Distribution, Mobility, and Health Risks Assessment of Trace Metals in River Sediments from Intense Agricultural Activity Areas in West Africa

The economy of West African countries is mainly based on agriculture. However, the trace metal(loid)s contamination status in rivers is relatively unknown in the region. In this work, 45 surface sediments collected from the Bandama, Comoé, and Bia Rivers in south and south eastern Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa), were analyzed for total metal concentrations and chemical speciation. The results showed that the river sediments were considerably contaminated by Cd and moderately contaminated by As, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Significant spatial variations were observed among the stations but not between the rivers. Metals Cd and Cu were likely to cause more ecological risks. The speciation analysis unravelled that the metal(loid)s partitioned mainly in the residual fraction, with the potential mobile fraction varying from 14% to 28%. The study calls for establishment of strict policies relative to the application of fertilizers and agrochemicals and mining activities to protect the environment and human health risks.

Gold Resources Potential Assessment in Eastern Kunlun Mountains of China Combining Weights-of-evidence Model with GIS Spatial Analysis Technique

Resources potential assessment is one of the fields in geosciences,which is able to take great advantage of GIS technology as a substitution of traditional working methods.The gold resources potential in the eastern Kunlun Mountains,Qinghai Province,China was assessed by combining weights-of-evidence model with GIS spatial analysis technique.All the data sets used in this paper were derived from an established multi-source geological spatial database,which contains geological,geophysical,geochemical and remote sensing data.Three multi-class variables,i.e.,structural intersection,Indosinian k-feldspar granite and regional fault,were used in proximity analysis to examine their spatial association with known gold deposits.A prospectivity map was produced by weights-of-evidence model based on seven binary evidential maps,all of which had passed a conditional independence test.The study area was divided into three target zones of high potential,moderate potential and low potential areas,among which high potential areas and moderate potential areas accounted for 20% of the total area and contained 32 of the 43 gold deposits.The results show that the gold resources potential assessment in the eastern Kunlun Mountains has a higher precision.

Potential assessment of CO_(2)geological storage based on injection scenario simulation:A case study in eastern Junggar Basin

Carbon Capture and Storage(CCS)is one of the effective means to deal with global warming,and saline aquifer storage is considered to be the most promising storage method.Junggar Basin,located in the northern part of Xinjiang and with a large distribution area of saline aquifer,is an effective carbon storage site.Based on well logging data and 2D seismic data,a 3D heterogeneous geological model of the Cretaceous Donggou Formation reservoir near D7 well was constructed,and dynamic simulations under two scenarios of single-well injection and multi-well injection were carried out to explore the storage potential and CO2 storage mechanism of deep saline aquifer with real geological conditions in this study.The results show that within 100 km^(2)of the saline aquifer of Donggou Formation in the vicinity of D7 well,the theoretical static CO_(2)storage is 71.967×106 tons(P50)①,and the maximum dynamic CO_(2)storage is 145.295×106 tons(Case2).The heterogeneity of saline aquifer has a great influence on the spatial distribution of CO_(2)in the reservoir.The multi-well injection scenario is conducive to the efficient utilization of reservoir space and safer for storage.Based on the results from theoretical static calculation and the dynamic simulation,the effective coefficient of CO_(2)storage in deep saline aquifer in the eastern part of Xinjiang is recommended to be 4.9%.This study can be applied to the engineering practice of CO_(2)sequestration in the deep saline aquifer in Xinjiang.

Content and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediment in Weishan Lake

[Objective] The aim was to analyze the content of heavy metals in surface sediment in Weishan Lake and further assess its ecological risk.[Method] Heavy metal pollution in surface sediment in Weishan Lake was studied,and the pollution indices and potential ecological risk indices of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd and Cr were calculated to assess the potential ecological risk of heavy metal pollution.[Result] In surface sediment in Weishan Lake,the average contents of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd,Cr and Ni were 64.78,185.05,78.76,0.17,37.76 and 46.84mg/kg respectively.Cr and Cd weren’t beyond standards in all stations,while Cu and Pb exceeded standards in all stations,with average super-standard multiple of 0.85 and 0.31,respectively,and Zn content wasn’t beyond standard in S2 station,with average super-standard multiple of 0.24.The average pollution indices of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd and Cr were 1.85,1.23,1.31,0.34 and 0.47 respectively,with average comprehensive pollution index of 5.21,which showed that heavy metal pollution was light.In addition,heavy metal pollution in entryway portion and sea-route portion were more serious than that of breeding portion.Potential ecological risk assessment showed that the average potential ecological risk indices of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cd and Cr were 9.25,1.23,6.56,10.34 and 0.94 respectively,with average comprehensive potential ecological risk index of 28.33,and it revealed that potential ecological risk of heavy metals was slight.Besides,the potential ecological risk order of heavy metal pollution was sea-route portion>entryway portion>breeding portion.[Conclusion] The study could provide references for the regulation and improvement of ecological environment in Weishan Lake in the east route of south-to-north water transfer project.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface seawater and sediment near the outlet of a zinc factory in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, China

At present, the methods widely applied to assess ecological risk of heavy metals are essentially single-point estimates in which exposure and toxicity data cannot be fully used and probabilities of adverse biological effects cannot be achieved. In this study, based on investigation of concentrations of six heavy metals(As, Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn) in the surface seawater and sediment near the outlet of a zinc factory, located in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, China, a tiered approach consisting of several probabilistic options was used to refi ne ecological risk assessment for the individuals. A mixture of various heavy metals was detected in the surface seawater, and potential ecological risk index(PERI) was adopted to assess the potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the surface sediment. The results from all levels of aquatic ecological risk assessment in the tiered framework, ranging from comparison of single effects and exposure values to the use of distribution-based Hazard Quotient obtained through Monte Carlo simulation, are consistent with each other. Briefl y, aquatic Zn and Cu posed a clear ecological risk, while Cd, Pb, Hg, and As in the water column posed potential risk. As expected, combined ecological risk of heavy metal mixture in the surface seawater was proved signifi cantly higher than the risk caused by any individual heavy metal, calculated using the concept of total equivalent concentration. According to PERI, the severity of pollution by the six heavy metals in the surface sediment decreased in the following sequence: Cd>Hg>As>Pb>Cu>Zn, and the total heavy metals in the sediment posed a very high risk to the marine environment. This study provides a useful mathematical framework for ecological risk assessment of heavy metals.

Cumulative gain and lift charts for model performance assessment in mineral potential mapping

Model performance assessment is a key procedure for mineral potential mapping, but the correspond-ing research achievements are seldom reported in literature. Cumulative gain and lift charts are well known in the data mining community specialized in marketing and sales applications and widely used in customer chum prediction for model performance assessment. In this paper, they are introduced into the field of mineral poten-tial mapping for model performance assessment. These two charts can be viewed as a graphic representation of the advantage of using a predictive model to choose mineral targets. A cumulative gain curve can represent how much a predictive model is superior to a random guess in mineral target prediction. A lift chart can express how much more likely the mineral targets predicted by a model are deposit-bearing ones than those by a random se-lection. As an illustration, the cumulative gain and lift charts are applied to measure the performance of weights of evidence, logistic regression,restricted Boltzmann machine, and multilayer perceptron in mineral potential mapping in the Altay district in northern Xinjiang in China. The results show that the cumulative gain and lift charts can visually reveal that the first three models perform well while the last one performs poorly. Thus, the cumulative gain and lift charts can serve as a graphic tool for model performance assessment in mineral potential mapping.

Geochemical Characteristics and Zonation of Primary Halos of Pulang Porphyry Copper Deposit,Northwestern Yunnan Province,Southwestern China

The Pulang （普朗） porphyry copper deposit, located in the southern segment of the Yidun-Zhongdian （义敦-中甸） island arc ore-forming belt of the Tethys-Himalaya ore-forming domain, is a recently discovered large copper deposit. Compared with the composition of granodiorite in China, the porphyry rocks in this area are enriched in W, Mo, Cu, Au, As, Sb, F, V, and Na2O （K1≥1.2）. Compared with the composition of fresh porphyry rocks in this district, the mineralized rocks are enriched in Cu, Au, Ag, Mo, Pb, Zn, W, As, Sb, and K2O （K2≥1.2）. Some elements show clear anomalies, such as Zn, Ag, Cu, Au, W, and Mo, and can be regarded as pathfinders for prospecting new ore bodies in depth. It has been inferred from factor analysis that the Pulang porphyry copper deposit may have undergone the multiple stages of alteration and mineralization： （a） Cu-Au mineralization; （b） W-Mo mineralization; and （c） silicification and potassic metasomatism in the whole ore-forming process. A detailed zonation sequence of indicator elements is obtained using the variability index of indicator elements as follows： Zn→Ag→Cu→Au→W→Mo. According to this zonation, an index such as （Ag＊Zn）D/（Mo×W）D can be constructed and regarded as a significant criterion for predicting the Cu potential at a particular depth.

Mapping potential areas for groundwater storage in the High Guir Basin(Morocco):Contribution of remote sensing and geographic information system

Identification of water potential areas in arid regions is a crucial element for the enhancement of their water resources and socio-economic development. In fact, water resources system-planning can be used to make various decisions and implement manage- ment of water resources policies. The purpose of this study is to identify groundwater sto- rage areas in the high Guir Basin by implementing Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing methods. The required data for this study can be summarized into five critical factors: Topography (slope), lithology, rainfall, rock fracture and drainage. These critical factors have been converted by the GIS into thematic maps. For each cri- tical parameter, a coefficient with weight was attributed according to its importance. The map of potential groundwater storage areas is obtained by adding the products (coeffi- cient × weight) of the five parameters. The results show that 50% to 64% of the total area of the High Guir Basin is potentially rich in groundwater, where most of fracture systems are intensely developed. The obtained results are validated with specific yield of the aqui- fer in the study area. It is noted that there is a strong positive correlation between excel- lent groundwater potential zones with high flows of water points and it diminishes with low specific yield with poor potential zones.

Earthquake triggering and delaying caused by fault interaction on Xianshuihe fault belt, southwestern China

The coseismic Coulomb stress change caused by fault interaction and its influences on the triggering and delaying of earthquake are briefly discussed. The Xianshuihe fault belt consists of Luhuo, Daofu, Kangding, Qianning and Ganzi fault. Luohuo (MS=7.6, 1973)-Kangding (MS=6.2, 1975)-Daofu (MS=6.9, 1981)-Ganzi (MS=6.0, 1982) earthquake is a seismic sequence continuous on the time axis with magnitude greater than 6.0. They occurred on the Luhuo, Kangding, Daofu and Ganzi fault, respectively. The coseismic Coulomb stress changes caused by each earthquake on its surrounding major faults and microcracks are calculated, and their effects on the triggering and delaying of the next earthquake and aftershocks are analyzed. It is shown that each earthquake of the sequence occurred on the fault segment with coseismic Coulomb stress increases caused by its predecessors, and most after-shocks are distributed along the microcracks with relatively larger coseismic Coulomb stress increases resulted from the main shock. With the fault interaction considered, the seismic potential of each segment along Xianshuihe fault belt is reassessed, and contrasted with those predicted results ignoring coseismic Coulomb stress change, the significance of fault interaction and its effect on triggering and delaying of earthquake are emphasized. It is con-cluded that fault interaction plays a very important role on seismic potential of Xianshuihe fault belt, and the maximal change of future earthquake probability on fault segment is up to 30.5%.

Offshore Wind Power Evaluation Based on Nearshore Wind Power Correlations

As the increasing number of wind energy is integrated into the national power grid,analyses of wind energy are becoming increasingly more crucial.The interaction between the topography and the northeast(NE)monsoon brings abundant wind resources to the Taiwan Strait in autumn and winter.The offshore area has stronger and more stable wind resources,so deployment of offshore wind power is also actively being carried out.However,development of offshore wind power systems requires stricter evaluation and decision-making.Therefore,this study implements a multi-site measurement verification to establish the relationship between the wind resources of the nearshore wind turbine system and a potential offshore power site in Chanbin.In the absence of a wind turbine at a specific location,potential of offshore wind energy is analyzed through wind resources.The findings showed that although the distance between these two sites is substantial,the nearshore and offshore areas at Chanbin experience similar wind conditions,and nearshore wind turbine can respond well to changes in wind speed and generate power accordingly.Afterwards,on this basis,the offshore power potential was evaluated and compared with the nearshore wind turbine systems.The results suggested the advantages of offshore wind power.A further analysis of the differences between power generation on a monthly basis was carried out to determine the distribution of wind turbine operation modes and illustrate the influence of the NE monsoon.

Assessment and Mapping of Potential Storm Surge Impacts on Global Population and Economy

With global climate change, population growth,and economic development in the twenty-first century,large cyclonic storm surges may result in devastating effects in some coastal areas of the world. However, due to the deficiency of global data and large-scale modeling efforts, the assessment and mapping of potential storm surge impacts at the global level are limited. In this article,the potential inundated area of global coastal zones is projected using information diffusion theory, based on the historical hourly sea-level observation records from the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center(UHSLC), considering variations in coastal morphology and tropical cyclone tracks. Combined with global demographic and GDP data,population and GDP at risk of storm surge impacts are calculated, mapped, and validated through the comparison with historical losses. The resulting potential impact maps provide a preliminary outlook on risks that may help governments of countries to make storm surge disaster prevention and reduction plans.

Trace heavy metals and harmful elements in roots and rhizomes of herbs:Screening level analysis and health risk assessment

Objective:Heavy metal and harmful element contamination are frequently reported in Chinese herbal medicines(CHMs),and roots and rhizomes parts showed a higher content than other parts.To investigate the residue level and assess the potential human health risk of heavy metals and harmful elements in roots and rhizomes,720 batches of the sample representing 20 species of herbs from different sources were collected.Methods:The content of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu in the digests was determined using ICP-MS.The chronic hazard index estimate based on non-cancer hazard quotient(HQ)was applied for potential health risk assessment of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu via consumption of CHMs.Results:Compared with the Chinese limit standard(Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission,2020 edition)of Pb,Cd,As,Hg,and Cu in Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma,the exceedance percentage of Pb in total samples was 14.1%,which were generally far higher than Cd,As,Hg,and Cu.Health risk assessment results based on hazard quotient calculating showed that total HQ of Cu,Pb,As,Cd,and Hg in Pulsatillae Radix and Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma exceeded 1,with the value of 1.543 and 1.235.Besides,Arsenic had the highest HQ value(0.957)in Pulsatillae Radix.Conclusion:Consuming raw materials of Pulsatillae Radix and Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma may pose a potential risk and Arsenic residues in Pulsatillae Radix deserved special attention.

Assessment of pollution of potentially harmful elements in soils surrounding a municipal solid waste incinerator, China

We assessed the contamination levels of Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, As and Hg and the risks posed by these potentially harmful elements in top-soils around a municipal solid waste incinerator （MSWI）. We collected 20 soil samples, with an average pH of 8.1, and another fly ash sample emitted from the MSWI to investigate the concentrations of these elements in soils. We determined the concentrations of these elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer （ICP-OES）, except for Hg, which we measured by AF-610B atomic fluorescence spectrometer （AFS）. We assessed the risks of these elements through the use of geoaccumulation index （/geo）, potential ecological risk index （R/）, hazard quotient （HQi） and cancer risk （Riski）. The results showed that concentrations of potentially harmful elements in soil were influenced by the wind direction, and the concentrations of most elements were higher in the area northwest of the MSWI, compared with the area southeast of the incinerator, with the exception of As; these results were in accordance with those results acquired from our contour maps. According to the I^o values, some soil samples were clearly polluted by Hg emissions. However, the health risk assessment indicated that the concentrations of Hg and other elements in soil did not pose non-carcinogenic risks to the local populations. This was also the case for the carcinogenic risks posed by As Cr and Ni. The carcinogenic risk posed by As was higher in the range 6.49 × 10 -9.58 × 10 -6, but this was still considered to be an acceptable level of risk.

MARINOBUFAGENIN AS A POTENTIAL BIOMARKER FOR PRE-ECLAMPSIA RISK ASSESSMENT:PURIFICATION FROM BUFO MARINUS TOAD VENOM AS SUPPORT FOR A HUMAN PLASMA LC-MS/MS ASSAY

Marinobufagenin(MBG)is a bufadienolide compound belonging to the cardiac glycosides class.The bufadienolides are present in humans as well as in some plants and animals.But the major source for these compounds is located in the parotid and skin gland secretions of some toad species.MBG is acting as a human endogenous cardiac inotrope and is demonstrating

Mineral Potential Mapping for Tungsten Polymetallic Deposits in the Nanling Metallogenic Belt, South China

The Nanling belt in South China has considerable resources of tungsten polymetallic commodities and is one of the most important metallogenic belts in the world. Data-driven weights-of-evidence （WofE） and fuzzy logic models are used to evaluate the tungsten polymetallic potential of the Nanling belt. Initially, seven ore-controlling factors derived from multi-source geospatial datasets （e.g., geological, geochemical, and geophysical） are used for data integration in the two models. Two mineral potential maps are generated that efficiently predicate the locations of the deposits. The WofE map predicate 81% of the deposits within 13.6% of the study area, whereas the fuzzy logic map predicate 81.5% of the deposits within 13% of the area. The predictive maps are syntheses of spatial association rules, which provide better understanding of those factors that control the distribution of mineralization and trigger eventual exploration work in new areas. Subsequently, in order to evaluate the success rate accuracy, the receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curves （AUCs） for the two potential maps are constructed. The results show that the AUCs for the WofE and fuzzy logic models are 0.775 7 and 0.840 6, respectively. The higher AUC value for the fuzzy logic model implies that it delineate a greater number of favorable areas compared with the WorE model. Overall, the capabilities of both models for correctly classifying areas with existing mineral deposits are satisfactory.

Global warming potential associated with Irish milk powder production

Climate change is an ever growing issue and a major concem worldwide. Both producers and processors need to address the issue now by reducing, their carbon footprint. Additionally, if Ireland is to meet their climate and energy targets, as outlined in Food Harvest 2020, which outlines a range ot objectives for the Irish agricultural sector, the efficient use of resources and fuels within the industry will need to be increased. In Ireland, agriculture accounts for 29.2% of the total greenhouse gas powder, is examined in order to estimate the global warming potential （GWP） associated with its manufacture using life cycle assessment. A cradle-to-processing factory gate analysis, which includes raw milk production, raw milk transportation to the processmg tactory, its processing into eacla product and product packaging, is assessed in this study using data collected circa 2013. The factories surveyed processed approximately 24% of the total raw milk processed in the Republic of Ireland in 2013, which was 5.83 billion liter. The average total GWP associated with the manufacture of milk powder is 9.731 kg CO2eq·kg^-1 milk powder, which has a standard deviation of 2.26 kg CO2eq·kg^-1 milk powder, for the life cycle stages analyzed in this study. The most significant contributor to GWP is raw milk production （84%）, followed by dairy processing （14%）, with the remainder of the life cycle stages contributing approximately 2%.

Predicting the aquatic risk of realistic pesticide mixtures to species assemblages in Portuguese river basins

Although pesticide regulatory tools are mainly based on individual substances, aquatic ecosystems are usually exposed to multiple pesticides from their use on the variety of crops within the catchment of a river. This study estimated the impact of measured pesticide mixtures in surface waters from 2002 and 2008 within three important Portuguese river basins（＇Mondego＇, ＇Sado＇ and ＇Tejo＇） on primary producers, arthropods and fish by toxic pressure calculation. Species sensitivity distributions（SSDs）, in combination with mixture toxicity models, were applied. Considering the differences in the responses of the taxonomic groups as well as in the pesticide exposures that these organisms experience, variable acute multi-substance potentially affected fractions（ms PAFs） were obtained. The median msP AF for primary producers and arthropods in surface waters of all river basins exceeded 5%, the cut-off value used in the prospective SSD approach for deriving individual environmental quality standards. A ranking procedure identified various photosystem II inhibiting herbicides, with oxadiazon having the relatively largest toxic effects on primary producers, while the organophosphorus insecticides, chlorfenvinphos and chlorpyrifos, and the organochloride endosulfan had the largest effects on arthropods and fish, respectively. These results ensure compliance with European legislation with regard to ecological risk assessment and management of pesticides in surface waters.