The abundance,distribution,and enrichment mechanism of harmful trace elements in coals from Guizhou,Southwestern China

Coal seams can enrich a variety of harmful trace elements under specific geological conditions.The spatial distribution of harmful trace elements in coal is extremely uneven,and the distribution characteristics of each element content are different.The harmful elements released in the process of coal mining and utilization will cause serious harm to the environment and the human body.It is of great resource significance to study the geochemistry of coal that affects the enrichment and distribution characteristics of harmful trace elements.Based on the domestic and foreign literature on coal geochemistry in Guizhou published by previous investigators,this study counted 1097 sample data from 23 major coal-producing counties in Guizhou Province,systematically summarized the relevant research results of harmful trace elements in the coal of Guizhou,and revealed the overall distribution and enrichment characteristics of harmful trace elements in the coal of Guizhou.The results show that the average contents of Cd,Pb,Se,Cu,Mo,U,V,As,Hg,and Cr in coal of Guizhou are higher than those in Chinese coal and world coal.A variety of harmful trace elements in the coal of Guizhou have high background values,especially in Liupanshui,Xingyi and Qianbei coalfield.The enrichment of various harmful trace elements in the Late Permian coal in Guizhou is mainly related to the combined action of various geological and geochemical factors.The supply of terrigenous debris and sedimentary environment may be the basic background of the enrichment of harmful elements in western Guizhou,while low-temperature hydrothermal activity and volcanic ash deposition may be the main reasons for the enrichment of harmful elements in southwestern Guizhou.

Factors inducing morphological transition in harmful algal bloom-forming species Phaeocystis globosa with emphasis on predator chemical cue

The microalga Phaeocystis globosa is recognized as a harmful alga and also one of the few keystone phytoplankton genera that shape the structure and function of marine ecosystems.P.globosa possess a complex polymorphic life cycle,exhibiting phase alternation between free-living cells of approximately 3-6μm in diameter and gelatinous colonies(palmelloid stage)reaching several millimeters.The knowledge on the factors that induced the morphological transition of P.globosa in the last two decades was reviewed.Emphasis is given to infochemicals,an additional biological factor induced by predator,with the attempt to reveal a relevant mechanism of induced morphological defense.

Comparison of short-term toxicity of 14 common phycotoxins(alone and in combination)to the survival of brine shrimp Artemia salina

Toxic harmful algal blooms(HABs)can cause deleterious effects in marine organisms,threatening the stability of marine ecosystems.It is well known that different strains,natural populations and growth conditions of the same toxic algal species may lead to different amount of phycotoxin production and the ensuing toxicity.To fully assess the ecological risk of toxic HABs,it is of great importance to investigate the toxic effects of phycotoxins in marine organisms.In this study,the short-term toxicity of 14 common phycotoxins(alone and in combination)in the marine zooplankton Artemia salina was investigated.The 48 h LC_(50)of the 14 phycotoxins varied from 0.0193µg/mL to 2.415µg/mL.The most potent phycotoxin was azaspiracids-3(AZA3;with a LC_(50)of 0.0193µg/mL),followed by azaspiracids-2(AZA2;0.0226µg/mL),pectenotoxin-2(PTX2;0.0460µg/mL)and dinophysistoxin-1(DTX1;0.0818µg/mL).For the binary exposure,okadaic acid(OA)induced potential additive effects with DTX1,probably due to their similar structure(polyether fatty acid)and mode of action(attacking the serine/threonine phosphoprotein phosphatases).On the other hand,OA showed potential antagonistic effects with PTX2,which might be accounted for by their activation on the detoxification activity of cytochrome P450 activity.In addition,DTX1 induced potential synergetic effects with saxitoxin(STX),yessotoxin(YTX)or PTX2,suggesting the hazard potency of the mixtures of DTX1 and other phycotoxins(like STX,YTX and PTX2)with regard to the ecological risk.These results provide valuable toxicological data for assessing the impact of phycotoxins on marine planktonic species and highlight the potential ecological risk of toxic HABs in marine ecosystems.

Artisanal Mining and Soil Quality in the Sudano-Sahelian Climate: Case of the Artisanal Mining Site of Yimiougou in Burkina Faso, West Africa

The majority of the population of Burkina Faso lives from agriculture and therefore depends on the land. The main objective of this study is to assess the quality of the soils in the area linked to artisanal mining activities. The methodology adopted consisted in sampling and characterizing the main types of soil. In order to assess the level of soil pollution by artisanal mining, parameters such as the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and the contamination factor (CF) are calculated. A prediction of acid mine drainage (AMD) was also carried out on samples of mine tailings which are potential sources of pollution of these soils. The results obtained show that the soils in Yimiougou are of nil to low agronomic interest. The Igeo shows that for lead, copper, zinc and arsenic the levels found in the different morphological units are partly attributable to human action and specifically artisanal mining. The values of the contamination factor indicate contamination. Cobalt presents the lowest contamination. For cadmium, the different types of soil are moderately contaminated except for the FITLC type, which has a CF value of 0.50, therefore synonymous with low or absent contamination. The various morphological units studied are very heavily contaminated with zinc, copper, lead and arsenic. The pH and conductivity values indicate that the mine tailings samples are non-acidogenic, therefore not yet oxidized. As for the sulphide contents, they show that only samples S17, S22, S23 and S24 present values that are strictly above the threshold (0.3%) and therefore potentially acid-generating. The comparative study of the acid potential (AP) and the neutralization potential (NP) reveals that the neutralization potentials of the different samples are clearly higher than the acid potentials even for the samples which present a proven acidification potential (S17, S22, S23 and S24). These results show that the mine tailings have the natural capacity to neutralize any possible mine drainage, given the presence of acid-eating minerals such as the carbonates associated with the mineralization.

Electrochemically and Ultrasonically-Enhanced Coagulation for Algae Removal

At the global level, the augmenting presence of harmful algae blooms constitutes important dares to water treatment plants (WTPs). In WTPs, coagulation remains the primary process of the applied procedure to treat algae-contaminated water. Such a chemical process influences the following techniques;thus, regulating coagulation parameters to eliminate algae at the maximum degree without provoking cell deterioration is more than crucial. This work aims to review coagulation-founded methods for algae elimination. First, investigations concentrating on algae elimination using the chemical process are discussed. The introduction presents the widespread algae encountered in the water treatment field. Then, habitually utilized experimental techniques and emerging methods in coagulation investigations are summarized with typical findings. Next, the newest expansions in improved algae elimination, launched by electrochemically and ultrasonically-enhanced coagulation, are discussed. Workable thoughts for applying coagulation to eliminate algae in WTPs are also debated. The paper finishes by defining restrictions and dares related to the present literature and suggesting trends for subsequent studies. The charge neutralization mechanism efficiently removes solubilized microcystins (MCs), and enhanced coagulation configuration is also found to be more efficient for their removal. However, considerations should be taken to avert that the acid introduction has no unwanted effect in killing algae treatment to avoid the solubilized MCs level elevation. If such techniques are well-optimized and controlled, both algae and solubilized MCs could be efficaciously removed by ultrasound-enhanced coagulation and electrocoagulation/electrooxidation.

Changes of Water Temperature and Harmful Algal Bloom in the Daya Bay in the Northern South China Sea

Economic development around the Daya Bay, China has profoundly affected the marine environment in the bay area in recent years, particularly since the operation of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station （DNPS） in 1994. This study analyzed the changes of water temperature and harmful algal blooms （HABs） for two periods： 1983-1993 and 1994-2004, using in situ and satellite data. Results showed that yearly mean surface water temperature （SWT） and Chl-a concentration （Chl-a） increased by 1.1 ℃ and 1.9 mg/m^3, respectively, after 1994. The monthly occurrence of HAB was found to have increased also. HABs appeared only in spring and autumn before 1994, but occurred all the year round after 1994. SWT, Chl-a and HABs all increased significantly in May. Those changes were associated with environmental changes in this area, such as thermal discharge from the DNPS and enhancement of eutrophication from human activities around the Daya Bay.

东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiense)和链状亚历山大藻(Alexandrium catenella)对模拟食物链物质传递的影响

研究了东海原甲藻的基本营养组成,并就赤潮密度下的东海原甲藻(Prorocentrum donghaiense)和链状亚历山大藻(Alexandrium catenella)在单一和混合情况下对赤潮藻→卤虫模拟食物链物质传递的影响进行了探讨。结果表明:与其它饵料微藻相比,东海原甲藻必需氨基酸中的苯丙氨酸、赖氨酸和组氨酸含量明显偏低。东海原甲藻单独投喂时,卤虫对其的总物质转化效率随着藻密度的增加呈现先逐渐增加再逐渐降低的趋势。而当不同密度的东海原甲藻分别与一种硅藻小新月菱形藻(Nitzschia closterium)混合投喂时,随东海原甲藻密度的增加,卤虫选择性地增加对东海原甲藻的摄食,而降低对小新月菱形藻的摄食,并且其总物质转化效率逐渐降低。暴露于链状亚历山大藻藻液,卤虫体重减轻,且在其体内未检测到叶绿素a,表明卤虫未摄食该藻。当链状亚历山大藻藻细胞重悬液和去藻过滤液分别与小新月菱形藻或东海原甲藻混合时,卤虫对后两株藻的摄食量和总物质转化效率均有所降低。因此,在大规模赤潮发生时,东海原甲藻和链状亚历山大藻可能分别对浮游动物的营养和存活带来不利影响,并影响物质沿食物链的传递。

Fluorescence-assisted Image Analysis of Harmful Microalgae

In order to realize the detection and analysis of microalgae in sediment samples with complex scenes, the project takes advantage of the character of microalgae that they can auto-fluoresce when exposed to the illumination of certain exciation waves. The project takes grey-scale and fluorescent pictures of microalgae in the same field of view and uses the image processing technique to deal with the images, such as threshold segmentation, contour and texture analysis and pattern recognition. The results show that the fluorescent image can effectively elimate the yawp in the complex background and make the consequent image processing more effective and easy. Then the project comes to the conclusion that fluorescence-assisted image processing can realize the detection and analysis of microalgae in sediment samples containing complex scenes.

Backwash Effects of Language Testing in EFL Classrooms

The article presents some major researches concerning the concept of backwash effect of language testing; analyses both the positive and negative effects and their implications in EFL classrooms; then provides some suggested ways to be followed when creating positive backwash effects on teaching and learning.

Pigment characterization for the 2011 bloom in Qinhuangdao implicated "brown tide" events in China

A large-scale bloom occurred from May to June in 2011 in sea area near Qinhuangdao of the Bohai Sea, leading to huge damage of the scallop culture industry. Similar blooms have been observed in this region for three years. The causative species of the bloom, which dominated the phytoplankton community with the maximum cell density around 109 cell/L, could not be identified with morphological features due to the small cell size （-2 μm）. A pigment analytical method was then adopted to analyze the pigment profile of the phytoplankton samples collected from the blooming sea area. It was found that pico-sized （〈2 μm）, nano-sized （2-20 μm）, and bulk phytoplankton samples had similar pigment profile, representing the pigment signature of the bloom-causative species. The major pigments detected included 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin （But-fuco）, fucoxanthin （Fuco）, diadinoxanthin （Diad） and chlorophyll a （Chl a）, and high content of But-fuco was the most significant characteristics of the phytoplankton samples. Based on the pigment composition and content, the bloom-causative species could be tentatively identified as pelagophyte, ＂type 8＂ group of haptophyte, or silicoflagellate. Some unique features of the bloom, such as the extremely high cell density, small-sized and But-fuco containing cells, occurring in early summer, and the feeding-cessation effects on scallops, suggest it be a ＂brown tide＂ event similar to those reported in the east coast of the United States of America. The recurrent ＂brown tide＂ events and their dramatic impacts on the shellfish mariculture industry in QirLhuangdao need close attention in the coming years.

Isolation and Characterization of an Algicidal Bacterium Indigenous to Lake Taihu with a Red Pigment able to Lyse Microcystis aeruginosa

Objective To isolate and characterize indigenous algicidal bacteria and their algae-lysing compounds active against Microcystis aeruginosa, strains TH1, TH2, and FACHB 905. Methods The bacteria were identified using the Biolog automated microbial identification system and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The algae-lysing compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel column chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were confirmed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance （NMR） and Fourier Transform infrared （FT-IR） spectroscopy. Algae-lysing activity was observed using microscopy. Results The algae-lysing bacterium LTH-2 isolated from Lake Taihu was identified as Serratia marcescens. Strain LTH-2 secreted a red pigment identified as prodigiosin （C20H25N30）, which showed strong lytic activity with algal strains M. aeruginoso TH1, TH2, and FACHB 905 in a concentration-dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration （ICs0） of prodigiosin with the algal strains was 4.8 （±0.4）×10^-2 μg/mL, 8.9 （±1.1）×10^-2μg/mL, and 1.7 （±0.1）×10^-1 μg/mL in 24 h, respectively. Conclusion The bacterium LTH-2 and its pigment related to damage of cell membranes. The bacterium for regulating blooms of harmful M. aeruginosa. had strong Microcystis-lysing activity probably LTH-2 and its red pigment are potentially useful

Effects of temperature, salinity, and irradiance on the growth of harmful algal bloom species Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel(Prymnesiophyceae) isolated from the South China Sea

Blooms of Phaeocystis globosa have been frequently reported in Chinese coastal waters, causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. To better understand the ecological characteristics of P. globosa in Chinese coastal waters that facilitate its rapid expansion, the effects of temperature, salinity and irradiance on the growth of P. globosa from the South China Sea were examined in the laboratory. The saturating irradiance for the growth ofP. globosa （Is） was 60 μmol/（m^2·s）, which was lower than those of other harmful algal species （70-114μmol/（m^2·s））. A moderate growth rate of 0.22/d was observed at 2 μmol/（m^2·s） （the minimum irradiance in the experiment）, and photo-inhibition did not occur at 230 μmol/（m^2·s） （the maximum irradiance in the experiment）. Exposed to 42 different combinations of temperatures （10- 31 ℃） and salinities （10-40） under saturating irradiance, P. globosa exhibited its maximum specific growth rate of 0.80/d at the combinations of 24℃ and 35, and 27℃ and 40. The optimum growth rates （〉0.80/d） were observed at temperatures ranging from 24 to 27℃ and salinities from 35 to 40. While P. globosa was able to grow well at temperatures from 20℃ to 31℃ and salinities from 20 to 40, it could not grow at temperatures lower than 15℃ or salinities lower than 15. Factorial analysis revealed that temperature and salinity has similar influences on the growth of this species. This strain ofP. globosa not only prefers higher temperatures and higher salinity, but also possesses a flexible nutrient competing strategy, adapted to lower irradiance. Therefore, the P. globosa population from South China Sea should belong to a new ecotype. There is also a potentially high risk of blooms developing in this area throughout the year.

Spatio-temporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages and its controlling factors in spring and summer in the Subei Shoal of Yellow Sea, China

The Subei Shoal is a special coastal area with complex physical oceanographic properties in the Yellow Sea.In the present study,the distribution of phytoplankton and its correlation with environmental factors were studied during spring and summer of 2012 in the Subei Shoal of the Yellow Sea.Phytoplankton species composition and abundance data were accomplished by Utermohl method.Diatoms represented the greatest cellular abundance during the study period.In spring,the phytoplankton cell abundance ranged from 1.59×10^3 to 269.78×10^3 cell/L with an average of 41.80×10^3 cell/L,and Skeletonema sp.and Paralia sulcata was the most dominant species.In summer,the average phytoplankton cell abundance was 72.59×10^3 cell/L with the range of 1.78×10^3 to 574.96×10^3 cell/L,and the main dominant species was Pseudo-nitzschia pungens,Skeletonema sp.,Dactyliosolen fragilissima and Chaetoceros curvisetus.The results of a redundancy analysis(RDA)showed that turbidity,temperature,salinity,pH,dissolved oxygen(DO),the ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to silicate and SiO4-Si(DIN/SiO4-Si)were the most important environmental factors controlling phytoplankton assemblages in spring or summer in the Subei Shoal of the Yellow Sea.

Silicon limitation on primary production and its destiny in Jiaozhou Bay, China VI: The ecological variation process of the phytoplankton

The combination effect of light, water temperature and nutrients on phytoplankton growth in Jiaozhou Bay is studied in this paper. The order of importance of the influence on phytoplankton growth is de- termined as nutrients, water temperature, and light. The influence of these factors unveiled the mechanism of the influence, and revealed the variation process of the nutrients limiting phytoplankton primary production, and of the water temperature influencing the phytoplankton reproduction capacity, and hence influencing the structure of phytoplankton assemblage. Temporal and spatial quantification shows different stages of the influence by wa- ter temperature and nutrients on the phytoplankton growth. Moreover, the authors expatiated the ideal state of the phytoplankton growth and the reason of red tide occurrence. People should consider in their activity the input of nutrient Si first, and then the variation of water temperature, advocating sustainable development manner.

Who is the“murderer”of the bloom in coastal waters of Fujian,China,in 2019?

On May 24-29,2019,a bloom occurring in Pingtan coastal areas of Fujian Province caused mass mortality of cage-cultured fish(Plectorhinchus cinctus and Pagrosomus major).During the bloom,two major causative organisms were present:Prorocentrum donghaiense(at a concentration of 1.46×10^7 cells/L)and an unknown naked dinoflagellate(4.58×10^6 cells/L).The naked dinoflagellate was isolated and cultured in this study,and its morphological features were examined using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The large subunit(LSU)of the rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer(ITS)region of the naked dinoflagellate were also sequenced for field bloom samples and lab culture strains(PT-A and PT-B).On the basis of its morphological characteristics and molecular sequences,the unknown naked dinoflagellate was identified as Karlodinium digitatum.According to the phylogenetic analysis,the Karl.digitatum was most closely related to Karlodinium australe and Karlodinium armiger,and the three species clustered into a single clade of Karlodinium with bootstrap/posterior probability values of 95%/0.99 and 86%/0.99 inferred from LSU and ITS sequences,respectively.Karl.digitatum was first reported as Karenia digitata,a new harmful algal species bloomed in Hong Kong,China,in 1998.In present study,we gave a detailed morphological and phylogenetic description of Karl.digitatum and submitted the molecular sequences of this species to GenBank for the first time.

Applications of metal–organic frameworks for green energy and environment: New advances in adsorptive gas separation, storage and removal

The separation of gas molecules with similar physicochemical properties is of high importance but practically entails a substantial energy penalty in chemical industry. Meanwhile, clean energy gases such as H_2 and CH_4 are considered as promising candidates for the replacement of traditional fossil fuels. However, the technologies for the storage of these gases are still immature. In addition, the release of anthropogenic toxic gases into the atmosphere is a worldwide threat of growing concern. Both in academia and industry, considerable research efforts have been devoted to developing advanced porous materials for the effective and energy-efficient separation, storage, or capture of the related gases. In contrast to conventional inorganic porous materials such as zeolites and activated carbons, metal–organic frameworks(MOFs) are considered as a type of promising materials for gas separation and storage. In this contribution, we review the recent research advance of MOFs in some relevant applications, including CO_2 capture, O_2 purification, separation of light hydrocarbons, separation of noble gases, storage of gases(CH_4,H_2, and C_2 H_2) for energy, and removal of some gaseous air pollutants(NH_3, NO_2, and SO_2). Finally, an outlook regarding the challenges of the future research of MOFs in these directions is given.

COMBINED EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE, IRRADIANCE AND SALINITY ON GROWTH OF DIATOM SKELETONEMA COSTATUM

factor experiment was used to study the combined effects of temperature, irradiance and salinity on the growth of an HAB species diatom Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The results showed that temperature (12, 19, 25, 32℃), irradiance ((0.02, 0.08, 0.3, 1.6)×10 16 quanta/(s·cm 2)) and salinity (10, 18, 25, 30, 35) significantly influenced the growth of this species. There were interactive effects between any two of and among all three physical factors on the growth. In the experiment, the most optimal growth condition for S. costatum was temparature of 25℃, salinity of 18-35 and irradiance of 1.6×10 16 quanta/(s·cm 2). The results indicated S. costatum could divide at higher rate and were more likely to bloom under high temperature and high illumination from spring to fall. It was able to distribute widely in ocean and estuary due to its adaptation to a wide range of salinities.

Distribution Characteristics of Sulfur and the Main Harmful Trace Elements in China's Coal

To promote the rational development and use of clean coal resources in China, data on the regional and age distribution of sulfur, arsenic and other harmful elements in Chinese coal was broadly collected, tested for content, and analyzed. Coal in northwestern China is characterized by low to extremely low levels of sulfur; the coal of the Taiyuan Formation in northern China mainly has high-sulfur content; that of the Shanxi Formation is mainly characterized by low sulfur coal; and the Late Permian coal in southern China has overall higher sulfur content; other regions have low sulfur coal. The average content of harmful trace elements in the bulk of China＇s coal is similar to the corresponding content in the coal of the North America and the rest of the world, whereas the content of various elements （Hg, Sb and Se） is different in magnitude to the corresponding percentage in the crust. The average content of the elements Cr, Se, Co, Be, U, Br in Late Permian coal in S China ranks first in the country whereas the average content of Hg and CI in the coals of Late Carboniferous to Early Permian age in N China are the highest. The average content of Mn in Early and Middle Jurassic coal is higher in NW China. The high content of harmful elements in some coal should cause particular concern both in the development and utilization of coal.

Effect of Antibiotic Treatment on Toxin Production by Alexandrium tamarense

Objective Impact of the presence of bacteria associated with a marine dinoflagellate, Alexandrium tamarense CI01, on the growth and toxin production of the algae in batch culture was investigated. Methods Pronounced changes in the activities of the algal culture were observed when the culture was treated with different doses of a mixture of penicillin and streptomycin. Results In the presence of antibiotics at the initial concentration of 100 u/mL in culture medium, both algal growth and toxin yield increased markedly. When the concentration of antibiotics was increased to 500 u/mL, the microalgal growth was inhibited, but resumed in a few days to eventually reach the same level of growth and toxin production as at the lower dose of the antibiotics. When the antibiotics were present at a concentration of 1 000 u/mL, the algal growth was inhibited permanently. Conclusions The results indicate that antibiotics can enhance algal growth and toxin production not only through their inhibition of the growth and hence competition for nutrients, but also through their effects on the physiology of the algae.

Detection of Phaeocystis globosa using sandwich hybridization integrated with nuclease protection assay(NPA-SH)

Phaeocystis globosa Scherffel is one of the common harmful algae species in coastal waters of the southeastern China.In this study,sandwich hybridization integrated with nuclease protection assay(NPA-SH)was used to qualitatively and quantitatively detect P. globosa.Results showed that this method had good applicability and validity in analyzing the samples from laboratory cultures and from fields.The linear regression equation for P.globosa was obtained,and the lowest detection number of cells was 1.8×104 c...