Farm Production Growth in the Upper and Middle Parts of the Yellow River Basin,China,During 1980-1999

The impact of inputs on farm production growth was evaluated by analyzing the economic data of the upper and middle parts of the Yellow River basin, China for the period of 1980-1999. Descriptive statistics were employed to characterize the temporal trends and spatial patterns in farm production and five pertinent inputs of cultivated cropland, irrigation ratio, agricultural labor, machinery power and chemical fertilizer. Stochastic frontier production function was applied to quantify the dependence of the farm production on these inputs. The growth of farm production was decomposed to reflect the contributions by input growths and change in total factor productivity.. The change in total factor productivity was further decomposed into the changes in technology and in technical efficiency. The gross value of farm production in the region of study increased by 1.6 fold during 1980-1999. Among the five selected farm inputs, machinery power and chemical fertilizer increased by 1.8 and 2.8 fold, respectively. The increases in cultivated cropland, irrigated cropland, and agricultural labor were all less than 0.16 fold. The growth in the farm production was primarily contributed by the increase in the total factor productivity during 1980-1985, and by input growths after 1985. More than 80% of the contributions by input growths were attributed to the increased application of fertilizer and machinery. In the change of total factor productivity, the technology change dominated over the technical efficiency change in the study period except in the period of 1985-1990, implying that institution and investment played important roles in farm production growth. There was a decreasing trend in the technical efficiency in the region of study, indicating a potential to increase farm production by improving the technical efficiency in farm activities. Given the limited natural resources in the basin, the results of this study suggested that, for a sustainable growth of farm production in the area, efforts should be directed to technology progress and improvement in technical efficiency in the use of available resources.

Analysis of Seismic Activity in the Middle Part of the North-South Seismic Belt——Joint Study on Deep Seismic Sounding Profile and Seismicity Parameters

Using the rich deep seismic sounding data recorded in the middle part of the NorthSouth Seismic Belt in China,the horizontal and vertical profiles are constructed to obtain the seismic velocity structure,analyze the seismic distribution and calculate the seismic energy and the thickness of the seismogenic layer at the same time.On this basis,the seismicity parameters are calculated using the earthquake catalogue of the study area for the past 40 years,and the relationship between the b-value distribution and the velocity structure is analyzed.The results show an uneven b-value distribution in the study area and a segmented feature along the Longmenshan fault zone.Most of the earthquakes occur in the transition zone anomalies from the positive to the negative.In addition,the thickness of the crust drops from ~60 km to ~48 km from the Southeastern to the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,but the thickness of the seismogenic layer increases gradually.It is speculated that the crustal composition of the Northeastern margin contains more felsic materials and has relatively stronger seismic activities than the Southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,possibly associated with the subduction and compression of the Indian Ocean Plate.

New Discovery of Radiolarians in the Pomulong Mélange, Middle part of the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone, Tibet

Objective The Pomulong mélange was established in the regional geological survey of Lhaze County at the scale of 1:250000 by the Geological Survey Institute of Hubei Province.

In the Middle of Global Governance Indonesia is actively participating in global governance reform through the MIKTA middle power grouping

In March 2023,Indonesia took over the chairmanship of MIKTA from Turkiye,marking the second time Indonesia has served as the rotating chair of a global governance mechanism,following the Bali G20 Summit in 2022.

Mimicking aneurysm in a patient with chronic occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery

The chronic occlusion of intracranial arteries generally has no or mild clinical symptoms,and the clinical symptoms of acute cerebral artery occlusion are mostly manifested as severe cerebral infarction symptoms,which often make early diagnosis difficult,thus losing the best treatment opportunity.Once cerebral infarction occurs,the consequences are difficult to recover.This is also an important reason for the high misdiagnosis rate and mortality of this disease.In this paper,the characteristics of the disease were analyzed to provide clinical reference.

Downcutting and uplifting in the middle part of Qinling orogenic belt during the late Quaternary

Layered cave passages formed on the walls of the Qianyou River valley in the middle part of the Qinling Mountains since the Pleistocene due to the intermittent uplifts. 12 speleothem samples near ruins of palaeowater tables in 3 cave passages are dated by using the Th method. The results show that the 3 caves began to uplift (358±38) ka, (247±28) ka, (118±19) ka ago respectively. Given the differences of elevation between the caves, we could obtain the downcutting rates of the valley: (0.23±0.02) mm/a during 358 -247 ka, (0.19±0.03) mm/a during 247-118 ka, and (0.51(0.08) mm/a since 118 ka. This implies that more and more strong uplifting sustained in the middle part of Qinling since 358

China’s Partnership Diplomacy in the Middle East

Since the end of the Cold War,China has gradually formulated a global and multi-dimensional partnership network.China’s partnership diplomacy in the Middle East is a crucial component of said network,including partners in the Persian Gulf,the Eastern Mediterranean Sea,the Red Sea and the Maghreb region.Based on their level of importance to China,these countries can be roughly divided into four categories,namely"pivot states,""node states,""key states"and"stronghold states,"which constitute the portfolio of China’s partnership diplomacy in the region.In prospect,China’s partnership diplomacy will be evolving from bilateral cooperation to multilateral consultation,from partnership with sovereign states to that with international organizations,and from state-based partnership to issue-oriented partnership.

China’s Participation in Middle East Security Affairs in the New Era: Propositions and Practices

espite their differences in political system,ideology and economic size,China and Middle East countries have sympathized with and supported each other in the international community.After the founding of New China,China’s participation in Middle East security affairs can be broadly divided into three phases.During the first phase,from 1949 to 1979,China,proceeding from the ideological struggle against imperialism,colonialism,and great-power chauvinism,gave firm support to the national liberation movement in the Middle East as well as the Palestinian people’s just cause.During the second phase,from 1979 to 2012,on hotspot issues like the Iran-Iraq War,the Gulf War,the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Darfur issue,China,in light of the principle of“participating with caution and within one’s capabilities,”participated in Middle East security affairs on a selective basis.The third phase started from the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC)in 2012.China’s participation in Middle East security affairs has since shifted from“making a difference”to“actively making contributions,”with the building of a community with a shared future for mankind as its goal,the provision of security public goods as its means,and comprehensive security governance as its path.By doing so。

The Variation Rule and Anomaly Features of the Available Precipitation in the Growth Period of Crops in the Middle and Southern Part of Ningxia

[ Objective] The aim was to study the available precipitation and its abnormal characteristics during the growth period of crops in the mid- dle and southern part of Ningxia. [ Methed] Through Takahashi＇s evaporation equation, linear trend analysis, Mann -Kendall, Lepage, wavelet analysis, the characteristics of available precipitation and its abnormal characteristics during its growth period in Ningxia were analyzed based on monthly precipitation （March- September）, temperature, and NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data in 9 observation stations from 1961 to 2010. E Result l In recent 50 years, the available precipitation during the growth period of crops in central drought area and south hilly area varied a lot, more in the south and less in the north. The available precipitation in these two areas was reducing and varied a lot in different ages. The available precipitation was less in the middle drought region after 1970s and in the southern hilly region after 1990s and the available precipitation in middle drought area changed significantly. The available precipitation in the two areas appeared in July, August, and September, above 76% of general growth period, while that in March, April and May was 14% lower than that in growth period. No abrupt changes in central drought area and south hilly area. There were the periods of 5 -7 a and 2 -3 a oscillations in the middle drought region, 2 -3 a and 10 -12 a oscillations in the southern hilly region. There were negative anomaly field at 500hPa height in high-precipitation years between the Baikal and the China＇s northwestern, and there were positive anomaly field in low-precipitation years. [ Cenclusion] The study provided reference for the reasonable utilization of available water resources in cen- tral and south Ningxia.

The evolution of the coral reefs in the middle and north parts of the South China Sea and its relation with tectonic and eustatic movements

In this paper, the morphogenesis, stratigraphic sequences and dates of the coral reefs in the middle and north parts of the South China Sea are discussed, the position of the distributary regions of Cenozoic coral reefs in plate tectonics, the relationships of coral-reef evolutionary characteristics and dates with sea-basin spreading. Neogene sea-water transgression and Quaternary global climate-eustatic fluctuation are expounded and proved, and the latitudinal variation of the distribution of coral reefs in various geologic times are summed up.

Study on Statistical Features About Weak Earthquake Activity Before Moderately Strong Earthquakes in the Middle Northern Part of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Block

In regards to the earthquakes recording M ≥ 5.0 that occurred in middle northern part of the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） Block from 1970 - 2003, in this study we describe the temporal and spatial centralization features of the weak earthquakes and the enhancement and anomalous quiescence of their seismic activity before main shocks through 4 parameters, which are basically not correlated： earthquake time centralization degree parameter Ct, earthquake space centralization degree parameter Cd, η value and weak earthquake frequency and so on. On the basis of calculation results, it has been seen that before earthquakes with M ≥ 5.0 took place in the middle northern part of the Qinghal-Xizang （Tibet） Block, the frequency of weak earthquakes often shows ascent and drop, their strength shows an obvious enhancement and the centralization distribution with time and space is evident.

Episodic hydrothermal alteration on Middle Permian carbonate reservoirs and its geological significance in southwestern Sichuan Basin,SW China

To analyze the episodic alteration of Middle Permian carbonate reservoirs by complex hydrothermal fluid in southwestern Sichuan Basin,petrology,geochemistry,fluid inclusion and U-Pb dating researches are conducted.The fractures and vugs of Middle Permian Qixia–Maokou formations are filled with multi-stage medium-coarse saddle dolomites and associated hydrothermal minerals,which indicates that the early limestone/dolomite episodic alteration was caused by the large-scale,high-temperature,deep magnesium-rich brine along flowing channels such as basement faults or associated fractures under the tectonic compression and napping during the Indosinian.The time of magnesium-rich hydrothermal activity was from the Middle Triassic to the Late Triassic.The siliceous and calcite fillings were triggered by hydrothermal alteration in the Middle and Late Yanshanian Movement and Himalayan Movement.Hydrothermal dolomitization is controlled by fault,hydrothermal property,flowing channel and surrounding rock lithology,which occur as equilibrium effect of porosity and permeability.The thick massive grainstone/dolomites were mainly altered by modification such as hydrothermal dolomitization/recrystallization,brecciation and fracture-vugs filling.Early thin-medium packstones were mainly altered by dissolution and infilling of fracturing,bedding dolomitization,dissolution and associated mineral fillings.The dissolved vugs and fractures are the main reservoir space under hydrothermal conditions,and the connection of dissolved vugs and network fractures is favorable for forming high-quality dolomite reservoir.Hydrothermal dolomite reservoirs are developed within a range of 1 km near faults,with a thickness of 30–60 m.Hydrothermal dolomite reservoirs with local connected pore/vugs and fractures have exploration potential.

Age and geochemical evolution of granite magmatism in Olkhon region from Caledonian syncollisional ore-free granite to the rare metal granite and pegmatite of Middle Paleozoic intraplate setting

The detailed description of two granite complexes in the Olkhon subterrane is given.The Early Paleozoic Sharanur complex was formed by granitization of gneisses of the Olkhon series.It includes migmatites,granite-gneisses,granites and pegmatites of normal alkalinity;they belong to the type of syncollisional granites.The Middle Paleozoic Aya granite complex includes mother Aya massif of amazonite-bearing granites and several types of rare-metal pegmatites.They have elevated alkalinity,low of Ba,Sr,and high LILE and HFSE elements contents.The Aya pegmatites lie in northwest cracks of stretching and associated with the rise of the territory under the influence of the North Asian plume.These cracks and pegmatites mark the beginning of a new intraplate geodynamic setting.Two geochemical types are distinguished among the pegmatites of this complex.These are amazonite pegmatites of Li-F type with Ta mineralization and complex type pegmatite with Be-Rb-Nb-Ta and Li-F mineralization(the Ilixin vein).The Tashkiney pegmatite vein is similar to Ilixin,but lies in the gneisses of the Olkhon series.It shows high concentrations of Be,Nb,Ta,as well as W,Sn,but lacks Li and F,due to a greater depth and higher temperature of the melt crystallization of this pegmatite.

The Middle Miocene lobe-shaped and band-shaped submarine fans in the Lingshui Sag,Qiongdongnan Basin:source-to-sink system,genesis and implication

Deepwater oil and gas exploration is the key to sustainable breakthroughs in petroleum exploration worldwide.The Central Canyon gas field has confirmed the Lingshui Sag is a hydrocarbon-generating sag,and the deepwater reservoirs in the Lingshui Sag still have more fabulous oil and gas exploration potential.Based on drilling data and three-dimensional(3D)seismic data,this paper uses seismic facies analysis,seismic attribute analysis,and coherence slice analysis to identify the types of submarine fans(lobe-shaped and band-shaped submarine fans)that developed in the Lingshui Sag during the Middle Miocene,clarify the source-to-sink system of the submarine fans and discuss the genesis mechanism of the submarine fans.The results show that:(1)the deepwater source-to-sink system of the Lingshui Sag in the Middle Miocene mainly consisted of a“delta(sediment supply)-submarine canyon(sediment transport channel)-submarine fan(deepwater sediment sink)”association;(2)the main factor controlling the formation of the submarine fans developed in the Lingshui Sag was on the relative sea level decline;and(3)the bottom current reworked the lobe-shaped submarine fan that developed in the northern Lingshui Sag and formed the band-shaped submarine fan with a greater sand thickness.This paper aims to provide practical geological knowledge for subsequent petroleum exploration and development in the deepwater area of the Qiongdongnan Basin through a detailed analysis of the Middle Miocene submarine fan sedimentary system developed in the Lingshui Sag.

Characteristics and main controlling factors of intra-platform shoal thin-layer dolomite reservoirs:A case study of Middle Permian Qixia Formation in Gaoshiti-Moxi area of Sichuan Basin,SW China

Based on the study of the distribution of intra-platform shoals and the characteristics of dolomite reservoirs in the Middle Permian Qixia Formation in the Gaoshiti–Moxi area of the Sichuan Basin,SW China,the controlling factors of reservoir development were analyzed,and the formation model of“intra-platform shoal thin-layer dolomite reservoir”was established.The Qixia Formation is a regressive cycle from bottom to top,in which the first member(Qi1 Member)develops low-energy open sea microfacies,and the second member(Qi2 Member)evolves into intra-platform shoal and inter-shoal sea with decreases in sea level.The intra-platform shoal is mainly distributed near the top of two secondary shallowing cycles of the Qi2 Member.The most important reservoir rock of the Qixia Formation is thin-layer fractured-vuggy dolomite,followed by vuggy dolomite.The semi-filled saddle dolomite is common in fracture-vug,and intercrystalline pores and residual dissolution pores combined with fractures to form the effective pore-fracture network.Based on the coupling analysis of sedimentary and diagenesis characteristics,the reservoir formation model of“pre-depositional micro-paleogeomorphology controlling shoal,sedimentary shoal controlling dolomite,penecontemporaneous dolomite benefiting preservation of pores,and late hydrothermal action effectively improving reservoir quality”was systematically established.The“first-order high zone”micro-paleogeomorphology before the deposition of the Qixia Formation controlled the development of large area of intra-platform shoals in Gaoshiti area during the deposition of the Qi2 Member.Shoal facies is the basic condition of early dolomitization,and the distribution range of intra-platform shoal and dolomite reservoir is highly consistent.The grain limestone of shoal facies is transformed by two stages of dolomitization.The penecontemporaneous dolomitization is conducive to the preservation of primary pores and secondary dissolved pores.The burial hydrothermal fluid enters the early dolomite body along the fractures associated with the Emeishan basalt event,makes it recrystallized into medium–coarse crystal dolomite.With the intercrystalline pores and the residual vugs after the hydrothermal dissolution along the fractures,the high-quality intra-platform shoal-type thin-layer dolomite reservoirs are formed.The establishment of this reservoir formation model can provide important theoretical support for the sustainable development of Permian gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin.

Separate-layer balanced waterflooding development technology for thick and complex carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East

Based on the waterflooding development in carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East,in order to solve the problem of the poor development effects caused by commingled injection and production,taking the thick bioclastic limestone reservoirs of Cretaceous in Iran-Iraq as an example,this paper proposes a balanced waterflooding development technology for thick and complex carbonate reservoirs.This technology includes the fine division of development units by concealed baffles and barriers,the combination of multi well type and multi well pattern,and the construction of balanced water injection and recovery system.Thick carbonate reservoirs in Iran-Iraq are characterized by extremely vertical heterogeneity,development of multi-genesis ultra-high permeability zones,and highly concealed baffles and barriers.Based on the technologies of identification,characterization,and sealing evaluation for concealed baffles and barriers,the balanced waterflooding development technology is proposed,and three types of balanced waterflooding development modes/techniques are formed,namely,conventional stratigraphic framework,fine stratigraphic framework,and deepened stratigraphic framework.Numerical simulations show that this technology is able to realize a fine and efficient waterflooding development to recover,in a balanced manner,the reserves of thick and complex carbonate reservoirs in Iran and Iraq.The proposed technology provides a reference for the development optimization of similar reservoirs.

Digital Twin Modeling and Simulation Optimization of Transmission Front and Middle Case Assembly Line

As the take-off of China’s macro economy,as well as the rapid development of infrastructure construction,real estate industry,and highway logistics transportation industry,the demand for heavy vehicles is increasing rapidly,the competition is becoming increasingly fierce,and the digital transformation of the production line is imminent.As one of themost important components of heavy vehicles,the transmission front andmiddle case assembly lines have a high degree of automation,which can be used as a pilot for the digital transformation of production.To ensure the visualization of digital twins(DT),consistent control logic,and real-time data interaction,this paper proposes an experimental digital twin modeling method for the transmission front and middle case assembly line.Firstly,theDT-based systemarchitecture is designed,and theDT model is created by constructing the visualization model,logic model,and data model of the assembly line.Then,a simulation experiment is carried out in a virtual space to analyze the existing problems in the current assembly line.Eventually,some improvement strategies are proposed and the effectiveness is verified by a new simulation experiment.

Middle hepatic vein variation provides a safe path for anterior transection of hepatocellular carcinoma in caudate lobe

To the Editor:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is one of the main causes of cancer related death worldwide,and new cases are expected to continue to increase in future[1].Surgical resection is still the best way to remove the tumor and improve patient’s prognosis.However,resection of caudate lobe often presents a technical challenge,even to accomplished hepatic surgeons.Caudate lobe is located anterior to the inferior vena cava(IVC)and posterior to the bifurcation of the portal vein(PV),generally consists of three regions:the paracaval portion,the left Spiegel lobe and the process portion[2].The anatomy of the paracaval portion includes the liver parenchyma ventral to the hepatic IVC and the area between the Spiegel lobe and the right lobe adjacent to the middle hepatic vein(MHV)ventrally,which was classified by Couinaud as segment IX[3].Here,we presented a case of HCC with successful downstaging therapy,as well as variation of MHV,which provides a safe path for anterior transection of segment IX.

Types,composition and diagenetic evolution of authigenic clay minerals in argillaceous limestone of sepiolite-bearing strata:A case study of Mao-1 Member of Middle Permian Maokou Formation,eastern Sichuan Basin,SW China

The types,occurrence and composition of authigenic clay minerals in argillaceous limestone of sepiolite-bearing strata of the first member of the Middle Permian Maokou Formation(Mao-1 Member)in eastern Sichuan Basin were investigated through outcrop section measurement,core observation,thin section identification,argon ion polishing,X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscope,energy spectrum analysis and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.The diagenetic evolution sequence of clay minerals was clarified,and the sedimentary-diagenetic evolution model of clay minerals was established.The results show that authigenic sepiolite minerals were precipitated in the Si4+and Mg2+-rich cool aragonite sea and sepiolite-bearing strata were formed in the Mao-1 Member.During burial diagenesis,authigenic clay minerals undergo two possible evolution sequences.First,from the early diagenetic stage A to the middle diagenetic stage A1,the sepiolite kept stable in the shallow-buried environment lack of Al3+.It began to transform into stevensite in the middle diagenetic stage A2,and then evolved into disordered talc in the middle diagenetic stage B1and finally into talc in the period from the middle diagenetic stage B2to the late diagenetic stage.Thus,the primary diagenetic evolution sequence of authigenic clay minerals,i.e.sepiolite-stevensite-disordered talc-talc,was formed in the Mao-1 Member.Second,in the early diagenetic stage A,as Al3+carried by the storm and upwelling currents was involved in the diagenetic process,trace of sepiolite started to evolve into smectite,and a part of smectite turned into chlorite.From the early diagenetic stage B to the middle diagenesis stage A1,a part of smectite evolved to illite/smectite mixed layer(I/S).The I/S evolved initially into illite from the middle diagenesis stage A2to the middle diagenesis stage B2,and then totally into illite in the late diagenesis stage.Thus,the secondary diagenetic evolution sequence of authigenic clay minerals,i.e.sepiolite-smectite-chlorite/illite,was formed in the Mao-1 Member.The types and evolution of authigenic clay minerals in argillaceous limestone of sepiolite-bearing strata are significant for petroleum geology in two aspects.First,sepiolite can adsorb and accumulate a large amount of organic matters,thereby effectively improving the quality and hydrocarbon generation potential of the source rocks of the Mao-1 Member.Second,the evolution from sepiolite to talc is accompanied by the formation of numerous organic matter pores and clay shrinkage pores/fractures,as well as the releasing of the Mg2+-rich diagenetic fluid,which allows for the dolomitization of limestone within or around the sag.As a result,the new assemblages of self-generation and self-accumulation,and lower/side source and upper/lateral reservoir,are created in the Middle Permian,enhancing the hydrocarbon accumulation efficiency.

Aeromagnetic Interpretation of Basement Structures and Geometry in Parts of the Middle Benue Trough,North Central,Nigeria

The research of an analysis of aeromagnetic data collected in the middle Benue Trough in north-central Nigeria is presented.A detailed analysis of basement structures is conducted in order to identify regions with high hydrocarbon potential that is different from those discovered by earlier researchers.Aeromagnetic data were filtered by using the Butterworth and Gaussian filters,transformed by engaging the reduction to the equator technique,and subsequently enhanced.To estimate magnetic basement depths at various places throughout the basin,the Euler deconvolution depth weighting approach was used.Eleven(11)sub-basins with depths ranging from-2000 m to-8000 m were also identified by Euler’s findings.The sub-basins trend in the NE-SW direction while the average sediment thickness is found to be more than 3 km.The extracted structural features indicate areas like Kadi Blam and Kado areas in the southeastern part and Ogoja and Obudu in the southern part of the study area as regions with high structural densities.These areas coincide with the areas delineated as the sub-basins.The cross-sections generated reveal depressions caused by the action of some tectonic activities in the area.This study identified undulat­ing basement topography believed to be due to tectonic activities as well as five areas that are possible targets for hydrocarbon exploration.