Borehole stability in naturally fractured rocks with drilling mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening:A coupled DFN-DEM approach

Borehole instability in naturally fractured rocks poses significant challenges to drilling.Drilling mud invades the surrounding formations through natural fractures under the difference between the wellbore pressure(P w)and pore pressure(P p)during drilling,which may cause wellbore instability.However,the weakening of fracture strength due to mud intrusion is not considered in most existing borehole stability analyses,which may yield significant errors and misleading predictions.In addition,only limited factors were analyzed,and the fracture distribution was oversimplified.In this paper,the impacts of mud intrusion and associated fracture strength weakening on borehole stability in fractured rocks under both isotropic and anisotropic stress states are investigated using a coupled DEM(distinct element method)and DFN(discrete fracture network)method.It provides estimates of the effect of fracture strength weakening,wellbore pressure,in situ stresses,and sealing efficiency on borehole stability.The results show that mud intrusion and weakening of fracture strength can damage the borehole.This is demonstrated by the large displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on natural fractures,and the generation of fracture at shear limit.Mud intrusion reduces the shear strength of the fracture surface and leads to shear failure,which explains that the increase in mud weight may worsen borehole stability during overbalanced drilling in fractured formations.A higher in situ stress anisotropy exerts a significant influence on the mechanism of shear failure distribution around the wellbore.Moreover,the effect of sealing natural fractures on maintaining borehole stability is verified in this study,and the increase in sealing efficiency reduces the radial invasion distance of drilling mud.This study provides a directly quantitative prediction method of borehole instability in naturally fractured formations,which can consider the discrete fracture network,mud intrusion,and associated weakening of fracture strength.The information provided by the numerical approach(e.g.displacement around the borehole,shear displacement on fracture,and fracture at shear limit)is helpful for managing wellbore stability and designing wellbore-strengthening operations.

Isomeric fluorescence sensors for wide range detection of ionizing radiations

In order to achieve a wider range of ionizing radiations detection,novel fluorescence sensing materials have been developed that utilize the fluorescence enhancement phenomenon caused by the intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer(PET)effect.Two perylene diimide isomers PDI-P and PDI-B were designed and synthesized,and their molecular structures were characterized by high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry(HRMS),nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen and carbon spectroscopy(~1H and~(13)C NMR).The interaction between ionizing radiation and fluorescent molecules was simulated by HCl titration.The results show that combining PDIs and HCl can improve fluorescence through the retro-PET process.Despite the similarities in chemical structures,the fluorescent enhancement multiple of PDI-B with aromatic amine as electron donor is much higher than that of PDI-P with alkyl amine.In the direct irradiation experiments of ionizing radiation,the emission enhancement multiples of PDI-P and PDI-B are 2.01 and 45.4,respectively.Furthermore,density functional theory(DFT)and time-dependent density functional theory(TDDFT)calculations indicate that the HOMO and HOMO-1 energy ranges of PDI-P and PDI-B are 0.54 e V and 1.13 e V,respectively.A wider energy range has a stronger driving force on electrons,which is conducive to fluorescence quenching.Both femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy(fs-TAS)and transient fluorescence spectroscopy(TFS)tests show that PDI-B has shorter charge separation lifetime and higher electron transfer rate constant.Although both isomers can significantly reduce LOD during PET process,PDI-B with aromatic amine has a wider detection range of 0.118—240 Gy due to its larger emission enhancement,which is a leap of three orders of magnitude.It breaks through the detection range of gamma radiation reported in existing studies,and provides theoretical support for the further study of sensitive and effective new materials for ionizing radiation detection.

考虑到船舶机动性和会遇情况的一种新的面向船舶领域的船舶碰撞风险参数

The identification of ship collision risks is an important element in maritime safety and management.The concept of the ship domain has also been studied and developed since it was proposed.Considering the existing trend that the ship domain is increasingly widely used in collision risk-related research,a new domain-oriented collision risk factor,i.e.,the current state of domain(CSD),is introduced in this paper,which can effectively reflect the current state and show a certain predictability of collision risk from the perspective of the ship domain.To further prove the rationality of the CSD,a series of different simulations consisting of three typical encounter scenarios were conducted,verifying the superiority of the proposed parameter.

The protective roles of tea tree oil extracts in bovine mammary epithelial cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Background: Tea tree oil(TTO) plays an important role in antibacterial activity and alleviating the inflammatory responses. Bovine mammary epithelium and polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMNL) can actively respond to bovine mastitis infection. However, regulatory effects of TTO extracts on the innate immune response of bovine mammary epithelial cells(BMECs) and PMNL remain not reported. Therefore, aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of TTO extracts on the m RNA levels of the genes involved in the innate immune response of BMECs and PMNL.Results: Our results demonstrated that addition of 0.025% and 0.05% TTO increased the proliferation of BMECs, and significantly enhanced(P < 0.05) the viability of BMECs exposed to Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus). An inhibitory effect was observed against the growth of S. aureus by TTO incubation. The 0.05% TTO reduced S. aureus biofilm formation, association and invasion of S. aureus to BMECs, and changed the morphological and structural features of S. aureus. The proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were decreased(P < 0.001) by the incubation of TTO. Interestingly, the expression of IL-8 known for PMNL chemotactic function was elevated(P < 0.05) by 0.05%TTO treatment. Consistently, 0.05% TTO increased the migration of PMNL in S. aureus-exposed BMECs when compared with S. aureus treatment alone(P < 0.05). In addition, PMNL incubated with 0.05% TTO decreased the levels of NFKB inhibitor alpha(NFKBIA) and TNF-α.Conclusions: Our results indicate that use of TTO can relieve the BMECs pro-inflammatory response caused by S.aureus and promote the migration of PMNL to mount the innate immune responses, and it may be novel strategy for the treatment of bovine mastitis caused by S. aureus.

Butyrate inhibits the bovine rumen epithelial cell proliferation via downregulation of positive regulators at G0/G1 phase checkpoint

Short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)butyrate promote the postnatal rumen epithelial development and maturation in ruminants.However,molecular mechanisms of effects of butyrate on the bovine rumen epithelial cells(BRECs)proliferation remain elusive.Therefore,purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of butyrate on the expression of genes and proteins at G0/G1 and S phase of BRECs cycle.Our results showed that BRECs treated with butyrate inhibited(P<0.05)the proliferation of BRECs,relatively to control.Flow cytometric assays revealed that butyrate triggers the BRECs cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase.qRT-PCR analyses of mRNA level of genes involved in the G0/G1 phase of cell cycle showed that butyrate significantly upregulated(P<0.001)the expression of mRNA encoding p21^(Cip1)compared with control group,but it decreased(P<0.05)the mRNA levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4 genes at G0/G1 phase checkpoint compared with control.Moreover,Western blot also revealed that butyrate downregulated the expression of cyclin D3,CDK6,p-Rb,and E2F1 proteins involved in the modulation of G0/G1 phase of cell cycle.In conclusion,our results demonstrated that butyrate inhibits the proliferation of BRECs via downregulation of positive regulators at G0/G1 phase checkpoint.

地理课程与空间能力相关性的脑实证研究

空间能力是人类进行日常行为的基本能力之一,以往研究表明地理教育与空间能力相关.但是目前研究缺乏从脑科学角度分析地理课程与空间能力的相关性.本文基于功能磁共振成像(functional magnetic resonance imaging,fMRI)的空间能力实验,收集地理专业大学生的脑影像数据,运用表征相似性分析(representational similarity analysis,RSA)计算地理课程成绩与脑区激活模式之间的相关系数及其显著性,揭示地理课程与空间能力的相关关系.结果表明,地理学本科核心课程(自然地理、自然地理实习、人文地理、地图学、地理信息系统、遥感)成绩与空间能力测试的正确率存在正相关,与反应时存在负相关;人文地理、地图学、遥感课程成绩与空间能力测试任务状态下的脑区激活模式存在相关性.本文从脑神经机制的层面提供了地理课程与大学生空间能力相关的实证依据,为地理课程评价、空间能力培养提供了跨学科的研究视角.

Hexokinase 1 and 2 mediates glucose utilization to regulate the synthesis of kappa casein via ribosome protein subunit 6 kinase 1 in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Glucose plays a vital part in milk protein synthesis through the mTOR signaling pathway in bovine mammary epithelial cells(BMEC).The objectives of this study were to determine how glucose affects hexokinase(HK)activity in BMEC and investigate the regulatory effect of HK in kappa casein(CSN3)synthesis via the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1(mTORC1)signaling pathway in BMEC.For this,HK1 and HK2 were knocked out in BMEC using the CRISPR/Cas9 system.The gene and protein expression,glucose uptake,and cell proliferation were measured.We found that glucose uptake,cell proliferation,CSN3 gene expression levels,and expression of HK1 and HK2 increased with increasing glucose concentrations.Notably,glucose uptake was significantly reduced in HK2 knockout(HK2KO)BMEC treated with 17.5 mM glucose.Moreover,under the same glucose treatment conditions,the proliferative ability and abundance of CSN3 were significantly diminished in both HK1 knockout(HK1KO)and HK2KO BMEC compared with that in wild-type BEMC.We further observed that the phosphorylation levels of ribosome protein subunit 6 kinase 1(S6K1)were reduced in HK1KO and HK2KO BMEC following treatment with 17.5 mM glucose.As expected,the levels of glucose-6-phosphate and the m RNA expression levels of glycolysis-related genes were decreased in both HK1KO and HK2KO BMEC following glucose treatment.These results indicated that the knockout of HK1 and HK2 inhibited cell proliferation and CSN3 expression in BMEC under glucose treatment,which may be associated with the inactivation of the S6K1 and inhibition of glycolysis.

Highly enhanced thermoelectric and mechanical performance of copper sulfides via natural mineral in-situ phase separation

In situ phase separation precipitates play an important role in enhancing the thermoelectric properties of copper sulfides by suppressing phonon transmission.In this study,Cu1.8S composites were fabricated by melting reactions and spark plasma sintering.The complex structures,namely,micron-PbS,Sb_(2)S_(3),nano-FeS,and multiscale pores,originate from the introduction of FePb_(4)Sb_(6)S_(14)into the Cu1.8S matrix.Using effective element(Fe)doping and multiscale precipitates,the Cu_(1.8)S+0.5 wt%FePb_(4)Sb_(6)S_(14)bulk composite reached a high dimensionless figure of merit(ZT)value of 1.1 at 773 K.Furthermore,the modulus obtained for this sample was approximately 40.27 GPa,which was higher than that of the pristine sample.This study provides a novel strategy for realizing heterovalent doping while forming various precipitates via in situ phase separation by natural minerals,which has been proven to be effective in improving the thermoelectric and mechanical performance of copper sulfides and is worth promoting in other thermoelectric systems.

Simultaneously improving ROP and maintaining wellbore stability in shale gas well:A case study of Luzhou shale gas reservoirs

The ROP(rate of penetration)within the horizontal section of shale gas wells in the Luzhou oil field is low,seriously delaying the exploration and development process.It is proved that reducing mud density mitigates the bottom-hole differential pressure(ΔP)and increases the ROP during overbalanced drilling.However,wellbore collapse may occur when wellbore pressure is excessively low.It is urgent to ascertain the optimal equilibrium point between improving ROP and maintaining wellbore stability.The safe mud weight window and the lower limit of mud density in the horizontal section of the Luzhou block are predicted using the piecewise fitting method based on conventional logging data.Then,the accuracy of the collapse pressure prediction was verified using the distinct element method(DEM),and the effect of wellbore pressure,in-situ stress,rock cohesion,and natural fracture density on borehole collapse was investigated.Finally,a fitting model ofΔP and ROP of the horizontal section in the Luzhou block is established to predict ROP promotion potential after mud density reduction.The field application of this approach,demonstrated in 8 horizontal wells in the Luzhou block,effectively validates the efficiency of reducing mud density for ROP improvement.This study provides a useful method for simultaneously improving ROP and maintaining wellbore stability and offers significant insights for petroleum engineers in the design of drilling parameters.

Changes of gut microbiome and metabolome in the AOM/DSS mouse model of colorectal cancer with FLASH radiation

Objective:To investigate the differences in small intestinal toxicity and taxonomic composition,diversity,and functional pathways of gut microbiome and metabolome after different radiotherapies in mouse colorectal cancer(CRC)model.Methods:Azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate(AOM/DSS)-induced mouse CRC model was treated with single pulse FLASH-RT(dose rate 100 Gy/s)or CONV-RT(dose rate 2 Gy/min)at whole abdomen.At 12 d after radiotherapy,sections of small intestinal tract tissue were dissected for hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining and the fresh feces were collected for 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA)microbiome sequencing and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry(LC-MS)metabolomics sequencing to assess changes in the gut microbiota and metabolites.Microbial high-throughput 16S rRNA data was analyzed with QIIME2 and LEfSe softwares.ProteoWizard,XCMS and Ropls softwares were used for LC-MS analysis.Results:HE staining showed that FLASH-RT maintained small intestinal integrity and reduced the radiotherapyinduced injury.Sequencing analysis of gut fecal microbiome showed that phylum Bacteroidetes and genera Prevotella and Lactobacillus of microbial community were increased after FLASH-RT.Metabolomics sequencing analysis revealed that the metabolites after FLASH-RT were enriched in amino acid metabolism,while cholesterol metabolism was top enriched after CONV-RT.Conclusions:FLASH-RT significantly mitigates the small intestine tissue damage compared with CONV-RT.FLASHRT and CONV-RT have different impact on gut microbiota and its metabolites.Our results provide a theoretical basis for the early evaluation,prediction and individualized treatment of the irradiation effect after novel FLASHRT on tumors through the evaluation of intestinal microbiota and metabolites.

Chiral Pair Density Waves with Residual Fermi Arcs in RbV_(3)Sb_(5)

The chiral 2×2 charge order has been reported and confirmed in the kagome superconductor RbV_(3)Sb_(5),while its interplay with superconductivity remains elusive owing to its lowest superconducting transition temperature Tc of about 0.85K in the AV_(3)Sb_(5) family(A=K,Rb,Cs)that severely challenges electronic spectroscopic probes.Here,utilizing dilution-refrigerator-based scanning tunneling microscopy down to 30 mK,we observe chiral 2×2 pair density waves with residual Fermi arcs in RbV_(3)Sb_(5).We find a superconducting gap of 150 μeV with substantial residual in-gap states.The spatial distribution of this gap exhibits chiral 2×2 modulations,signaling a chiral pair density wave(PDW).Our quasi-particle interference imaging of the zero-energy residual states further reveals arc-like patterns.We discuss the relation of the gap modulations with the residual Fermi arcs under the space-momentum correspondence between PDW and Bogoliubov Fermi states.

The chromatin remodeling complex imitation of switch controls stamen filament elongation by promoting jasmonic acid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

Plant reproduction requires the coordinated development of both male and female reproductive organs.Jasmonic acid(JA)plays an essential role in stamen filament elongation.However,the mechanism by which the JA biosynthesis genes are regulated to promote stamen elongation remains unclear.Here,we show that the chromatin remodeling complex Imitation of Switch(ISWI)promotes stamen filament elongation by regulating JA biosynthesis.We show that AT-Rich Interacting Domain 5(ARID5)interacts with CHR11,CHR17,and RLT1,several known subunits of ISWI.Mutations in ARID5 and RLTs caused a reduced seed set due to greatly shortened stamen filaments.RNA-seq analyses reveal that the expression of key genes responsible for JA biosynthesis is significantly down-regulated in the arid5 and rlt mutants.Consistently,the JA levels are drastically decreased in both arid5 and rlt mutants.Chromatin immunoprecipitationquantitative PCR analyses further show that ARID5 is recruited to the chromatin of JA biosynthesis genes.Importantly,exogenous JA treatments can fully rescue the defects of stamen filament elongation in both arid5 and rlt mutants,leading to the partial recovery of fertility.Our results provide a clue how JA biosynthesisis positively regulated by the chromatin remodeling complex ISWI,thereby promoting stamen filament elongation in Arabidopsis.

Fiber guiding at the Dirac frequency beyond photonic bandgaps

Light trapping within waveguides is a key practice of modern optics,both scientifically and technologically.Photonic crystal fibers traditionally rely on total internal reflection(index-guiding fibers)or a photonic bandgap(photonic-bandgap fibers)to achieve field confinement.Here,we report the discovery of a new light trapping within fibers by the so-called Dirac point of photonic band structures.Our analysis reveals that the Dirac point can establish suppression of radiation losses and consequently a novel guided mode for propagation in photonic crystal fibers.What is known as the Dirac point is a conical singularity of a photonic band structure where wave motion obeys the famous Dirac equation.We find the unexpected phenomenon of wave localization at this point beyond photonic bandgaps.This guiding relies on the Dirac point rather than total internal reflection or photonic bandgaps,thus providing a sort of advancement in conceptual understanding over the traditional fiber guiding.The result presented here demonstrates the discovery of a new type of photonic crystal fibers,with unique characteristics that could lead to new applications in fiber sensors and lasers.The Dirac equation is a special symbol of relativistic quantum mechanics.Because of the similarity between band structures of a solid and a photonic crystal,the discovery of the Dirac-point-induced wave trapping in photonic crystals could provide novel insights into many relativistic quantum effects of the transport phenomena of photons,phonons,and electrons.

Soil C, N and P stocks and stoichiometry under different vegetation on the surface of the Leshan Giant Buddha

The accumulation of soil organic matter and nutrients is an important pathway in effectivelyunderstanding the mechanisms of plant settlement and rock weathering, while the characteristics ofsoil organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) under different vegetation remain unclear.In this study, the stocks and stoichiometry of soil organic C, N and P were determined in differentpositions and types of vegetation on the surface of the Leshan Giant Buddha. We found that the totalstocks of soil organic C, N and P were 1689.77, 134.6 and 29.48 kg, respectively, for the Buddha.The stocks of soil organic C, N and P under vascular plants were higher than those under othervegetation, with highest values observed under herb. Higher stocks per unit area (m2) of soil organicC, N and P were found on the left and right arms, shoulders, and two platforms. These results providea full primary picture in understanding soil organic C, N and P accumulation and distribution on thesurface of the Buddha, which could supply the fundamental data on weathering management of theBuddha and other similar open-air stone carvings.

A Potential Security Threat and Its Solution in Coupled Urban Power-traffic Networks with High Penetration of Electric Vehicles

The growing penetration of electric vehicles(EVs)and the popularity of fast charging stations(FCSs)have greatly strengthened the coupling of the urban power network(PN)and traffic network(TN).In this paper,a potential security threat of the PN-TN coupling is revealed.Different from traditional loads,a regional FCS outage can lead to both the spatial and temporal redistribution of EV charging loads due to EV mobility,which further leads to a power flow redistribution.To assess the resulting potential threats,an integrated PN-TN modeling framework is developed,where the PN is described by a direct current optimal power flow model,and the TN is depicted by an energy-constraint traffic assignment problem.To protect the privacy of the two networks,an FCS outage distribution factor is proposed to describe the spatial-temporal redistribution ratio of the charging load among the remaining I FCSs.Moreover,to protect the security of the coupled networks,a price-based preventive regulation method,based on the spatial demand elasticity of the EV charging load,is developed to reallocate the charging load as a solution for insecure situations.Numerical simulation results validate the existence of the PN-TN coupling threat and demonstrate the effectiveness of the regulation method to exploit the spatial flexibility of EV loads.

Mesoporous carbon with large pores as anode for Na-ion batteries

Sodium ion(Na+)batteries have attracted increased attention for energy storage owing to the natural abundance and low cost of sodium.Herein,we report the synthesis of mesoporous carbon with large pores as anode for Na-ion batteries.The mesoporous carbon was obtained by carbonization and dense packing of 50 nm resorcinol and formaldehyde spheres synthesized through an extension Sto¨ber method.Our work demonstrates that replacement of lithium by sodium using large pore carbon as anode might offer an alternative route for rechargeable batteries.

How does map use differ in virtual reality and desktop-based environments?

Maps based on virtual reality(VR)are evolving and are being increasingly used in the field of geography.However,the advantages of VR based on the map use processes of users over desktop-based environments(DEs)are not fully understood.In this study,an experiment was conducted in which 120 participants performed map use tasks using maps and globes in VR and DE.The participants’eye movements and questionnaires were collected to compare the map use performance differences.We analyzed the general metrics,information searching and processing metrics of participants(e.g.response time,RT;average fixation duration,AFD;average saccade duration,ASD;saccade frequency,SF,etc.)using maps and globes in different environments.We found that the participants using VR processed information more efficiently(AFDDE=233.34 ms,AFDVR=173.09 ms),and the participants using DE had both a significantly shorter response time(RT_(DE)=88.68 s,RT_(VR)=124.05 s)and a shorter visual search time(ASD_(DE)=60.78 ms,ASD_(VR)=112.13 ms;SF_(DE)=6.30,SF_(VR)=2.07).We also found similarities in accuracy,satisfaction and readability.These results are helpful for designing VR maps that can adapt to human cognition and reflect the advantages of VR.

Discovery of the largest natural carbon onions on Earth

The synthesis of carbon onions in the laboratory by various methods is common;however, naturally occurring carbon onions have only been found in a few geological samples on Earth. This study used high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to identify natural carbon onions in seven intrusion-affected coal samples collected from Permian coal-bearing strata in the Yongan Coalfield, Fujian Province, South China. This study identified the largest natural carbon onions ever recorded on Earth;their outer diameter was ~55 nm. Granite porphyry intrusions and quartz hydrothermal veins are abundant in the Permian coal-bearing strata in this coalfield. All samples collected were tectonically deformed coals with highly developed structural fractures, friction mirror planes, and maximum vitrinite reflectance values of 4.0–9.5%. Natural carbon onions observed in the coal samples had single or multiple cores, with 24–46 graphitic shells characterized by outer diameters of 24–55 nm. The maximum vitrinite reflectance, outer diameter, and graphitic shell number of carbon onions in the intrusion-affected coal were positively correlated, indicating that the carbon onions were secondary products formed during coal metamorphism owing to magmatic intrusion. Our results suggest that carbon onions in intrusion-affected coal are synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. We speculate that natural carbon onions exist mainly in fractures or cavities, similar to vapor-deposited pyrolytic carbon, which is the leading cause of the uneven distribution of carbon onions in intrusion-affected coals in the study area.