Experimental study of the effects of a multistage pore-throat structure on the seepage characteristics of sandstones in the Beibuwan Basin:Insights into the flooding mode

To investigate the relationship between grain sizes, seepage capacity, and oil-displacement efficiency in the Liushagang Formation of the Beibuwan Basin, this study identifies the multistage pore-throat structure as a crucial factor through a comparison of oil displacement in microscopic pore-throat experiments. The two-phase flow evaluation method based on the Li-Horne model is utilized to effectively characterize and quantify the seepage characteristics of different reservoirs, closely relating them to the distribution of microscopic pores and throats. It is observed that conglomerate sandstones at different stages exhibit significant heterogeneity and noticeable differences in seepage capacity, highlighting the crucial role played by certain large pore throats in determining seepage capacity and oil displacement efficiency. Furthermore, it was found that the displacement effects of conglomeratic sandstones with strong heterogeneity were inferior to those of conventional homogeneous sandstone, as evidenced by multiple displacement experiments conducted on core samples with varying granularities and flooding systems. Subsequently, core-based experiments on associated gas flooding after water flooding were conducted to address the challenge of achieving satisfactory results in a single displacement mode for reservoirs with significant heterogeneity. The results indicate that the oil recovery rates for associated gas flooding after water flooding increased by 7.3%-16.4% compared with water flooding alone at a gas-oil ratio of approximately 7000 m^(3)/m^(3). Therefore, considering the advantages of gas flooding in terms of seepage capacity, oil exchange ratio, and the potential for two-phase production, gas flooding is recommended as an energy supplement mode for homogeneous reservoirs in the presence of sufficient gas source and appropriate tectonic angle. On the other hand, associated gas flooding after water flooding is suggested to achieve a more favorable development effect compared to a single mode of energy supplementation for strongly heterogeneous sandstone reservoirs.

Two different autorefractors for vision screening in children and adolescents

AIM:To compare the consistency of two autorefractors(Tianle RM-9000 and Topcon KR-800)for school-age myopia children,and to provide a basis for largescale data analysis and comparison.METHODS:The refractive error in 909 subjects(age 4–18y)were measured using both autorefractors without cycloplegia.The data were analyzed using Fourier decomposition and the correlation coefficients,intraclass correlation coefficients(ICC),and Bland-Altman limits of agreement(LoA)for each parameter were calculated.RESULTS:There was a strong correlation between the spherical equivalent(SE),sphere diopter(DS),and cylinder diopter(DC)readings of the Tianle RM-9000 and those of the Topcon KR-800,with correlation coefficient values of 0.98,0.98 and 0.83 and ICC values of 0.99,0.99 and 0.93,respectively.However,the correlation coefficients and ICC values of J0 and J45 were unreliable(R=-0.004,-0.034;both ICC<0.10).Bland-Altman analysis revealed that SE,DS,and DC measured by the Tianle RM-9000 were significantly biased toward myopia compared with the Topcon KR-800,and the mean differences were-0.072,-0.026,-0.091 D,respectively(all P<0.01).The minimum absolute value of the difference within the 95%LoA for SE,DS,and DC was 0.63 D,0.50 D,0.62 D,respectively;all these values were in the clinically acceptable range.For J0 and J45,the mean differences were close to zero(P=0.43,0.84);however,the 95%LoA were relatively wide(J0 SD:0.53;95%CI:-1.00,1.10;J45 SD:0.52;95%CI:-1.00,1.00).CONCLUSION:The two autorefractors are consistent with each other,as the differences in SE,DS,and DC were within the clinically acceptable range.Readers can compare the data measured by either device in different studies and use the two devices in the same study to generate a dataset that can be analyzed together.However,the J0 and J45 vectors are unreliable and should not be used to assess astigmatism.

Multifractal estimation of NMR T_(2) cut-off value in low-permeability rocks considering spectrum kurtosis: SMOTE-based oversampling integrated with machine learning

The transverse relaxation time (T_(2)) cut-off value plays a crucial role in nuclear magnetic resonance for identifying movable and immovable boundaries, evaluating permeability, and determining fluid saturation in petrophysical characterization of petroleum reservoirs. This study focuses on the systematic analysis of T_(2) spectra and T_(2) cut-off values in low-permeability reservoir rocks. Analysis of 36 low-permeability cores revealed a wide distribution of T_(2) cut-off values, ranging from 7 to 50 ms. Additionally, the T_(2) spectra exhibited multimodal characteristics, predominantly displaying unimodal and bimodal morphologies, with a few trimodal morphologies, which are inherently influenced by different pore types. Fractal characteristics of pore structure in fully water-saturated cores were captured through the T_(2) spectra, which were calculated using generalized fractal and multifractal theories. To augment the limited dataset of 36 cores, the synthetic minority oversampling technique was employed. Models for evaluating the T_(2) cut-off value were separately developed based on the classified T_(2) spectra, considering the number of peaks, and utilizing generalized fractal dimensions at the weight <0 and the singular intensity range. The underlying mechanism is that the singular intensity and generalized fractal dimensions at the weight <0 can detect the T_(2) spectral shift. However, the T_(2) spectral shift has negligible effects on multifractal spectrum function difference and generalized fractal dimensions at the weight >0. The primary objective of this work is to gain insights into the relationship between the kurtosis of the T_(2) spectrum and pore types, as well as to predict the T_(2) cut-off value of low-permeability rocks using machine learning and data augmentation techniques.

血清Dickkopf-1蛋白在早期诊断股骨头坏死及病情监测中的意义

目的通过检测股骨头坏死患者血清Dickkopf-1(DKK-1)蛋白含量变化,探究其在早期诊断股骨头坏死及病情监测中的意义。方法选取2016年5月—2016年11月于广州中医药大学第一附属医院住院的股骨头坏死患者67例(ARCO分期:Ⅱ期13例、Ⅲ期27例、Ⅳ期27例)作为实验组,并随机选取67例同期在该院体检中心体检正常者作为对照组,采用ELISA法检测两组患者的血清DKK-1蛋白浓度,比较并分析实验组与对照组、实验组内不同病因、不同ARCO分期患者的血清DKK-1蛋白浓度差异。结果实验组血清DKK-1蛋白浓度高于对照组(P <0.05);塌陷后患者血清DKK-1蛋白浓度高于塌陷前(P <0.05);不同病因的患者血清DKK-1蛋白浓度比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);实验组ARCOⅡ、Ⅲ及Ⅳ期的患者血清DKK-1蛋白浓度比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。ROC曲线分析提示血清DKK-1蛋白在诊断股骨头坏死塌陷时具有一定的敏感性和显著的特异性,分别为57.40%和100.00%。血清DKK-1蛋白浓度与ARCO分期呈正相关(P<0.05)。结论血清DKK-1蛋白浓度与股骨头坏死患者的病情进展密切相关,对早期诊断股骨头坏死及监测患者病情变化具有一定的参考意义,可作为临床诊断及治疗的参考指标之一。

瑞芬太尼通过miR-206/GOLPH3调控胃癌细胞增殖和凋亡的实验研究

背景瑞芬太尼为临床上常用的麻醉药,近几年其新功效不断被发现,尤其是抗癌功能.但瑞芬太尼在胃癌(gastric cancer, GC)中的作用及机制尚未清楚.目的探讨瑞芬太尼对A G S、M K N-45人G C细胞中mi R-206、GOLPH3表达及细胞增殖、凋亡的影响.方法以40 nmol/L瑞芬太尼干预AGS、MKN-45细胞, q RTPCR、Westernblot、MTT和流式细胞仪分别检测细胞中mi R-206和GOLPH3表达及细胞活力、凋亡.在AGS、MKN-45细胞中过表达miR-206或敲减GOLPH3,MTT和流式细胞仪检测细胞活力和凋亡.Targetscan在线预测、双荧光素酶报告基因实验和Westernblot实验验证miR-206和GOLPH3的靶向关系.将miR-206 inhibitors或pcDNA-GOLPH3转染至AGS、MKN-45细胞并以40nmol/L瑞芬太尼进行处理,检测细胞活力和凋亡.结果瑞芬太尼干预的AGS、MKN-45细胞中miR-206高表达而GOLPH3低表达,细胞活力降低而凋亡率升高.过表达mi R-206或敲减GOLPH3,细胞活力下降、凋亡率升高. Targetscan在线预测、双荧光素酶报告基因实验和Western blot实验结果表明, miR-206可靶向调控GOLPH3蛋白表达.下调miR-206或过表达GOLPH3能够逆转瑞芬太尼对AGS、MKN-45细胞增殖的抑制和凋亡的促进作用.结论瑞芬太尼能够通过调节miR-206和GOLPH3表达抑制AGS、MKN-45细胞增殖并诱导凋亡.

Resource Reconstruction Algorithms for On-demand Allocation in Virtual Computing Resource Pool

Resource reconstruction algorithms are studied in this paper to solve the problem of resource on-demand allocation and improve the efficiency of resource utilization in virtual computing resource pool. Based on the idea of resource virtualization and the analysis of the resource status transition, the resource allocation process and the necessity of resource reconstruction are presented, l^esource reconstruction algorithms are designed to determine the resource reconstruction types, and it is shown that they can achieve the goal of resource on-demand allocation through three methodologies： resource combination, resource split, and resource random adjustment. The effects that the resource users have on the resource reconstruction results, the deviation between resources and requirements, and the uniformity of resource distribution are studied by three experiments. The experiments show that resource reconstruction has a close relationship with resource requirements, but it is not the same with current distribution of resources. The algorithms can complete the resource adjustment with a lower cost and form the logic resources to match the demands of resource users easily.

Rare imaging findings of hypersensitivity pneumonitis:A case report

BACKGROUND Hypersensitivity pneumonitis(HP)is an immune-mediated syndrome caused by allergen inhalation.High-resolution computed tomography(HRCT)of HP may show diffuse ground-glass opacity,centrilobular ground-glass nodules,areas of air-trapping,thin-walled cysts,or fibrotic changes.CASE SUMMARY A 47-year-old male patient went to the hospital complaining of cough and gradual aggravation of shortness of breath.HRCT of the lung showed that multiple nodules and ground-glass high-density shadows were present in both lungs.In addition,circular high-density shadows of various sizes were widely distributed in both lungs with relatively normal lung markings inside them.But other tests did not have a positive finding that can clarify the cause.Therefore,the patient underwent a lung biopsy.The pathological results showed that the lesions tended to be HP.After 4 mo of follow-up,the lesions in the patient's lungs were absorbed spontaneously,and the symptoms of cough and shortness of breath have disappeared.The review results suggested that the patient's disease was self-healing,which was consistent with the characteristics of HP.CONCLUSION For some patients with HP,abnormal HRCT findings,such as the lesions in the lungs,can be absorbed on their own,which is an important clue in the diagnosis of the disease.Early diagnosis by lung biopsy is necessary when antigen exposure is unknown.

Empirical Evaluation of Information Leakage Detection Using Net-flow Analysis

Because of the widespread of Trojans,organizations and Internet users become more vulnerable to the threat of information leakage.This paper describes an information leakage detection system( ILDS) to detect sensitive information leakage caused by Trojan.In particular,the principles of the system are based on the analysis of net-flows in four perspectives: heartbeat behavior analysis,DNS abnormal analysis,uploaddownload ratio and content analysis.Heartbeat behavior analysis and DNS abnormal analysis are used to detect the existence of Trojans while upload-download ratio and content analysis can quickly detect when the information leakage happens.Experiments indicate that the system is reliable and efficient in detecting information leakage.The system can also help to collect and preserve digital evidence when information leakage incident occurs.

A hypothesis on the relationship between tea drinking and sexual activity

As a major beverage in the world, the health benefits of drinking tea have been reported in numerous studies. The effects of green tea are mainly attributed to its polyphenol content, although caffeine, accounting for 2%-4%, appears to be related to the adaptation of mental energy by increasing alertness, attention and cognitive function, as well as elevating mood. L-Theanine, a unique amino acid in tea, has neuroprotective and mood effects. In addition, some studies on functional neuroanatomy and cerebral control of sexual function have demonstrated that the thalamus and hypothalamus play a role in emotional changes, memory and sexual behavior patterns. Our recent epidemiologyresearch has unexpectedly found that tea drinking was positively related with sexual orgasm and sexual satisfaction in female hypertensive patients. We therefore hypothesize that long-term regular consumption of tea may play a role in sexual activity.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. male flower extract on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation

Background:Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. is a medicinal plant native to China, with its bark (Eucommiae Cortex) traditionally being used for medicinal purposes. Previous research has shown that Eucommia male flowers can exert anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, and other pharmacological effects, including immune regulation. This study explored the anti-inflammatory effects of the 70% ethanol extract of male flowers (EF) of E. ulmoides in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and LPS-administered mice.Methods:Cytotoxicity of EF for RAW 264.7 cells was investigated using Cell Counting Kit-8. The production of proinflammatory mediators, nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. IL-17, IL-23, and IL-10 mRNA levels were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway in RAW 264.7 cells was investigated via Western blotting. In vivo antiinflammatory effects of EF were studied in an LPS-induced acute inflammation mouse model by analyzing lung tissue histopathology, serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung tissue.Results:EF showed no significant cytotoxicity at concentrations from 10 to 60 μg/mL (cell viability > 80%) in the CCK-8 cell viability assay. EF inhibited the RAW 264.7 cell proliferation (EF 60 μg/mL, 120 μg/mL, and 250 μg/mL vs. negative control: 87.31±2.39% vs. 100.00±2.50%, P=0.001;79.01±2.56 vs. 100.00±2.50%, P<0.001;and 64.83±2.50 vs. 100.00±2.50%, P<0.001), suppressed NO (EF 20 μg/mL and 30 μg/mL vs. LPS only, 288.81±38.01 vs. 447.68±19.07 μmol/L, P=0.004;and 158.80±45.14 vs. 447.68±19.07 μmol/L, P<0.001), TNF-α (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 210.20±13.85 vs. 577.70±5.35 pg/mL, P<0.001), IL-1β (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 193.30±10.80 vs. 411.03±42.28 pg/mL, P<0.001), and IL-6 (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 149.67±11.60 vs. 524.80±6.24 pg/mL, P<0.001) secretion, and downregulated the mRNA expression of IL-17 (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 0.23±0.02 vs. 0.43±0.12, P<0.001), IL-23 (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 0.29±0.01 vs. 0.42±0.06, P=0.002), and IL-10 (LPS+EF vs. LPS only, 0.30±0.01 vs. 0.47±0.01, P=0.008) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. EF inhibited the LPS-induced NF-κB p65 (LPS+EF 20 μg/mL and 30 μg/mL vs. LPS only: 0.78±0.06 vs. 1.17±0.08, P<0.001;and 0.90±0.06 vs. 1.17±0.08, P=0.002) and inhibitor of kappa B (IκBα) phosphorylation (LPS+EF 20 μg/mL and 30 μg/mL vs. LPS only: 0.25±0.01 vs. 0.63±0.03, P<0.001;and 0.31±0.01 vs. 0.63±0.03, P<0.001), LPS+EF 30 μg/mL inhibited IκB kinase (IKKα/β) phosphorylation (LPS+EF 30 μg/mL vs. LPS only, 1.12±0.14 vs. 1.71±0.25, P=0.002) in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, EF 10 mg/kg and EF 20 mg/kg inhibited lung tissue inflammation in vivo and suppressed the serum TNF-α (LPS+EF 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg vs. LPS only, 199.99±186.49 vs. 527.90±263.93 pg/mL, P=0.001;and 260.56±175.83 vs. 527.90±263.93 pg/mL, P=0.005), and IL-6 (LPS+EF 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg vs. LPS only, 41.26±30.42 vs. 79.45±14.16 pg/ml, P=0.011;and 42.01±26.26 vs. 79.45±14.16 pg/mL, P=0.012) levels and MPO (LPS+EF 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg vs. LPS only, 3.19±1.78 vs. 5.39±1.51 U/g, P=0.004;and 3.32±1.57 vs. 5.39±1.51 U/g, P=0.006) activity in lung tissue.Conclusions:EF could effectively inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors and overactivation of neutrophils. Further investigation is needed to evaluate its potential for anti-inflammation therapy.

Long interpregnancy interval and adverse perinatal outcomes: a retrospective cohort study

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 9,552 women experiencing their second delivery between 2014 and 2016 at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital to investigate the association between the interpregnancy interval(IPI)and adverse perinatal outcomes. With the 12–23-mon IPI as the reference category, logistic regression analyzes were used to examine associations between different IPIs(<12, 12–23, 24–59, 60–119, and ≥120 mon) and perinatal outcomes(gestational diabetes mellitus, premature membrane rupture, gestational hypertension, preterm birth, low birth weight, and macrosomia).Compared with the 12–23-mon IPI category, women with longer IPIs had a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, and those with an IPI ≥120 mon had the highest risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and premature membrane rupture(adjusted odds ratio(OR) 1.76, 95% confidence interval(CI) 1.32–2.35 and adjusted OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.53–2.67, respectively). These results indicate that a longer IPI is associated with a higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes and an IPI of ≥120 mon appears to be independently associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and premature membrane rupture.

Task mapper and application-aware virtual machine scheduler oriented for parallel computing

We design a task mapper TPCM for assigning tasks to virtual machines, and an application-aware virtual machine scheduler TPCS oriented for parallel computing to achieve a high performance in virtual computing systems. To solve the problem of mapping tasks to virtual machines, a virtual machine mapping algorithm (VMMA) in TPCM is presented to achieve load balance in a cluster. Based on such mapping results, TPCS is constructed including three components: a middleware supporting an application-driven scheduling, a device driver in the guest OS kernel, and a virtual machine scheduling algorithm. These components are implemented in the user space, guest OS, and the CPU virtualization subsystem of the Xen hypervisor, respectively. In TPCS, the progress statuses of tasks are transmitted to the underlying kernel from the user space, thus enabling virtual machine scheduling policy to schedule based on the progress of tasks. This policy aims to exchange completion time of tasks for resource utilization. Experimental results show that TPCM can mine the parallelism among tasks to implement the mapping from tasks to virtual machines based on the relations among subtasks. The TPCS scheduler can complete the tasks in a shorter time than can Credit and other schedulers, because it uses task progress to ensure that the tasks in virtual machines complete simultaneously, thereby reducing the time spent in pending, synchronization, communication, and switching. Therefore, parallel tasks can collaborate with each other to achieve higher resource utilization and lower overheads. We conclude that the TPCS scheduler can overcome the shortcomings of present algorithms in perceiving the progress of tasks, making it better than schedulers currently used in parallel computing.

Clinical features related to lymphatic metastasis in grade 3 endometroid endometrial cancer:a retrospective cross-sectional study

Background Endometrial cancer(EC)has been one of the most general cancers with respect to gynecological malignancies;however,there are debates on clinical strategies concerning treatments especially for patients with grade 3(G3)endometroid endometrial cancer(EEC).Present study aimed to evaluate the lymphatic metastasis(LM)related factors and figure out the necessity of lymphadenectomy for G3 EEC patients.Methods From January 2009 to April 2019,3751 EC patients were admitted to Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University.Clinical characteristics include age,grade,stage,and clinical pathological features.A total of 1235 EEC patients were involved in the multivariable analysis.Three hundred and eighty-one patients were involved in the survival analysis and the data attributed to sufficient follow-up information.Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test were utilized to analyze the survival rate.Results Among the 1235 EEC patients,181(14.7%)were categorized as G3 and 1054(85.3%)were grade 1 to grade 2(G1-2).Multivariate analysis demonstrated that lymphovascular space invasion,adnexal involvement,and cervical stroma involvement were independent risk factors of LM in G3 cohort with odds ratio 3.4,5.8,and 8.9;95%confidence interval 1.1–10.6,1.5–22.4,and 2.8–28.0,respectively.LM rates increased from 3.3%(3/92)to 75%(9/12)for G3 EEC cohort as related factor numbers increased from one to three.There were no differences between G3 and G1-2 EEC in overall survival and progression free survival.Additionally,no survival advantage was observed for G3 EEC patients at early stage with different plans of adjuvant treatment.Conclusions For G3 EEC patients without other pathological positive factor,theLMrate is lower than those with other pathological positive factor.Survival analysis showed no difference between G3 cohort and G1-2 cohort.Also,different adjuvant treatments had no impact on the overall survival for G3 EEC patients.

An automatic optimization method for minimizing supporting structures in additive manufacturing

The amount of supporting structure usage has been a major research topic in layer-based additive manufacturing(AM)over the past years as it leads to increased fabrication time and decreased surface quality.Previous studies focused on deformation and topology optimization to eliminate the number of support structures.However,during the actual fabrication process,the properties of shape and topology are essential.Therefore,they should not be modified casually.In this study,we present an optimizer that reduces the number of supporting structures by identifying the prime printing direction.Without rotation,models are projected in each direction in space,and the basis units involved in the generation of support structures are separated.Furthermore,the area of the supporting structures is calculated.Eventually,the prime printing direction with minimal supporting area is obtained through pattern-searching method.The results of the experiment demonstrated that the printing area was reduced by up to 60%for some cases,and the surface quality was also improved correspondingly.Furthermore,both the material consumption and fabrication time were decreased in most cases.In future work,additional factors will be considered,such as the height of the supporting S Xiao-Jun Chen xiaojunchen@sjtu.edu.cn 1 Institute of Biomedical Manufacturing and Life Quality Engineering,State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration,School of Mechanical Engineering,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai 200240,P.R.China 2 OMFS-IMPATH Research Group,Department of Imaging and Pathology,Faculty of Medicine,Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,Leuven,Belgium 3 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery,University Hospitals Leuven,Leuven,Belgium structures and the adhesion locations to improve the efficiency of this optimizer.

Two-Stage Stochastic Variational Inequalities: Theory, Algorithms and Applications

The stochastic variational inequality(SVI)provides a unified form of optimality con-ditions of stochastic optimization and stochastic games which have wide applications in science,engineering,economics and finance.In the recent two decades,one-stage SVI has been studied extensively and widely used in modeling equilibrium problems under uncertainty.Moreover,the recently proposed two-stage SVI and multistage SVI can be applied to the case when the decision makers want to make decisions at different stages in a stochastic environment.The two-stage SVI is a foundation of multistage SVI,which is to find a pair of“here-and-now”solution and“wait-and-see”solution.This paper provides a survey of recent developments in analysis,algorithms and applications of the two-stage SVI.

Augmented efficacy of exogenous extracellular vesicles targeted to injured kidneys

Dear Editor,Extracellular vesicles(EVs)derived from mesenchymal stem/stromal cells(MSCs)contain genetic and protein material that stimulate tissue repair and ameliorate injury in recipient cells.Advantages of particulate MSC-EVs over MSCs in treating kidney disease include better penetration of injured glomerular filtration barrier to access podocytes or tubular cells.However,systemic EV delivery yields low kidney retention efficiency,limiting their regenerative benefits.1 Previously,we coated adipose tissue-derived(AD)-MSC with antibodies against kidney injury molecule(KIM)‐1(ab-KIM1),a protein upregulated in damaged kidneys.2 Conjugating ab-KIM1 did not impair MSC function but increased their retention and reparative potency in murine renal artery stenosis(RAS).2 We hypothesized that ab-KIM1 conjugation would similarly enhance retention of exogenously delivered EVs in ischemic kidneys and confer superior therapeutic benefits.