Ignited competition: Impact of bioactive extracellular compounds on organelle functions and photosynthetic systems in harmful algal blooms.

Prevalent interactions among marine phytoplankton triggered by long-range climatic stressors are well-known environmental disturbers of community structure. Dynamic response of phytoplankton physiology is likely to come from interspecies interactions rather than direct climatic effect on single species. However, studies on enigmatic interactions among interspecies, which are induced by bioactive extracellular compounds (BECs), especially between related harmful algae sharing similar shellfish toxins, are scarce.

Deep-sea microplastics aging and migration exerted by seamount topography and biotopes in the subtropic Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Microplastics (MPs) have drawn exponential attention as anthropogenic pollutants, which have invaded every corner of planet. Seamounts are prominent features of the deep-sea topography, acting as breeding ground for marine animal calves and hotspots of pelagic biodiversity, yet MPs pollution in seamounts is scarcely studied. We investigated the MPs load in the whole vertical profile of seamount ambient water in the Subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Containment control for fractional-order networked system with intermittent sampled position communication.

This paper investigates containment control for fractional-order networked systems. Two novel intermittent sampled position communication protocols, where controllers only need to keep working during communication width of every sampling period under the past sampled position communication of neighbors' agents. Then, some necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee containment about the differential order, sampling period, communication width, coupling strengths, and networked structure.

High-sensitive determination of tetracycline antibiotics adsorbed on microplastics in mariculture water using pre-COF/monolith composite-based in-tube solid phase microextraction on-line coupled to HPLC-MS/MS.

Microplastics (MPs) act as carriers for organic pollutants (e.g. antibiotics) and microorganisms (e.

Continuous Flow-Double Purge and Trap Method for Preconcentrating Mercury in Large Volumes of Seawater for Stable Isotope Analysis.

Mercury (Hg) isotopes provide a useful tool to understand Hg sources and processes in the environment. The Hg isotopic composition of seawater remains poorly constrained due to the lack of an efficient method to process large volumes of low-Hg-concentration seawater samples. Here, we develop a continuous flowdouble purge and trap device for the in situ preconcentration of Hg in seawater.

In-situ preparation of amorphous VO@rGO cathode for ultra-high capacity and ultra-long cycle life aqueous zinc ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for stationary energy storage due to their environmental benignity and cost-effectiveness. However, the development of AZIBs continues to be plagued by a lack of cathode materials with high specific capacity and superior lifetime. Herein, we in-situ synthesize amorphous VO@rGO assisted by controlling the charging cut-off voltage.

Spatiotemporal Variation of Surface Sediment Quality in the Xiamen Sea Area, China.

The study analyzes the survey data on the surface sediments in 355 stations in Xiamen Sea area during 2004-2006, 2007-2009, 2010-2013, and 2014-2016. The result finds that contents of TOC, sulfide, and oils in the surface sediments were generally low but showed significant spatial differences ( < 0.05) in most cases, with TOC in the West Sea area (WS) staying significantly higher than other sea areas.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the seawater around a typical subtropical tourist city of China and associated ecological risk.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the sea area surrounding a densely populated tourist city in southeastern China were investigated. In total, 32 PPCP pollutants classified into 23 categories were detected. Different spatial distribution patterns of PPCPs indicated possible contamination from runoff and multiple local sources.

Synthesis and application of magnetic materials-barium ferrite nanomaterial as an effective microwave catalyst for degradation of brilliant green.

In this work, magnetic separably barium ferrite nanomaterial (BaFeO) was synthesized via citrate acid assisted sol-gel combustion method. Subsequently, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were applied for its structural, morphological, and electromagnetic characterization. In addition, microwave (MW) absorption and thermal conversion test results indicated the BaFeO had electrothermal rather than magnetothermal conversion capacity.

Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the mid-west Pacific Ocean.

Microplastic pollution is widespread across most ocean basins around the world. Microplastics (MPs) are small plastic particles that have a significant impact on the marine environment. Various research on plastic pollution have been conducted in several regions.

A nationwide assessment of litter on China's beaches using citizen science data.

China is the largest plastic consumer in the world. Despite its plastic waste import ban in 2017, this populous economy inevitably generates a large amount of waste, including plastic waste, a considerable part of which has become marine litter. Data from the 2018 National Coastal Cleanup and Monitoring Project, the largest beach litter monitoring activities using the citizen science approach in China, have been retrieved and analyzed to understand spatial patterns, composition, and original usage of marine litter.

Shape-controlled growth of three-dimensional flower-like ZnO@Ag composite and its outstanding electrochemical performance for Ni-Zn secondary batteries.

A novel three-dimensional (3D) flower-like ZnO@Ag composite is successfully synthesized through a simple and facile process, which is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).When evaluated as an anodic material for nickel-zinc alkaline secondary batteries, the 3D flower-like ZnO@Ag composite exhibits the high discharge capacity (627 mAh g) and long cycle life (830 cycles). The outstanding electrochemical performance is ascribed to the Ag nanoparticles enhancing electron conductivity and the uniform flower-like structure providing enough electrochemical reaction sites, so as to reduce electrode polarization and improve cell efficiency.

Study of marine debris around a tourist city in East China: Implication for waste management.

Marine debris characterization is fundamental for developing policies aiming at ending the flow of marine debris at the source. China has the largest coastal population in the world. For this emerging economy, the sources of debris might be different from those in regions at different developmental stages.

Prevalence of microplastic pollution in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.

People are increasingly aware of ubiquitous microplastic (MP) pollution in the world's ocean due to its far-reaching harmful impacts on marine ecosystem and potential hazards to human health, yet surprisingly comparatively limited studies about the abundance, source, transport, and fate of MPs in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean are available. We conducted the field survey of MPs pollution at the surface of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean between August 25 and September 26, 2017. MPs were collected from 18 sampling stations in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean using a manta trawl net with a mesh size of ∼330 μm and a rectangular net opening of 0.

Microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal in wastewater treatment plants in a coastal city of China.

Studying the abundance, characteristics, and removal of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in coastal cities is of great significance for understanding the impacts of human activities on the marine environment, but currently, little information on this topic is available in China. Therefore, the abundance, characteristics, and removal of MPs in seven WWTPs of Xiamen, a typical coastal city in China, are studied. Sixty samples were collected using an improved sampling method involving an electromagnetic flowmeter and a fast digital camera.

Microplastics in the Northwestern Pacific: Abundance, distribution, and characteristics.

Prevalence of microplastics (MPs) throughout the world's oceans has raised growing concerns due to its detrimental effects on the environment and living organisms. Most recent studies of MPs, however, have focused on the estuaries and coastal regions. There is a lack of study of MPs pollution in the open ocean.

Total mercury flux and offshore transport via submarine groundwater discharge and coal-fired power plant in the Jiulong River estuary, China.

A mass balance of total mercury (Hg, dissolved+particulate) is constructed for China's Jiulong River estuary based on measured Hg concentrations in the surface water, sediment, porewater, and groundwater for May, August, and November 2009, combined with data from the literature. The Hg mass budget results show that the dominant source (39-55%) is desulfurized seawater discharged from the Songyu coal-fired power plant. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD)-derived Hg flux into the estuary is equivalent to 8-58% of the Hg input from the Jiulong River, which is remarkable when compared with SGD-derived Hg fluxes reported in coastal systems worldwide.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the surface sediments: A reexamination into the offshore environment in China.

The contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg and As in the surface sediments of over 668 sites were monitored in a comprehensive program for assessing the degree of heavy-metal pollution and adverse biological effects of the offshore sediments in China. The contamination factor and geoaccumulation index indicated that As and Pb might be two of the most influential pollution loading in these metals. Cluster analysis separated 19 areas in China's near seas into 7 groups with different pollution characteristic, where the sediments along Zhejiang coast were the most highly-contaminated.

A baseline study of coastal water quality in the Lembeh Strait of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2013.

The concentrations of nutrients (NO2-N, NO3-N, NH4-N, PO4-P, and SiO3-Si) and their ratios in the Lembeh Strait were estimated in April 2013, off the northeastern coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (NO2-N+NO3-N+NH4-N) and PO4-P were low, with a maximum of 0.181 and 0.

[Degradation mechanisms of dimethyl phthalate in the UV-H2O2 system].

To investigate the photodegradation process of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in the ultraviolet light (UV)-H2O2 system, mass spectrometer was used to identify degradation products and further more, to speculate the possible mechanisms of degradation process. Experimental results showed that the degradation efficiency of 10 mg x L(-1) DMP reached 92.3% in 90 minutes in the UV-H2O2 system, and the more H2O2 was added, the faster DMP decomposed.

Efficient degradation of crystal violet in magnetic CuFe2O4 aqueous solution coupled with microwave radiation.

Nanoscale copper ferrite was prepared by co-precipitation method, while citrate acid assisted method was used as reference. Microwave-induced degradation of crystal violet was performed with synthesized copper ferrite, and the behavior of copper ferrite in this process was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, SEM/EDS and vector network analyzer. Microwave radiation could greatly enhance the activity of copper ferrite in organic oxidation.

Degradation of organic dyes via bismuth silver oxide initiated direct oxidation coupled with sodium bismuthate based visible light photocatalysis.

Organic dye degradation was achieved via direct oxidation by bismuth silver oxide coupled with visible light photocatalysis by sodium bismuthate. Crystal violet dye decomposition by each reagent proceeded via two distinct pathways, each involving different active oxygen species. A comparison of each treatment method alone and in combination demonstrated that using the combined methods in sequence achieved a higher degree of degradation, and especially mineralization, than that obtained using either method alone.

Efficient degradation of organic dyes by BiAgxOy.

A novel, simple and efficient approach for degrading organic dye, based on BiAg(x)O(y) (bismuth silver oxide, BSO), is reported for the first time. The oxidative powder BSO was prepared by simple coprecipitation of NaBiO(3)·2H(2)O and AgNO(3). The technique was evaluated for the decolorization and oxidative decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB).

Effective photocatalytic degradation of atrazine over titania-coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coupled with microwave energy.

Microwave-assisted photocatalytic (MAPC) degradation of atrazine over nanotitania coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (TiO(2)/MWCNTs) was investigated in this study. As a result, degradation efficiency of atrazine over TiO(2)/CNTs prepared by hydrothermal method was about 30% and 20% higher than that of titania P25 and anatase prepared hydrothermally in given time. The TiO(2)/CNTs composite samples were characterized by TGA-DSC, TEM, UV-vis DRS, XRD and BET, to explain the reason for efficient degradation and adsorption process of atrazine.