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BACKGROUND The contents of many heavy metals in soil in many areas of southwest China are much higher than the national soil background value, and related studies show that most heavy metals in soil are in a state of “high background and low activity”, which is closely related to the special geological process in the area. Most scholars have concentrated more on the weathering process and post-weathering heavy metals of granite, basalt, carbonate rocks and other geological bodies with high background value of heavy metals in southwest China. However, alkali-enriched porphyry also has the characteristics of high background value of heavy metals, and the geochemical behavior characteristics of heavy metals in the weathering process of alkali-enriched porphyry are less studied. The ecological and environmental effects of heavy metal element migration and transformation during weathering are still unclear. There is a large-scale alkali-enriched porphyry belt located in southwest China. Most of the alkali-enriched porphyry areas have precious metals such as gold and silver, and polymetallic deposits such as copper, lead and zinc. Therefore, soil in alkali-enriched porphyry areas usually has the characteristic of high background value of heavy metals. OBJECTIVES For identifying geochemical characteristics of heavy metal elements and a series of ecological and environmental problems during the soil-forming process of alkali-enriched porphyry, to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in alkali-enriched porphyry areas and rational planning of agricultural planting. METHODS For sufficient hydrothermal conditions and strong soil-forming in Yunnan Province, a rock weathering profile of Yao’an alkali-enriched porphyry in central Yunnan Province was selected as the research object. The contents of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, Al2O3, TFe2O3, CaO, Na2O, K2O, MgO, SiO2, organic carbon and pH in rock/soil samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry/optimal emission spectrometry (ICP-MS/OES), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and volumetric method. Multivariate statistics method and mass migration coefficient were used to study the distribution characteristics, migration and enrichment rules of heavy metal elements in the weathering profile, as well as the factors affecting the migration and enrichment of heavy metals. RESULTS Based on the analysis of the content and distribution characteristics of eight heavy metals in the weathering profile of Yao’an alkali-enriched porphyry, the migration and enrichment mechanism of heavy metals during the weathering process was identified, and the environmental risk assessment of the surface soil in the area was carried out. (1) In the weathering profile, all the weathering strata have the same source as the bedrock material, and there is no exogenous addition. Different degrees of desiliconization and aluminum-iron enrichment occur in the whole weathering process, especially in the surface layer. In the bottom-up evolution process, all of the heavy metal elements except Cd show an overall trend of increasing content. As, Cr, Cu, Hg and Ni are enriched to different degrees during weathering, while Cd, Pb and Zn are leaching out. The order of heavy metal migration capacity from strong to weak is Cd>Zn>Pb>Hg>Cu>As>Ni>Cr. As, Cr, Cu, and Hg have similar geochemical behavior, as do Cd, Pb, and Zn. (2) Cd, Pb and Zn occur mainly in feldspar minerals and lead-zinc metallic minerals and exhibit the characteristics of migration and leaching under acidic and strong leaching conditions. Although the bedrock is obviously deficient in Cu, Cr, Ni and Hg, it is eventually enrichedin-situ in clay minerals and Al and Fe oxides/hydroxides with weathering due to its own chemical properties and the effect of desilication to enrich aluminum and iron. The enrichment of As is mainly controlled by aluminum-Fe enrichment, and the strong aluminum-Fe enrichment in the study area results in the in-situ secondary enrichment of As. (3) The soil ecological environment in the study area may be polluted by As and Pb due to the high content of Pb in the bedrock and the effect of aluminum-iron enrichment. CONCLUSIONS The risk of As and Pb pollution may exist in the soil ecological environment of the study area, and a large amount of Pb leaching may migrate into the Dragonling River with surface runoff. It is necessary to strengthen the monitoring of heavy metals such as As and Pb in the overlying soil of alkali-enriched porphyry and heavy metals such as Pb and Zn in the rivers around alkali-enriched porphyry so as to ensure ecological safety.

BACKGROUND Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry are the most widely used methods to measure sulfur content in geological samples. The ICP-OES method has high sensitivity and good stability, but it is greatly affected by sample pretreatment and matrix interference. Combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry is convenient and efficient, but due to the interference of crystal water infrared absorption, the analysis of samples with low sulfur content has poor stability. OBJECTIVES To study the application scope of the two methods in geological sample analysis. METHODS The sulfur content of samples was determined by ICP-OES and combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry. The detection limit, detection range, precision, accuracy and analysis efficiency of the two methods was compared in order to study and understand the performance of the two methods in sulfur measurement of geological samples. RESULTS The best test condition of combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry was determined thus: optimal sample weight of 0.0500g, combustion time of 25s, analysis time of 40s and oxygen analysis flow rate of 4.0L/min. The detection limit of combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry was 10×10-6 and the detection range was 10×10-6-470000×10-6. The accuracy relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was less than 6% (n=12) and the absolute value of relative error was less than 8%. CONCLUSIONS For the analysis of low-sulfur samples, ICP-OES method can be used to analyze or compare, and multi-element simultaneous measurement can be determined. Batch samples or samples with a complex matrix can be analyzed by combustion-infrared absorption spectrometry, which is more convenient and efficient.

Hard structural planes mainly exist in rock slopes and their creep characteristics largely determine slope stability. Traditional models have some shortcomings in describing the creep characteristics of hard structural planes, such as poor adaptability and unclear physical meaning of parameters. In order to overcome these shortcomings, based on the creep failure mechanism of hard structural planes, an element combination model is adopted in the study. In the instantaneous deformation stage, the plastic deformation proportional coefficient n is introduced based on the strain rebound theory of loading-unloading tests. In the attenuation creep stage, the hardening coefficient C and creep index m are introduced. In the viscoelastic-plastic failure stage, the weakening factor k is introduced. By improving traditional elements, a new piecewise nonlinear constitutive relationship of hard structural planes is established and then the creep equation is obtained with integration method. The adaptability of the established model and the way to solve parameters are analyzed and the correctness of the model is proved theoretically. The data of creep tests of the prefabricated serrated interpenetrated green sandstone structural plane and the concealed non-interpenetrated marble structural plane are further fitted and verified, yielding a fitting result exceeding 0.95, thereby indicating a strong correlation. By optimizing the whole creep process of the hard structural plane in stages and demonstrating the difference in the creep mechanism of the hard structural plane at different depths in a rock mass in the high and low stress fields in the form of piecewise function, the physical meaning of the improved model is clearer. In addition, the improved model allows the higher accuracy of nonlinear characteristics in attenuation creep stage and acceleration creep stage and provides the theoretical basis for the stability analysis of rock slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational exposures contribute significantly to obstructive lung disease among textile workers. However, biomarkers associated with such declines are not available., Objectives: We conducted a large-scale proteomic study to explore protein biomarkers potentially associated with long-term lung function decline., Methods: Shanghai Textile Workers Cohort was established in 1981 with 35 years of follow-up, assessing textile workers' lung functions every five years. Quantitative serum proteomics was performed on all 453 workers at 2016 survey. We employed four distinct models to examine the association between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) and proteins, and consolidated the findings using an aggregated Cauchy association test. Furthermore, proteomic data of UK Biobank (UKB) was used to explore the associations of potential protein markers and decline of FEV 1 , and the interactions of these proteins were examined through STRING database. Associations were also externally validated using two-sample Mendelian randomizations (MR)., Results: 15 of 907 analyzed proteins displayed potential associations with long-term FEV 1 decline, including two hemoglobin subunits: hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB, FDR-q ACAT  = 0.040), alpha globin chain (HBA2, FDR-q ACAT  = 0.045), and four immunoglobulin subunits: immunoglobulin kappa variable 3-7 (IGKV3-7, FDR-q ACAT  = 0.003), immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgH, FDR-q ACAT  = 0.011). Five proteins were significantly associated with the rate of decline of FEV 1 in UKB, in which RAB6A, LRRN1, and BSG were also found to be associated with proteins identified in Shanghai Textile Workers Cohort using STRING database. MR indicated bidirectional associations between HBB and FEV 1 (P < 0.05), while different immunoglobulin subunits exhibited varying associations with FEV 1 ., Impact Statement: We performed a large-scale proteomic study of the longest-follow-up pulmonary function cohort of textile workers to date. We discovered multiple novel proteins associated with long-term decline of FEV 1 that have potential for identifying new biomarkers associated with long-term lung function decline among occupational populations, and may identify individuals at risk, as well as potential pharmaceutical targets for early intervention., (© 2024. The Author(s).)