Retrospective analysis of diversity and species composition of marine macroalgae of Hainan Island (China)

Retrospective analysis of diversity and species composition of marine macroalgae of Hainan Island in the period 1933–1992 is presented in this paper. There are two extensive sample collection periods of benthic macroalgae: the early collection (EC) covers a period between the early 1930s and the 1980s before considerable urbanization and reef degradation took place and a late collection (LC) was performed in 1990/1992 during a phase of rapid urbanization. Analysis of data also including an earlier published inventory of green algae covering the same collection sites (Titlyanov et al. 2011a) revealed that the marine flora of the island comprises 426 taxa in total, with 59% red algae, 18% brown algae and 23% green algae. In total 59 species of red algae, 11 species of brown algae and 37 species of green algae sampled during the LC are new records for Hainan Island. Considerable floristic changes between EC and LC became evident. In the LC there were significantly more filamentous, tubular or fine blade-like, and often epiphytic, green and red algae with a high surface-to-volume ratio. Additionally a reduction of green, brown and red algal species with larger fleshy or foliose thalli and a low surface-to-volume ratio was observed. It is assumed that the changes reflect the degradation of the coral reef ecosystem around Hainan, which was damaged by human activities especially in the 1950s–1970s.     

Seismic Stability of Gravity Retaining Structures by Pseudo-Dynamic Method

An analytical expression of a gravity retaining wall's seismic stability against sliding and overturning is proposed in this article. The derivation, aiming at the cohesionless soil with inclined backfill surface and nonvertical wall back, is based on limit equilibrium analysis and the pseudo-dynamic method. The variations of the sliding and overturning stability safe factors with the horizontal seismic acceleration are investigated for different seismic amplification factors, soil friction angles, wall friction angles, vertical seismic acceleration coefficients, wall back inclination angles, and backfill surface inclination angles. The results indicate that the soil friction and horizontal seismic action significantly impact the seismic stability. The increase of vertical earthquake action changes the curvature of stability factor curves. The wall friction and back inclination strengthen the gravity retaining wall's resistance to sliding and overturning failure while the backfill surface inclination plays a negative role in the seismic stability. We also found that the seismic stability safe factors calculated by the proposed method are larger but more reasonable than those by the Mononobe-Okabe method.     

Protective effects of C-phycocyanin on alcohol-induced acute liver injury in mice

Excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver disease. Extensive evidence suggests that C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a chromophore phycocyanobilin derived from Spirulina platensis, exerts protective effects against chemical-induced organ damage. In this study, we investigated whether C-PC could protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), liver homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) content were measured, and pathological examination of liver sections were examined. C-PC showed obvious inhibitory effects on serum ALT, AST, TG, CHOL, LDL and MDA, and SOD content significantly increased in the liver. The structure of hepatic lobules was clear, liver sinus returned to normal, and liver cell cords were arranged in neat rows. Cloudiness, swelling, inflammatory cell infiltration and spotty necrosis of liver cells were significantly reduced. Therefore, C-PC can significantly protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury.     

A micro–macro investigation of the capillary strengthening effect in wet granular materials

Wet granular materials are three-dimensionally simulated by the discrete element method with water bridges incorporated between particles. The water bridges are simplified as toroidal shapes, and the matric suction is constantly maintained in the material. A comparison with experimental tests in the literature indicates that the toroidal shape approximation may be one of the best choices with high practicability and decent accuracy. Mechanical behaviours of wet granular materials are studied by triaxial tests. Effects of particle size distributions and void ratios are investigated systematically in this study. The hydraulic limit of the pendular state is also discussed. It gives the capillary cohesion function which is not only determined by the degree of saturation but also positively correlated to relative density and particle size polydispersity and inversely proportional to mean particle size. Furthermore, the capillary strengthening effect is also analysed microscopically in aid of the Stress–Force–Fabric relationship, mainly in fabric anisotropy, coordination number and stress transmission pattern, which revealed the micro-mechanisms of the additional effective stress induced by capillary effect.     

粤东鸿沟山金矿区流纹斑岩锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年、Lu-Hf同位素组成及其地质意义

鸿沟山矿区位于华南粤东莲花山钨矿床的中部,是近年来通过地质矿产调查新发现具有找寻金矿潜力的矿床之一。本文以与鸿沟山金等多金属矿化关系密切的流纹斑岩为研究对象,开展了锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年、流纹斑岩和矿石岩石地球化学、锆石Lu-Hf同位素组成特征研究。获得流纹斑岩锆石206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为169.1±1.5Ma,说明岩体形成于中侏罗世。在微量元素特征方面,流纹斑岩都表现为相对亏损大离子亲石元素Ba、Sr和高强场元素Nb、P、Zr、Hf,富集大离子亲石元素Rb,高强场元素U、Ce、Sm和轻稀土元素La、Nd,流纹斑岩与矿石稀土元素特征基本相似,Eu具中等负异常,但随着矿化强度的增强稀土元素更加富集。流纹斑岩εHf(t)(-15.0~2.2)分布范围宽,二阶段模式年龄TDM2主要变化范围为0.82~0.93 Ga,表明成岩物质主要来源于新元古代古老地壳变质泥岩和变质砂岩部分熔融,并有幔源物质的加入。因此,围绕着该时间段的流纹斑岩岩体,对于找寻W、Cu、Pb、Zn、Bi、Au、稀土、稀有和稀散元素矿产具有重要意义。     

新特提斯洋俯冲起始的地质记录:土耳其南部蛇绿岩和变质底板

在现行板块构造理论的框架下,板块的初始俯冲是岩浆活动和构造运动发生转变的重要过程,亦是理解板块运动的关键节点。在俯冲起始过程中,主要存在四个方面的地质记录,分别为一系列地球化学成分多样的岩浆活动、SSZ型蛇绿岩、变质底板和玻安岩及其对应的铬铁矿床。特提斯造山带作为公认的研究板块构造理论尤其是初始俯冲的关键场所,一直备受地学界的重视。而土耳其南部构造带作为特提斯造山带的重要组成部分,亦是确定亚欧板块和阿拉伯板块之间缝合线存在的重要标志。该南部构造带是研究新特提斯洋俯冲起始的理想场所,上述关于俯冲初始的四个地质记录均保存良好,且有如下方面的重要特点:1)不同地区的镁铁质岩石甚至同一地区的镁铁质岩石具有不同的地球化学特征,从似洋中脊玄武岩,到过渡型岩石类型和玻安质岩石均有发育; 2)大部分蛇绿岩具有完整的序列,各单元及变质底板岩石中普遍发育侵入的基性岩脉,产状多变,是多期岩浆事件的产物; 3)蛇绿岩下部通常发育一套角闪岩相变质底板,且其年龄与蛇绿岩的形成年龄基本一致; 4)蛇绿岩中普遍发育铬铁矿床,以高Cr型为主,部分蛇绿岩中还赋存高Al-高Cr的过渡型铬铁矿,均被认为是幔源岩浆与地幔橄榄岩反应的产物。因而,这些地质体完整记录了新特提斯洋形成-俯冲-消减的演化过程。     

A review of advances in China’s flash flood early-warning system

This paper summarizes the main flash flood early-warning systems of America, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan China and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. The latest development in flash flood prevention is also presented. China’s flash flood prevention system involves three stages. Herein, the warning methods and achievements in the first two stages are introduced in detail. Based on the worldwide experience of flash flood early-warning systems, the general research idea of the third stage is proposed from the viewpoint of requirements for flash flood prevention and construction progress of the next stage in China. Real-time dynamic warning systems can be applied to the early-warning platform at four levels (central level, provincial level, municipal level, and county level) . Through this, soil moisture, peak flow, and water level can be calculated in real-time using distributed hydrological models, and then flash flood warning indexes can be computed based on defined thresholds of runoff and water level. A compound warning index (CWI) can be applied to regions where rainfall and water level are measured by simple equipment. In this manner, flash-flood-related factors such as rainfall intensity and antecedent and cumulative rainfall depths can be determined using the CWI method. The proposed methodology for the third stage could support flash flood prevention measures in the 13th 5-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China (2016–2020). The research achievements will serve as a guidance for flash flood monitoring and warning as well as flood warning in medium and small rivers.     

Disciplinary System and Development Strategy for Eco-hydrology

Eco-hydrology is a new discipline developed in recent decades. It is of great significance to accelerate and promote the development of eco-hydrology subject by constructing a perfect discipline system and formulating future development strategies. By reviewing a large number of literatures, this paper systematically combed and expounded the development and evolution of the eco-hydrology, which can be divided into five stages, the embryonic period of eco-hydrology (1970-1986), formulation terminology and the initial exploration period of eco-hydrology (1987-1991), discipline establishment and the initial development period of eco-hydrology (1992-1995), the rapid development period of eco-hydrology (1996-2007) and the improvement period of eco-hydrology (2008-present). Based on the analysis of the development of eco-hydrology, the disciplinary system of eco-hydrology was proposed as a framework of “theory-method-practice-branch discipline”. Finally, combined with the authors’ understanding, this paper put forward the development strategy system of the eco-hydrology, including the disciplinary research plan, the key research project, the country’s major demand, the discipline construction and the international cooperation, which will provide support for the promotion and establishment of a sound disciplinary system of eco-hydrology.