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The thermal safety of lithium-ion traction batteries is a highly concerning issue in the field of electric transportation. The large amount of gas emissions during the thermal runaway process of batteries has high safety hazards, such as fire and explosion. The quantitative analysis of emissions is one of the important challenges in testing and evaluating battery safety. Focusing on quantifying gas emissions using large-scale thermal propagation in battery modules and packs, based on the idea of cell result multiplication, this article conducts a thermal runaway emission analysis of a single cell and a module and compares the behavior of thermal runaway and gas emissions of the cell and module from the perspectives of temperature, pressure, gas composition, and battery morphology. The feasibility of the cell result multiplication method is verified from the perspective of experimental data.

Sperm proteins play vital roles in improving sperm freezing resilience in domestic animals. However, it remains poorly defined which proteins regulate the freezing resilience of spermatozoa in rams (Ovis aries). Here, we compared the proteome of ram sperm with a high cryopreservation recovery ratio (HCR) with that of ram sperm with a low cryopreservation recovery ratio (LCR) using a tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics approach. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to evaluate differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). A total of 2464 proteins were identified, and 184 DEPs were screened. Seventy-two proteins were higher in the LCR group. One hundred and twelve proteins were more abundant in the HCR group, and they were mainly involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation and thermogenesis pathways. Proteins in high abundance in the HCR group included the S100A family, such as S100A8, S100A9, S100A14, and S100A16, effectively controlling for CA2+ and maintaining flagella structure; HYOU1 and PRDX1, which participate in antioxidant protection and anti-apoptosis to prevent cell death; and HSP90B1, which maintains cell activity and immune response. Our results could help illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying cryopreservation of ram semen and expand the potential direction of cryopreservation of high-quality semen.

Biliary tract tumors (BTC) account for about 3% of all digestive system tumors, with rising incidence and limited treatment options, particularly for advanced stages, underscoring the need for innovative therapies. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel regimen combining hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX-HAIC) alongside lenvatinib and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors (mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i) compared to standard regimens of gemcitabine plus cisplatin, gemcitabine plus S1, or gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GC/GS/GEMOX) in advanced BTC patients treated from March 2019 to November 2023. A total of 89 patients were analyzed, with 55 receiving hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and 34 receiving the GC/GS/GEMOX regimens. Among these, 23 patients were in the mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i group, while 24 were in the GC/GS/GEMOX group. The median progression-free survival (mPFS) for the mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i group was 15 months compared to 6 months for the GC/GS/ GEMOX group. Similarly, the median overall survival (mOS) was 20 months for the mFOLFOXHAIC+ lenvatinib+PD-1i group versus 13 months for the GC/GS/GEMOX group. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) for the mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i group were 48.5% and 87.0%, respectively, both significantly higher than those observed in the GC/ GS/GEMOX group at three months of treatment. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was similar between the mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i group and the GC/GS/GEMOX group, at 86.5% and 84.2%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference in complication rates. Overall, mFOLFOX-HAIC+lenvatinib+PD-1i appears to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment for advanced BTC, demonstrating superior mPFS and mOS compared to standard regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian oviduct is functionally highly diverse during the estrus cycle. It provides a suitable milieu for oocyte maturation, sperm capacitation, fertilization, early embryo development and transportation. While there have been many studies of molecular mechanisms on the kidding number of goats, a systematic analysis by which the underlying circular RNAs (circRNAs) changes in the oviduct related to prolificacy traits is lacking. Herein, we present a comprehensive circRNA atlas of the oviduct among high- and low-fecundity goats in the follicular phase (FH vs. FL), luteal phase (LH vs. LL), and estrus cycle (FH vs. LH; FL vs. LL) to unravel their potential regulatory mechanisms in improving kidding number. We generated RNA sequencing data, and identified 4,078 circRNAs from twenty sampled Yunshang black goats. Many of these circRNAs are exon-derived and differentially expressed between each comparison group. Subsequently, eight differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were validated by RT‒qPCR, which was consistent with the RNA-seq data. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that numerous host genes of DE circRNAs were involved in the hormone secretion, gamete production, fertilization, and embryo development processes. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) interaction network analysis revealed that 2,673 circRNA–miRNA–mRNA axes (including 15 DE circRNAs, 14 miRNAs, and 1,699 mRNAs) were formed, and several target genes derived from the ceRNA network were associated with oviduct functions and reproduction, including SMAD1, BMPR1B, IGF1, REV1, and BMP2K. Furthermore, miR-15a-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-23b-5p, miR-204-3p, and miR-145-5p might play important roles in reproduction. Finally, a novel circRNA, circIQCG, was identified as potentially involved in embryo development. Overall, our study provides a resource of circRNAs to understand the oviductal function and its connection to prolificacy trait of goats in the differentiation estrus cycle.

Cyromazine, an insect growth regulator, has been extensively used against the insect pests of livestock and households. Previously, it was observed that the continuous selection of cyromazine from the larval to the adult stage decreased the number of germline stem cells (GSCs) and cystoblasts (CBs) in the adult ovary. In addition, in this study, we observed that the number of primordial germ cells (PGCs) was also decreased in the larval ovary after treatment with cyromazine. However, the mechanism by which it affects the germ cells is yet to be explored. Consequently, to deeply investigate the effects of cyromazine on the germ cells, we performed tissue-specific RNA sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the ecdysone signaling pathway was significantly influenced under cyromazine stress. Based on that, we screened and selected 14 ecdysone signaling responsive genes and silenced their expression in the germ cells only. Results of that showed a considerable reduction in the number of germ cells. Furthermore, we mixed exogenous 20E with the cyromazine-containing diet to rescue the ecdysone signaling. Our results supported that the application of exogenous 20E significantly rescued the germ cells in the transgenic lines. Therefore, this implies that the cyromazine decreased the number of germ cells by affecting the ecdysone signaling pathway.

The first Mars exploration mission of China (Tianwen-1) is scheduled to be launched in 2020; a charged particle telescope, the Mars Energetic Particle Analyzer (MEPA), is carried as one of the payloads on the orbiter. The MEPA is designed to measure solar energetic particles (SEPs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) in the near-Mars space and in the transfer orbit from Earth to Mars. Before the launch, the MEPA was calibrated in ground experiments with radioactive sources, electronic pulses, and accelerator beams. The calibration parameters, such as energy conversion constants, threshold values for the triggers, and particle identification criteria, were determined and have been stored for onboard use. The validity of the calibration parameters has been verified with radioactive sources and beams. The calibration results indicate that the MEPA can measure charged particles reliably, as designed, and that it can satisfy the requirements of the Tianwen-1 mission.

Intermuscular bones (IBs) are small, hard-boned spicules located in the muscle tissue that mainly exist in the myosepta of lower teleosts, which hurt the edibleness and economic value of fish. The study of the development of IBs is very important for freshwater aquaculture fish, but the molecular mechanism of its formation and the key regulatory genes remain unclear. In this study, we first constructed two types of zebrafish mutants (the mutants losing IBs and the mutants with partial deletion of IBs) by knocking out bmp6. We then carried out a transcriptomic analysis to reveal the role of bmp6 in the developmental mechanism of IBs; we used the caudal musculoskeletal tissues of these mutants and wild-type zebrafish at three development stages (20, 45, and 60 dph) to perform transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that the deficiency of bmp6 upregulated sik1 and activated the TNF-A signaling via the NF-KB pathway, which inhibited the development of osteoblasts and promoted osteoclast formation, thereby inhibiting the formation of IBs. These results provided insights to understand the role of bmp6 in the development of IBs in zebrafish and are useful for selective breeding of IBs in cyprinids.

The pike-perch (Sander lucioperca) is a native fish species in European and Asian river basins. Owing to its fast growth rate, strong adaptability, and high nutritional value, it has become a promising candidate species for aquaculture. However, information on the genetic background of these wild populations is still limited, hindering the protection and sustainable utilisation of genetic resources in China. The aim of this study was to screen a set of microsatellite markers and assess the genetic variation of six pike-perch populations in China. A total of 92,162 pairs of microsatellite primers were designed. Among them, dinucleotide repeats were the most abundant microsatellites (81.47%), followed by trinucleotides (8.21%), tetranucleotides (7.59%), and pentanucleotide repeat microsatellites (2.73%). Of the 200 pairs of synthesised primers, 122 exhibited obvious repeat-length polymorphisms. Thirty polymorphic markers were selected to analyse six populations of pike-perch collected from China. The average number of alleles (Na) and effective alleles (Ne) per population varied from 2.333(WR) to 7.800(UL) and from 1.787(KL) to 4.435(UL), respectively. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) and polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.377(KL) to 0.796(TL) and from 0.304(KL) to 0.715(UL), respectively. The results showed that four populations were highly polymorphic (PIC≥0.5), two populations were moderately polymorphic (0.25≤PIC

The environment perception algorithm in autonomous driving is trained in the source domain, leading to domain drift and reduced detection accuracy in the target domain due to shifts in background feature distribution. To address this issue, a domain adaptive object detection algorithm based on feature uncertainty is proposed, which can improve the detection performance of object detection algorithms in unlabeled data. Firstly, a local alignment module based on channel information is proposed, which can obtain the model’s uncertainty about different domain data based on the feature channels obtained through the feature extraction network, achieving adaptive dynamic local alignment. Secondly, an instance-level alignment module guided by local feature uncertainty is proposed, which can obtain the corresponding instance-level uncertainty through ROI mapping. To improve the domain invariance of bounding box regression, a multi-class, multi-regression instance-level uncertainty alignment module is proposed, which can achieve spatial decoupling of classification and regression tasks, further improving the model’s domain adaptive ability. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated on Cityscapes, KITTI, and real vehicle data.

The existence of information silos between vehicles and parking lots means that Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) repeatedly drive to seek available parking slots, resulting in wasted resources, time consumption and traffic congestion, especially in high-density parking scenarios. To address this problem, a novel UGV parking planning method is proposed in this paper, which consists of cooperative path planning, conflict resolution strategy, and optimal parking slot allocation, intending to avoid ineffective parking seeking by vehicles and releasing urban traffic pressure. Firstly, the parking lot induction model was established and the IACA–IA was developed for optimal parking allocation. The IACA–IA was generated using the improved ant colony algorithm (IACA) and immunity algorithm. Compared with the first-come-first-served algorithm (FCFS), the normal ant colony algorithm (NACA), and the immunity algorithm (IA), the IACA–IA was able to allocate optimal slots at a lower cost and in less time in complex scenarios with multi-entrance parking lots. Secondly, an improved conflict-based search algorithm (ICBS) was designed to efficiently resolve the conflict of simultaneous path planning for UGVs. The dual-layer objective expansion strategy is the core of the ICBS, which takes the total path cost of UGVs in the extended constraint tree as the first layer objective, and the optimal driving characteristics of a single UGV as the second layer objective. Finally, three kinds of load-balancing and unbalanced parking scenarios were constructed to test the proposed method, and the performance of the algorithm was demonstrated from three aspects, including computation, quality and timeliness. The results show that the proposed method requires less computation, has higher path quality, and is less time-consuming in high-density scenarios, which provide a reasonable and efficient solution for innovative urban mobility.

The Ordovician strike-slip faults system in the Tahe area of the Tarim Basin provides an important opportunity for using 3D seismic data to document the structural characteristics, formation, and evolution of strike-slip faults and their relationship with oil and gas. With high-resolution 3D seismic data, the strike-slip faults are interpreted, classified, and described using the seismic coherence technique. The geometric characteristics, active periods, formation, and evolution process of strike-slip faults are analyzed, and the relationship between strike-slip faults and hydrocarbon accumulation and charging is discussed in this research project. On the map, the primary strike-slip faults on the east and west sides of the Tahe area are relatively sheared to each other, showing an “X” type conjugate fault, and the secondary strike-slip faults are scattered. In the cross-section, the primary strike-slip faults are inserted downward into the Cambrian basement and up to Devonian, and “Single line”, “Y”, “Flower”, and “Parallel lines” structures are observed. Bounded by the top of Ordovician, the deep and shallow parts are vertically segmented, with different structure styles. The switch of the structural style of strike-slip faults is attributed to principal stress. A deep “positive flower” shape of faults was developed in the mid-Ordovician period under the effect of compressive stress. Meanwhile, a shallow “negative flower” shape of faults was developed from the late Ordovician to the mid-Devonian period under tensile stress. The “Compound Flower” shape of deep “positive flower” shape and shallow “negative flower” shape formed by compressive and tensile activities has a wider fracture range, which leads to deep fluid migration and shallow karstification. There are two combinations of deep Ordovician strike-slip faults in the section: “Lower single branch-upper flower type” and “lower single branch-upper single branch type”. The primary faults of the former insertion into the Cambrian basement are associated with homologous secondary faults, while the latter has no derived secondary faults. It has an important impact on reservoir reconstruction and distribution, and the reservoir is controlled by faults. Strike-slip faults not only control the channel of oil and gas migration, but also the horizontal and vertical distribution of oil and gas. The closer the carbonate reservoir is to the primary fault, the more likely it is to form a high yield area. There are four types of oil and gas charging models controlled by strike-slip faults. In the area where the structure is high and the strike-slip faults are sheared relatively to each other, the larger the scale of faults, the more conducive it would be to oil and gas migration and accumulation. Among them, the charging model related to the primary fault has higher oil and gas migration efficiency. This research contributes to analyzing the relationship between strike-slip faults and oil and gas as well as playing a significant role in applications of oil and gas exploration in practical works.

A close association exists among testicular function, gut microbiota regulation, and organismal metabolism. In this study, serum and seminal plasma metabolomes, and the rumen microbiome of sheep with significant differences in sperm viability, were explored. Serum and seminal plasma metabolomes differed significantly between high-motility (HM) and low-motility (LM) groups of sheep, and 39 differential metabolites closely related to sperm motility in sheep were found in seminal plasma metabolomes, while 35 were found in serum samples. A 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that the relative abundance of HM and LM rumen microorganisms, such as Ruminococcus and Quinella, was significantly higher in the HM group, whereas genera such as Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Lactobacillus were enriched in the mid-LM group. Serum hormone assays revealed that serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and MT levels were significantly lower in the LM group than in the HM group, whereas serum glucocorticoid (GC) levels were higher in the LM group than in the HM group, and they all affected sperm motility in sheep. Ruminococcus and other rumen microorganisms were positively correlated with sperm motility, whereas Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with FSH and GCs levels. Our findings suggest that rumen microbial activity can influence the host metabolism and hormone levels associated with fertility in sheep.

Owing to their special physical and chemical properties, nanomaterials with core–shell structures have been extensively synthesized and widely studied in the field of energy storage and conversion [...]

CAN has become the most extensive fieldbus for contemporary automotive applications due to its outstanding reliability and flexibility. However, the standard CAN protocol does not provide sufficient security measures and is vulnerable to eavesdropping, replay, flooding, and denial of service attacks. In order to effectively detect whether the CAN bus is attacked, and to filter malicious messages when subjected to flooding attacks. The characteristics of vehicle CAN bus message communication were analyzed, and an intrusion detection method was proposed, which could effectively perform intrusion detection and malicious message filtering. Through experimental verification, the method can detect whether the CAN bus is attacked by 100%, and the accuracy of malicious packet filtering can reach over 99%.

In this study, Corydalis yanhusuo extract acts as a green inhibitor for J55 steel in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with CO2. Rapid resolution liquid chromatography shows the concentrations of Palmatine to be 0.6358 g/L, Tetrahydropalmatine 0.7715 g/L, and Corydaline 0.3755 g/L. Potentiodynamic polarization results suggest that Corydalis yanhusuo extract is a mixed-type inhibitor. The inhibition efficiency of Corydalis yanhusuo extract increases with the increase of concentration and reaches 92.36% at 5%v/v but decrease with the increased temperature. The inhibition efficiency is 69% at 80°C. The protective film formed on the metal surface was confirmed by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible, scanning electrochemical microscope and scanning electron microscope methods. The quantum chemical calculations predicate that Palmatine acts as the major component for inhibition performance.

In the traditional teleoperation system, the operator locates the object using the real-time scene information sent back from the robot terminal; however, the localization accuracy is poor and the execution efficiency is low. To address the issues, we propose an object detection and localization method for the teleoperated robot. First, we improved the classic YOLOv5 network model to produce superior object detection performance and named the improved model YOLOv5_Tel. On the basis of the classic YOLOv5 network model, the feature pyramid network was changed to a bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) network module to achieve the weighted feature fusion mechanism. The coordinate attention (CA) module was added to make the model pay more attention to the features of interest. Furthermore, we pruned the model from the depth and width to make it more lightweight and changed the bounding box regression loss function GIOU to SIOU to speed up model convergence. Then, the YOLOv5_Tel model and ZED2 depth camera were used to achieve object localization based on the binocular stereo vision ranging principle. Finally, we established an object detection platform for the teleoperated robot and created a small dataset to validate the proposed method. The experiment shows that compared with the classic YOLOv5 series network model, the YOLOv5_Tel is higher in accuracy, lighter in weight, and faster in detection speed. The mean average precision (mAP) value of the YOLOv5_Tel increased by 0.8%, 0.9%, and 1.0%, respectively. The model size decreased by 11.1%, 70.0%, and 86.4%, respectively. The inference time decreased by 9.1%, 42.9%, and 58.3%, respectively. The proposed object localization method has a high localization accuracy with an average relative error of only 1.12%.

The oviduct is associated with embryo development and transportation and regulates the pregnancy success of mammals. Previous studies have indicated a molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in gene regulation and reproduction. However, little is known about the function of lncRNAs in the oviduct in modulating goat kidding numbers. Therefore, we combined RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to map the expression profiles of the oviduct at the luteal phase from high- and low-fecundity goats. The results showed that 2023 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) and 377 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) transcripts were screened, and 2109 regulated lncRNA-mRNA pairs were identified. Subsequently, the genes related to reproduction (IGF1, FGFRL1, and CREB1) and those associated with embryonic development and maturation (DHX34, LHX6) were identified. KEGG analysis of the DEGs revealed that the GnRH- and prolactin-signaling pathways, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and oocyte meiosis were related to reproduction. GSEA and KEGG analyses of the target genes of DELs demonstrated that several biological processes and pathways might interact with oviduct functions and the prolificacy of goats. Furthermore, the co-expression network analysis showed that XLOC_029185, XLOC_040647, and XLOC_090025 were the cis-regulatory elements of the DEGs MUC1, PPP1R9A, and ALDOB, respectively; these factors might be associated with the success of pregnancy and glucolipid metabolism. In addition, the GATA4, LAMA2, SLC39A5, and S100G were trans-regulated by lncRNAs, predominantly mediating oviductal transport to the embryo and energy metabolism. Our findings could pave the way for a better understanding of the roles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in fecundity-related oviduct function in goats.

Computational simulation is an important technical means in research of nuclear fuel materials. Since nuclear fuel issues are inherently multi-scopic, it is imperative to study them with multi-scale simulation scheme. At present, the development of multi-scale simulation for nuclear fuel materials calls for a more systematic approach, in which lies the main purpose of this article. The most important thing in multi-scale simulation is to accurately formulate the goals to be achieved and the types of methods to be used. In this regard, we first summarize the basic principles and applicability of the simulation methods which are commonly used in nuclear fuel research and are based on different scales ranging from micro to macro, i.e. First-Principles (FP), Molecular Dynamics (MD), Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC), Phase Field (PF), Rate Theory (RT), and Finite Element Method (FEM). And then we discuss the major material issues in this field, also ranging from micro-scale to macro-scale and covering both pellets and claddings, with emphasis on what simulation method would be most suitable for solving each of the issues. Finally, we give our prospective analysis and understanding about the feasible ways of multi-scale integration and relevant handicaps and challenges.

We use molecular dynamics (MD) methods to study collision cascades in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC), which is a candidate for various applications in nuclear industries. One Tersoff potential, which can reproduce the thermal and elastic properties of 3C-SiC, was firstly connected with ZBL potential. Collison cascades were generated by primary knock-on atoms (PKAs) with damage energies ranging between 1 keV and 10 keV at 300–1800 K. It was found that the temperature weakly influences the production of defects in the temperature range (300–1800 K). However, the number of point defects increases significantly as the PKA-energy increases. Carbon defects dominate most of the defects formed in collision cascades, and the dominance becomes less significant with the increase of temperature. Some high-density interstitial point defects were observed in the evolution of the collision cascade. As the PKA-energy increases, more and more defect clusters with larger sizes can be observed. For the current PKA energy range (≤10 keV), clusters with 1–5 vacancies and with 1–4 interstitials can be found, and clusters with a larger size are rare at the end of the quenching stage. The number of these defect clusters with various sizes is temperature independent. In these defect clusters, the carbon content exceeds 50% in most conditions. In addition, the carbon ratio in interstitial clusters is usually higher than the carbon site ratio in vacancy clusters. This work not only enriches the knowledge of the the number, size distribution and compositions of point defects and their clusters induced by neutron irradiation, but also can be input for the long-term simulation methods to understand the evolution of irradiated defects in 3C-SiC. Furthermore, the defect information can be used to study the thermal and elastic properties of 3C-SiC in future work.

A self-doping strategy is applied to prepare a multi-heteroatom-doped carbonaceous nickel selenide NiSe@C composite by introducing N and P-containing ligand hexa(4-carboxyl-phenoxy)-cyclotriphosphazene (HCTP-COOH) into a Ni-based MOF precursor. The MOF-derived NiSe@C composite is characterized as NiSe particles nested in a multi-heteroatom-doped carbon matrix. The multi-heteroatom-doped NiSe@C composite with a unique structure shows an excellent sodium-ion storage property. The Na-ion battery from the NiSe@C electrode exhibits a capacity of 447.8 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, a good rate capability (240.3 mA h g−1 at 5.0 A g−1), and excellent cycling life (227.8 mAh g−1 at 5.0 A g−1 for 1200). The prospects of the synthesis methodology and application of NiSe@C in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) devices are presented.

Background: Midpalatal suture maturation and ossification status is the basis for appraising maxillary transverse developmental status. Methods: We established a midpalatal suture cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) normalized database of the growth population, including 1006 CBCT files from 690 participants younger than 24 years old. The midpalatal suture region of interest (ROI) labeling was completed by two experienced clinical experts. The CBCT image fusion algorithm and image texture feature analysis algorithm were constructed and optimized. The age range prediction convolutional neural network (CNN) was conducted and tested. Results: The midpalatal suture fusion images contain complete semantic information for appraising midpalatal suture maturation and ossification status during the fast growth and development period. Correlation and homogeneity are the two texture features with the strongest relevance to chronological age. The overall performance of the age range prediction CNN model is satisfactory, especially in the 4 to 10 years range and the 17 to 23 years range, while for the 13 to 14 years range, the model performance is compromised. Conclusions: The image fusion algorithm can help show the overall perspective of the midpalatal suture in one fused image effectively. Furthermore, clinical decisions for maxillary transverse deficiency should be appraised by midpalatal suture image features directly rather than by age, especially in the 13 to 14 years range.

Perca fluviatilis is an economically important species of freshwater fish. To understand the genetic structure of P. fluviatilis in China, 268 samples were collected from Wulungu Lake (WL), Jili Lake (JL), the Wulungu River (WR), and the Kalaeerqisi River (KR). These samples were then analyzed using microsatellite markers. A total of 98,425 microsatellite markers were developed based on the genomic data, and 29 polymorphic microsatellite markers were selected to analyze genetic diversity in this study. The number of alleles (Na) and observed heterozygosity (Ho) per population ranged from 4.621 (KR) to 11.172 (WL) and from 0.510 (KR) to 0.716 (JL), respectively. The results of the polymorphic information content (PIC) showed that the WL, JL, and WR populations were highly polymorphic (PIC≥ 0.5) and that the KR population was moderately polymorphic (0.25 ≤ PIC < 0.5). The genetic differentiation coefficient (Fst) among the four P. fluviatilis populations was 0.074, indicating moderate genetic differentiation among the populations in Xinjiang. The reason for the significant difference between the rivers and lakes could be the presence of a dam blocking the flow of P. fluviatilis. The development of microsatellite markers provides support for population genetics in the future. The evaluation of the genetic structure of P. fluviatilis in Xinjiang provides a reference for the reproduction and conservation of P. fluviatilis.

On September 15, 2014, China National Offshore Oil Co., Ltd announced that a high production of oil and gas flow of 1.6 × 106 m3/d was obtained in Well LS17-2-1 in deepwater area in northern South China Sea, which is the first great oil and gas discovery for self-run deepwater exploration in China sea areas, and a strategic breakthrough was made in natural gas exploration in deepwater area of Lingshui sag in Qiongdongnan Basin. Under the combined action of climax of international deepwater exploration, high oil prices, national demands of China, practical needs of exploration, breakthroughs in seismic exploration and testing technologies, innovations in geological cognition and breakthroughs in deepwater operation equipment, Lingshui 17-2 gas field is discovered. Among these factors, the innovation in reservoir forming geological cognition directly promotes the discovery. The quality of seismic data in the early time is poor, so key reservoir forming conditions such as effective source rocks, high quality reservoirs and oil-gas migration pathways are unable to be ascertained; with support of new seismic acquisition and processing technology, some researches show that Lingshui sag is a successive large and deep sag with an area of 5000 km2 and the maximum thickness of Cenozoic stratum of 13 km. In the Early Oligocene, the Lingshui sag was a semi-closed delta-estuarine environment, where the coal-measure and marine mudstones in Lower Oligocene Yacheng Formation were developed. The Lingshui sag is a sag with high temperature, and the bottom temperature of source rocks in Yacheng Formation can exceed 250 °C, but the simulation experiment of hydrocarbon generation at high temperature indicates that the main part of this set of source rock is still in the gas-generation window, with resources of nearly 1 trillion cubic meters, so the Lingshui sag is a hydrocarbon-rich generation sag. In the Neogene, the axial canyon channel from the Thu Bon River in Vietnam passed through the Lingshui sag, and five stages of secondary channels were developed in the axial canyon channel, where four types of reservoirs with excellent physical properties including the axial sand, lateral accretion sand, natural levee sand as well as erosion residual sand were developed, and lithologic traps or structural-lithologic traps were formed. The diapiric zone in the southern Lingshui sag connects deep source rocks in Yacheng Formation and shallow sandstones in the channels, and the migration pattern of natural gas is a T-type migration pattern, in other words, the natural gas generated from Yacheng Formation migrates vertically to the interior of the channel sandbody, and then migrates laterally in the channel reservoirs and forms the reservoirs. Innovations of geophysical exploration technologies for complicated geological conditions of deepwater areas are made, such as the detuning comprehensive quantitative amplitude hydrocarbon detection technology, which greatly improves the success rate of deepwater exploration; key technologies of deepwater safety exploratory well testing represented by the platform-dragged riser displacement technology are developed, which greatly reduces the drilling test cost. The above key exploration technologies provide a strong guarantee for the efficient exploration and development of Lingshui gas field. Keywords: Deepwater oil and gas, Source rocks, Lower limit of gas generation, The central canyon, Diapiric zone, Migration pathway, Lingshui sag, Lingshui 17-2 giant gas field, Qiongdongnan basin

In the present study, we observed a 58% decrease in the fecundity of Drosophila melanogaster, after treatment with the cyromazine. To further elucidate the effects of cyromazine on reproduction, we counted the number of both germline stem cells (GSCs) and cystoblasts (CBs) in the ovary of a 3-day-old adult female. The results showed a significant decrease in the number of GSCs and CBs as compared to the control group. The mode of action of cyromazine is believed to be through the ecdysone signaling pathway. To further support this postulate, we observed the expression of key genes involved in the ecdysone signaling pathway and also determined the ecdysone titer from cyromazine-treated ovaries. Results indicated a significant decrease in the expression of ecdysone signaling-related genes as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the titer of the ecdysone hormone was also markedly reduced (90%) in cyromazine-treated adult ovaries, suggesting that ecdysone signaling was directly related to the decrease in the number of GSCs and CBs. However, further studies are required to understand the mechanism by which cyromazine affects the GSCs and CBs in female adult ovaries.

Background/Aims: Upon Ca2+ store depletion, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) oligomerizes, redistributes near plasmalemma to interact with Ca2+ selective channel-forming subunit (Orai1) and initiates store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a regulator of SOCE, but how CaMKII regulates SOCE remains obscure. Methods: Using Fura2, confocal microscopy, co-immunoprecipitation, specific blocker and overexpression/knockdown approaches, we evaluated STIM1 aggregation and its interaction with Orai1, and SOCE upon Ca2+ store depletion in thapsigargin (TG) treated HEK293 and HeLa cells. Results: Overexpression of CaMKIIδ enhanced TG-induced STIM1 co-localization and interaction with Orai1 as well as SOCE. In contrast, CaMKIIδ knockdown and a specific inhibitor of CaMKII suppressed them. In addition, overexpression or knockdown of CaMKIIδ in TG treated cells exhibited increased or reduced STIM1 clustering and plasmalemma redistribution, respectively. Conclusion: CaMKII up-regulates SOCE by increasing STIM1 aggregation and interaction with Orai1. This study provides an additional insight into SOCE regulation and a potential mechanism for CaMKII involvement in some pathological situations through crosstalk with SOCE.

Owing to the excellent thermal properties of graphene, silicon carbide (SiC) combined with graphene is expected to obtain more outstanding thermal performance and structural stability at high temperatures. Herein, the thermal conductivity of graphene/SiC heterostructures (GS-Hs) with different structures and atomic orientations was calculated through non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. The temperature dependence and size effect on the thermal transport properties of GS-Hs were systematically investigated and discussed. The continuous addition of graphene layers did not always have a positive effect. The thermal transport performance of GS-Hs approached the intrinsic thermal conductivity of SiC when the interaction gradually decreased with the distance between SiC and graphene. Studies on temperature and size dependence show opposite trends. The enhancement effect of graphene was limited at small distances. The thermal conductivity of GS-Hs had a negative correlation with temperature and increased with the system size. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of GS-Hs was predicted to be 156.25 (W·m−1·K−1) at the macroscopic scale via extrapolation. The model established in this paper is also applicable to other material simulation processes, as long as the corresponding parameters and potential functions are available. This study will provide inspiration for the optimized design and preparation of highly efficient cladding materials in nuclear reactors.

The complex relationship between deep overpressure, abnormal porosity, and hydrocarbon generation in the Pinghu Formation is interesting and challenging for hydrocarbon exploration and development in the East China Sea Shelf Basin. It shows three-stage pore pressure evolution based on the characteristics of logs in the west slope of the Xihu Sag. Disequilibrium compaction was identified as the dominant overpressure mechanism in stage II (1.0 < PC < 1.6). The fluid expansion was identified as the predominant mechanism of overpressure generation in stage III (PC > 1.6), and tectonic compression occurs in Well B. Pore pressure was predicated by the Fillippone method based on the combination of raw velocity spectra and high-resolution velocity parameters obtained by seismic inversion. The overpressure at the bottom of the Pinghu Formation is mainly distributed in the F2 and F3 fault blocks. The deep gas reservoir of the Pinghu Formation is controlled by both lithology and pressure. The overpressure distribution area is consistent with the center of hydrocarbon generation. The overpressure distribution illustrated that overpressure was positively correlated with the porosity and permeability of the reservoir. The first porosity and permeability inversion zone of the Pinghu Formation formed because the overpressure caused by under-compaction offsets the pressure of some overlying strata and slows down diagenesis. Due to a large amount of hydrocarbon generation in source rocks, the acidic fluid with high temperature promoted the development of secondary pores, resulting in the second pore permeability inversion zone of the Pinghu Formation. The index of porosity preserving (IPP) is proposed here to quantitatively describe the relationship between overpressure and porosity. The index of porosity preserving in the second stage is 1.16%/10 MPa, and in the third stage is 1.75%/10 MPa. The results can be used to guide the exploration of the deep-basin gas reservoir of the Xihu Sag in the Eastern China Sea Basin.

The excavation of a shallow buried tunnel may cause stress redistribution in surrounding rock, and cause deformation, damage, and even destruction of adjacent underground pipelines. The land part of the Haicang undersea tunnel in Xiamen of China was a super shallow buried large span double-arch tunnel. Its construction was restricted by both underground excavation safe and adjacent pipeline protection. Multiple groups of working conditions were designed considering the relative position of pipe and tunnel, pipeline and tunnel construction parameters. Numerical simulation was used to study the influence of pipeline horizontal distance, buried depth, pipeline diameter, pipeline wall thickness, pipeline shape, pipeline material and excavation method on the response of adjacent underground pipelines. The results show that the relative position of pipe and tunnel, and the construction method of the double-arch tunnel have a great influence on pipeline deformation. Pipeline material, pipeline diameter and excavation method have a great influence on pipeline stress. The construction method was the key factor affecting the stress and deformation of the pipeline. The three-step reserved core soil method can effectively control the stress and deformation of underground pipelines. The research results can provide a reference for similar projects.

Ultra-shallow-buried and large-span double-arch tunnels face complex risks during construction. The risk sources are hidden, complicated, and diverse. The dynamic risk assessment problem cannot be solved satisfactorily by using the static method as an insufficient amount of research has been conducted. The land part of the Xiamen Haicang double-arch tunnel was selected as the background for the dynamic risk assessment of ultra-shallow-buried and large-span double-arch tunnel construction. The construction process was divided into five stages: pre-construction preparation; ground and surrounding rock reinforcement; pilot tunnel excavation; and the single-and the double-tunnel excavations of the main tunnel. Through consultation with tunnel experts, six first-level and thirty second-level risk evaluation indexes were proposed. The benchmark weight of the dynamic risk assessment index was determined by using the analytic hierarchy process. The weight of the risk evaluation index was revised according to the monitoring data and the construction stage. The fuzzy evaluation matrix of the construction risk membership degree was obtained by using the fuzzy comprehensive assessment method, and the calculation results were analyzed using the subsection assignment method. Control measures were suggested according to the risk assessment results. The risk assessment result of the double tunnel excavation stage of the main tunnel was level II, and the risk level was the highest among the five construction stages. The risk assessment result of the ground and surrounding rock reinforcement stage was level IV, and the risk level was the lowest. The dynamic construction safety risk assessment based on the fuzzy comprehensive assessment method is more timely, accurate, and reasonable than the traditional assessment method. The method can be adopted in similar engineering projects.

The temporal and spatial effects of a complicated excavation process are vital for an ultra-shallow buried large-span double-arch tunnel excavated under an expressway in service. Numerical simulations are urgent and necessary to understand the effect of the total construction process. Taking Xiamen Haicang tunnel as a research object, the total excavation process of three pilot tunnels and the three-bench reserved core soil method of an ultra-shallow buried large-span double-arch tunnel with a fault fracture zone under an expressway was simulated using software FLAC3D. The deformation of the surface, surrounding rock, underground pipelines, tunnel support structure and partition wall of the three pilot tunnels and the main tunnel was analyzed, and the dangerous areas and time nodes were obtained. When the tunnel was excavated to the fault fracture zone, the deformation of the surface and surrounding rock increased significantly. The rock and soil within 20 m behind the excavation surface of the pilot tunnel were greatly disturbed by the excavation. During the excavation of the main tunnel, the horizontal displacement of the middle partition wall moved slightly towards the main tunnel excavated first. The research results can provide a reference for the construction design of double-arch tunnels.