Determination of zinc in marine/lacustrine sediments by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using Pd/Mg chemical modifier and slurry sampling

Effectiveness of Pd/Mg chemical modifier for the accurate direct determination of zinc in marine/lacustrine sediments by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) using slurry samples was evaluated. A calibration curve prepared by aqueous zinc standard solution with addition of Pd/Mg chemical modifier is used to determine the zinc concentration in the sediment. The accuracy of the proposed method was confirmed using Certified Reference Materials, NMIJ CRM 7303-a (lacustrine sediment) from National Metrology Institute of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan, and MESS-3 (marine sediment) and PACS-2 (marine sediment) from National Research Council, Canada. The analytical results obtained by employing Pd/Mg modifier are in good agreement with the certified values of all the reference sediment materials. Although for NRC MESS-3 an accurate determination of zinc is achieved even without the chemical modifier, the use of Pd/Mg chemical modifier is recommended as it leads to establishment of a reliable and accurate direct analytical method. One quantitative analysis takes less than 15 minutes after we obtain dried sediment samples, which is several tens of times faster than conventional analytical methods using acid digested sample solutions. The detection limits are 0.13?µg?g^?1 (213.9?nm) and 16?µg?g^?1 (307.6?nm), respectively, in sediment samples, when 40?mg of dried powdered samples are suspended in 20?mL of 0.1?mol?L^?1 nitric acid and a 10?µl portion of the slurry sample is measured. The precision of the proposed method is 8–15% (RSD).     

Trace elements in sediments and bioaccumulation in European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) from a Mediterranean lagoon (SE Italy)

Samples of surface sediments and tissues (liver and muscle) of commercially available European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) collected from Varano lagoon (Italy) were analysed to determine trace element contents. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to highlight both the differences between sampling sites and the influence of channel discharges. Atomic ratios indices for sediment data and biological enrichment factors (BEF) for eel tissues were calculated in order to evaluate the enrichment factor due to human activities. The highest levels of As (11.9?µg?g^?1) and Zn (14.1?µg?g^?1) were observed in the south-eastern zone of the lagoon, which is influenced by urban and agricultural discharges. The low levels of Hg observed in this study (0.04?µg?g^?1) led us to exclude both natural and human local sources of this element. Trace element concentrations of all elements were lower in muscle than in liver tissue. Significant enrichment of Cu and Zn was found in livers.     

Towards a Computational Comparative Neuroprimatology: Framing the language-ready brain

We make the case for developing a Computational Comparative Neuroprimatology to inform the analysis of the function and evolution of the human brain.First, we update the mirror system hypothesis on the evolution of the language-ready brain by (i) modeling action and action recognition and opportunistic scheduling of macaque brains to hypothesize the nature of the last common ancestor of macaque and human (LCA-m); and then we (ii) introduce dynamic brain modeling to show how apes could acquire gesture through ontogenetic ritualization, hypothesizing the nature of evolution from LCA-m to the last common ancestor of chimpanzee and human (LCA-c). We then (iii) hypothesize the role of imitation, pantomime, protosign and protospeech in biological and cultural evolution from LCA-c to Homo sapiens with a language-ready brain.Second, we suggest how cultural evolution in Homo sapiens led from protolanguages to full languages with grammar and compositional semantics.Third, we assess the similarities and differences between the dorsal and ventral streams in audition and vision as the basis for presenting and comparing two models of language processing in the human brain: A model of (i) the auditory dorsal and ventral streams in sentence comprehension; and (ii) the visual dorsal and ventral streams in defining “what language is about” in both production and perception of utterances related to visual scenes provide the basis for (iii) a first step towards a synthesis and a look at challenges for further research.     

西北太平洋表层沉积物地球化学特征及其物源指示意义

为深入了解西北太平洋表层沉积物地球化学特征及物质来源,对大洋40航次在西北太平洋马尔库斯-威克海山区采集的表层沉积物进行了全岩地球化学和黏土矿物测试分析。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物稀土元素（REE)平均质量分数为302.87×10^-6,北美页岩标准化稀土配分模式与黄土相似,并具Ce轻微负异常和Eu无异常特征。稀土配分模式、判别函数（discriminant functions,DF）、M/I（蒙脱石/伊利石）及涂片鉴定等结果指示沉积物物源具有多源性,主要为陆源风尘物质,并受海洋自生物质的强烈影响,海山玄武岩及其蚀变产物和硅质生物也有一定的贡献。研究区沉积物稀土特征既不同于边缘海沉积物,也有别于远洋沉积物,而与弧后盆地沉积物类似。结合1/δCe-LREE/HREE和LREE/HREE-Y/Ho判别图解结果,研究区沉积物物源结构属性应介于边缘海沉积物与远洋沉积物之间,为洋陆过渡区沉积。     

An experimental investigation into non-linear wave loading on horizontal axis tidal turbines

Tidal turbines are subject to large hydrodynamic loads from combinations of currents and waves, which contribute significantly to fatigue, extreme loading and power flow requirements. Physical model testing enables these loads and power fluctuations to be assessed and understood in a controlled and repeatable environment. In this work, a 1:15 scale tidal turbine model is utilised to further the fundamental understanding of the influence of waves on tidal turbines. A wide range of regular waves are generated in both following-current and opposing-current conditions. Wave frequencies range from 0.31 Hz to 0.55 Hz & wave heights from 0.025 m to 0.37 m in a fixed 0.81 m/s current velocity. Waves are selected and programmed specifically to facilitate frequency domain analysis, and techniques are employed to isolate the effect of non-linear waves on turbine power and thrust.Results demonstrate that wave action induces large variations in turbine power and thrust compared to current only conditions. For the range of conditions tested, peak values of thrust and power exceed current-only values by between 7%–65% and 13%–160% respectively. These wave-induced fluctuations are shown to increase with wave amplitude and decrease with wave frequency. Following wave conditions exhibit greater variations than opposing for waves with the same wave height and frequency due to the lower associated wavenumbers.A model is developed and presented to aid the understanding of the high-order harmonic response of the turbine to waves, which is further demonstrated using steady state coefficients under assumptions of pseudo-stationarity. This approach is proven to be effective at estimating wave-induced power and thrust fluctuations for the combinations of waves, currents and turbine state tested. The outcome of which shows promise as a rapid design tool that can evaluate the effect of site-specific wave–current conditions on turbine performance.     

应用地质累积指数评价成都市河流表层沉积物重金属污染

根据流经成都市内的三条河流(府河、南河、沙河)表层沉积物重金属资料,应用地质累积指数法对重金属污染进行了评价研究。结果表明,河流主要的重金属污染物是Cr,地质累积指数分级多在0~1之间,属于无污染-中度污染范畴。     

Investigation of anthropic effects connected with metal ions concentration, organic matter and grain size in Bormida river sediments

An investigation on the sediment composition and grain size was carried out along the Bormida river (Piedmont, Northern Italy). The samples were taken both in the riverbed and on its banks. Multivariate statistical exploratory methods permitted to identify possible sources of primary pollution. In particular, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that there are probably at least three anthropogenic main causes of pollution, one connected with Cr, Ni and Sn, the second with cadmium and the last one with mercury. Some correlations were found between heavy metal ion concentrations and organic matter and/or the sediment grain size. Differences between the samples collected in the riverbed and on the banks were identified and the relationships between the principal components and the distance of the samples from the riverbed and from the hot spot represented by the ACNA industrial site were also analyzed.     

GEOCHEMISTY OF BICYCLIC ALKANES IN SEDIMENTS, COAL AND CRUDE OILS

By using GC-MS to analyze the extracts of source rocks, coal and crude oil samplesformed in different sedimentary environments in China, New Zealand and Australia, twenty-two compounds of five types of bicyclic alkanes have been dis covered in the samples. Thispaper makes an exposition of stereochemical structure, abundance and distributive features ofthese compounds and their relation to sedimentary environments and thermal evolution. Furt-thermore, it demonstrates how the abundance ratios of bicyclic alkanes to steranes and ter-panes, drimane to homodramane and the relative abundance of C_(15),C_(16),C_(12)-C_(14) series of bicyclic-alkane compounds can be used to judge and determine types of oil and gas forming environ-ments (the depositive environments of source rocks from which the oil and gas wereformed), characteristics of source rocks and degree of maturation.     

大亚湾表层沉积物中生源要素的季节分布及污染评价

2006年7月至2007年11月采集了大亚湾10个采样点春、夏、秋和冬4季表层沉积物样品,分析了沉积物中的生物硅(BSi)、有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)含量。结果表明:大亚湾生源要素含量与国内外港湾相比属于中等水平;春季BSi、TP的平均含量分别为1.09%、0.043%;夏季BSi、TOC、TN、TP的平均含量分别为1.21%、1.05%、0.37%、0.043%;秋季BSi、TP的平均含量分别为0.99%、0.038%;冬季BSi、TOC、TN、TP的平均含量分别为1.09%、0.84%、0.11%、0.039%。根据TN/TP和TOC/TN比值判断,大亚湾沉积物为磷限制;夏季TOC主要来源于水生有机碳,冬季为混合来源。夏季表层沉积物中BSi、TOC、TN和TP的平均含量均高于其他季节;其中夏季各站位TN的含量较冬季要高,反映了夏季较高的硅藻生产力以及较丰富的地表径流。大亚湾大部分采样点TOC和TN的污染基本属于Ⅱ类,TP属于Ⅰ类,可能对底栖生物群落具有一定毒害作用。     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法快速测定沉积物中11种藻毒素

建立了超高效液相色谱-串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)快速测定沉积物中11种藻毒素的方法。沉积物经冷冻干燥、粉碎过筛,用0.1 mol/L EDTA-Na4P2O7溶液涡旋超声提取,经HLB固相萃取小柱净化后,用甲醇-0.2%甲酸洗脱、浓缩并氮吹定容至1 m L。经Waters BEH C18色谱小柱,以乙腈-0.2%甲酸水溶液为流动相,梯度洗脱分离后,在电喷雾正离子模式下,以超高效液相色谱-串联质谱多级监测模式(MRM)外标法进行定性定量分析。结果表明:沉积物中11种藻毒素的检出限为1.0~5.0 ng/kg。对同一环境样品进行了0.1、1.0、4.0μg/kg不同水平的加标回收试验,平均回收率为70.3%~112.5%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为2.2%~9.3%。该方法快速、灵敏、准确,可应用于沉积物中11种藻毒素的快速监测。