Kinematic deformation and intensity assessment of the 2021 Maduo M_(S)7.4 earthquake in Qinghai revealed by high-frequency GNSS

Rapid acquisition of the kinematic deformation field and seismic intensity distribution of large earthquakes is crucial for postseismic emergency rescue,disaster assessment,and future seismic risk research.The advancement of GNSS observation and data processing makes it play an important role in this field,especially the high-frequency GNSS.We used the differential positioning method to calculate the 1 HZ GNSS data from 98 sites within 1000 km of the M_(S)7.4 Maduo earthquake epicenter.The kinematic deformation field and the distribution of the seismic intensity by using the peak ground velocity derived from displacement waveforms were obtained.The results show that:1)Horizontal coseismic response deformation levels ranging from 25 mm to 301 mm can be observed within a 1000 km radius from the epicenter.Coseismic response deformation on the east and west sides shows bilateral asymmetry,which markedly differs from the symmetry presented by surface rupture.2)The seismic intensity obtained through high-frequency GNSS and field investigations exhibits good consistency of the scope and orientation in the high seismic intensity area,although the former is generally slightly smaller than the latter.3)There may exist obstacles on the eastern side of the seismogenic fault.The Maduo earthquake induced a certain tectonic stress loading effect on the western Kunlun Pass-Jiangcuo fault(KPJF)and Maqin-Maqu segment,resulting in higher seismic risk in the future.

Characteristics of regional crustal deformation before 2016 Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake

On January 21, 2016, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of Ms6.4 happened at Menyuan, Qinghai Province of China. In almost the same place, there was another strong earthquake happened in 1986, with similar magnitude and focal mechanism. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of regional crustal deformation before the 2016 Menyuan Ms6.4 earth- quake by using the data from 10 continuous Global Positioning System （GPS） stations and 74 campaign-mode GPS stations within 200 km of this event： （a） Based on the velocity field from over ten years GPS observations, a regional strain rate field is calculated. The results indicate that the crustal strain rate and seismic moment accumulation rate of the Qilian- Haiyuan active fault, which is the seismogenic tectonics of the event, are significantly higher than the surrounding regions. In a 20 km~ 20 km area around the seismogenic region, the maximum and minimum principal strain rates are 21.5 nanostrain/a （NW-SE extension） and -46.6 nanostrain/a （NE-SW compression）, respectively, and the seismic moment accumulation rates is 17.4 Nm/a. The direction of principal compression is consistent with the focal mechanism of this event. （b） Based on the position time series of the continuous GPS stations for a time-span of about 6 years before the event, we calculate the strain time series. The results show that the dilatation of the seismogenic region is continuously reduced with a ＂non-linear＂ trend since 2010, which means the seismogenic region has been in a state of compression. However, about 2-3 months before the event, both the dilatation and maximum shear strain show significant inverse trends. These abnormal changes of crustal deformation may reflect the non-linear adjustment of the stress-strain accumulation of the seismogenic region, when the accumulation is approaching the critical value of rupture.

Seismogenic structure of the 2016 Ms6.4 Menyuan earthquake and its effect on the Tianzhu seismic gap

On January 21, 2016, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of Ms6.4 occurred at Menyuan, Qinghai Province of China. In almost the same region, there was another strong earthquake happened in 1986, with similar magnitude and focal mechanism. Based on comprehensive analysis of regional active faults, focal mechanism solutions, precise locations of aftershocks, as well as GPS crustal deformation, we inferred that the Lenglongiing active fault dips NE rather than SW as suggested by previous studies. Considering the facts that the 2016 and i986 Ms6.4 Menyuan earthquakes are closely located with similar focal mechanisms, both of the quakes are on the north side of the Lenglongling Fault and adjacent to the fault, and the fault is dipping NE direction, we suggest that the fault should be the seismogenic structure of the two events. The Lenglongling Fault, as the western segment of the well-known Tianzhu seismic gap in the Qilian-Haiyuan active fault system, is in a relatively active state with frequent earthquakes in recent years, implying a high level of strain accumulation and a high potential of major event. It is also possible that the Lengiongiing Fault and its adjacent fault, the Jinqianghe Fault in the Tianzhu seismic gap, are rupturing simultaneously in the future.

Probing the interseismic locking state of the Xianshuihe fault based on a viscoelastic deformation model

The interseismic locking state of tectonic faults is essential for regional seismic hazard assessments.However,it is challenging to obtain this parameter reliably due to the weak deformation and complex model configurations.To better probe the fault locking state,more reliable physical models and well-covered observations are required.Here we investigate the locking state of the Xianshuihe fault based on a new-developed viscoelastic deformation model.Meanwhile,we combine GPS velocities from 13 new near-field stations and existing stations in this region to improve the spatial resolution.Similar to the theoretical predictions,our results indicate that the elastic model will clearly overestimate the fault locking depth and seismic moment accumulation rate,and the fault slip rate inferred from the elastic model is slightly lower than that from the viscoelastic model.Relying on the locking distribution inferred from the viscoelastic model,we identify four potential asperities on the Xianshuihe fault.More importantly,we find a clear spatial correlation between the fault locking distribution and the rupture extent of historical earthquakes,which indicates that the fault locking state may control the rupture extent and thus the magnitude of earthquakes.In addition,our results show that the 2022 M6.8 Luding earthquake only ruptured the south part of a potential asperity,and the accumulated energy in the northern unruptured area is equivalent to an Mw6.9 earthquake,where the seismic hazard deserves special attention.

Differential Responses of Transplanted Stem Cells to Diseased Environment Unveiled by a Molecular NIR-II Cell Tracker

Stem cell therapy holds high promises in regenerative medicine.The major challenge of clinical translation is to precisely and quantitatively evaluate the in vivo cell distribution,migration,and engraftment,which cannot be easily achieved by current techniques.To address this issue,for the first time,we have developed a molecular cell tracker with a strong fluorescence signal in the second near-infrared(NIR-II)window(1,000-1,700 nm)for real-time monitoring of in vivo cell behaviors in both healthy and diseased animal models.The NIR-II tracker(CelTrac1000)has shown complete cell labeling with low cytotoxicity and profound long-term tracking ability for 30 days in high spatiotemporal resolution for semiquantification of the biodistribution of transplanted stem cells.Taking advantage of the unique merits of CelTrac1000,the responses of transplanted stem cells to different diseased environments have been discriminated and unveiled.Furthermore,we also demonstrate CelTrac1000 as a universal and effective technique for ultrafast real-time tracking of the cellular migration and distribution in a 100μm single-cell cluster spatial resolution,along with the lung contraction and heart beating.As such,this NIR-II tracker will shift the optical cell tracking into a single-cell cluster and millisecond temporal resolution for better evaluating and understanding stem cell therapy,affording optimal doses and efficacy.

Dppa3 is critical for Lin28a-regulated ES cells na?ve–primed state conversion

Lin28a is a pluripotent factor that promotes somatic cell reprogramming. Unlike other pluripotent factors, Lin28a expression is transient and accumulated in primed embryonic stem (ES) cells, but its exact function and mechanism in the conversion of ES cells from naive to primed state remain unclear. Here, we present evidence for Dppa3, a protein originally known for its role in germ cell development, as a downstream target of Lin28a in naive–primed conversion. Using rescue experiment, we demonstrate that Dppa3 functions predominantly downstream of Lin28a during naive–primed state conversion. Higher level of Lin28a prevents let-7 maturation and results in Dnmt3a/b (target of let-7) upregulation, which in turn induces hypermethylation of the Dppa3 promoter. Dppa3 demarcates naive versus primed pluripotency states. These results emphasize that Lin28a plays an important role during the naive–primed state conversion of ES cells, which is partially mediated by a Lin28a–let-7–Dnmt3a/b–Dppa3 axis.