa.During deformation,a large density of dislocations becomes popular within subgrain structures together with the pre-existing dislocations from rapid solidification,leading to the formation of planar and cross slip bands.Within coarse cylindrical crystals,some deformation twins are also induced together with the appearance of a distinct copper-type texture during deformation.As a result,the as-printed samples display better mechanical properties than the as-cast counterpart.The present studies provide a very good HEA candidate for the SLM process,but more work should be conducted to achieve excellent comprehensive properties.