Gas hydrate accumulation associated with fluid escape structure in the western margin of South China Sea

Gas hydrates have been found in the western continental margin of South China Sea,which are revealed by widespread bottom simulating reflectors(BSRs)imaged from a three-dimensional(3D)seismic volume near the Guangle carbonate platform in the western South China Sea.Fluid-escape structures(faults and gas chimneys)are originated below BSR were distinguished.A comprehensive model in three-level structure was proposed to depict the gas hydrate accumulation in the study area.In Level 1,regional major faults and gas chimneys provide the first pathways of upward migration of gas near basement.In Level 2,pervasive polygonal faults in carbonate layer promote the migration of gas.In Level 3,gases sourced from near-basement accumulate within shallow sediment layers and form gas hydrate above the unit with faults once appropriate temperature and pressure occur.The gas hydrates in the study area are mainly in microbial origin,and their accumulation occurs only when fluid-escape structures align in all the three levels.The proposed model of the gas hydrate accumulation in western SCS margin provides new insights for further studies in this poorly studied area.

A buried submarine canyon in the northwestern South China Sea: architecture, development processes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

High-resolution multichannel seismic data enables the discovery of a previous,undocumented submarine canyon(Huaguang Canyon)in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northwestern South China Sea.The Huaguang Canyon with a NW orientation is 140 km in length,and 2.5 km to 5 km in width in its upper reach and 4.6 km to 9.5 km in width in its lower reach.The head of the Huaguang Canyon is close to the Xisha carbonate platform and its tail is adjacent to the Central Canyon.This buried submarine canyon is formed by gravity flows from the Xisha carbonate platform when the sea level dropped in the early stage of the late Miocene(around 10.5 Ma).The internal architecture of the Huaguang Canyon is mainly characterized by high amplitude reflections,indicating that this ancient submarine canyon was filled with coarse-grained sediments.The sediment was principally scourced from the Xisha carbonate platform.In contrast to other buried large-scale submarine canyons(Central Canyon and Zhongjian Canyon)in the Qiongdongnan Basin,the Huaguang Canyon displays later formation time,smaller width and length,and single sediment supply.The coarse-grained deposits within the Huaguang Canyon provide a good environment for reserving oil and gas,and the muddy fillings in the Huaguang Canyon have been identified as regional caps.Therefore,the Huaguang Canyon is a potential area for future hydrocarbon exploration in the northwestern South China Sea.The result of this paper may contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of submarine canyons formed in carbonate environment.

A buried submarine canyon in the northwest South China Sea:architecture,development processes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

High-resolution multichannel seismic data enables the discovery of a previous,undocumented submarine canyon(Huaguang Canyon)in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northwest South China Sea.The Huaguang Canyon with a NW orientation is 140 km in length,and 2.5 km to 5 km in width in its upper reach and 4.6 km to 9.5 km in width in its lower reach.The head of the Huaguang Canyon is close to the Xisha carbonate platform and its tail is adjacent to the central canyon.This buried submarine canyon is formed by gravity flows from the Xisha carbonate platform when the sea level dropped in the early stage of the late Miocene(~10.5 Ma).The internal architecture of the Huaguang Canyon is mainly characterized by high amplitude reflections,indicating that this ancient submarine canyon was filled with coarse-grained sediments.The sediment was principally scourced from the Xisha carbonate platform.In contrast to other buried large-scale submarine canyons(central canyon and Zhongjian Canyon)in the Qiongdongnan Basin,the Huaguang Canyon displays later formation time,smaller width and length,and single sediment supply.The coarse-grained deposits within Huaguang Canyon provide a good environment for reserving oil and gas,and the muddy fillings in Huaguang Canyon have been identified as regional caps.Therefore,Huaguang Canyon is potential area for future hydrocarbon exploration in the northwest South China Sea.Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of submarine canyons formed in carbonate environment.

Influence of channel/back-barrier thickness on the breakdown of AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs

The leakage current and breakdown voltage of AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN high electron mobility transistors on silicon with different GaN channel thicknesses were investigated.The results showed that a thin GaN channel was beneficial for obtaining a high breakdown voltage,based on the leakage current path and the acceptor traps in the AlGaN back-barrier.The breakdown voltage of the device with an 800 nm-thick GaN channel was 926 V@1 m A/mm,and the leakage current increased slowly between 300 and 800 V.Besides,the raising conduction band edge of the GaN channel by the AlGaN back-barrier lead to little degradation for sheet 2-D electron gas density,especially,in the thin GaN channel.The transfer and output characteristics were not obviously deteriorated for the samples with different GaN channel thickness.Through optimizing the GaN channel thickness and designing the Al GaN back-barrier,the lower leakage current and higher breakdown voltage would be possible.

miRNA-141-5p Affects the Levels of Neutrophil Elastase in Preeclampsia by Regulating MAPK1

Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the expression levels of microRNA-141-5p(miRNA-141-5p),MAPK1 and neutrophil elastase in patients with and without preeclampsia(PE),and the relationship between miRNA-141-5p and MAPK1 with respect to the secretion of elastase by neutrophils in patients with PE.Methods:Thirty patients with PE and 30 healthy pregnant(HP)women were recruited from The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University,Taiyuan,China,between February 2017 and July 2018.Neutrophils were isolated from 8 mL peripheral blood samples and cultured.We recorded neutrophil count and morphology during culture.Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry in different groups at 0,24,and 48 h.The expression levels of elastase were detected in neutrophils by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,whereas the expression levels of miRNA-141-5p in peripheral blood neutrophils were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction.We used TargetScanHuman Release 7.2 to analyze the target genes of miRNA-141-5p.The expression of MAPK1 in peripheral blood neutrophils was detected by western blotting.Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21.0 software,and comparisons between groups were carried out with the Studentt test.Results:There was no significant difference between the PE and HP groups(P>0.050)with regard to age or body mass index.The weight of newborns in the PE group(2846.00±600.00 g)was significantly lower than that in the HP group(3055.00±230.68 g).The number of neutrophilic granulocytes(NGs)in blood samples from the PE group was significantly higher than that in the HP group(P=0.003).There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to morphology.Apoptosis in the PE group was delayed when compared with the HP group at different time points.TheP value of apoptosis in the PE and HP groups were respectively 0.790,<0.001 and 0.030 at 0 h,24 h and 48 h.The expression levels of miRNA-141-5p in the PE group were significantly lower than those in the HP group(P<0.050).The expression levels of MAPK1 in neutrophils from the PE group were significantly higher than those in the HP group(P<0.050)by western blot.The expression levels of elastase in neutrophils from the PE group were significantly higher than those in the HP group(P<0.050).Furthermore,the number of NGs in peripheral blood from the PE group was higher than that of the HP group;however,the levels of apoptosis were lower.The expression levels of miRNA-141-5p in NGs decreased,the expression of MAPK1 increased,and the secretion of neutrophil elastase in the NG medium increased in the PE group than those in the HP group.Conclusion:Collectively,our analysis suggested that miRNA-141-5p may be involved in the pathogenesis of PE by regulating the MAPK1 signaling pathway to activate neutrophils and increase the secretion of elastase.