Seasonal changes in imposex and tissue burden of butyltin compounds in Thais clavigera populations along the coastal area of Mirs Bay, China

We assessed the current status of tributyltin (TBT) contamination of Thais clavigera (Gastropoda) along the coastal area of Mirs Bay, China for the first time. The snail samples were collected from 10 different sites in the summer (June) and winter (December) of 2006, respectively. They were analyzed for imposex status, i.e. relative penis size index (RPSI) and vas deferens sequence index (VDSI), followed by quantification of butyltins in their tissues. Most of the collected females suffered from imposex, but the level of butyltin contamination varied with the distance from Yantian Port, which is currently the fourth busiest container port in the world. The tissue concentration of TBT varied with season. For a particular site, the winter samples in general contained much higher concentration of TBT than the summer samples. RPSI, VDSI and organotin concentrations were higher in T. clavigera collected from sites closer to the Port, such as the Seafood Street and Kat O. Both RPSI and VDSI were positively correlated with the tissue burden of tributyltin. VDSI exhibited little seasonal variability, whereas RPSI showed marked seasonal variability, with lower values in the summer samples. The current results will serve as an important reference for long-term monitoring of butyltin contamination in this area.     

越南O Quy Ho钼矿床的成矿时代及成矿物质来源探讨

越南西北部O Quy Ho钼矿床为范士版成矿带的典型钼矿床之一,矿体以脉状形式就位于中生代花岗岩中,辉钼矿主要赋存于石英脉及长石石英脉中,与黄铁矿、黄铜矿、磁铁矿等共生。8件样品硫同位素分析结果表明,δ34S介于0.14‰～3.34‰之间,平均值为1.53‰,表明成矿物质具有深源特征。黄铁矿的206Pb/204Pb范围为18.583～22.355,207Pb/204Pb变化于15.632～15.812之间,208Pb/204Pb变化于38.989～39.199;辉钼矿的206Pb/204Pb、207Pb/204Pb、208Pb/204Pb分别为18.686～18.737、15.655～15.660和39.081～39.082,与范士版含角闪石花岗斑岩具有成因联系。辉钼矿Re-Os同位素等时线测年获得了(36±1)Ma的年龄,该年龄与金沙江-红河新生代斑岩铜钼矿成矿带岩浆-成矿活动的年龄一致,提出O Quy Ho钼矿床为金沙江-红河新生代斑岩铜钼矿带的一部分。     

Impact of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on onset date and process of the South China Sea summer monsoon

Since the early or late onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon （SCSM） has a large impact on summer monsoon rainfall in East Asia, the mechanism and process of early or late onset of the SCSM are an worthy issue to study. In this paper, the results analyzed by using the observed data show that the onset date and process of the SCSM are closely associated with the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific in spring. When the tropical western Pacific is in a warming state in spring, the western Pacific subtropical high shifts eastward, and twin cyclones are early caused over the Bay of Bengal and Sumatra before the SCSM onset. In this case, the cyclonic circulation located over the Bay of Bengal can be early intensified and become into a strong trough. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity can be intensified over Sumatra, the Indo-China Peninsula and the South China Sea （SCS） in mid-May. This leads to early onset of the SCSM. In contrast, when the tropical western Pacific is in a cooling state, the western Pacific subtropical high anomalously shifts westward, the twin cyclones located over the equatorial eastern Indian Ocean and Sumatra are weakened, and the twin anomaly anticyclones appear over these regions from late April to mid-May. Thus, the westerly flow and convective activity cannot be early intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS. Only when the western Pacific subtropical high moves eastward, the weak trough located over the Bay of Bengal can be intensified and become into a strong trough, the strong southwesterly wind and convective activity can be intensified over the Indo-China Peninsula and the SCS in late May. Thus, this leads to late onset of the SCSM. Moreover, in this paper, the influencing mechanism of the thermal state of the tropical western Pacific on the SCSM onset is discussed further from the Walker circulation anomalies in the different thermal states of the tropical western Pacific.     

基于执行依赖启发式动态规划的船舶减摇鳍在线最优控制

针对船舶线性横摇系统,设计了一种基于执行依赖启发式动态规划（ADHDP）方法的在线学习最优减摇鳍控制器.在设计过程中直接使用输入输出数据获取系统状态值.利用评价网络来逼近针对船舶减摇鳍控制系统设计的性能指标函数,并通过执行网络获得最优控制律,这两个网络都是多层前馈神经网络,即反向传播（BP）神经网络.在训练过程中,这两个神经网络不仅可以使用实时测量数据,也可以减少船舶横摇模型的内部误差和不确定性干扰的影响,从而提高系统的鲁棒性.最后,仿真结果表明所提出的ADHDP控制器对于降低船舶横摇有很好的控制效果.     

Locally weighted learning based hybrid intelligence models for groundwater potential mapping and modeling: A case study at Gia Lai province,Vietnam

The groundwater potential map is an important tool for a sustainable water management and land use planning,particularly for agricultural countries like Vietnam. In this article, we proposed new machine learning ensemble techniques namely Ada Boost ensemble(ABLWL), Bagging ensemble(BLWL), Multi Boost ensemble(MBLWL),Rotation Forest ensemble(RFLWL) with Locally Weighted Learning(LWL) algorithm as a base classifier to build the groundwater potential map of Gia Lai province in Vietnam. For this study, eleven conditioning factors(aspect, altitude, curvature, slope, Stream Transport Index(STI), Topographic Wetness Index(TWI), soil, geology,river density, rainfall, land-use) and 134 wells yield data was used to create training(70%) and testing(30%)datasets for the development and validation of the models. Several statistical indices were used namely Positive Predictive Value(PPV), Negative Predictive Value(NPV), Sensitivity(SST), Specificity(SPF), Accuracy(ACC),Kappa, and Receiver Operating Characteristics(ROC) curve to validate and compare performance of models. Results show that performance of all the models is good to very good(AUC: 0.75 to 0.829) but the ABLWL model with AUC = 0.89 is the best. All the models applied in this study can support decision-makers to streamline the management of the groundwater and to develop economy not only of specific territories but also in other regions across the world with minor changes of the input parameters.     

Palaeo-hydrogeological control on groundwater As levels in Red River delta,Vietnam

To study the geological control on groundwater As concentrations in Red River delta, depth-specific groundwater sampling and geophysical logging in 11 monitoring wells was conducted along a 45 km transect across the southern and central part of the delta, and the literature on the Red River delta’s Quaternary geological development was reviewed. The water samples (n = 30) were analyzed for As, major ions, Fe²⁺, H₂S, NH₄, CH₄, δ¹⁸O and δD, and the geophysical log suite included natural gamma-ray, formation and fluid electrical conductivity. The SW part of the transect intersects deposits of grey estuarine clays and deltaic sands in a 15–20 km wide and 50–60 m deep Holocene incised valley. The NE part of the transect consists of 60–120 m of Pleistocene yellowish alluvial deposits underneath 10–30 m of estuarine clay overlain by a 10–20 m veneer of Holocene sediments. The distribution of δ¹⁸O-values (range −12.2‰ to −6.3‰) and hydraulic head in the sample wells indicate that the estuarine clay units divide the flow system into an upper Holocene aquifer and a lower Pleistocene aquifer. The groundwater samples were all anoxic, and contained Fe²⁺ (0.03–2.0 mM), Mn (0.7–320 μM), SO₄ (<2.1 μM–0.75 mM), H₂S (<0.1–7.0 μM), NH₄ (0.03–4.4 mM), and CH₄ (0.08–14.5 mM). Generally, higher concentrations of NH₄ and CH₄ and low concentrations of SO₄ were found in the SW part of the transect, dominated by Holocene deposits, while the opposite was the case for the NE part of the transect. The distribution of the groundwater As concentration (<0.013–11.7 μM; median 0.12 μM (9 μg/L)) is related to the distribution of NH₄, CH₄ and SO₄. Low concentrations of As (?0.32 μM) were found in the Pleistocene aquifer, while the highest As concentrations were found in the Holocene aquifer. PHREEQC-2 speciation calculations indicated that Fe²⁺ and H₂S concentrations are controlled by equilibrium for disordered mackinawite and precipitation of siderite. An elevated groundwater salinity (Cl range 0.19–65.1 mM) was observed in both aquifers, and dominated in the deep aquifer. A negative correlation between aqueous As and an estimate of reduced SO₄ was observed, indicating that Fe sulphide precipitation poses a secondary control on the groundwater As concentration.     

Applicability of CPT-based methods in predicting toe bearing capacities of driven piles in sand

This paper presents a study on applicability of predicting toe bearing capacities from cone penetration test (CPT) for PHC (pretensioned spun high-strength concrete) driven piles into deep sandy deposits in the Nakdong River deltaic area west of Busan City in South Korea. Using toe bearing capacities obtained from pile driving analyzer (PDA) tests as reference values, which were reliably calibrated by on-site O-cell tests, the applicability of the CPT-based methods was evaluated using a statistical rank index (RI). A total of 82 piezocone penetration test soundings and 190 PDA test piles were used for reliability analysis in this study. Three correction steps were applied to obtain reliable PDA and CPT data sets before ranking is carried out. The RI index is combined from four criteria: (1) the best-fit line, (2) the arithmetic mean and standard deviation, (3) the cumulative probabilities, and (4) the log-normal and histogram distributions. Based on these criteria the performance of some SPT-based methods in the literature is evaluated.     

A new continuous measurement method for gaseous ammonia by counter-current flow tube sampling and indophenol reaction

Ammonia (NH₃) is the most abundant alkaline gas in the atmosphere and plays a key role in atmospheric chemistry. Reliable and high-time-resolution data for gaseous ammonia are necessary to understand the sources and sinks of ammonia gas in ambient air. In the present study, a sensitive and continuous instrument for measuring gaseous ammonia was developed. Ammonia gas in ambient air was collected in an aqueous solution using a counter-current flow tube (CCFT) sampler. Then, ammonium formed in the aqueous solution was detected by the indophenol method. Based on a CCFT length of 50 cm and air flow rate of 1 L/min, the collection efficiency exceeded 98.5 % at an ammonia mixing ratio of up to 120 ppbv. The detection limit of this method was 0.062 ppbv. Interferences from several gases were investigated, and the results showed that the present method was not affected by NO_x, O₃, SO₂, HONO, methylamine, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide or a mixture of these gases. The most important result was that only gaseous ammonia was detected in the present method without any interference from the particulate ammonium in ambient air. Comparisons with data based on the dry denuder method indicated that the present method showed good agreement with the denuder method.