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Rice grain chalkiness is an important characteristic, but the difference between chalky and translucent parts in grains is still unclear. Here, we investigated the differences of flour made from the chalky or translucent part of rice grains in three indica and three japonica rice varieties. The chalky flour had significantly lower amylose and protein contents and looser starch granule morphology, and starches in the chalky flour had higher relative crystallinity, higher short chain content but lower long chain content than those in the translucent flour. The water states, determined with nuclear magnetic resonance, differed between the chalky and translucent flour after soaking, cooking and retrograding, and the chalky flour had more bound and free water but less constructural water than the translucent flour. Mostly, the chalky flour had lower viscosity and shorter gel consistency, but higher onset temperature and gelatinization enthalpy than the translucent flour. The results indicated that starch granule morphology would be more indicative than other attributions on pasting and gelatinization properties of chalky and translucent parts of rice grains.

Fractures play a crucial role in tight sandstone gas reservoirs with low permeability and low effective porosity. If open, they not only significantly increase the permeability of the reservoir but also serve as channels connecting the storage space. Among numerous fracture identification methods, seismic data provide unique advantages for fracture identification owing to the provision of three-dimensional information between wells. How to accurately identify the development of fractures in geological bodies between wells using seismic data is a major challenge. In this study, a tight sandstone gas reservoir in the Kuqa Basin (China) was used as an example for identifying reservoir fractures using deep-learning-based method. First, a feasibility analysis is necessary. Intersection analysis between the fracture density and seismic attributes (the characteristics of frequency, amplitude, phase, and other aspects of seismic signals) indicates that there is a correlation between the two when the fracture density exceeds a certain degree. The development of fractures is closely related to the lithology and structure, indirectly affecting differences in seismic attributes. This indicates that the use of seismic attributes for fracture identification is feasible and reasonable. Subsequently, the effective fracture density data obtained from imaging logging were used as label data, and the optimized seismic attribute near the well data were used as feature data to construct a fracture identification sample dataset. Based on a feedforward neural network algorithm combined with natural fracture density and effectiveness control factor constraints, a trained identification model was obtained. The identification model was applied to seismic multi-attribute data for the entire work area. Finally, the accuracy of the results from the training, testing, and validation datasets were used to determine the effectiveness of the method. The relationship between the fracture identification results and the location of the fractures in the target reservoir was used to determine the reasonableness of the results. The results indicate that there is a certain relationship between multiple seismic attributes and fracture development, which can be established using deep learning models. Furthermore, the deep-learning-based seismic data fracture identification method can effectively identify fractures in the three-dimensional space of reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Functional ability is the important prerequisite to live independently and achieve aging in place, which depends on the complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Identifying the trends and influencing factors of functional ability would contribute to the accurate assessment and intervention of geriatric health. This study aimed to disentangle the moderating effect of 3 types of social support, namely objective support, subjective support, and support utilization, on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectories. Methods This was a secondary analysis using data from a prospective 3-wave study with a sample of 777 Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Social support was assessed using the Social Support Rating scale. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale. Functional ability was measured by the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. Latent growth curve models were implemented to test their relationships. Results Objective support but not subjective support or support utilization moderated on the relationship between frailty and functional ability slope. Functional ability decline over time was buffered by objective support among robust individuals but exacerbated among (pre)frail individuals. Conclusions The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between frailty and functional ability trajectory varies by support types, which reminded that social support may be a promising intervention target to maintain functional independence for frail individuals, opening up a new perspective on social support in the field of disability prevention. Effective interventions should particularly address objective support in conjunction with empowering the frail older population to optimize the trajectory of functional ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir heterogeneity is an important factor in oil and gas exploration and development. It has guiding significance for favourable target optimization because it helps clarify the formation and development characteristics of laminae: thin, alternating layers of sediment deposited in a repeating pattern in Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs. Reservoir heterogeneity is higher when laminae are densely distributed. For example, laminae have a significant influence on reservoir properties in the Kelasu structural belt in the Bozi–Dabei area, Tarim Basin, China, where oil and gas wells have very low productivity. Hence, this study attempts to develop a classification scheme based on laminae to identify how they influence reservoir properties. Based on an analysis of cores, thin section and logging imaging data, laminae in this area can be classified into three types: magnetite-enriched, iron-stained argillaceous-enriched, and grain-size change. Results show that magnetite-enriched and iron-stained argillaceous-enriched laminae are well-developed in the BZ1 and DB10 well areas in northern Bozi. They have much lower porosity compared to a non-laminae reservoir and their lateral permeability is greater than vertical permeability. Grain-size change laminae are well-developed in the southern Bozi region. For the laminated reservoirs, increasing the length of the perforation interval and the perforation density using sand or acid fracturing is an effective method for communicating with the vertical reservoir layers, improving permeability, and increasing single-well production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]