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Background The detection of foetal DNA and extravillus trophoblasts (EVTs) in early pregnancy in cervical and uterine samples offers a potential pathway for non-invasive prenatal diagnostics. However, the challenge lies in effectively quantifying these samples. This study introduces a novel approach using the Ras association domain family 1 A (RASSF1A), which exhibits hypermethylation in foetal cells and hypomethylation in maternal cells. The differential methylation pattern of RASSF1A provides a unique biomarker for quantifying foetal cells in cervical and intrauterine samples.Methods This study was conducted between September 2022 and May 2023. In total, 23 samples (12 cervical cell samples and 11 intrauterine samples) were collected from women in the Sichuan Jinxin Women & Children Hospital, Jingxiu District, Chengdu, China. The cervical cell samples were collected via lavage and brush techniques, and the intrauterine cell samples were obtained via uterine lavage. These samples were collected as part of a broader effort to advance our understanding of foetal cell dynamics during early pregnancy. The sampling methods were chosen for their minimally invasive nature and their potential in capturing a representative cell population from the respective sites. After digestion of the cell samples using a methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme cocktail, a critical step to differentiate between maternal and foetal DNA, the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of RASSF1A and β-actin (ACTB) were employed to measure foetal DNA and cell concentrations. Immunofluorescence techniques targeting histocompatibility complex, class I G (HLA-G) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3) were employed to detect EVTs in the cell samples and in decidual tissue, with the latter providing an additional layer of confirmation for the presence of foetal cells.Results The results showed no hypermethylated RASSF1A was detected in any of the cervical samples, irrespective of whether the samples were obtained by brush or lavage. However, an average of 17,236 ± 7490 foetal cells per sample were detected in the uterine lavage samples. Foetal cells accounted for approximately 0.14% ± 0.10% of the total cell population in these samples. The presence of EVTs in these samples was confirmed by their expression of both HLA-G and GATA-3.Conclusion The detection of foetal cells in uterine cavity samples based on hypermethylation of RASSF1A and quantification of foetal cells can be used to prenatal screening. GATA-3 can be used to label EVTs.

Abstract Aging is a global challenge, marked in the lungs by function decline and structural disorders, which affects the health of the elderly population. To explore anti-aging strategies, we develop a dynamic atlas covering 45 cell types in human lungs, spanning from embryonic development to aging. We aim to apply the discoveries of lung’s development to address aging-related issues. We observe that both epithelial and immune cells undergo a process of acquisition and loss of essential function as they transition from development to aging. During aging, we identify cellular phenotypic alternations that result in reduced pulmonary compliance and compromised immune homeostasis. Furthermore, we find a distinctive expression pattern of the ferritin light chain (FTL) gene, which increases during development but decreases in various types of lung cells during the aging process.

The characteristics of elements, isotopes, and small shelly fossils were investigated for Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian stratigraphy division and to discuss their geological implications in the northwestern Sichuan Basin. The results reveal that small shelly fossils can be detected in the high-phosphorous section, with the concentration of phosphorus mainly ranging from 2% to 8%, suggesting that this interval belongs to the Early Cambrian, which is also consistent with the carbon isotopic composition results. In addition, the Early Cambrian is denudated in the Sichuan Basin due to tectonic movement, and the characteristics of some isotopes and small shell fossils are different from those in other basins. It can be proposed that P content can support the recognition of lithological boundaries, and the high phosphorus content can be used as a reference to identify the top and bottom boundaries of the Maidiping Formation in the study area. According to the elemental compositions in the Ediacaran Dengying Formation, the variations in Si, Al, Fe, and K contents are similar in the platform area and rift area, suggesting that the third and fourth member of the Dengying Formation are also developed in the Deyang–Anyue Rift. The results suggest that both the Deng-4 member and Maidiping Formation feature contemporaneous deposition of different facies in the northwestern Sichuan Basin. The strata consist of shale intercalated with thin carbonate rock deposits in the Deyang–Anyue Rift, while carbonate rock deposits in the platform. The Deyang–Anyue Rift expanded gradually in the Late Ediacaran and eventually filled in the Early Cambrian. The data in this study illustrate that elemental compositions, isotopes, and small shelly fossils can be combined to correlate the Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian strata and provide new evidence for Deyang–Anyue Rift evolution. The results offer some new insights for deep oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin and for the tectonic–depositional–environmental–biological synergistic evolution in the Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian transition.

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the expression and influence of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) in human umbilical arterial smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) of patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of KATP inwardly rectifying potassium channel (Kir)6.1 and sulphonylurea receptor (SUR)2B subunits in HUASMCs from patients with normal parturients (NP), gestational hypertension (GH), chronic hypertension (CH), preeclampsia (PE) and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia (CHSP), respectively. There was no significant difference in the protein expression of Kir6.1 subunit in NP group, GH group, CH group, PE group and CHSP group (P > 0.05). The protein expression of SUR2B subunit was gradually decreased in NP group, GH group, CH group, PE group and CHSP group, with statistically significant difference among the groups (P

Soil–rock mixture is a common geo-material found in natural deposit slopes and various constructions, such as tunnels, hydropower stations, and subgrades. The complex mechanical characteristics of soil–rock mixture arise from its multi-phase compositions and cooperative interactions. This paper investigated the mechanical properties of soil–rock mixture, focusing on the influence of rock content, and soil–rock interface strength was discussed. Specimens with varying rock contents were subjected to uniaxial compression tests. The results indicated that rock content, as a key structural parameter, significantly controls the crack propagation trends. As rock content increases, the initial structure of the soil matrix is damaged, leading to the formation of a weak-strength soil–rock interface. The failure mode transitions from longitudinal cracking to multiple shear fractures. To analyze the strength of the soil–rock interface from a mesoscopic perspective, simulations of soil–rock mixture specimens with irregular rock blocks were conducted using the particle discrete element method (PDEM). At the meso-scale, the specimen with 30% rock content exhibited a complex particle displacement distribution, with differences in the direction and magnitude of displacement between soil and rock particles being critical to the failure modes of the specimen. As the soil–rock interface strength increased from 0.1 to 0.9, the distribution of force chains within the specimen shifted from a centralized to a more uniform distribution, and the thickness of force chains became increasingly uniform. The strength responses of the soil–rock mixture under uniaxial compression condition were discussed, revealing that the uniaxial compression strength (UCS) of soil–rock mixture decreases exponentially with increasing rock content. An estimation formula was developed to characterize the UCS of soil–rock mixture in relation to rock content and interface strength. The findings from both the experiments and simulations can provide valuable insights for evaluating the stability of deposit slopes and other constructions involving soil–rock mixture.

Objective In Southwest China, rockfall hazards are extremely developed in high mountains and deep valley areas with high and steep slopes. Due to the large elevation difference and steep slope, the dangerous rock mass on a high-steep slope has remarkable characteristics of suddenness. Thus, a rapid, accurate and convenient interpretation and identification for the source of dangerous rock mass becomes the primary problem of risk analysis of high-steep slopes. At present, the progress of detection makes image-based geological hazard interpretation gradually develop from visual identification to human-computer interactive identification. Among them, the UAV LiDAR system is widely used in geological disaster investigation by integrating both advantages of UAV carrier and LiDAR measurement technology, while the introduction of ground imitation flight technology can make the UAV LiDAR system adapt to complex terrain, obtaining high-precision and high-density point cloud data. Methods On this basis, a UAV survey was carried out on the East side slope of open-pit mine, and a high-precision DOM image and 3D point cloud model were obtained by processing the UAV survey data. As the supplementary materials of the DOM image, the geometric feature parameters of outcrop, including surface roughness and dip, are quantitatively extracted from the point cloud model. On this basis, a set of human-computer interactive identification for dangerous rock masses based on DOM images and geometric features is proposed. Results The application to the East side slope of open-pit mine shows that by superimposing outcrop slope geometric features based on DOM images, the proposed human-computer interactive identification method can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of identification, and the identification of overhanging dangerous rock mass is much more robust than visual ones. Conclusion By combining innovative remote sensing technologies, the proposed method provides a fast and convenient solution for the identification of dangerous rock masses on high and steep rocky slopes.

Rock slopes are usually reinforced by a number of rock bolts due to the high efficiency and low price. However, where should the rock bolts be installed is still a troublesome issue. For anti-dip bedding rock slopes (ABRSs), the installation position of rock bolts is a controlling factor that determines the reinforcement effect. In this work, a theoretical method is firstly proposed for assessing the stability of ABRSs reinforced by rock bolts using a limit equilibrium model. A comparison of theoretical calculations and numerical results was conducted to test the correctness of the theoretical method. Based on the stability assessment of ABRSs, we introduce adaptive moment estimation method (Adam) to optimize the installation location of rock bolts. Using Adam optimizer, the optimal layout of rock bolts with the maximum factor of safety can be determined, and the factor of safety of the slope increases by about 25% using the same amount of rock bolts but with different installation locations. The proposed method enables the fast stability analysis and supporting design for reinforced ABRSs, which paves the way to smart supporting design of slopes.

Mesozoic marine shale oil was found in the Qiangtang Basin by a large number of hydrocarbon geological surveys and shallow drilling sampling. Based on systematic observation and experimental analysis of outcrop and core samples, the deposition and development conditions and characteristics of marine shale are revealed, the geochemical and reservoir characteristics of marine shale are evaluated, and the layers of marine shale oil in the Mesozoic are determined. The following geological understandings are obtained. First, there are two sets of marine organic-rich shales, the Lower Jurassic Quse Formation and the Upper Triassic Bagong Formation, in the Qiangtang Basin. They are mainly composed of laminated shale with massive mudstone. The laminated organic-rich shale of the Quse Formation is located in the lower part of the stratum, with a thickness of 50–75 m, and mainly distributed in southern Qiangtang Basin and the central-west of northern Qiangtang Basin. The laminated organic-rich shale of the Bagong Formation is located in the middle of the stratum, with a thickness of 250–350 m, and distributed in both northern and southern Qiangtang Basin. Second, the two sets of laminated organic-rich shales develop foliation, and various types of micropores and microfractures. The average content of brittle minerals is 70%, implying a high fracturability. The average porosity is 5.89%, indicating good reservoir physical properties to the level of moderate–good shale oil reservoirs. Third, the organic-rich shale of the Quse Formation contains organic matters of types II1 and II2, with the average TOC of 8.34%, the average content of chloroform bitumen ‘A’ of 0.66%, the average residual hydrocarbon generation potential (S1+S2) of 29.93 mg/g, and the Ro value of 0.9%–1.3%, meeting the standard of high-quality source rock. The organic-rich shale of the Bagong Formation contains mixed organic matters, with the TOC of 0.65%–3.10% and the Ro value of 1.17%–1.59%, meeting the standard of moderate source rock. Fourth, four shallow wells (depth of 50–250 m) with oil shows have been found in the organic shales at 50–90 m in the lower part of the Bagong Formation and 30–75 m in the middle part of the Quse Formation. The crude oil contains a high content of saturated hydrocarbon. Analysis and testing of outcrop and shallow well samples confirm the presence of marine shale oil in the Bagong Formation and the Quse Formation. Good shale oil intervals in the Bagong Formation are observed in layers 18–20 in the lower part of the section, where the shales with (S0+S1) higher than 1 mg/g are 206.7 m thick, with the maximum and average (S0+S1) of 1.92 mg/g and 1.81 mg/g, respectively. Good shale oil intervals in the Quse Formation are found in layers 4–8 in the lower part of the section, where the shales with (S0+S1) higher than 1 mg/g are 58.8 m thick, with the maximum and average (S0+S1) of 6.46 mg/g and 2.23 mg/g, respectively.

In 2022, the risk exploration well Chongtan1 (CT1) in the Sichuan Basin revealed commercial oil and gas flow during test in a new zone – the marl of the second submember of the third member of Leikoupo Formation (Lei-32) of Middle Triassic, recording a significant discovery. However, the hydrocarbon accumulation in marl remains unclear, which restricts the selection and deployment of exploration area. Focusing on Well CT1, the hydrocarbon accumulation characteristics of Lei-32 marl are analyzed to clarify the potential zones for exploration. The following findings are obtained. First, according to the geochemical analysis of petroleum and source rocks, oil and gas in the Lei-32 marl of Well CT1 are originated from the same marl. The marl acts as both source rock and reservoir rock. Second, the Lei-32 marl in central Sichuan Basin is of lagoonal facies, with a thickness of 40–130 m, an area of about 40 000 km2, a hydrocarbon generation intensity of (4–12)×108 m3/km2, and an estimated quantity of generated hydrocarbons of 25×1012 m3. Third, the lagoonal marl reservoirs are widely distributed in central Sichuan Basin. Typically, in Xichong–Yilong, Ziyang–Jianyang and Moxi South, the reservoirs are 20–60 m thick and cover an area of 7500 km2. Fourth, hydrocarbons in the lagoonal marl are generated and stored in the Lei-32 marl, which means that marl serves as both source rock and reservoir rock. They represent a new type of unconventional resource, which is worthy of exploring. Fifth, based on the interpretation of 2D and 3D seismic data from central Sichuan Basin, Xichong and Suining are defined as favorable prospects with estimated resources of (2000–3000)×108 m3.

Porosity assessment is a vital component for reservoir evaluation in the oil and gas sector, and with technological advancement, reliance on conventional methods has decreased. In this regard, this research aims to reduce reliance on well logging, purposing successive machine learning (ML) techniques for precise porosity measurement. So, this research examines the prediction of the porosity curves in the Sui main and Sui upper limestone reservoir, utilizing ML approaches such as an artificial neural networks (ANN) and fuzzy logic (FL). Thus, the input dataset of this research includes gamma ray (GR), neutron porosity (NPHI), density (RHOB), and sonic (DT) logs amongst five drilled wells located in the Qadirpur gas field. The ANN model was trained using the backpropagation algorithm. For the FL model, ten bins were utilized, and Gaussian-shaped membership functions were chosen for ideal correspondence with the geophysical log dataset. The closeness of fit (C-fit) values for the ANN ranged from 91% to 98%, while the FL model exhibited variability from 90% to 95% throughout the wells. In addition, a similar dataset was used to evaluate multiple linear regression (MLR) for comparative analysis. The ANN and FL models achieved robust performance as compared to MLR, with R2 values of 0.955 (FL) and 0.988 (ANN) compared to 0.94 (MLR). The outcomes indicate that FL and ANN exceed MLR in predicting the porosity curve. Moreover, the significant R2 values and lowest root mean square error (RMSE) values support the potency of these advanced approaches. This research emphasizes the authenticity of FL and ANN in predicting the porosity curve. Thus, these techniques not only enhance natural resource exploitation within the region but also hold broader potential for worldwide applications in reservoir assessment.

The formation and evolution of dolomite reservoirs in the Sinian Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin have attracted much attention recently. Due to their economic significance for hosting natural gas resources, determining the key factors that govern the formation and evolution of these dolomite reservoirs are important for hydrocarbon exploration and development. Based on the drilling and seismic data in the Penglai-Zhongjiang area of the Sichuan Basin, the main controlling factors for the development of high-quality reservoirs in the second member of Dengying Formation are investigated by integrating core and thin section observation and geochemical analysis. Lithologies of the reservoirs in the second member of Dengying Formation are dominantly microbial dolomites, dolo-grainstones, and brecciaed dolomites. Moreover, reservoir spaces in these dolomites are mostly dissolution pores, residual framework pores, and breccia pores. The porosity ranges from 2.0% to 8.0% with an average of 4.39%, and the average permeability is 0.53×10-3 μm2, and the reservoir thickness is 170-320 m. Synsedimentary faulting had caused the differentiation of depositional paleo-geomorphology and led to the formation of submarine high barriers, which provided favorable conditions for the development of microbial mound (reef) and shoal complexes. Furthermore, fault activities could have broken the weakly consolidated carbonate sediments into breccias, thus resulting in the brecciaed dolomite reservoir. Penecontemporaneous dissolution is the key to the development of high-quality reservoirs in the second member of the Dengying Formation, which is consistent with their occurrence in the upper part of the shallowing-upward cycles. Differentiation in microfacies leads to distinct diagenetic pathways and porosity evolution of these microbial-dominant carbonate sediments. Overall, dolomite cementation during shallow burial had controlled thedegree of pore preservation. It is predicted that three fault-controlled, platform-margin mound regions in the study area, i.e., Penglai-Zhongjiang, Yanting-Mianyang, and Cangxi-Guangyuan, with areas of 1 600 km2, 1 870 km2 and 2 280 km2, respectively, had been developed in the second member of Dengying Formation in the north slope of the central Sichuan paleo-uplift, showing multi-stage and multi-zone characteristics. Microbial mounds in the platform margin of the second member of Dengying Formation in the Yanting-Mianyang and Cangxi-Guangyuan areas, with three sets of high-quality source rocks, may form a variety of favorable source-reservoir combinations. Additionally, the accumulation conditions may have been superior. The estimated natural gas resources in the study area, over one trillion square meters, makes it a favorable area for ultra-deep carbonate exploration and is expected to be a breakthrough site for the next one trillion square gas field in the Sichuan Basin.

Background. Better therapeutic drugs are required for treating hypertensive diabetic nephropathy. In our previous study, the Huaju Xiaoji (HJXJ) formula promoted the renal function of patients with diabetes and hypertensive nephropathy. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect and regulation mechanism of HJXJ in hypertensive diabetic mice with nephropathy. Methods. We constructed a mouse hypertensive diabetic nephropathy (HDN) model by treating mice with streptozotocin (STZ) and nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (LNAME). We also constructed a human glomerular mesangial cell (HGMC) model that was induced by high doses of sugar (30 mmol/mL) and TGFβ1 (5 ng/mL). Pathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, and Masson staining. The fibrosis-related molecules (TGFβ1, fibronectin, laminin, COL I, COL IV, α-SMA, and p-smad2/3) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA levels and protein expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress, fibrosis molecules, and their downstream molecules were assessed using qPCR and Western blotting assays. Results. Administering HJXJ promoted the renal function of HDN mice. HJXJ reduced the expression of ER stress makers (CHOP and GRP78) and lncMGC, miR379, miR494, miR495, miR377, CUGBP2, CPEB4, EDEM3, and ATF3 in HDN mice and model HGMCs. The positive control drugs (dapagliflozin and valsartan) also showed similar effects after treatment with HJXJ. Additionally, in model HGMCs, the overexpression of CHOP or lncMGC decreased the effects of HJXJ-M on the level of fibrosis molecules and downstream target molecules. Conclusion. In this study, we showed that the HJXJ formula may regulate ERS-lncMGC/miRNA to enhance renal function in hypertensive diabetic mice with nephropathy. This study may act as a reference for further investigating whether combining HJXJ with other drugs can enhance its therapeutic effect. The findings of this study might provide new insights into the clinical treatment of hypertensive diabetic nephropathy with HJXJ.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are capable of multidirectional differentiation, and engrafted BMSCs can be used to replace damaged chondrocytes for treatment of intervertebral disc disease. However, chondroblast differentiation of implanted BMSCs is inhibited by the anoxic environment of the articular cavity. Here, we found that leptin enhanced the transformation of BMSCs into chondrocytes under hypoxic conditions. BMSCs isolated from mice were cultured in medium supplemented with leptin under hypoxia. The expression of MFN1/2 and OPA1 were increased only in BMSCs cultured in an anoxic environment. In addition, in hypoxic environments cell energy metabolism relies on glycolysis regulated by leptin, rather than by mitochondrial oxidation. The expression of the de‐SUMOylation protease SENP1 was elevated, leading to SIRT3‐mediated activation of PGC‐1α; these processes were regulated by CREB phosphorylation, and promoted mitochondrial fusion and cell differentiation. The chondrogenic activity of BMSCs isolated from SIRT3‐knockout mice was lower than that of BMSCs isolated from wildtype mice. Implantation of SIRT3‐knockout murine‐derived BMSCs did not significantly improve the articular cartilage layer of the disc. In conclusion, the hypoxic microenvironment promoted BMSC differentiation into chondrocytes, whereas osteoblast differentiation was inhibited. SENP1 activated SIRT3 through the deSUMOylation of mitochondria and eliminated the antagonistic effect of SIRT3 acetylation on phosphorylation. When phosphorylation activity of CREB was increased, phosphorylated CREB is then transferred to the nucleus, affecting PGC‐1α. This promotes mitochondrial fusion and differentiation of BMSCs. Leptin not only maintains chondrogenic differentiation homeostasis of BMSCs, but also provides energy for differentiation of BMSCs under hypoxic conditions through glycolysis.

Since malicious nodes may manipulate voting elections through collusion attacks in consensus mechanism of DPoS, the security of block chain can not be guaranteed in the consensus process of DPoS.To deal with the problem, a method for detecting and preventing collusion attack in DPoS based on power index was proposed.Firstly, a weighted voting game model of DPoS was constructed based on the idea of power index in game theory, and the behavioral motivation of the malicious node could be analyzed.Then, the attacks were detected based on changing range of abnormal power index.During the process of preventing collusion attacks in DPoS, the Softsign activation function was adapted to suppress the power index of malicious nodes.Lastly, the effectiveness of the proposed method to detect and prevent collusion attacks in DPoS was verified through theoretical analysis and experiments.

As a newly emerging computing paradigm, edge computing shows great capability in supporting and boosting 5G and Internet-of-Things (IoT) oriented applications, e.g., scientific workflows with low-latency, elastic, and on-demand provisioning of computational resources. However, the geographically distributed IoT resources are usually interconnected with each other through unreliable communications and ever-changing contexts, which brings in strong heterogeneity, potential vulnerability, and instability of computing infrastructures at different levels. It thus remains a challenge to enforce high fault-tolerance of edge-IoT scientific computing task flows, especially when the supporting computing infrastructures are deployed in a collaborative, distributed, and dynamic environment that is prone to faults and failures. This work proposes a novel fault-tolerant scheduling approach for edge-IoT collaborative workflows. The proposed approach first conducts a dependency-based task allocation analysis, then leverages a Primary-Backup (PB) strategy for tolerating task failures that occur at edge nodes, and finally designs a deep Q-learning algorithm for identifying the near-optimal workflow task scheduling scheme. We conduct extensive simulative case studies on multiple randomly-generated workflow and real-world edge-IoT server position datasets. Results clearly suggest that our proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art competitors in terms of task completion ratio, server active time, and resource utilization.

Abstract With the skyrocketing need for low-latency services on the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and elastic cross-layer resource provisioning, multi-access edge computing (MEC) is considered a high-potent solution, which evolves from cloud and grid computing to meet the above needs in IoV scenarios. Instead of considering single-point and monolithic IoV tasks, in this paper, we consider the IoV applications to be with structural properties and the supporting environment to be with a hybrid cloud-edge architecture. We develop a scheduling method that offloads tasks to the eNode or cloud according to their estimations of latest starting time. Simulative results clearly demonstrate that our method beat existing solutions in terms of average completion time, average waiting time, and in-time completion rate.

Methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) is a kind of antioxidant enzyme that can scavenge free radicals and repair oxidized proteins by reducing methionine sulfoxide to active methionine. Studies have shown that Msr play an important role in regulating ripening, senescence, and stress resistance of fruit and vegetable. In this paper, the classification of Msr is summarized. In addition, the research progresses on the substrates of Msr, gene families encoding Msr, and its role in regulating fruit and vegetable metabolism and stress response are reviewed. This paper would provide theoretical references for further studying the types and functions of Msr in fruit and vegetable crops, as well as improving the quality and stress resistance of fruit and vegetables by genetic engineering.

The mechanical properties of soil rock mixture (S-RM) are complex, especially the strength deterioration after encountering water, which readily leads to engineering instability. A series of large triaxial tests of S-RM with different water contents under various confining pressures were performed, the mechanical properties of S-RM were explored from a macroscopic perspective. The constitutive model of S-RM – an extended Duncan-Chang (DC) model considering water content – was developed. The results show that: (a) the stress-strain curves of S-RM are strain hardening type, the peak strength decreases non-linearly with the increase of water content, the higher the water content of sample, the more significant the bulging phenomenon and the more numerous and extensive the surface cracks; (b) the cohesion c and internal friction angle φ of S-RM both decrease approximately linearly with the increase of water content, and the secant modulus decreases significantly with the increase of water content, the reason of which can be attributed to the porosity and compression characteristics of S-RM; (c) the extended DC model can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of S-RM affected by water under triaxial test conditions. The material constant K, failure ratio Rf, c, and φ are all related to water content ω, while material constant n is independent, only ω, n, maximum principal stress σ1, and minimum principal stress σ3 are needed to determine the tangent modulus of the DC model of S-RM. The results can provide an experimental basis and mechanical understanding applicable to engineering practice in an S-RM formation.

Surrounding rock pressure is a crucial parameter in tunnel engineering design, and its calculation is a classic challenge. The surrounding rock pressure is influenced by geostress, but existing calculation methods often do not take into account the effect of geostress. In this paper, finite discrete element method (FDEM) is used to study the design values of tunnel surrounding rock pressure under different geostress fields. Firstly, a set of calibration methods for input parameters of FDEM is summarized based on previous studies. Then, taking a high-speed railway tunnel in IV-level surrounding rock as an example, the excavation-induced failure process of the tunnel under the influence of gravity stress field and geostress field is simulated using the FDEM. By comparing the results with those of the finite element method simulation, the rationality of applying FDEM to the simulation of tunnel excavation is demonstrated. Next, a calculation method of surrounding rock pressure design value based on FDEM is proposed by introducing tunnel displacement criterion, and its validity is verified by comparing with the results of the theoretical formula. Finally, the surrounding rock pressure design values under different geostress are analyzed by using this calculation method. The results show that there are significant differences between the gravity stress field and the geostress field in the maximum principal stress distribution, failure zone form and crack distribution. The geostress directly influences the design value of surrounding rock pressure. As the geostress varies from 4MPa to 12MPa, the corresponding design value increases from 49KPa to 1,288KPa, illustrating a quadratic relationship between them. With the corresponding design support force, the displacement of the surrounding rock is controlled within a reasonable range, ensuring the stability of the tunnel is maintained.

In the construction project, rock mass is often destroyed from the joint plane, and the jointed rock mass is easy to be eroded by freeze-thaw environment. Therefore, the damage mechanical properties of filled jointed rock mass under freeze-thaw action are very important for construction disaster prevention, engineering safety evaluation and reinforcement. In order to research the effect of the freeze-thaw cycle on the mechanical deterioration properties and damage characteristics of filled jointed rocks, prefabricated filled jointed rock samples are tested with different numbers of freeze-thaw cycles under the temperature range of -20°C~20°C. Then the wave velocity test, static compression test and SHPB impact test are conducted on the rock samples after freeze-thaw. Based on the test results, the change regularity of wave velocity degradation, static compression mechanical properties and dynamic compression mechanical properties of filled jointed rocks under the effect of freeze-thaw cycles were analyzed. The results show that the wave velocity, static compressive strength and dynamic compressive strength of the filled jointed rocks all show a downtrend with the increase of the number of freeze-thaw cycles, and each parameter is positively correlated with the strength of the filling materials. Among them, the decrease in the wave velocity of the rock sample after 30 freeze-thaw cycles is greater than 30%, and the strength loss of the static peak compressive strength exceeds half of its initial strength. The static peak strain rises exponentially with the increase of the number of freeze-thaw cycles while the dynamic peak strain does not show a clear trend. The dynamic peak strain is about 1/10 to 1/5 of the static peak strain. Under the same freeze-thaw action, the lower the strength of filling material, the more serious the damage.

Natural disasters, notably landslides, pose significant threats to communities and infrastructure. Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) has been globally deemed as an effective tool to mitigate such threats. In this regard, this study considers the northern region of Pakistan, which is primarily susceptible to landslides amid rugged topography, frequent seismic events, and seasonal rainfall, to carry out LSM. To achieve this goal, this study pioneered the fusion of baseline models (logistic regression (LR), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM)) with ensembled algorithms (Cascade Generalization (CG), random forest (RF), Light Gradient-Boosting Machine (LightGBM), AdaBoost, Dagging, and XGBoost). With a dataset comprising 228 landslide inventory maps, this study employed a random forest classifier and a correlation-based feature selection (CFS) approach to identify the twelve most significant parameters instigating landslides. The evaluated parameters included slope angle, elevation, aspect, geological features, and proximity to faults, roads, and streams, and slope was revealed as the primary factor influencing landslide distribution, followed by aspect and rainfall with a minute margin. The models, validated with an AUC of 0.784, ACC of 0.912, and K of 0.394 for logistic regression (LR), as well as an AUC of 0.907, ACC of 0.927, and K of 0.620 for XGBoost, highlight the practical effectiveness and potency of LSM. The results revealed the superior performance of LR among the baseline models and XGBoost among the ensembles, which contributed to the development of precise LSM for the study area. LSM may serve as a valuable tool for guiding precise risk-mitigation strategies and policies in geohazard-prone regions at national and global scales.

Traffic congestion prediction has become an indispensable component of an intelligent transport system. However, one limitation of the existing methods is that they treat the effects of spatio-temporal correlations on traffic prediction as invariable during modeling spatio-temporal features, which results in inadequate modeling. In this paper, we propose an attention-based spatio-temporal 3D residual neural network, named AST3DRNet, to directly forecast the congestion levels of road networks in a city. AST3DRNet combines a 3D residual network and a self-attention mechanism together to efficiently model the spatial and temporal information of traffic congestion data. Specifically, by stacking 3D residual units and 3D convolution, we proposed a 3D convolution module that can simultaneously capture various spatio-temporal correlations. Furthermore, a novel spatio-temporal attention module is proposed to explicitly model the different contributions of spatio-temporal correlations in both spatial and temporal dimensions through the self-attention mechanism. Extensive experiments are conducted on a real-world traffic congestion dataset in Kunming, and the results demonstrate that AST3DRNet outperforms the baselines in short-term (5/10/15 min) traffic congestion predictions with an average accuracy improvement of 59.05%, 64.69%, and 48.22%, respectively.

The muddy limestone in the Lei32 sub-member of the Middle Triassic Leikoupo Formation in the well Chongtan 1 (CT1) of the Sichuan Basin has yielded promising industrial oil and gas production. This discovery has the potential to become a significant strategic reservoir in the future for oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin. However, the understanding of hydrocarbon accumulation in the muddy limestone of the Lei32 sub-member remains insufficient, which poses limitations on further exploration selection and deployment strategies. This study focuses on the analysis of core samples and laboratory data in the wells CT1 and Jianyang 1 (JY1), aiming to investigate the source rock and reservoir characteristics of the muddy limestone in the Lei32 sub-member, as well as the primary controlling factors influencing the development of the source rock and reservoir. The results show that the Lei32 sub-member in the Central Sichuan Basin is an evaporated lagoon deposition; the tight argillaceous limestone and limy mudstone exhibit the characteristic of source–reservoir integration, belonging to a new type of unconventional oil and gas reservoir. The reservoir space of the argillaceous limestone and limy mudstone in the Lei32 sub-member primarily consists of inorganic and organic micro–nanopores and microfractures. The average porosity and permeability are 2.7% and 0.19 mD, indicating a low-porosity and low-permeability unconventional reservoir. The clay minerals and gypsum content are the important factors influencing reservoir porosity, and the fractures are key factors influencing permeability. This study will elucidate the specific features of hydrocarbon accumulation in the muddy limestone reservoirs of the Lei32 sub-member and provide insights into its exploration potential.

Background: To analyze the impact of a multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and treatment (MDT) management in obstetric outpatient departments on the outcome of high-risk pregnancies, and to summarize the experience and to improve the diagnosis and treatment ability of for critically ill obstetric patients. Method: Two hundred sixty-six pregnant and lying-in women with multidisciplinary treatment were selected for retrospective analysis. According to the criteria, 176 high-risk pregnant women were included, including 83 cases of outpatient MDT and 93 cases of inpatient MDT. The classification of pregnancy diseases and pregnancy risk was carried out. The source of high-risk pregnant women, the distribution and number of collaborative clinics, the classification of major diseases, the classification of pregnancy risk, the mode of delivery, the condition of labor, and pregnancy outcome were all analyzed to determine the impact of participating in MDT timing on adverse pregnancy outcomes through logistic regression analysis. Result: (1) The top 3 diseases in high risk pregnant women undergoing MDT were pregnancy with cardiac disease 42.6% (75/176), pregnancy with hypertension 14.2% (25/176), and pregnancy with immune system disease 11.9% (21/176). Among pregnant women with cardiac disease, 38 (50.7%) were mainly congenital cardiac disease. (2) The number of high-risk pregnant women with MDT in the hospital was more than that in the outpatient department (p < 0.05), and the number of departments involved in MDT in the hospital was more than that in the outpatient department (p < 0.05). The proportion of pregnant women with pregnancy risk grade of I–III in outpatient MDT cardiac disease was higher than that in inpatient MDT (p < 0.05), while the pregnant women with pregnancy risk grade of IV–V were all inpatient MDT cardiac disease with the majority being in late pregnancy (12/16). (3) The high-risk pregnant women who received MDT in the late pregnancy had a red risk level, which was higher than that then in early and middle pregnancy (p < 0.05). There was a higher rate of premature delivery, multiple organ damage, intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring, cesarean section, and neonatal asphyxia in high-risk pregnant women with later MDT gestational age (p < 0.05). The late timing of participating in MDT was a risk factor for ultimately developing adverse pregnancy outcomes (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Outpatient MDT management can effectively improve the pregnancy outcome of high-risk pregnant women, early outpatient MDT mode management should be actively promoted, and a comprehensive and professional MDT team should be utilized to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes.

With complex topographic and hydrological characteristics, the landslide-induced surge disaster chain readily develops in mountainous and gorge areas, posing a huge challenge for infrastructure construction. This landslide-induced surge disaster chain involves a complex fluid-solid coupling between the landslide mass and a water body and exhibits complex energy conversion and dissipation characteristics, which is challenging to deal with using traditional finite element analysis. In this study, the energy evolution characteristics in the whole process of the disaster chain were first investigated, and the momentum-conservation equations for different stages were established. Then, the two-phase double-point material point method (TPDP-MPM) was used to model the landslide-induced surge disaster chain, and an experiment involving block-induced surge was modeled and simulated to validate this method. Finally, three generalized models were established for the landslide-induced surge process in a U-shaped valley, including subaerial, partly submerged, and submarine scenarios. The interaction mechanism between the landslide mass and the water body in the disaster chain was revealed by defining the system energy conversion ratio and the mechanism of evolution of the disaster chain from the perspective of energy. The results help further evaluate the secondary disasters, given the submerged position of the landslide mass.

Based on outcrop, drilling, logging and seismic data, the reservoir forming conditions, reservoir forming model and exploration potential of the ultra-deep Sinian Dengying Formation at the northwest margin of Yangtze craton region were examined. (1) This area is in craton rifting stage from Sinian to Early Cambrian, characterized by syn-sedimentary faults and rapid subsidence, significant sedimentary differences, and development of Dengying Formation platform margins on both sides of the rift. (2) The Sinian–Cambrian in this area has two sets of high-quality source rocks, Doushantuo Formation and Maidiping–Qiongzhusi Formation; of which, the latter has a thickness of 150–600 m and hydrocarbon generation intensity of (100–200)×108 m3/km2. (3) The mounds and shoals in the platform margin of Sinian Dengying Formation controlled by faults are thick and distributed in rows and zones; they are reformed by contemporaneous–quasi-contemporaneous and supergene karstification jointly, forming pore-type reservoirs with a thickness of 200–400 m. (4) The two sets of source rocks enter oil generation windows from Permian to Early Triassic, and the oil migrates a short distance to the lithologic traps of mounds and shoals to form a huge scale paleo-oil reservoir group; from Late Triassic to Jurassic, the oil in the paleo-oil reservoirs is cracked into gas, laying the foundation of present natural gas reservoirs. (5) The mound–shoal body at the platform margin of Dengying Formation and the two sets of high-quality source rocks combine into several types of favorable source-reservoir combinations, which, with the advantage of near-source and high-efficiency reservoir formation, and can form large lithologic gas reservoirs. The Mianyang–Jiange area is a potential large gas field with trillion cubic meters of reserves. According to seismic prediction, the Laoguanmiao structure in this area has the Deng-2 Member mound-shoal reservoir of about 1300 km2 making it a ultra-deep target worthy of exploration in the near future.

The joint roughness coefficient JRC of rock joints is an important parameter for measuring the geometric morphology of rock joints. However, the parameter obtained from traditional calculation methods has certain limitations in reflecting the differences in shear strength of rock joints in different shear directions with the same orientation. Firstly, native joint surface test blocks were cast using three-dimensional reverse reconstruction technology. Subsequently, direct shear tests were conducted under different normal stress and shear direction conditions, followed by numerical simulations using the finite difference software Flac3d. The JRC coefficient calculation method proposed by Yuan was modified and extended by considering the percentage of climbing sections and the effective contact area during the ramping process. This study indicates that the numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the shear test results. The introduction of the shear climbing rate SCR and the curvature coefficient of profile CCP is used to reflect the geometric differences of the joint surfaces in different shear directions. These two parameters are nonlinearly fitted with the experimental results, leading to a calculation formula that characterizes the shear strength characteristics of the joint surfaces in different shear directions. This novel formula is an extension of the JRC–JCS model.

Abstract Background Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in the regulation of gene expression, which is indispensable in plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses. In Arabidopsis and rice, the molecular functions of HDACs have been well-described. However, systematic analysis of the HDAC gene family and gene expression in response to biotic and abiotic stresses has not been reported for sorghum. Results We conducted a systematic analysis of the sorghum HDAC gene family and identified 19 SbHDACs mainly distributed on eight chromosomes. Phylogenetic tree analysis of SbHDACs showed that the gene family was divided into three subfamilies: RPD3/HDA1, SIR2, and HD2. Tissue-specific expression results showed that SbHDACs displayed different expression patterns in different tissues, indicating that these genes may perform different functions in growth and development. The expression pattern of SbHDACs under different stresses (high and low temperature, drought, osmotic and salt) and pathogen-associated molecular model (PAMPs) elf18, chitin, and flg22) indicated that SbHDAC genes may participate in adversity responses and biological stress defenses. Overexpression of SbHDA1, SbHDA3, SbHDT2 and SbSRT2 in Escherichia coli promoted the growth of recombinant cells under abiotic stress. Interestingly, we also showed that the sorghum acetylation level was enhanced when plants were under cold, heat, drought, osmotic and salt stresses. The findings will help us to understand the HDAC gene family in sorghum, and illuminate the molecular mechanism of the responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Conclusion We have identified and classified 19 HDAC genes in sorghum. Our data provides insights into the evolution of the HDAC gene family and further support the hypothesis that these genes are important for the plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses.

The cutting hills to back ditches (CHBD) project has been widely implemented since urbanization in hilly areas is steadily rising. The stability of the high-filled slope and the problem of foundation settlement deformation has become one of the vital issues for safe construction. This paper focused on the deformation evolution law and stability assessment of the high-filled deposit slope composed of the soil-rock mixture (S-RM) in the CHBD project, in Shiyan City, Hubei Province as examples. First, large-scale direct shear tests of S-RM with different rock block proportions (RBPs) under different various normal stresses were carried out, and its mechanical properties were analyzed. Next, the finite element method was used to simulate the processes of the step-by-step filling, and the deformation evolution law was analyzed. Then, the limited equilibrium method (LEM) was used to obtain the potential sliding surfaces and the corresponding safety factors of the high-filled slope, and the safety of the construction was assessed. Finally, automated monitoring of the step-by-step settlement and deep soil deformation was computerized for the typical locations, and the long-term stability of the high-filled slope was studied. The results demonstrate that the first layer of backfill in the F area contains the largest incremental settlement displacement in the y-direction, whereas the value in the G area occurs at the site of the fill layer close to the slope surface at each filling timestep. The displacement response value steadily declines with the increasing filling depth and horizontal displacement, presenting a clear spatial influence range, with the site of maximum incremental displacement as the center. After filling, the safety factors of the potential sliding surface in the F and G areas are 2.531 and 1.118, respectively, and the slope is in a stable state. The monitoring data show that the deformation mostly takes place within 10 m of the surface. The study’s findings are thought to offer technical and practical knowledge for the slope risks.

Understanding geological variance in a proved reservoir requires accurate as well as exact characterization of lithological facies. In the Kadanwari gas field, machine learning (ML) classification algorithms have been used to forecast facies on such an accessible dataset. The goal is to increase the reliability of facies categorization using a rigorous application of machine learning. In the current study to identify lithofacies, we have used the self-organizing map (SOM) and crossplot techniques. In the classification of the reservoir, recognition of lithofacies is the main piece of work. It is expensive to identify lithofacies with conventional methods from core data, and it is challenging to extend this application to non-cored wells. This research provides a less expensive method for the systematic and objective recognition of lithofacies through well-log data by Kohonen SOM. The SOMs are human-made neural networks that do not need surveillance and map the input space into groups in the structure as topology is arranged according to the input data changes. The results of SOM and crossplot indicates that the zone of interest is mainly composed of sandstone, shaly sandstone, shale with diminutive amount of carbonates. The cluster analysis approach has been utilized to categorize the reservoir rock groups in the Cretaceous reservoir for the Kadanwari gas field by analyzing the variance of reservoir properties data that are forecast by examining well log dimensions. Four groups of reservoirs were concluded, each of which was internally identical in petrophysical properties but distinct from the others. The reservoir mainly composed of sandstone is graded as excellent reservoir, while shale is graded as poor reservoir.

In the field of shield tunnels, the occurrence of uneven longitudinal settlement in segment linings has presented persistent challenges, including heightened risks of localized damage and water leakage. While the adoption of a secondary lining has been proposed as a viable solution to these issues, the question of how to select an appropriate construction time for the secondary lining, one that enables it to fully harness its load-bearing capacity while optimizing the tunnel’s overall stress and deformation characteristics, continues to be a pressing concern. To address this issue, this study established a three-dimensional longitudinal refined numerical model of double-layer-lined shield tunnel. In addition, the deformation degree of the segment lining was used as a time indicator to define the construction time for the secondary lining. Subsequently, an analysis of the impact of the construction time of the secondary lining on the longitudinal mechanical properties of the double-layer-lined shield tunnel is conducted through an assessment of tunnel longitudinal deformation and structural stress. The research findings indicated that the construction of the secondary lining improved the longitudinal deformation resistance of shield tunnels. Simultaneously, it led to a significant increase in the longitudinal shear forces within the segment lining and a notable reduction in longitudinal bending moments. Moreover, the construction time of the secondary lining played a pivotal role in these alterations. Considering the longitudinal force situations and load-bearing characteristics of the double-layer lining structure, it was determined that the optimal construction time for the secondary lining fell within the range of 20% to 40% of the total construction duration. In this scenario, the deformation and internal forces within the segment lining remained within permissible limits. Additionally, both the segment lining and the secondary lining were able to fully utilize their load-bearing capacities, ensuring the economic and safety aspects of the tunnel.

Backgrounds: To investigate the use of vascular ligation in the treatment of pernicious placenta previa. Methods: Clinical data from 199 patients with pernicious placenta previa were collected and divided into groups according to placenta location, placenta accretion and vessel ligation, the pregnancy outcome of each group was compared. Results: The unplanned reoperation rate was lower for the internal iliac artery ligation group than the group without internal iliac artery ligation (p < 0.05). The intraoperative bleeding volume, blood transfusion volume, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate were lower for the prophylactic internal iliac artery ligation group than the therapeutic ligation group (p < 0.05), and in the hysterectomy patients, intraoperative bleeding was lower in the prophylactic internal iliac artery ligation group than the therapeutic ligation group (p < 0.05). The hysterectomy rate was lower for the uterine artery ligation group than the group without uterine artery ligation (p < 0.05); and for superficial and deep placental accreta, the operation time of uterine artery ligation group was shorter than internal iliac artery ligation group, intraoperative bleeding volume, blood transfusion volume, and ICU admission rate have no significant difference, when placental penetrating implantation was performed, patients with internal iliac artery ligation were statistically more severely ill, but there was no difference in prognosis. Conclusions: Vascular ligation is an effective means of managing high-risk obstetric bleeding and helps to avoid hysterectomy and unplanned reoperation, but surgeons need to choose the appropriate ligation method to improve patient prognosis, considering the patient’s condition and his or her skills.

The basin-mountain transition regions of foreland basins are hot spots for hydrocarbon exploration worldwide, while the complex geological features and hydrocarbon accumulation rules make hydrocarbon exploration very difficult. The Northwestern Sichuan Basin is a typical case where the unclear distribution rules restrict the further exploration of natural gas. In this study, geochemistry and seismic profile data were comprehensively used to reveal the main factors controlling hydrocarbon accumulation in the Northwestern Sichuan Basin. The Lower Cambrian and the Upper- Middle Permian source rocks have different carbon isotope compositions, indicating that they have different kerogen types, sapropelic kerogen for the Lower Cambrian source rocks, mixed kerogen for the Middle Permian source rocks and humic kerogen for the Upper Permian source rocks. The Northwestern Sichuan Basin can be divided into the unfaulted belt, the thrust front belt and the thrust nappe belt. The thrust nappe belt develops many large thrust faults, and the natural gas there mainly originates from the Lower Cambrian source rocks. However, due to different denudation of regional caprocks, hydrocarbons in the area adjacent to the Longmen Mountain fold-and-thrust system were destroyed, while in the area adjacent to the thrust front belt, they had good preservation conditions. The thrust front belt and the unfaulted belt develop a few or few thrust faults, and the natural gas there mainly originates from the Upper-Middle Permian source rocks and has good preservation conditions due to no denudation of regional caprocks. The distribution of thrust faults controls the natural gas origins in different areas, and the preservation conditions determine whether the gas reservoirs can survive to the present. These conclusions can provide guidance for natural gas exploration in the Northwestern Sichuan Basin and other basin-mountain transition regions in foreland basins worldwide.

This study involved an interpretation of wire-line logs in assessing the hydrocarbon capacity of the sandstone reservoir within the gas fields of Kadanwari, Sindh, Pakistan. Wire-line logs from four wells (KD-01, KD-03, KD-10 and KD-11) were used in our research and provided interpretation for thirteen reservoir zones. Reservoir analyses were done for effective porosity (ϕeff), shale content (Vsh), net pay thickness variations, water saturation, and hydrocarbon (Sw and Shc). Hydrocarbon-bearing zones consist of high values of resistivity, permeability, porosity, low water saturation content, and less shale content, indicating the presence of clean sand. The Thomas Stieber model findings show that in lower Goru sand, the laminated form of shale distribution persists. Sub-reservoirs’ petrophysical parameters were analyzed and ranked into a good sand reservoir quality (having ϕeff ∼0.11-0.44%), permeability (∼10.539-477.76 mD), hydrocarbon saturation (having Shc ∼0.59-0.86%), and water saturation (having Sw ∼0.18-0.45%). In the current research Indonesian model has been used to test for water saturation over a shaly-sand reservoir situated in a heterogeneous zone. It was observed that each well exhibited Sw at values lesser than 60%. This is indicative the selected zone has a hydrocarbon potential, and the hydrocarbons are of good quality. Isoparametric maps and crossplots of litho-saturation results reveal variations in the horizontal and vertical petrophysical parameters of the reservoir. The subsurface reservoir geographical distribution is visualized employing isoparametric maps. The fuel treasure in the southwestern section of the study area is enormous, as revealed by the petrophysical investigations, suggesting more well-drilling prospects in the gas fields of the lower Goru Formation situated in Kadanwari. Our research identified a quality hydrocarbon hotspot zone of immense economic value in Southern Kadanwari. In contrast, more research is needed regarding the northeastern section though our present findings suggest the northeastern section should be avoided because of excess shale and high-water concentrations.

Abstract The aim of this study is to establish the expression of ATP-sensitive potassium channels(KATP) in human umbilical arteries with severe pre-eclampsia. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of KATP channel subunits Kir6.1 and SUR2B in human umbilical arteries from normal pregnant and those with severe pre-eclampsia, early onset severe pre-eclampsia and late onset severe pre-eclampsia. The mRNA and protein levels of SUR2B in the severe pre-eclampsia group were lower than those in the normal group (P 0.05). The mRNA and protein levels of SUR2B in early onset severe pre-eclampsia group were lower than those in late onset severe pre-eclampsia group (P 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression levels of SUR2B in pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia were lower than those in normal pregnant women, suggesting that the expression of the SUR2B of the KATP channel may be related to the occurrence and development of severe pre-eclampsia. Compared with late onset severe pre-eclampsia, the mRNA and protein expression levels of SUR2B were lower in the umbilical arteries of women with early onset severe pre-eclampsia, suggesting that the occurrence time of severe pre-eclampsia may be related to the extent reduced expression of the SUR2B of the KATP channel.

The Mid-Permian Maokou Formation in the Sichuan Basin shows good petroleum prospectivity. However, knowledge of the stratigraphy in the northern and eastern Sichuan Basin during the late Maokou period are still unclear. The interface between the Maokou and Wujiaping formations was re-identified, and the sedimentary pattern in the study area during the late Maokou period was clarified based on the logging data from 120 wells combined with the measured data of three field profiles. The results suggest the following. (1) Natural gamma-ray spectral logging can effectively identify the siliceous sediments at the top of Maokou Formation and the mud shale at the bottom of Wujiaping Formation. According to a new stratigraphic division, the erosional edge on LHST2 section of Maokou Formation moved eastward to the Kaixian area. (2) Tectonic subsidence controlled the eastward thinning and the sedimentary evolution in the late Maokou period. (3) The sedimentary evolution in the late Maokou period was from the homoclinal carbonate ramp facies to the distal steepening ramp facies, and then to the weak rimmed platform facies. Distal steepening ramp facies controlled the formation of dolomite and siliceous sediments, while the weak rimmed platform facies controlled the formation of the platform margin.

A set of "special lithology" tight reservoirs related to volcanic activity developed widely in the lower submember of the first member of Cretaceous Tengger Formation (K1bt1x) in the A'nan Sag, Erlian Basin, which is the main target for tight oil exploration. Based on section observation, physical property analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry, CT scanning and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the characteristics and main controlling factors of "sweet spots" of tight oil reservoirs with different lithologies in the K1bt1x were studied. Tuffaceous rocks, sandstones, dolomites and mudstones developed in the K1bt1x, and tuffaceous rocks and sandstones are the favorable lithologies for the development of tight oil reservoirs. The reservoir space consists of dissolved pores, intercrystalline micropores, residual intergranular pores, drainage pores and microfractures. The main reservoir space of tuff includes devitrified intercrystalline pores and dissolution pores, whereas that of sandstone includes residual intergranular pores and dissolution pores. The reservoir pore structures can be divided into 3 types and 4 subtypes. The thin-layered tuff and fine sandstone with solution pores have better pore structures, but the sedimentary tuff and dolomite have poor pore structures. The reservoir has a strong oil content heterogeneity controlled by reservoir lithology, porosity and permeability. The development of "sweet spots" in tuffaceous tight reservoirs is mainly controlled by the volcaniclastic deposition, devitrification and dissolution, while the development of "sweet spots" in sandstone reservoirs is mainly controlled by sedimentary microfacies, rock structure and dissolution.

AbstractThe structural plane plays a decisive role in the development processes of rockburst. In this paper, Barton-Bandis criterion of structural plane and its conversion relationship with Mohr-Coulomb criterion are discussed in detail. Firstly, when the structural plane obeys Barton-Bandis criterion, the value range of the dip angle of the structural plane when it is yield is deduced theoretically, and the yield function of the structural plane is proposed: F=sinA−2β+PsinA. The correctness of the theoretical derivation result is verified by a mapping method and numerical simulation method. Secondly, based on the result of theoretical derivation and assuming that rock obeys Mohr-Coulomb criterion, a fast identification method for the failure modes of rock mass is proposed. The failure modes of rock mass are divided into “no failure”, “failure along structural plane”, “failure along rock”, and “failure along both rock and structural plane”, and the correctness of the fast identification method is verified by numerical simulation. Finally, from the perspective of structural plane failure, a new method for converting Barton-Bandis criterion to Mohr-Coulomb criterion is proposed. Based on the yield of structural plane and relative error of displacement, the differences between the new method and existing conversion methods are compared. The results show that the yield condition determined by the new method is consistent with those determined by Barton-Bandis criterion, and the relative error of displacement is less than the tangent regression method and linear fitting method. In summary, the relevant methods and conclusions of this paper provide theoretical support and technical guidance for the mutual conversion between different criteria and the prediction and identification of rock mass failure modes in rockburst.

Abstract Background A successful osseointegration of total hip arthroplasty (THA) relies on the interplay of implant surface and bone marrow microenvironment. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of perioperative biochemical molecules (Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, VD, PTH) on the bone marrow osteogenetic factors (BMP2, BMP7, Stro-1+ cells) in the metaphyseal region of the femoral head, and further on the bone mineral density (BMD) of Gruen R3. Methods Bone marrow aspirates were obtained from the discarded metaphysis region of the femoral head in 51 patients with THA. Flow cytometry was used to measure the Stro-1+ expressing cells. ELISA was used to measure the concentrations of bone morphologic proteins (BMP2 and BMP7) and the content of TRACP5b in serum. TRAP staining was used to detect the osteoclast activity in the hip joint. The perioperative concentrations of the biochemical molecules above were measured by radioimmunoassay. The BMD of Gruen zone R3 was examined at 6 months after THA, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results Our data demonstrated that the concentration of Ca2+ was positively correlated with BMP7 expression, and with the postoperative BMD of Gruen zone R3. However, the concentration of Mg2+ had little impact on the R3 BMD, although it was negatively correlated with the expression of BMP7. Osteoclast activity in hip joint tissue of patients with femoral neck fractures was increased. Compared with the patients before THA, the levels of TRACP5b in serum of patients after THA were decreased. The data also suggested that the other biochemical molecules, such as Zn2+, VD, and PTH, were not significantly correlated with any bone marrow osteogenetic factors (BMP2, BMP7, Stro-1+ cells). The postoperative R3 BMD of patients of different gender and age had no significant difference. Conclusions These results indicate the local concentration of Ca2+ may be an indicator for the prognosis of THA patients.

To construct a giant Sichuan gas province, it is in an urgent need of exploring new replacement areas with abundant natural gas resources and great exploration potential. In this paper, the formation conditions (e.g. source rock, reservoir and play) and the distribution laws of the deep-seated old giant marine carbonate oil/gas fields in China's Craton Basins were investigated systematically. Then, the accumulation and enrichment conditions of deep Sinian natural gas in the Sichuan Basin were analyzed. Finally, potential and favorable target zones of natural gas exploration in the Dengying Formation of Upper Sinian were evaluated. And the following research results were obtained. Firstly, the effectiveness and scale of source kitchens, reservoirs and reservoir–caprock assemblages and the proximity are the necessary conditions for the formation of deep-seated giant carbonate oil/gas fields, and paleo-uplifts, paleo-slopes and paleo-fault zones are the favorable areas of searching deep-seated giant carbonate oil/gas fields. Secondly, in the Sichuan Basin, three sets of high-quality source rocks are developed in the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian System, and their maturity of organic matter is still in the optimal window for cracking gas, so the gas generation scale is large. Thirdly, after the microbial carbonate rocks of Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin were reconstructed by constructive diagenesis, effective reservoirs are formed and distributed widely. Fourthly, owing to the integrated source rocks and cap rocks of Dengying Formation, the marginal platform and the intra platform have favorable conditions for proximal hydrocarbon accumulation. In conclusion, the deep Sinian in the Sichuan Basin has good conditions of hydrocarbon accumulation and it is an important replacement area of natural gas exploration. Paleo-uplifts and slopes in the central Sichuan Basin have been the favorable locations of natural gas accumulation for a long period. Large-scale exploration shall focus on four favorable areas, including the marginal platform zone in the fourth member of Dengying Formation, the marginal platform zone in the second member of Dengying Formation, the bioherm shoalbody of Dengying Formation intra platform in the paleo-uplifts and slopes of the central Sichuan Basin, and the bioherm shoalbody of Dengying Formation in the eastern Sichuan Basin.

In recent years, cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of global disease burden. Extensive efforts have been made across basic, translational, and clinical research domains to curb the CVD epidemic and improve the health of the population. The successful completion of the Human Genome Project catapulted sequencing technology into the mainstream and aroused the interests of clinicians and scientific researchers alike. Advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), which is based on the transcriptional phenotypes of individual cells, have enabled the investigation of cellular fate, heterogeneity, and cell–cell interactions, as well as cell lineage determination, at a single-cell resolution. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the embryological development of the cardiovascular system and the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, as revealed by scRNA-seq technology. In particular, we discuss how scRNA-seq can help identify potential targets for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and conclude with future perspectives for scRNA-seq.

As the typical multi-phase geotechnical material, the particle size distribution of the natural soil–rock mixture (S–RM) has a significant impact on the structural and mechanical properties. The coarse grain content used in the laboratory and simulation tests falls short of accurately describing the particle size distribution feature of the entire material. The main subject of this article is the influence of the fractal dimension on mechanical behaviors based on the fractal theory. The double fractal characteristics were principally discussed along with the typical particle size distribution characteristics of the S–RM in the Three Gorges Reservoir and southwest China. The influence of the various fractal dimensions on the mechanical behaviors of S–RM was then investigated using three groups of large–scale triaxial tests, and the responses of the linear and nonlinear strength indexes were analyzed. The results show that the stress–strain curves of S–RM in the hyperbolic shape are visible under various confining pressure, and the nonlinear strength characteristics can be observed. The coarse grain content exhibits a negative correlation to the average fraction dimension. The difference between the coarse and fine grain fraction dimensions becomes considerably more obvious as the coarse grain content increases, which also increases the error when using the average fractal dimension. The voids between the coarse grains cannot be filled with the fine grains as the grain coarseness grows, resulting in a loose structure and a contact frictional effect, which lowers cohesion and raises the peak friction angle.

Deposit landslides are one of the most representative geological hazards around the world, and the poor understanding of the mechanical characteristics of the soilrock mixture (S-RM) increases the difficulties in evaluating the stability of the deposit slope subjected to rainfall. This study attempted to propose an innovative strength parameter estimation method of the S-RM based on the concept and format of the generalized HoekBrown criterion. The system of “rock blocks–soil–contact surface” was considered the main source providing resistance to the external force, and the effect of the soil matrix, rock blocks, and the contact surface between them was taken into account. The verification of the estimation method was proved based on the abundant test data. A typical deposit slope located in the Taoyuan region of Yunnan Province, China, was selected as a case study, and the estimation method was applied to provide the shear parameters of the S-RM. The slope stability subjected to different types of rainfall was analyzed considering the parameter deteriorations, and the results show that the deposit landslide is more prone to the wave-type rainfall, which shows a deeper response depth of pore water pressure and a smaller safety factor. The present study suggests a simple estimation method for the shear parameters of the S-RM using a few parameters for the engineers and provides an understanding of the deposit slope stability during the rainfall process.

Rockfall geologic hazards are widely distributed. Due to their concealed nature, rockfalls are difficult to investigate using traditional contact survey methods, and the hazards they pose affect major projects and people’s safety. Reproducing methods, including scene survey and movement process analysis, are primary tasks used to prevent these hazards; however, few reconstruction methods can directly apply the parameters of the rockfall geologic hazards obtained by the scene survey to evaluate the movement process. To address this problem, a method of reproduction based on oblique photography and three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3D-DDA) is proposed; the method consists of three key techniques (oblique photography, 3D rock block system modeling, and 3D rock block system analysis). First, geometric characteristic parameters of the terrain, rockfall, and discontinuities are extracted based on oblique photography using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Second, the block system model of rockfall is reconstructed by using 3D computational geometry theory and taking these geometric characteristic parameters as an input. Finally, the whole evolution process of rockfall geologic hazard, including initiation, movement, and accumulation, is simulated by the 3D-DDA method. To verify the practicability of this reproduction method, a typical rockfall geologic hazard, located in the K8 + 050 section of the Gaohai expressway, Yunnan, China, is studied. In addition, the characteristics of 19 dangerous rock masses in the survey area are clarified, and the geometric features of the discontinuities in the rock masses are extracted based on oblique photography using an UAV. The block system model of a potential rockfall is reconstructed, the movement trajectory is simulated by the 3D-DDA method, and the evolution process of velocity and kinetic energy of the rockfall verifies that the spatial layout of the current three-level passive protective nets system is reasonable. The case study indicates that the proposed method provides a geological and mechanical model for the risk assessment of rockfall geologic hazards.

The Taihongcun landslide, which was a remarkable geological disaster triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, had a volume of about 2 × 106 m3 and killed about 23 people. Through detailed field investigations, basic information of topography, geological structure and stratigraphy for the landslide were acquired and key kinetic characteristics of the landslide were identified. On the basis of filed investigations, 2D numerical models with discrete element method (DEM) were established to simulate the kinematics and failure process of the landslide. To ensure the validity of the dynamic calculations, the free-field boundary condition was developed and introduced intro the DEM models. According to filed investigations and DEM simulations, the dynamic processes of the Taihongcun landslide can be divided into four phases: fragmentation, projection motion, scraping, and granular debris flow and accumulation. In addition, the parameter analysis showed that the particle bond strength had a significant influence on the runout distance and landslide debris morphology. Finally, the possible mechanism of the Taihongcun landslide was determined: a rock mass of poor quality provided the lithological basis for this landslide formation; a joint set J1 in the back scarp and a weak interlayer of carbonaceous slate and shale between the upper sliding mass and the bedrock formed the rupture boundaries of the upper source area; a strong seismic ground motion was the external excitation that triggered the destructive landslide event; additionally, hypermobility was caused by the high elevation and topographical conditions of the landslide.

The prime issue derived from prostate cancer (PCa) is its high prevalence to metastasize to bone. MicroRNA-204-5p (miR-204-5p) has been reported to be involved in the development and metastasis in a variety of cancers. However, the clinical significance and biological functions of miR-204-5p in bone metastasis of PCa are still not reported yet. In this study, we find that miR-204-5p expression is reduced in PCa tissues and serum sample with bone metastasis compared with that in PCa tissues and serum sample without bone metastasis, which is associated with advanced clinicopathological characteristics and poor bone metastasis-free survival in PCa patients. Moreover, upregulation of miR-204-5p inhibits the migration and invasion of PCa cells in vitro, and importantly, upregulating miR-204-5p represses bone metastasis of PCa cells in vivo. Our results further demonstrated that miR-204-5p suppresses invasion, migration, and bone metastasis of PCa cells via inactivating nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling by simultaneously targeting TRAF1, TAB3, and MAP3K3. In clinical PCa samples, miR-204-5p expression negatively correlates with TRAF1, TAB3, and MAP3K3 expression and NF-κB signaling activity. Therefore, our findings reveal a new mechanism underpinning the bone metastasis of PCa, as well as provide evidence that miR-204-5p might serve as a novel serum biomarker in bone metastasis of PCa.This study identifies a novel functional role of miR-204-5p in bone metastasis of prostate cancer and supports the potential clinical value of miR-204-5p as a serum biomarker in bone metastasis of PCa.

In order to gain insight into the relationship between the failure probability and the spectrum efficiency,both failure probability (FP) and load balancing (LB) were attempted to minimize in flexible bandwidth optical networks.An optimized FP-LB algorithm was developed to reduce failure probability and to improve the spectrum efficiency,and a traditional algorithm was further introduced for comparison in flexible bandwidth optical networks.Simulation results show that the optimized FP-LB algorithm reduces 69.8% blocking probability,45.3% spectrum occupancy rate,and 41.9% average failure probability compared to the traditional algorithm.Obviously,the optimized FP-LB algorithm achieves the joint optimization of both failure probability and load balancing.

The advantages of mobile edge computing (MEC) in lower energy consumption, improved bandwidth and reduced delay have attracted extensive studies. We consider a multiple smart wearable devices (SWDs) single smart mobile device (SMD) MEC system where the computation-intensive tasks can be offloaded to SMD and MEC server to improve resources utilization in this paper. To further minimize the energy consumption and satisfy the delay constraints of SWDs, SMD cooperation is introduced and we jointly optimize two-tier computation and communication resources in this system to achieve our objective. The formulated problem is a non-convex optimization problem where we design an efficient iterative algorithm by integrating the block coordinate descent and convex optimization techniques together. The proposed algorithm ensures convergence to a suboptimal solution based on the properties of convex optimization problem. In particular, the original non-convex optimization problem is decomposed into two convex optimization subproblems. Furthermore, we simplify the first subproblem using Lagrange method which is transformed into solving a set of non-linear equations. The extensive simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm by jointly optimizing two-tier computation and communication resources can reduce energy consumption compared with other baseline methods. The solution of proposed algorithm is close to the optimal solution and can be generated in a shorter time.

The decentralized and tamper-proof features of blockchain technology can solve the problems of low compatibility, poor flexibility, and single point of failure in the traditional Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). However, the transparency of the blockchain ledger makes the privacy disclosure of users a huge security risk. Given the privacy leakage problem exposed in the existing energy trading scheme based on the blockchain, this paper creatively proposes a privacy protection scheme for IIoT energy trading based on an identity-based signature (IBS) and homomorphic encryption. On the premise of satisfying the transaction traceability and verifiability, this scheme uses IBS technology to provide an anonymous mechanism for energy trading nodes and utilizes Paillier homomorphic encryption to prevent the disclosure of transaction amounts. To meet the high-concurrency and high-throughput energy trading requirements in IIoT, moreover, the proposed scheme combines the off-chain storage with cloud assistance and the off-chain transaction based on PCN to reduce redundant data written into the blockchain and to improve the concurrent trading efficiency, respectively. The security analysis and performance evaluation results show that the proposed scheme can realize the dual privacy protection of identities and transaction amounts in the trading process at the cost of reasonable calculation.