Main controlling factor and mechanism of gas-in-place content of the Lower Cambrian shale from different sedimentary facies in the western Hubei area, South China

The Lower Cambrian shale gas in the western Hubei area,South China has a great resource prospect,but the gas-in-place(GIP)content in different sedimentary facies varies widely,and the relevant mechanism has been not well understood.In the present study,two sets of the Lower Cambrian shale samples from the Wells YD4 and YD5 in the western Hubei area,representing the deep-water shelf facies and shallowwater platform facies,respectively,were investigated on the differences of pore types,pore structure and methane adsorption capacity between them,and the main controlling factor and mechanism of their methane adsorption capacities and GIP contents were discussed.The results show that the organic matter(OM)pores in the YD4 shale samples are dominant,while the inorganic mineral(IM)pores in the YD5 shale samples are primary,with underdeveloped OM pores.The pore specific surface area(SSA)and pore volume(PV)of the YD4 shale samples are mainly from micropores and mesopores,respectively,while those of the YD5 shale samples are mainly from micropores and macropores,respectively.The methane adsorption capacity of the YD4 shale samples is significantly higher than that of the YD5 shale samples,with a maximum absolute adsorption capacity of 3.13 cm^(3)/g and 1.31 cm^(3)/g in average,respectively.Compared with the shallow-water platform shale,the deep-water shelf shale has a higher TOC content,a better kerogen type and more developed OM pores,which is the main mechanism for its higher adsorption capacity.The GIP content models based on two samples with a similar TOC content selected respectively from the Wells YD4 and YD5 further indicate that the GIP content of the deep-water shelf shale is mainly 34 m^(3)/t within a depth range of 1000—4000 m,with shale gas exploration and development potential,while the shallow-water platform shale has normally a GIP content of<1 m^(3)/t,with little shale gas potential.Considering the geological and geochemical conditions of shale gas formation and preservation,the deep-water shelf facies is the most favorable target for the Lower Cambrian shale gas exploration and development in the western Hubei area,South China.

Bat-derived oligopeptide LE6 inhibits the contact-kinin pathway and harbors anti-thromboinflammation and stroke potential

Thrombosis and inflammation are primary contributors to the onset and progression of ischemic stroke.The contact-kinin pathway,initiated by plasma kallikrein(PK)and activated factor XII(FXIIa),functions bidirectionally with the coagulation and inflammation cascades,providing a novel target for therapeutic drug development in ischemic stroke.In this study,we identified a bat-derived oligopeptide from Myotis myotis(Borkhausen,1797),designated LE6(Leu-Ser-Glu-Glu-Pro-Glu,702 Da),with considerable potential in stroke therapy due to its effects on the contact kinin pathway.Notably,LE6 demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on PK and FXIIa,with inhibition constants of 43.97μmol/L and 6.37μmol/L,respectively.In vitro analyses revealed that LE6 prolonged plasma recalcification time and activated partial thromboplastin time.In murine models,LE6 effectively inhibited carrageenan-induced mouse tail thrombosis,FeCl3-induced carotid artery thrombosis,and photochemically induced intracerebral thrombosis.Furthermore,LE6 significantly decreased inflammation and stroke injury in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion models.Notably,the low toxicity,hemolytic activity,and bleeding risk of LE6,along with its synthetic simplicity,underscore its clinical applicability.In conclusion,as an inhibitor of FXIIa and PK,LE6 offers potential therapeutic benefits in stroke treatment by mitigating inflammation and preventing thrombus formation.

One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of willow branch-shaped MoS_2/CdS heterojunctions for photocatalytic H_2 production under visible light irradiation

Willow branch-shaped MoS2/CdS heterojunctions are successfully synthesized for the first time by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence spectroscopy tests. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activities of the samples were evaluated under visible light irradiation. The resulting MoS2/CdS heterojunctions exhibit a much improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity than that obtained with CdS and MoS2. In particular, the optimized MC-5 (5 at.% MoS2/CdS) photocatalyst achieved the highest hydrogen production rate of 250.8 μmol h–1, which is 28 times higher than that of pristine CdS. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) at 420 nm was 3.66%. Further detailed characterizations revealed that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MoS2/CdS heterojunctions could be attributed to the efficient transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers resulting from the core-shell structure and the close contact between MoS2 nanosheets and CdS single-crystal nanorods, as well as to increased visible light absorption. A tentative mechanism for photocatalytic H2 evolution by MoS2/CdS heterojunctions was proposed. This work will open up new opportunities for developing more efficient photocatalysts for water splitting.

Investigation of the medium calcium based non-burnt brick made by red mud and fly ash: durability and hydration characteristics

Red mud is a type of highly alkaline waste residue produced in the process of alumina smelting by the Bayer process.Based on the idea of medium calcium content,solid wastes such as red mud and fly ash were used to prepare non-burnt bricks;and the mass ratio of CaO/SiO2 was selected in the range of 0.88–1.42.Mechanical properties and durability were investigated with a compressive strength test.X-ray diffractometry(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)techniques were used to characterize the hydration characteristic.The environmental performance was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry(ICP).The results indicated that the mechanical properties and the durability were optimal when the mass ratio of CaO/SiO2 was 1.23.The hydration products were mostly C–S–H gel,ettringite,Na4Ca(Si10All6)O32·12H2O and Ca3Al2(SiO4)(OH)8.They were responsible for the strength development,and the CaO/SiO2 mass ratio of 1.23 had the best polymerized structure.The results of an environmental performance test showed that the heavy metals in the raw materials were well-solidified in the brick.Therefore,this paper provides an effective solution for use of solid wastes in building material.

Simultaneous modulated accelerated radiation therapy for esophageal cancer:A feasibility study

AIM: To establish the feasibility of simultaneous modulated accelerated radiation therapy (SMART) in esophageal cancer (EC).

Effect of strain rate difference between inside and outside groove in M-K model on prediction of forming limit curve of Ti6Al4V at elevated temperatures

The influence of initial groove angle on strain rate inside and outside groove of Ti6Al4V alloy was investigated.Based on the evolution of strain rate inside and outside groove,the effect of strain rate difference on the evolution of normal stress and effective stress inside and outside groove was also analyzed.The results show that when linear loading path changes from uniaxial tension to equi-biaxial tension,the initial groove angle plays a weaker role in the evolution of strain rate in the M-K model.Due to the constraint of force equilibrium between inside and outside groove,the strain rate difference makes the normal stress inside groove firstly decrease and then increase during calculation,which makes the prediction algorithm of forming limit convergent at elevated temperature.The decrease of normal stress inside groove is mainly caused by high temperature softening effect and the rotation of groove,while the increase of normal stress inside groove is mainly due to strain rate hardening effect.

Microstructure and electrolysis behavior of self-healing Cu-Ni-Fe composite inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning

The microstructure evolution and electrolysis behavior of(Cu_(52)Ni_(30)Fe_(18))–x Ni Fe_2O_4(x=40wt%,50wt%,60wt%,and 70wt%)composite inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning were studied.Ni Fe_2O_4 was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 950°C.The dense anode blocks were prepared by ball-milling followed by sintering under a N_2 atmosphere.The phase evolution of the anodes after sintering was determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The results indicate that a substitution reaction between Fe in the alloy phase and Ni in the oxide phase occurs during the sintering process.The samples were also examined as inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning in the low-temperature KF–NaF–AlF_3 molten electrolyte for 24 h.The cell voltage during electrolysis and the corrosion scale on the anodes were analyzed.The results confirm that the scale has a self-repairing function because of the synergistic reaction between the alloy phase with Fe added and the oxide phase.The estimated wear rate of the(Cu_(52)Ni_(30)Fe_(18))–50Ni Fe_2O_4 composite anode is 2.02 cm·a^(-1).

Amylopectin from Glutinous Rice as a Sustainable Binder for High-Performance Silicon Anodes

Silicon(Si)has been investigated as a promising anode material because of its high theoretical capacity(4200 m Ah g^(-1)).However,silicon anode suffers from huge volume changes during repeated charge–discharge cycles.In this work,inspired by a remarkable success of the glutinous rice mortar in the Great Wall with ca.2000-year history,amylopectin(AP),the key ingredient responsible for the strong bonding force,is extracted from glutinous rice and utilized as a flexible,aqueous,and resilient binder to address the most challenging drastic volume-expansion and pulverization issues of silicon anode.Additionally,the removal of toxic N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(NMP)organic solvent makes the electrode fabrication process environmentally friendly and healthy.The as-prepared Si-AP electrode with 60 wt%of Si can uphold a high discharge capacity of 1517.9 m Ah g^(-1)at a rate of 0.1 C after 100 cycles.The cycling stability of the Si-AP has been remarkably improved in comparison with both traditional polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)and aqueous carboxymethylcellulose(CMC)binders.Moreover,when the content of silicon in the Si-AP electrode increases to 70 wt%,a high discharge capacity of 1463.1 m Ah g^(-1)can still be obtained after 50 cycles at 0.1°C.These preliminary results suggest that the sustainably available and environmentally benign amylopectin binders could be a promising choice for the construction of highly stable silicon anodes.

Poly(thiourea triethylene glycol) as a multifunctional binder for enhanced performance in lithium-sulfur batteries

A mechanically strong binder with polar functional groups could overcome the dilemma of the large volume change during charge/discharge processes and poor cyclability of lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).In this work,for the first time,we report the use of poly(thiourea triethylene glycol)(PTTG)as a multifunctional binder for sulfur cathodes to enhance the performance of LSBs.As expected,the PTTG binder facilitates the high performance and stability delivered by the Sulfur-PTTG cathode,including a higher reversible capacity of 825 mAh g^(-1) at 0.2 C after 80 cycles,a lower capacity fading(0.123%per cycle)over 350 cycles at 0.5 C,a higher areal capacity of 2.5 mAh cm^(-2) at 0.25 mA cm^(-2),and better rate capability of 587 mAh g^(-1) at 2 C.Such superior electrochemical performances could be attributed to PTTG's strong chemical adsorption towards polysulfides which may avoid the lithium polysulfide shuttle effect and excellent mechanical characteristics which prevents electrode collapse during cycling and allows the Sulfur-PTTG electrode to maintain robust electron and ion migration pathways for accelerated redox reaction kinetics.

Long-term outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with esophageal cancer following radiotherapy

AIM:To evaluate long-term outcomes and prognostic factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) treated with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy(3D-CRT).METHODS:Between January 2005 and December 2006,153 patients(120 males,33 females) with pathologically confirmed esophageal SCC and treated with 3D-CRT in Cancer Hospital of Shantou University were included in this retrospective analysis.Median age was 60 years(range:37-84 years).The proportion of tumor location was as follows:upper thorax(including the cervical region),73(48%);middle thorax,73(48%);lower thorax,7(5%),respectively.The median radiation dose was 64 Gy(range:50-74 Gy).Fifty four cases(35%) received cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy.Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to determine the association between the correlative factors and prognosis.RESULTS:The five-year overall survival rate was 26.3%,with a median follow-up of 49 mo(range:3-66 mo) for patients who were still alive.On univariate analysis,lesion location,lesion length by barium esophagogram,computed tomography imaging characteristics including Y diameter(anterior-posterior,AP,extent of tumor),gross tumor volume of primary lesion(GTV-E),volume of positive lymph nodes(GTV-LN),and the total target volume(GTV-T = GTV-E + GTVLN) were prognostic for overall survival.By multivariate analysis,only the Y diameter [hazard ratio(HR) 2.219,95%CI 1.141-4.316,P = 0.019] and the GTV-T(HR 1.372,95%CI 1.044-1.803,P = 0.023) were independent prognostic factors for survival.CONCLUSION:The overall survival of esophageal carcinoma patients undergoing 3D-CRT was promising.The best predictors for survival were GTV-T and Y diameter.

Construction of Mo/Mo_(2)C@C modified ZnIn_(2)S_(4)Schottky junctions for efficient photo-thermal assisted hydrogen evolution

Photocatalytic water splitting on noble metal-free photocatalysts for H_(2) generation is a promising but challenging approach to realize solar-to-chemical energy conversion.In this study,Mo/Mo_(2)C nanoparticles anchored carbon layer(Mo/Mo_(2)C@C)was obtained by a one-step in-situ phase transition approach and developed for the first time as a photothermal cocatalyst to enhance the activity of ZnIn_(2)S_(4)photocatalyst.Mo/Mo_(2)C@C nanosheet exhibits strong absorption in the full spectrum region and excellent photo-thermal conversion ability,which generates heat to improve the reaction temperature and accelerate the reaction kinetics.Moreover,metallic Mo/Mo_(2)C@C couples with ZnIn_(2)S_(4)to form ZnIn_(2)S_(4)-Mo/Mo_(2)C@C Schottky junction(denoted as ZMM),which prevents the electrons back transfer and restrains the charge recombination.In addition,conductive carbon with strong interfacial interaction serves as a fast charge transport bridge.Consequently,the optimized ZMM-0.2 junction exhibits an H2 evolution rate of 1031.07μmol g^(-1)h^-(1),which is 41 and 4.3 times higher than bare ZnIn_(2)S_(4)and ZnIn_(2)S_(4)-Mo2C,respectively.By designing novel photothermal cocatalysts,our work will provide a new guidance for designing efficient photocatalysts.

COMPOSITIONAL HETEROGENEITY OF ETHYLENE OXIDE-BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE SEGMENTED COPOLYMER

A series of ethylene oxide-butylene terephthalate (EOBT) segmented copolymers with different soft segment length and hard segment content were synthesized. The compositional heterogeneity was studied by solvent extraction. The results show that the compositional heterogeneity increases when soft segment length and hard segment content increase. The compositional heterogeneity is also reflected in the crystallization behavior and morphology of soft and hard segment in EOBT segmented copolymer. The more compositional heterogeneous the EOBT segmented copolymer is, the more different the morphology and the crystallization behavior between separated fractions. Compared with ethylene oxide-ethylene terephthalate (EOET) segmented copolymer, compositional heterogeneity in EOBT segmented copolymer is weaker. But the compositional heterogeneity in EOBT segmented copolymer with long soft segment and high hard segment content is still obvious.

Pt-Te alloy nanowires towards formic acid electrooxidation reaction

The high-performance anodic electrocatalysts is pivotal for realizing the commercial application of the direct formic acid fuel cells.In this work,a simple polyethyleneimine-assisted galvanic replacement reaction is applied to synthesize the high-quality PtTe alloy nanowires(PtTe NW)by using Te NW as an efficient sacrificial template.The existence of Te atoms separates the continuous Pt atoms,triggering a direct reaction pathway of formic acid electrooxidation reaction(FAEOR)at PtTe NW.The one-dimensional architecture and highly active sites have enabled PtTe NW to reveal outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards FAEOR with the mass/specific activities of 1091.25 mA mg^(-1)/45.34 A m^(-2)at 0.643 V potential,which are 44.72/23.16 and 20.26/11.75 times bigger than those of the commercial Pt and Pd nanoparticles,respectively.Density functional theory calculations reveal that Te atoms optimize the electronic structure of Pt atoms,which decreases the adsorption capacity of CO intermediate and simultaneously improves the durability of PtTe NW towards FAEOR.This work provides the valuable insights into the synthesis and design of efficient Pt-based alloy FAEOR electrocatalysts.

Advances of Pipeline Model Parallelism for Deep Learning Training:An Overview

Deep learning has become the cornerstone of artificial intelligence,playing an increasingly important role in human production and lifestyle.However,as the complexity of problem-solving increases,deep learning models become increasingly intricate,resulting in a proliferation of large language models with an astonishing number of parameters.Pipeline model parallelism(PMP)has emerged as one of the mainstream approaches to addressing the significant challenge of training“big models”.This paper presents a comprehensive review of PMP.It covers the basic concepts and main challenges of PMP.It also comprehensively compares synchronous and asynchronous pipeline schedules for PMP approaches,and discusses the main techniques to achieve load balance for both intra-node and inter-node training.Furthermore,the main techniques to optimize computation,storage,and communication are presented,with potential research directions being discussed.

Recent developments of fluorescence imaging technology in the second near-infrared window

Background:Fluorescence bio-imaging in the second near-infrared window(NIR-II FL,1000-1700nm)has great potential in clinical theranostics,which is of great importance providing precise locations of lesions and molecular dynamic actions simultaneously in a single nanoprobe.Methods:T here has been an upsurge of multidisciplinary research focusing on developing functional types of inorganic and organic nanoprobes that can be used for NIR-II FL with the high spatiotemporal resolution,deep tissue penetration,and negligible auto-fluorescence.Results:In this mini-review,we summarize recent progress in inorganic/organic NIR-II FL nanoprobes.We introduce the design and properties of inorganic and organic nanoprobes,in the order of single-walled carbon nanotubes,quantum dots,rare-earth-doped nanoparticles,metal nanoclusters and organic fluorophores,expect to realize precise diagnosis and efficient image-guided therapy.Conclusion:Meanwhile,to elucidate the problems and perspectives,we aim to offer diverse biological applications of inorganic/organic NIR-II FL nanoprobes and accelerate the clinical transformation progress.

Anefficient parallel and distributed solution to nonconvex penalized linear SVMs

Support vector machines(SVMs)have been recognized as a powerful tool to perform linear classification.When combined with the sparsity-inducing nonconvex penalty,SVMs can perform classification and variable selection simultaneously.However,the nonconvex penalized SVMs in general cannot be solved globally and efficiently due to their nondifferentiability,nonconvexity,and nonsmoothness.Existing solutions to the nonconvex penalized SVMs typically solve this problem in a serial fashion,which are unable to fully use the parallel computing power of modern multi-core machines.On the other hand,the fact that many real-world data are stored in a distributed manner urgently calls for a parallel and distributed solution to the nonconvex penalized SVMs.To circumvent this challenge,we propose an efficient alternating direction method of multipliers(ADMM)based algorithm that solves the nonconvex penalized SVMs in a parallel and distributed way.We design many useful techniques to decrease the computation and synchronization cost of the proposed parallel algorithm.The time complexity analysis demonstrates the low time complexity of the proposed parallel algorithm.Moreover,the convergence of the parallel algorithm is guaranteed.Experimental evaluations on four LIBSVM benchmark datasets demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed parallel algorithm.

Sustainable engineering of TiO_(2)-based advanced oxidation technologies:From photocatalyst to application devices

In recent years,photocatalysis(PC)and photoelectrocatalysis(PEC)technologies have shown great promise as low-cost,environmentally friendly,and sustainable strategies in addressing the issues of energy shortages and environmental pollution,which has become a research hotspot.Titanium dioxide(TiO_(2))-based PC and PEC are the most promising sustainable technologies for advanced oxidation applications.Due to its inherent characteristics,including high oxidation ability,low price,and stability,TiO_(2)photocatalyst has been widely studied and used in different scales for numerous decades.For practical applications in these areas,the engineering of the photocatalysts and the design of the PC and PEC devices must be both environmentally and economically sustainable.On the one hand,for the engineering of the photocatalysts,the photocatalyst shall be able to deliver the following characteristics,including large specific surface area,high absorption of light,rapid and low-cost separation and regeneration,and high stability.On the other hand,the design of the PC and PEC devices shall facilitate high in energy utilization and catalytic efficiency,and low in building and operational cost.This work covers the reaction mechanism of TiO_(2)-based PC and PEC technologies,sustainable design,and preparation of TiO_(2)photocatalysts as well as sustainable design in PC and PEC devices for wastewater treatment,sensing,and water splitting.Finally,we provide some critical perspectives on the future development of TiO_(2)-based PC and PEC technology.

Dynamic recrystallization behavior of Fe–20Cr–30Ni–0.6Nb–2Al–Mo alloy

Single-pass compression tests of an aluminaforming austenite(AFA) alloy(Fe–20Cr–30Ni–0.6Nb–2Al–Mo) were performed using a Gleeble-3500 thermal–mechanical simulator. By combining techniques of electron back-scattered diffraction(EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM), the dynamic recrystallization(DRX) behavior of the alloy at temperatures of 950–1100 ℃ and strain rates of 0.01–1.00 s^(-1) was investigated. The regression method was adopted to determine the thermal deformation activation energy and apparent stress index and to construct a thermal deformation constitutive model. Results reveal that the flow stress is strongly dependent on temperature and strain rate and it increases with temperature decreasing and strain rate increasing. The DRX phenomenon occurs more easily at comparably higher deformation temperatures and lower strain rates. Based on the method for solving the inflection point via cubic polynomial fitting of strain hardening rate(h) versus strain(e) curves, the ratio of critical strain(ec) to peak strain(ep) during DRX was precisely predicted. The nucleation mechanisms of DRX during thermal deformation mainly include the strain-induced grain boundary(GB)migration, grain fragmentation, and subgrain coalescence.

Atomically precise metal-chalcogenide semiconductor molecular nanoclusters with high dispersibility:Designed synthesis and intracluster photocarrier dynamics

A comprehensive understanding of excited-state dynamics of semiconductor quantum dots or nanomaterials at the atomic or molecular level is of scientific importance.Pure inorganic(or non-covalently protected)seimiconductor molecular nanoclusters with atomically precise structure are contributive to establish accurate correlation of excited-state dynamics with their composition/structure,however,the related studies are almost blank because of unresolved solvent dispersion issue.Herein,we designedly created the largest discrete chalcogenide seimiconductor molecular nanoclusters(denoted P2-CuMSnS,M=In or/and Ga)with great dispersibility,and revealed an interesting intracluster“core–shell”charge transfer relaxation dynamics.A systematic red shift in absorption spectra with the gradual substitution of In by Ga was experimentally and computationally investigated,and femtosecond transient absorption measurements further manifested there were three ultrafast processes in excited-state dynamics of P2 nanoclusters with the corresponding amplitudes directed by composition variation.Current results hold the great promise of the solution-processible applications of semiconductor-NC-based quantum dots and facilitate the development of atomically precise nano-chemistry.

NONLINEAR GALERKIN METHOD AND CRANK-NICOLSONMETHOD FOR VISCOUS INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW

In this article we discuss a new full discrete scheme for the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations modeling viscous incompressible flow. This scheme consists of nonlinear Galerkin method using mixed finite elements and Crank-Nicolson method. Next, we provide the second-order convergence accuracy of numerical solution corresponding to this scheme. Compared with the usual Galerkin scheme, this scheme can save a large amount of computational time under the same convergence accuracy. (Author abstract) 8 Refs.