Growth performance of larval and juvenile manila clam (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ruditapes philippinarum</Emphasis>) from divergently selected individuals of a full-sib family

In this study, the method of divergent selection was employed to test the larval and juvenile growth performance within a full-sib family of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. The 10% largest and 10% smallest clam individuals (on the basis of shell length) of a full-sib family were selected as parents for the fast and slow growing lines, respectively. The difference in shell length was significant among the three lines (fast, control, and slow) tested. The sequence of shell length were fast line > control line > slow line. The responses to selection, realized heritability, and genetic gain were 0.06%–0.81%, 0.04%–0.47% and 0.58%–18.89% in the fast direction, respectively; and were 0.14%–1.27%, 0.08%–0.73%, and 0.31%–49.03% in the slow direction, respectively. The results suggested that there was a large portion of additive genetic variance affecting the growth in the full-sib family. Selection in the fast direction within the full-sib family would greatly improve the growth of R. philippinarum.     

The Impact of Large-Scale Reclamation on Hydro-Dynamic Environment——A Case Study of Xinghua Bay

A hydro-dynamic model is established on basis of MIKE21 FM to simulate the hydro-dynamic characteristics of Xinghua Bay and investigate the influence of reclamation project on the tidal elevation and tidal currents. Tidal elevation data was obtained at the six tide gauge stations around the Xinghua Bay, and another six current stations were established to observe the tidal current velocity and direction. Validation shows that the model-simulated tidal elevation and tidal currents agree well with observations made at different stations. Predictions are made according to the reclamation project proposed in the regional marine planning of Hanjiang Industrial Park around the port in Putian City. The variations of hydro-dynamic factors, such as tide, current velocity and direction and tidal influx are obtained, and the adverse effect of reclamation on marine environment is discussed. It is shown that the tidal level inside the Xinghua Bay during high tide decreases after the reclamation project is completed. The tidal currents during flooding tide generally decrease in the southeast of the reclamation region, with the maximum decreasing amplitude reaching 0.44 m s^-1. On the other hand, the tidal currents during flooding tide increase around the southeast and southwest corners of the reclamation region. The tidal currents during ebb tide increase around the southeast and southwest corners of the reclamation region, with the maximum increasing amplitude attaining 0.18 m s^-1. The results in this paper can give some guidance for the marine environment management and the effective utilization of land in Putian.     

Tide and current observations in the central Chukchi Sea during the summer of 2012

Current data from a moored Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler(ADCP) deployed at 69?30.155′N,169?00.654′W in the central Chukchi Sea during 2012 summertime is analyzed in the present paper.Characteristics of tidal and residual currents are ob-tained with Cosine-Lanczos filter and cross-spectral analyses.The main achievements are as follows:1) Along with the local inertial frequency of 12.8 h,two other peaks at ~12-h and ~10-d dominate the time series of raw velocity;2) The M_2 dominates the 6 resolved tide constituents with significant amplitude variations over depth and the ratios of current speed of this constituent to that of the total tidal current are 54% and 47% for u and v components,respectively.All the resolved tidal constituents rotate clockwise at depth with the exception of MM and O1.The constituents of M_2 and S_2 with the largest major semi-axes are similar in eccentricity and orientation at deeper levels;3) The maximum of residual currents varies in a range of 20–30 cms~(-1) over depth and the current with lower velocities flow more true north with smaller magnitudes compared to the current in surface layer.The ~10 d fluctuation of residual current is found throughout the water column and attributed to the response of current to the local wind forcing,with an approximate 1.4 d lag-time at the surface level and occurring several hours later in the lower layer;4) Mean residual currents flow toward the north with the magnitudes smaller than 7 cms~(-1) in a general agreement with previous studies,which suggests a relatively weaker but stable northward flow indeed exists in the central Chukchi Sea.     

Phase characteristic analysis of continuous depth air-gun source wavelet

Air guns are important sources for marine seismic exploration. Far-field wavelet of air gun arrays, as a necessary parameter for pre-stack processing and source models, plays an important role during marine seismic data processing and interpretation. When an air gun fires, it generates a series of air bubbles. Similar to onshore seismic exploration, the water forms a plastic fluid near the bubble; the farther the air gun is located from the measurement, the more steady and more accurately represented the wavelet will be. In practice, hydrophones should be placed more than 100 m from the air gun; however, traditional seismic cables cannot meet this requirement. On the other hand, vertical cables provide a viable solution to this problem. This study uses a vertical cable to receive wavelets from 38 air guns and data are collected offshore Southeast Qiong, where the water depth is over 1000 m. In this study, the wavelets measured using this technique coincide very well with the simulated wavelets and can therefore represent the real shape of the wavelets. This experiment fills a technology gap in China.     

An Investigation of Digestion Methods for Trace Elements in Bauxite and Their Determination in Ten Bauxite Reference Materials Using Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry

Trace elements from samples of bauxite deposits can provide useful information relevant to the exploration of the ore‐forming process. Sample digestion is a fundamental and critical stage in the process of geochemical analysis, which enables the acquisition of accurate trace element data by ICP‐MS. However, the conventional bomb digestion method with HF/HNO₃ results in a significant loss of rare earth elements (REEs) due to the formation of insoluble AlF₃ precipitates during the digestion of bauxite samples. In this study, the digestion capability of the following methods was investigated: (a) ‘Mg‐addition’ bomb digestion, (b) NH₄HF₂ open vessel digestion and (c) NH₄F open vessel digestion. ‘Mg‐addition’ bomb digestion can effectively suppress the formation of AlF₃ and simultaneously ensure the complete decomposition of resistant minerals in bauxite samples. The addition of MgO to the bauxite samples resulted in (Mg + Ca)/Al ratios ≥ 1. However, adding a large amount of MgO leads to significant blank contamination for some transition elements (V, Cr, Ni and Zn). The NH₄HF₂ or NH₄F open vessel digestion methods can also completely digest resistant minerals in bauxite samples in a short period of time (5 hr). Unlike conventional bomb digestion with HF/HNO₃, the white precipitates and the semi‐transparent gels present in the NH₄HF₂ and NH₄F digestion methods could be efficiently dissolved by evaporation with HClO₄. Based on these three optimised digestion methods, thirty‐seven trace elements including REEs in ten bauxite reference materials (RMs) were determined by ICP‐MS. The data obtained showed excellent inter‐method reproducibility (agreement within 5% for REEs). The relative standard deviation (% RSD) for most elements was < 6%. The concentrations of trace elements in the ten bauxite RMs showed agreement with the limited certified (Li, V, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Zr and Pb) and information values (Co, Ba, Ce and Hf) available. New trace element data for the ten RMs are provided, some of which for the first time.     

Provenance of buried esker groundwater: the case of Vars-Winchester esker aquifer,Eastern Ontario,Canada

An innovative mode of groundwater recharge to a buried esker aquifer is considered. The current conceptual model affords a natural safeguard to underlying aquifers from the overlying muds. A hypothesis of groundwater recharge to a buried esker aquifer via preferential pathways across its overlying muds is tested here by heuristic numerical one-dimensional and two-dimensional modeling simulations. The hypothesis has been tested against two other conventionally accepted scenarios involving: (1) distal esker outcrop areas and (2) remote shallow-bedrock recharge areas. The main evidence comes from documented recharge pressure pulses in the overlying mud aquitard and in the underlying esker hydraulic-head time series for the Vars-Winchester esker aquifer in Eastern Ontario, Canada. These perturbations to the potentiometric surface are believed to be the aquifer response to recharge events. The migration rate of these pressure pulses is directly related to the hydraulic diffusivity of the formation. The measured response time and response amplitude between singular radar precipitation events and well hydrographs constituted the heuristic model calibration targets. The main evidence also includes mud-layering deformation (water escape features) which was observed in seismic surveys of the over-esker muds. These disturbed stratigraphic elements provide a realistic mechanism for migrating water to transit through the muds. The effective hydraulic conductivities of these preferential pathways in the muds were estimated to be between 2?×?10^?6 and 7?×?10^?6 m/s. The implications of these findings relate to the alleged natural safeguard of these overlying muds.     

西藏改则县多龙矿集区发现岩墙岭蛇绿岩残片

西藏班公湖-怒江缝合带北缘多龙矿集区是青藏高原新近发现的具有超大型远景的、典型的富金斑岩型铜矿集区,其成岩成矿地质背景是解决班公湖-怒江洋构造演化的关键问题之一。近年来的区域地质调查研究发现,多龙矿集区南侧出露岩墙岭蛇绿岩残片,应该是班公湖-怒江蛇绿岩带的重要组成部分。岩墙岭蛇绿岩主要由席状岩墙群、枕状玄武岩和硅质岩组成,整体呈棱形或透镜体状断续分布于侏罗系复理石沉积内,构成典型的网结状构造。糜棱岩普遍发育在岩墙岭蛇绿岩和围岩的接触部位。综合前人研究成果,初步认为多龙矿集区早白垩世成岩成矿作用应该形成于增生楔之上伸展拉张的构造环境。岩墙岭蛇绿岩的发现和确定进一步约束了多龙矿集区成岩成矿地质背景,同时为班公湖-怒江缝合带的延伸及其构造演化的研究提供了新的线索。     

Bioadsorption by sugarcane bagasse for the reduction in oil and grease content in aqueous effluent

Several techniques have been used to reduce the oil and grease content in aqueous streams; one excellent is bioadsorption. With a view to provide a sustainable method for the treatment of oily effluents, the aim of this study was to evaluate sugarcane bagasse as bioadsorbent to reduce the oil and grease content of aqueous effluents. Analysis of the material was performed, and the adsorption experiments were in a batch system, using a synthetic effluent. The results showed that the kinetic equilibrium occurred in 0.08 h of contact. The study of influence of pH of the aqueous phase and the temperature showed that the adsorption capacity was proportional to the pH value, but inversely proportional to the temperature. The adsorption isotherm was obtained at a temperature of 298.15 K using the Langmuir and Langmuir–Freundlich models, and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 6.65 kg of hydrocarbon per kg of bioadsorbent. It was verified that sugarcane bagasse represents an excellent material for application in the treatment of oily aqueous effluents, since it is associated with low cost and a high adsorption capacity. The variation in the adsorption capacity observed as a function of pH of the aqueous phase was not found to be significant. This is an important characteristic of the material in terms of its industrial application, verifying the possibility for its implementation in any treatment process, demonstrating the great potential of sugarcane bagasse for use as a sustainable alternative in the reduction in oil and grease in aqueous effluents.     

Prediction of ground vibration due to quarry blasting based on gene expression programming: a new model for peak particle velocity prediction

Blasting is a widely used technique for rock fragmentation in opencast mines and tunneling projects. Ground vibration is one of the most environmental effects produced by blasting operation. Therefore, the proper prediction of blast-induced ground vibrations is essential to identify safety area of blasting. This paper presents a predictive model based on gene expression programming (GEP) for estimating ground vibration produced by blasting operations conducted in a granite quarry, Malaysia. To achieve this aim, a total number of 102 blasting operations were investigated and relevant blasting parameters were measured. Furthermore, the most influential parameters on ground vibration, i.e., burden-to-spacing ratio, hole depth, stemming, powder factor, maximum charge per delay, and the distance from the blast face were considered and utilized to construct the GEP model. In order to show the capability of GEP model in estimating ground vibration, nonlinear multiple regression (NLMR) technique was also performed using the same datasets. The results demonstrated that the proposed model is able to predict blast-induced ground vibration more accurately than other developed technique. Coefficient of determination values of 0.914 and 0.874 for training and testing datasets of GEP model, respectively show superiority of this model in predicting ground vibration, while these values were obtained as 0.829 and 0.790 for NLMR model.