Impact of Suspended Particles and Enhancement Techniques on Ultraviolet Disinfection of a Secondary Effluent

The concentration of suspended solids in the secondary effluent often varies widely, leading to frequent adjustment of the UV dosage to meet the disinfection criterion. In addition, a desired disinfection rate is difficult to achieve sometimes. The authors studied the particle size distribution, contribution of particle-associated Fecal Coliform （F. C. ）, and their influences on UV disinfection. A combined disinfection process （chlorination with a subsequent UV disinfection） was tested to improve the disinfection effect. The results indicated that the content of suspended solids, especially that of large particles, has a strong impact on UV disinfection efficiency; D〉 10 μm particles associated F.C. are difficult to be disinfected and are the main part of the tailings of F.C. inactivation curves. Pre-chlorination could decrease the number of particles in the secondary effluent and transform the large particles into small ones, reducing the influence of particles on UV disinfection and enhancing the resistance ability of the combined process to particle loading.     

An Effective Method of UV-Oxidation of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Natural Waters for Radiocarbon Analysis by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

Radiocarbon(14C) measurement of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) is a very powerful tool to study the sources, transformation and cycling of carbon in the ocean. The technique, however, remains great challenges for complete and successful oxidation of sufficient DOC with low blanks for high precision carbon isotopic ratio analysis, largely due to the overwhelming proportion of salts and low DOC concentrations in the ocean. In this paper, we report an effective UV-Oxidation method for oxidizing DOC in natural waters for radiocarbon analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS). The UV-oxidation system and method show 95%± 4% oxidation efficiency and high reproducibility for DOC in both river and seawater samples. The blanks associated with the method was also low(about 3 μg C) that is critical for 14 C analysis. As a great advantage of the method, multiple water samples can be oxidized at the same time so it reduces the sample processing time substantially compared with other UV-oxidation method currently being used in other laboratories. We have used the system and method for 14 C studies of DOC in rivers, estuaries, and oceanic environments and have received promise results.     

Characteristics of Drought and Flood in Zhejiang Province, East China： Past and Future

On the basis of large amount of historical and measured data,this paper analyzed the regional,periodic,frequency,continuing,and response characteristics of droughts and floods in Zhejiang and proposed the conception of ratio of peak runoff.Main characteristics of droughts and floods in Zhejiang are as follows:1)The western Zhejiang region is plum rain major control area,and the eastern coastal region of Zhejiang is typhoon major control area.2)Within a long period in the future,Zhejiang will be in the long period that features droughts.3)In Zhejiang the 17th century was frequent drought and flood period,the 16th,19th,and 20th centuries were normal periods,while the 18th century was spasmodic drought and flood period.4)The severe and medium floods in Zhejiang were all centered around the M-or m-year of the 11-year sunspot activity period.5)There are biggish years of annual runoff occurred in El Ni?o year(E)or the following year(E 1)in Zhejiang.The near future evolution trend of droughts and floods in Zhejiang is as follows:1)Within a relatively long period in the future,Zhejiang Province will be in the long period of mostly drought years.2)Between 1999 and 2009 this area will feature drought years mainly,while the period of 2010-2020 will feature flood years mostly.3)Zhejiang has a good response to the sunspot activities,and the years around 2009,2015,and 2020 must be given due attention,especially around 2020 there might be an extremely severe flood year in Zhejiang.4)Floods in Zhejiang have good response to El Ni?o events,in El Ni?o year or the following year much attention must be paid to.And 5)In the future,the first,second,and third severe typhoon years in Zhejiang will be 2009,2012,and 2015,respectively.     

Characteristics and Influencing Factors of the Microbial Concentration and Activity in Atmospheric Aerosols over the South China Sea

Oceans are important sources of microbes in atmospheric aerosols;however, information about the characteristics of airborne microbes and their influencing factors over oceans is lacking. Here we report the characteristics of the microbial abundance and activity in aerosols sampled near the sea surface over the South China Sea(SCS) from May to June 2016. The airborne microbial concentration range in the aerosols was 1.68?105 to 4.84?105 cells m-3 over the SCS, reflecting an average decrease of 40% – 54% over the SCS compared with that in the samples from the coastal region of Qingdao. About 63% – 76% of the airborne microbes occurred in coarse particles(> 2.1 ?m), with a variable size distribution over the SCS. The microbial activity range in aerosols, measured by the fluorescein diacetate(FDA) hydrolysis method, was 2.09 – 11.97 ng m-3 h-1 sodium fluorescein(SF) over the SCS, which was 15% – 79% lower than that over the coastal region. These values reflected a different spatial distribution over the SCS from that of the microbial concentration. Except for certain samples, all samples had 68% of the microbial activity occurring in coarse particles. Correlation analysis showed that the microbial abundance and activity were positively correlated with the aerosol, organic carbon(OC), and water-soluble organic carbon(WSOC) concentrations, indicating that the airborne microbes may be related to the reactions of certain water-soluble organic chemicals in the atmosphere. Moreover, the concentrations of airborne microbes were significantly negatively correlated with the horizontal offshore distance. The microbial concentration and activity were significantly correlated with wind speed.     

Solidification of loess using microbial induced carbonate precipitation

Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)is a relatively innovative and environmentally-friendly soil reinforcement technology,primarily used on sand,but its application in loess has rarely been studied.This paper explores the viability of the MICP technique for improving the engineering properties of typical loess.Sporosarcina pasteurii was used to trigger carbonate precipitation.Factors such as reaction temperature,p H of the media,and the inoculation ratio were adopted to determine the optimum conditions.Different concentrations of Sporosarcina pasteurii and cementation reagent were selected for combination to treat the loess samples with a selfdesigned vacuum test device.The unconfined compressive strength and calcium carbonate content of the treated samples were tested and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)was carried out to evaluate the improving effect.The results showed that the optimum conditions are reaction temperature of 30℃,p H of the media of 9,a higher inoculation ratio can produce higher enzyme activity and monomer enzyme activity.The engineering properties of the MICP-treated loess are significantly improved.The obtained unconfined compressive strength increases nearly 4 times when the OD600 is 1.5 and cementation reagent concentration is 1 mol/L.The test results of calcium carbonate content are consistent with unconfined compressive strength.Finally,the microstructure of loess samples was quantitatively analyzed by Pore(Particle)and cracks analysis system(PCAS).It was showed that MICP has a great influence on the surface porosity,followed by the pore fractal dimension and the probability entropy,but has little influence on the pore average form factor.     

Autumn photoproduction of carbon monoxide in Jiaozhou Bay,China

Carbon monoxide(CO) plays a significant role in global warming and atmospheric chemistry. Global oceans are net natural sources of atmospheric CO. CO at surface ocean is primarily produced from the photochemical degradation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter(CDOM). In this study, the effects of photobleaching, temperature and the origin(terrestrial or marine) of CDOM on the apparent quantum yields(AQY) of CO were studied for seawater samples collected from Jiaozhou Bay. Our results demonstrat that photobleaching, temperature and the origin of CDOM strongly affected the efficiency of CO photoproduction. The concentration, absorbance and fluorescence of CDOM exponentially decreased with increasing light dose. Terrestrial riverine organic matter could be more prone to photodegradation than the marine algae-derived one. The relationships between CO AQY and the dissolved organic carbon-specific absorption coefficient at 254 nm for the photobleaching study were nonlinear, whereas those of the original samples were strongly linear. This suggests that: 1) terrestrial riverine CDOM was more efficient than marine algae-derived CDOM for CO photoproduction; 2) aromatic and olefinic moieties of the CDOM pool were affected more strongly by degradation processes than by aliphatic ones. Water temperature and the origin of CDOM strongly affected the efficiency of CO photoproduction. The photoproduction rate of CO in autumn was estimated to be 31.98 μmol m-2 d-1 and the total DOC photomineralization was equivalent to 3.25%- 6.35% of primary production in Jiaozhou Bay. Our results indicate that CO photochemistry in coastal areas is important for oceanic carbon cycle.     

Recent advances in researches on physiologically active substances in holothurians

In this report, we reviewed recent literature on physiologically active substances from sea cucumbers （SCs） and their activities together with results obtained from our study. Preventive properties against lipid metabolism were reported in rats using a whole SC preparation with no particular constituent specified. Administration of the preparation lowered serum and hepatic cholesterol levels and improved the HDL/LDL ratio. These functions may be attributed to the stimulatory effect of the extract on the secretion of cholesterol in feces. Novel fucosylated chondroitin sulfates （FCSs） from Ludwigothurea grisea significantly induced fibroblast growth factor 2-dependent angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells （HUVECs）. The proangiogenetic activity seemed attributable to the action of the sulfated fucose branches on the polysaccharide. SCs contain mycosporine-like amino acids （MAAs） that are capable of absorbing UV. A biogenetic precursor of MAAs was first reported in SCs. The anti-proliferative effects of a branched chain fatty acid from a sea cucumber on prostate cancer cells was reported with the activity of 5-lipoxygenase. Glycosphingolipid constituents in SCs have been systematically analyzed over the past ten years. The results showed that the gangliosides in several SCs differed from those of mammals in that a sialic acid of SC gangliosides directly binded to glucose of cerebroside. Neuritogenic activity of the glycosphingolipids was demonstrated in vitro experiments and may lead to the development of therapeutic products for neurological disorders. Our study also showed that sphingoid bases, the hydrolyzed products of glycosphingolipids from SCs, induced significant apoptosis in several tumor cell lines.     

Variations of the Eco-Hydro-Climatic Environment Response to the 2015/2016 Super El Niño Event in the Mindanao Dome Upwelling System

A super El Ni?o event occurred in the equatorial Pacific during 2015-2016,accompanied by considerable regional eco-hydro-climatic variations within the Mindanao Dome(MD)upwelling system in the tropical western Pacific.Using timeseries of various oceanic data from 2013 to 2017,the variability of eco-hydro-climatic conditions response to the 2015/2016 super El Ni?o in the upper 300 m of the MD region are analyzed in this paper.Results showed that during the 2015/2016 super El Ni?o event,the upwelling in the MD region was greatly enhanced compared to those before and after this El Ni?o event.Upwelling Rossby waves and the massive loss of surface water in the western Pacific were suggested to be the main reasons for this enhanced upwelling.De-creased precipitation caused by changes in large-scale air-sea interaction led to the increased surface salinities.Changes in the struc-tures of the thermohaline and nutrient distribution in deep waters contributed to the increased surface chlorophyll a,suggesting a po-sitive effect of El Ni?o on surface carbon storage in the MD region.Based on the above analysis,the synopsis mechanism illustrating the eco-hydro-climatic changing processes over the MD upwelling system responding to the El Ni?o event was proposed.It high-lights the prospect for the role played by El Ni?o in local eco-hydro-climatic effects,which has further profound implications for understanding the influence of the global climate changes on the ocean carbon cycle.     

Super typhoon activity over the western North Pacific and its relationship with ENSO

This paper analyzes the characteristics of super typhoons(STYs)over the western North Pacific(WNP)from 1965 to2005 and describes the seasonal variability of STY activity.The relation between STY activity and the El Nio-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)as well as the possible reason for the influence of the ENSO on STY activity are also investigated.The results showed thatabout one fifth of the tropical cyclones(TCs)over the WNP could reach the rank of STY.Most STYs appeared from July to Novem-ber while there was a highest ratio between number of STYs and total number of TCs in November.Most STYs appeared east of thePhilippine Sea.In El Nio years,affected by sea surface temperature(SST),monsoon trough and weak vertical wind shear,TC for-mation locations shifted eastward and there were more STYs than in La Nia years when the affecting factors changed.     

Interaction of Waves, Surface Currents, and Turbulence： the Application of Surface-Following Coordinate Systems

Surface waves comprise an important aspect of the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean, so a dynamically consistent framework for modelling atmosphere-ocean interaction must take account of surface waves, either implicitly or explicitly. In order to calculate the effect of wind forcing on waves and currents, and vice versa, it is necessary to employ a consistent formula- tion of the energy and momentum balance within the airflow, wave field, and water column. It is very advantageous to apply sur- face-following coordinate systems, whereby the steep gradients in mean flow properties near the air-water interface in the cross-interface direction may be resolved over distances which are much smaller than the height of the waves themselves. We may account for the waves explicitly by employing a numerical spectral wave model, and applying a suitable theory of wave–mean flow interaction. If the mean flow is small compared with the wave phase speed, perturbation expansions of the hydrodynamic equations in a Lagrangian or generalized Lagrangian mean framework are useful: for stronger flows, such as for wind blowing over waves, the presence of critical levels where the mean flow velocity is equal to the wave phase speed necessitates the application of more general types of surface-following coordinate system. The interaction of the flow of air and water and associated differences in temperature and the concentration of various substances (such as gas species) gives rise to a complex boundary-layer structure at a wide range of vertical scales, from the sub-millimetre scales of gaseous diffusion, to several tens of metres for the turbulent Ekman layer. The bal- ance of momentum, heat, and mass is also affected significantly by breaking waves, which act to increase the effective area of the surface for mass transfer, and increase turbulent diffusive fluxes via the conversion of wave energy to turbulent kinetic energy.     

Elemental and Isotopic Signatures in the Sediments Influenced by Seal Excrement on Antarctic Fildes Peninsula and Their Po- tential Paleoecological Applications

The elemental and isotopic signatures in the sediments influenced by seal excrement on Antarctic Fildes Peninsula are examined for their potential palaeoecologlcal applications. The seal hair abundance in sediments exhibits remarkable fluctuation versus depth, indicating similar changes in historical populations of the seals visiting the marine terrace. The combination of δ^13 C, total organic carbon concentration （TOC）, total nitrogen concentration （TN） and atomic C/N ratio shows that the organic matters in sediments with numerous seal hairs have a marine origin and are predominantly derived from seal excrements. The large δ15 N values in sediments are attributed to trophic enrichment and NH3 vollatilization processes. The large variations in the δ^15 N values and the negative correlation between the δ15 N values and the seal hair abundances seem to be the results of changes in the paleoclimates and the volatilization rates of the ammonia produced in the seal excrements. The 87 Sr/86 Sr ratios in the acid-soluble fraction of sediments are interpreted as a mixture of the ones from the seal excrements （30%-50%） and the chemically weathered local bedrocks （70%-50%）. The calculated proportion of seal-derived Sr based on the ^87 Sr/^86 Sr ratios has a significant correlation with seal hair abundances in sediments. These results suggest that δ15 N values and the ^87 Sr/^86 Sr ratios in the acid-soluble fraction of sediments were influenced by seal excrements, similar to seal halt numbers, and thus can potentially be used to estimate the historical seal population in the Antarctic region.     

Effects of temperature, pH and NaC1 on protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

The protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot Scophthalmus maximum was studied, and the optimal pH, temperature and NaCl concentration were determined for different portions of the fish＇s internal organs. The optimal activity in the fish＇s stomach was at pH of 2.2, while that in the intestinal extracts was within the alkaline range from 9.5 to 10.0. In hepatopancreas, the optimal pH was in low alkalinity at 8.5. The optimal reaction temperature was above 40℃ in stomach, intestine and hepatopancreas. With increasing temperature, the pH value increased in stomach, while in the intestine, an opposite tendency was observed due to combined effect of pH and temperature. NaCl concentration showed inhibitory impact on protein digestion in hepatopancreas. The main protease for protein digestion in turbot seemed to be pepsin. Moreover, the maximum protease activity in different segments of intestine existed in the hindgut.     

Abundance and Distribution of Fatty Acids in Sediments of the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Sediment samples obtained from the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge were studies by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer(GC-MS) for the abundance and distributions of total fatty acids(TFAs). Approximately 34 fatty acids were identified, with the chain-lengths ranging from C12 to C30. The total concentrations of TFAs(∑TFA) ranged from 7.15 to 30.09 μg g-1 dry sediment, and ∑TFA was weakly correlated with bitumen content(R2 = 0.69). The ∑TFA of samples around hydrothermal areas were significantly higher than that of samples away from hydrothermal areas, indicating intense primary production and large biomass in the hydrothermal areas, and suggesting a close relationship between hydrothermal activity and ∑TFA of samples. The characteristics of the TFA composition in the present study are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and lacking in polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the ratios between the concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids and ΣTFAs in samples close to the hydrothermal areas, are about 0.8, but for samples far from the hydrothermal areas, they are only about 0.5. Several fatty acids(e.g., a/i C15:0 and C16:1ω7), which are signature biomarkers for sulfur-metabolizing bacteria, show the same distribution trend as ∑TFA of samples, further highlighting the close relationship between fatty acid content and hydrothermal activity and/or hydrothermal communities. The metabolic activities of hydrothermal communities, especially those of microorganisms, are likely the main source of fatty acids in samples.     

Nodes and Field of Tourist Origins to Ancient Village——A Case Study of Huangcheng Village in Shanxi Province of China

Based on Hagget's theory of spatial structure,researches on the nodes and field of tourist origins to Huang-cheng Village in Shanxi Province of China have been explored.Nodal hierarchy structure of tourist origins is analyzed with cluster analysis and the gravity model.And field of tourist origins is analyzed with attraction radius index(R)and geography concentration index(G).In the field analysis,R and G of Huangcheng Village are compared with Xidi Village that is a world heritage located in Huangshan City of Anhui Province in China.According to comparison of loca-tions of two areas,influential factors for field area of Huangcheng Village are identified.It is concluded that:1)cluster analysis and gravity model can be complementary methods to each other for nodal hierarchy structure analysis of tour-ist origins;and 2)as far as location is concerned,the weak intensity effect of tourism resources in the tourist region is a major cause for explaining why tourist origins to Huangcheng Village are mainly its neighboring areas.Moreover,it is suggested that the regional effect of tourist resources should be regarded as a component of destination attractiveness when applying gravity model.     

Influence of N,P, Fe Nutrients Availability on Nitrogen Metabolism-Relevant Genes Expression in Skeletonema marinoi

Nitrogen(N), Phosphorus(P), and Iron(Fe) are essential elements for cellular structure and metabolism. In addition to dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN), phytoplankton is able to utilize dissolved organic nitrogen(DON). There is general consensus that both bacteria and higher plants nitrogen metabolism is affected by phosphate availability; this was also found to be true in coccolithophorid. Iron affects the structure and function of ecosystems through its effects on nitrogen metabolism. However, it is unclear how these nutrients affect Skeletonema marinoi's nitrogen metabolism. Here, using RT-qPCR, we investigate effects of N, P, and Fe on S. marinoi's nitrogen metabolism and nitrate reductase activity. These results illuminate that in S. marinoi, various nutrients have direct regulation on these genes expression at the molecular level. The varying degree of responses for these genes expression with differing N sources may act to increase the efficiency of nutrient capture when nitrate is limited. Suitable gene expression occurs at a N/P ratio of 16, which represents the atomic N/P ratio of phytoplankton cells and N/P concentrations in ocean; thus, nitrogen metabolism gene expression should be regulated by the existing N/P ratios in the phytoplankton's internal and external environment. Fe concentration has a direct and significant effect on nitrogen metabolism by regulating gene expression and nitrate reductase activity. Gene expression profiles identified in S. marinoi provide a foundation for understanding molecular mechanisms behind diatom nitrogen metabolism with changing N, P, and Fe nutrients allowing a basic understanding of how diatom growth is affected by nutrient utilization.     

A STATISTICAL STUDY ON RELATIONSHIP OF EL NINO EVENTS TO THE HYDROGRAPHY ALONG 137°E IN WINTER

Principal component analysis (PCA) as used by meteorologists and oceanographers is a powerful tool for analysis of the spatial and temporal variability of physical fields.This study was aimed at applying "quasi-local PCA for singular factor" to make the cumulative percentage for the first principal component as great as possible, so that a multi-dimensional problem can be reduced to a single-dimensional one, and then stepwise regression analysis can be used to parameterize the relationship between El Nino events and the hydrographic factor anomalies along 137 癊 in winter.The results show that the salinity anomalies on 30 m level, the sigmat on 250 m level, and the temperature on 300 m level at 8 癗 are most closely related with El Nino events because of thermocline movement caused by enhanced upwelling in this area during El Nino years.     

Platinum-group Elements Geochemistry of the Yangliuping Magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE Sulfide Deposit： Implications of Its Genetic Link with the Extrusive Basalts

Primitive mantle-normalized Platinum-group elements (PGE) concentration patterns for the Zhengziyanwo intrusion and Dashibao Formation basalts are of positive slope, similar to most of the world-class magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide deposits. Characters of this intrusion and its related ores and Dashibao Formation basalts are their negative Pt-anomaly and high concentration of Rh relative to Pt and Pd, facts being interpreted to be the results of crystallization and fractionation of Pt-alloys and spinel phase-free crystallization history for the magma, respectively. PGE parameters of the Dashibao Formation basalts are consistent with the general trend of those found for the Zhengziyanwo intrusion, and this might infer a genetic link between them.     

EMBEDDABLE REFERENCE ELECTRODE FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE

Laboratory and field tests on our newly developed embeddable reference electrode for reinforced concrete show it can be embedded into reinforced concrete structures and be used for measuring the potentials of the rebar or other metal elements in the outer structural part exposed to seawater. Its potential varies little with the change of Cl~ concentration of the electrolyte and is stable over a time range of 260 days. The electrode can be used for monitoring corrosion and cathodic protection of reinforced concrete structures in seawater.     

Preliminary determination of calcium, phosphorus, and the calcium/phosphorus ratio in cortical bone of Chinstrap penguin using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis

Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence （SR-XRF） approach was applied to analyzing of Chinstrap penguin （ Pygoscelis Antarctica） cortical bone. The method enabled the in situ determination of Ca and P concentrations and the Ca/P ratio in cortical bone. The preliminary results show that ： （ 1 ） there is the bone site-related difference for Ca and P concentrations. The mean values for the investigated parameters （ on a dry-weight basis） are： 30.7% （Ca） and 14.9% （P） for the femoral cortical bone, 21.4% （Ca） and 11.5% （P） for wing cortical bone. （2） The variation for the Ca/P ratio in cortical bone is lower than those for Ca and P separately. This is in agreement with the previous report that the specificity of the Ca/P ratio is better than that of Ca and P concentrations and is more reliable for the diagnosis of bone disorders. The authors suggest that further studies be conducted to establish norreal values of Ca, P and Ca/P ratio for polar animals and provide a basis for the diagnosis of bone disorders.     

TRANSFER OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS DURING SEW AGE-SEAWATER MIXING

The transfer processes of organic pollutants during sewage - seawater mixing were simulated in three different mixing systems. The release rate of organic matter from sewage particles to seawater was found to be about 0.02-0.04d-1 . The release processes can be simulated by an exchange-equilibrium kinetic model. Degradation of COD was observed in all three mixing systems and can be described by a first order kinetic equation. The degradation rate constant k ranged between 0.04 and 0.07 d . These results have provided important parameters for estimation of environmental capacity.