Stitch by Stitch Xiamen bead embroidery inheritors integrate century-old history into contemporary culture

Located in Xiamen City,southeast China's Fujian Province,Kulangsu Island is abuzz with attractions and shops that welcome tourists from all over the world all year round.Amid all the hustle and bustle,one place offers a small oasis of calm-the island's bead embroidery studio.

Ecological restoration project transforms Xiamen’s Yundang Lake

Before moving to Xiamen to work and settle,Scott Patrick and his wife looked at a lot of photos of the city,and Yundang Lake caught their attention.“We saw beautiful pictures of the lake and immediately thought that Xiamen must be a very pleasant city to live in.So,we went there,which proved to be a good choice,”Patrick told ChinAfrica.

Movement and Stillness at Xiamen University

Xiamen University,a beacon of education and culture,invites us to witness the fascinating interplay(相互影响)of movement and stillness within its main gate.As we embark on this journey,we discover a realm(领域)where the passage of time and the transformation of space create an attractive dance,while the enduring essence of knowledge and youthful passion remain ever-present.

Distribution,fractionation,and contamination assessment of heavy metals in offshore surface sediments from western Xiamen Bay,China

Surface sediment samples were collected at 21 offshore sites in western Xiamen Bay, Southeast China. Total concentrations of Li, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, St, Mn, Pb, Ba, Fe, and Ti were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry; Hg was determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. A modified BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to extract fractions of the above elements. Concentrations of Pb, Cr, and Hg at most sites met the primary standard criteria of Marine Sediment Quality except site S12 for Pb and S7 for Cr, while concentrations of Zn at 17 sites and Cu at seven sites exceeded the criteria. The mean concentration of Hg was three times higher than the background, with a possible source being the Jiulong River. Fe, Ti, Ba, Co, V, and Li dominated the residual phase, mainly from terrestrial input. Ni, Cr, Pb, and Hg in the non-residual phase varied largely between sites. Sr, Mn, Cu, and Zn were mainly in the non- residual fraction. Most sites showed considerable ecological risk; exceptions were site S7 （very high） and sites S10, S11, and S14 （moderate）. Cu showed moderate-to-high pollution and Pb exhibited no-to-low pollution, while other metals had a non-pollution status according to their ratios of secondary phase to primary phase （RSP）. Results of two assessment methods showed moderate pollution and a very high ecological risk for Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr at site S7, which might be due to the local sewage treatment plant.

Distributions of surficial sediments and its response to dynamic actions in the Xiamen Bay sea area, China

Sediment distribution is important for morphodynamic evolution and shoreline changes in coastal zones and estuaries. In the study, the data of 230 surface sediment samples collected from the Xiamen Bay sea area in September 2008 are used to investigate the spatial distribution and sediment transport pathway. The grain size distribution of surficial sediments in the Xiamen Bay area is shown distinctly in this study. In addition, the Grain Size Transport Analysis model is used for conveying trend analysis of the sediment in this area, particularly for determining the sediment movement trend. The results indicate that eight sediment types are present for samples, with clayey silt comprising the highest percentage in the study area at 65.22%. Moreover, in the different subareas, the characteristics of grain size parameters are obviously different owing to different sediment sources and hydrodynamic conditions. Furthermore, runoff, tides, and waves are the main forces dominating sediment dynamics on the seabed and tidal flats, and the sediment movement trend is closely related to hydrodynamic conditions.

Preliminary study on the distribution of nutrients, organic matter, trace metals in sea surface microlayer in Xiamen Bay and Jiulong Estuary

The enrichment of nutrients (Noa-, Noa-, PO43-), suspended particles, organic matter (POC, PON,DOC) , and trace metals (Cu, Ni, Cd) was determined in the sea surface microlayer of Xiamen Bay and Jiulong Estuary. The mean enrichment factors ([Xi]microlayer/[Xi ]15cm in depth) mostly ranged between 1 . 0 and 2. 0. The dissolved forms were the major forms of the components measured, the enrichment of dissolved organic matter and suspended particles could lead to the changes in the total amount and speciation of nutrients and trace metals. No correlation was observed between sample concentrations, speciation, enrichment factors and sample locations. However, some evidence shows that these parameters are correlated with sea state, indicating the complexity and dynamic nature of the sea surface microlayer.

Annual change of the gonadal development of the amphioxus in Xiamen

The study was made by observing the annual change of the gonadal development of amphioxus in Xiamen cohtinuously for two years from November, 1986 to November, 1988. We determined the gonadal diameter, gonadosomatic index of each amphioxus, and observed the histological characteristic of the gonadal development of the female and male by cut section, which provided the basis for dividing the stages gonads and the determining level of the gonadal development of amphioxus in each month.

Bacterial kinetics and environmental capacity in he Western Xiamen Harbour

A principle, which has usually been applied to biochemical treatment for waste water is presently introduced into the study on marine microbiological ecology and employed in the estimation of environmental capacity. By means of a selection of 3 models for the microbial growth or for its oxygen consumption and determinations of concerned parameters in the field and the laboratory, the environmental capacity for the Western Xiamen Harbour is evaluated to be 37 t·d-1 of BOD5 in gross or 28 t·d-1 in net (with some 25% of the gross capacity consumed by a present ecosystem) if BOD5 is controlled without excess of 3 mg·din-3 in the sea water; it means that an amount of domestic waste water equal to 28 t of BOD5 can be naturally self-purified in this sea area everyday. Furthermore it is found that the K value, a constant of oxygen-consumed kinetics, shows possitive correlation to the concentration of BOD5 in the same system and total bacterial number (TB) in the seawater also to BOD5 with a regression equation TB (108 dm-3)=9. 91×BOD5 (mg·dm-3) + 1. 74 (n=32, r=0. 544 1, P<0. 01).

Development rate of Labidocera euchaeta Giesbrecht in Xiamen Harbor

-The development rate of Labidocera euchaeta Giesbrecht in the Xiamen Harbor was studied in laboratory. The results showed that the development times of egg and larval stages ( D ) were significantly correlated with temperature ( T ), following the Belehradek function, D = α( T -7. 5)-1.0634. The development time from egg to larval stages and adult, as well as generation time can be predicted from the equation for egg development ( α=411/24) by appropriately multipling the constant (α) with a proportion. The development was not isochronal over the whole larval period. Durations of naupliar stages were short and quasi-isochronal, which favored their non-feeding development. In contrast, durations of copepodid stages (C) were long. CV had the longest duration followed by CI, both of which are considered as the critical stages in the larval development. The acclimation effect of the seasonal temperature on the development rate was also observed.

The description of a new kind and three new types of medusae nematocysts in the Xiamen Harbour, China

A new kind of nematocyst, heteromorphore, and three new types of nematocysts, microbasic spino-mastigophore, microbasic undulata-mastigophore, microbasic laevis-mastigophore, are described from medusae of the Xiamen Harbour and discussed by comparison with the results of other research workers.

New species and new records of diatoms from Xiamen Harbour

In planktonic diatom samples collected from Xiamen Harbour, Xiamen,Fujian,China from January 1983 to December 1984, two species and varieties are new to science and three species are recorded for the first time in China. New species is Tropidoneis constricta Li,Cheng et Chin sp. nov. ,new variety is Fragilaria longissima v. protenta Li,Cheng et Chin var. nov. ,new recorded species are FragUaria heidenii Ostrup.F.oceanica Cleve and Thalassiosira punctigera Hasle.

The pathway and fate of the heavy metal mixture in Xiamen marine experiment enclosures

The pathway and fate of heavy metals were studied in 10m3 enclosures at Xiamen Bay in 1985. The dissolved metals added are removed rather quickly during the first days, and their half-removal times ( t1/2) (d) are as follows: Pb 5. 4-5. 8, Hg 6. 7-14, Zn 11-22, Cu 16 - 29, and Cd 30-89. Zinc is transferred biologically to particles during phytoplankton bloom. The main Fate of added metals after 27 days is as follows; over 80% Cd and 60% Cu remain in dissolved phase, more than 60% Pb and 50% Hg transfer to settling settlement, while Zn is equally distributed in dissolved phase and settling settlement. The wall uptake is less than 2% of the total metals added. Organic materials play an essential role in the partition and the transfer of heavy metals in water column. Terrigenous and autochthonous particles show different affinities to different metals. Most heavy metals associate weakly with zooplankton. The Binding of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu to the particles shows distinctive features related to the diagenetic alteration.

Long-term changes of phytoplankton community in Xiagu waters of Xiamen,China

Long-term changes of phytoplankton community by water sampling method in Xiagu Sea waters of Xiamen,China,were investigated in this study.Species composition of the phytoplankton community in these waters changed greatly since the 1950s.The numbers of Dinophyta species increased significantly,although Bacillariophyta species are generally dominant.The succession of dominant species in phytoplankton community is obvious： large-size dominant species such as Biddulphia sinensis of the 1950s were gradually replaced by small-size ones such as Cyclotella striata and Nitzschia closterium,and species that still maintain dominant such as Skeletonema costatum are also small ones,leading the whole phytoplankton community of smaller size.Cell density of phytoplankton community increased greatly,among which cell density of the most dominant species Skeletonema costatum have been increasing in exponent function.Margalef index of phytoplankton community decreased,indicating decline of biodiversity of the community,and dominant character of Skeletonema costatum increased.Generally,the structure of the entire phytoplankton community is becoming more and more singular and unstable,which makes the occurrence of red tides more frequent.The succession in the phytoplankton community is related to the long-term changes in marine environment,influenced by human activities and global climate changes,especially the increases of nutrient content.

Remote sensing of the urban heat island and its changes in Xiamen City of SE China

World-wide urbanization has significantly modified the landscape, which has important climatic implications across all scales due to the simultaneous removal of natural land cover and introduction of urban materials. This resulted in a phenomenon known as an urban heat island(UHI). A study on the UHI in Xiamen of China was carried out using remote sensing technology. Satellite thermal infrared images were used to determine surface radiant temperatures. Thermal remote sensing data were obtained from band 6 of two Landsat TM/ETM\++ images of 1989 and 2000 to observe the UHI changes over 11-year period. The thermal infrared bands were processed through several image enhancement technologies. This generated two 3-dimension-perspective images of Xiamen's urban heat island in 1989 and 2000, respectively, and revealed heat characteristics and spatial distribution features of the UHI. To find out the change of the UHI between 1989 and 2000, the two thermal images were first normalized and scaled to seven grades to reduce seasonal difference and then overlaid to produce a difference image by subtracting corresponding pixels. The difference image showed an evident development of the urban heat island in the 11 years. This change was due largely to the urban expansion with a consequent alteration in the ratio of sensible heat flux to latent heat flux. To quantitatively compare UHI, an index called Urban-Heat-Island Ratio Index(URI) was created. It can reveal the intensity of the UHI within the urban area. The calculation of the index was based on the ratio of UHI area to urban area. The greater the index, the more intense the UHI was. The calculation of the index for the Xiamen City indicated that the ratio of UHI area to urban area in 2000 was less than that in 1989. High temperatures in several areas in 1989 were reduced or just disappeared, such as those in old downtown area and Gulangyu Island. For the potential mitigation of the UHI in Xiamen, a long-term heat island reduction strategy of planting shade trees and using light-colored, highly reflective roof and paving materials should be included in the plans of the city planers, environmental managers and other decision-makers to improve the overall urban environment in the future.

Speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Xiamen Bay surface sediment

Based on the survey of surface sediment in Xiamen Bay in October 2011, the speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals （Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr） in this area were studied us-ing the sequential extraction method and ecological risk assessment method. The results indicated：（1） the total concentrations of these heavy metals were influenced by runoff, industrial wastewater, and sewage, and were all higher in the coastal area than the offshore area while the highest area of Pb was a little far-ther away from the coastal water due to atmosphere deposition;（2） sequential extractions suggested that Cu was mainly composed with residual and Fe/Mn-oxide bound fractions, Pb was bound to Fe/Mn-oxide, Zn and Cr were dominated by residual, and Cd bound to exchangeable and carbonate fractions; （3） the order of migration and transformation sequence was Cd＆gt;Pb＆gt;Cu＆gt;Zn＆gt;Cr and the degree of pollution was Cd＆gt;Pb＆gt;Cu＆gt;Zn＆gt;Cr;and （4） the ratios of the secondary and primary phases showed that Zn and Cr were both clean, Cu may be polluted, Pb was moderately polluted, while Cd was heavily polluted.

Human Rights Knowledge Training in Xiamen

The second human rights knowledge training class was held May 29-June 3 in Xiamen. More than 60 cadres incharge of international communication from the central government agencies and information offices of various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities received training at the class sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council.

Abundance and distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in Xiamen Western Harbor

In a grid investigation, dinoflagellate cysts were collected from sediments in Xiamen Western Harbor in May of 2000, from which five species of cysts were identified: Alexandrium tamarensis, A. minutum, Lingulodinium polyedra, Gonyaulax scrippsae and Gymnodinium catenatum, account for about 21% in the species composition. The quanti-tative analysis of the sediments shows that the number of dinoflagellate cysts varies from 51 to 256 cysts/g of sediment, the highest value (>200 cysts/g) being recorded at the stations of the central part of the bay, while the lowest (<100 cysts/g) at the bay mouth. A good linear relationship is found between cyst amount and fine-grained sediments. Complex physiognomies on the seabed, topographty in the bay and weak water exchange are the main factors not only in cyst accumulation but also in their distribution pattern, and have resulted in the difference in cyst densities between the inner bay and the outer bay in the harbor.

Distribution characteristics of total mercury and methylmercury in the topsoil and dust of Xiamen, China

The levels and distribution of mercury （Hg） species, including total mercury （THg） and methylmercury （MeHg） in the topsoil and dust collected from twenty sampling stations located in different land function areas of Xiamen, China, were investigated. The THg concentrations in topsoil ranged from 0.071 to 1.2 mg/kg, and in dust ranged from of 0.034 to 1.4 mg/kg. For stations where the THg of dust was less than 0.31 mg/kg, THg concentrations in the topsoil were significantly correlated to those in the corresponding dust （r = 0.597, n = 16, P = 0.014）. The MeHg concentrations in topsoil were varied between 0.14 and 5.7 μg/kg. The ratios of MeHg/THg in the topsoil ranged from 0.069% to 0.74%. The range of MeHg concentration in the dust were 0.092-2.3 μg/kg. The ratios of MeHg/THg in the dust were at the same level as those in the topsoil. The MeHg concentrations in both topsoil and dust were linked to corresponding THg concentrations and soil organic matter. Neither THg nor MeHg concentration in the topsoil and dust was obviously linked to the land function.

Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some agricultural, industrial and urban areas along Xiamen coastal waters, China

An intensive investigation was conducted to study the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs）, to show firstly the level of pollution in the agricultural areas and analyses specifically the status of soil polluted by these persistent pollutants in some locations of Xiamen region. Soil samples collected from Jiulong agricultural catchment have been analysed for 16 PAH compounds, using gas chromatography flame ionization detection in order to determine the level of selected PAH components and to identify the factors that may control their distribution and persistence in the area. The main PAHs found in soil samples were the low molecular weight. The total PAHs detected in soil samples ranged from 0.50 to 0.95 μg/g soil. The highest values of PAHs were significantly detected in the orange tree leaves, which range from 236.1 to 249.3 μg/g soil showing recent atmospheric inputs of these volatile pollutants. The distribution of PAHs in vegetable were monitored and indicating that the concentration were high and ranged from 8.24 to 58.87 μg/g. Other sediment samples were also collected and analysed from urban sewage （5.26 μg/g dw）, aquacultural （0.52 μg/g dw） and industrial areas （from 0.62 to 2.09 μg/g dw）, during this investigation. The contamination of Jiulong river estuary and Xiamen Western Sea by PAHs has been then widely justified by wastcwatcr discharges and soil runoffs from these areas. The results, therefore, provide important information on the current contamination status caused by the atmospheric transport and point to the need for urgent actions to stop the release of these hydrocarbons to the environment. The necessity of implementing systematic monitoring of PAHs is also emphasized.