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Abstract The Permian Fengcheng Formation (P1f.) in the Hashan area, situated on the southwestern margin of the Junggar Basin, has witnessed a remarkable breakthrough in shale oil exploration in recent years with nearly 789 million tons of shale oil resources. As a unique set of mixed sedimentary shales, the Fengcheng Formation in the Hashan area is characterized by mixed sedimentation of terrigenous siliciclastic sediments, authigenic minerals, and tuffaceous materials. However, the understanding of pore characteristics in the mixed sedimentary reservoir still remains limited, prohibiting accurate estimation of the oil content and insights into oil mobility. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-Ray Computer Tomography (X-CT), and geochemical analysis were performed to investigate the pore size distribution and main controlling factors of the mixed sedimentary reservoir. Results showed that the main pore types in the mixed sedimentary reservoir are intergranular pores and dissolution pores. The pores of the P1f. mixed shales in the Hashan area were classified into II-micropores ( 1000 nm). In general, the mixed sedimentary rocks of P1f. formation feature few macropores but a large number of micropores and mesopores. The CS exhibits the most favourable physical properties among all lithofacies. It is concluded that the abundance and maturity of organic matter, mineral composition, sedimentary structure, and diagenesis of reservoir together impact the pore structure in the mixed sedimentary reservoirs. The maturity of organic matter and the content of tuffaceous minerals are the most significant in influencing the pore structure of P1f. shales. Overall, the pore structure of complex lithologic reservoir formed by mixed deposition and its influence on physical properties are studied, and the characteristics of the microscopic pore-throat system of the dominant lithofacies in the Hashan area are clarified, which is of great significance as a guide for the exploration and development of mixed sedimentary reservoirs in continental shale oil in China.

ABSTRACT Karst caves are a unique environment significantly different from the external environment; adaptation of cave‐dwelling animals to the cave environment is often accompanied by shifts in the sensory systems. Aquatic and terrestrial leeches have been found in the karst caves. In this study, we conducted a transcriptome analysis on the cave‐dwelling leech Sinospelaeobdella wulingensis. A total of 29,286 unigenes were obtained by assembling the clean reads, and only 395 genes are differentially expressed in winter and summer samples. Two piezo‐type mechanosensitive ion channels (Piezos), eight transient receptor potential channels (TRPs), and six ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) were identified in the transcriptome. These channels/receptors are transmembrane proteins sharing conserved structural features in the respective protein families. SwPiezo1 shares high identity with Piezos in non‐caving leeches. SwiGluRs are conserved in protein sequence and share high identities with homologous proteins in other leeches. In contrast, SwTRPs belong to different subfamilies and share diverse identities with TRPs in other species. Gene expression analysis showed that two SwPiezos, five SwTRPs, and one SwiGluR are abundantly expressed in both winter and summer samples. These results suggest that SwPiezos, SwTRPs, and SwiGluRs are candidate sensory channels/receptors that may have roles in mechanosensory and chemosensory systems. High expression levels of Piezo and TRP genes imply a mechanosensory adaptation of S. wulingensis to the hanging living style in caves. Furthermore, enrichment of sensory genes in the oral sucker indicates the important role of this tissue in response to environmental stimuli. Similar gene expression profiles in winter and summer samples imply a stable physiological status of S. wulingensis in the cave environment.

Abstract In recent years, increased species extinction and habitat loss have significantly reduced biodiversity, posing a serious threat to both nature and human survival. Environmental factors strongly influence bird distribution and diversity. The potential distribution patterns and species richness offer a conservation modeling framework for policymakers to assess the effectiveness of natural protected areas (PAs) and optimize their existing ones. Very few such studies have been published that cover a large and complete taxonomic group with fine resolution at regional scale. Here, using birds as a study group, the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) was used to analyze the pattern of bird species richness in Jiangsu Province. Using an unparalleled amount of occurrence data, we created species distribution models (SDMs) for 312 bird species to explore emerging diversity patterns at a resolution of 1 km2. The gradient of species richness is steep, decreasing sharply away from water bodies, particularly in the northern part of Jiangsu Province. The migratory status and feeding habits of birds also significantly influence the spatial distribution of avian species richness. This study reveals that the regions with high potential bird species richness are primarily distributed in three areas: the eastern coastal region, the surrounding area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the surrounding area of Taihu Lake. Compared with species richness hotspots and existing PAs, we found that the majority of hotspots are well‐protected. However, only a small portion of the regions, such as coastal areas of Sheyang County in Yancheng City, as well as some regions along the Yangtze River in Nanjing and Zhenjiang, currently have relatively weak protection. Using stacked SDMs, our study reveals effective insights into diversity patterns, directly informing conservation policies and contributing to macroecological research advancements.

It still remains a great challenge to efficiently treat malignant cancers which severely threaten human health. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a localized therapeutic modality has improved the therapeutic efficacy via chemical damage through reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, their efficacy is severely hampered by insufficient targeted delivery of photosensitizers owing to the lack of suitable carrier with facile preparation process and the clinical applicability. Herein, we applied clinically approved human serum albumin as the nanoreactor to encapsulate photosensitizers Chlorin e6 (Ce6) for enhancing their tumor accumulation and subsequently potent PDT effect against bladder cancer models. Albumin-loaded Chlorin e6 nanoparticles (CA-NPs) with rational nanoscale size exhibit increased reactive oxygen species production and excellent resistance to photobleaching. Moreover, CA-NPs could be efficiently internalized by tumor cells and locate in the lysosome, while they rapidly translocate to cytosol after irradiation to induce remarkable cytotoxicity (IC50 ∼5.8 μg/ml). Furthermore, CA-NPs accumulate effectively in tumor tissue to afford total eradication of murine bladder tumor after single injection. More importantly, we also evidence the superior PDT effect in fresh human bladder tumor tissues via abundant reactive oxygen species generation and subsequent cell apoptosis. These findings demonstrate that human serum albumin acts as a universal tool to load small organic photoactivatable molecule with remarkable effectiveness and readiness for clinical translation.

Bystudying the source reservoir geochemical characteristics, reservoir cap physical properties, gas-bearing characteristics and reservoir-forming types of the coal-measure gas (CMG) accumulation system, the potential of CMG resources in the Huanghebei Coalfield was determined, and the sedimentary reservoir control mechanism was analyzed, which is of great significance for the orderly development of CMG reservoirs. CMG in the Huanghebei Coalfield mainly includes abundant shale gas (SG; 2100.45 × 108 m3), coalbed methane (CBM; 137.89 × 108 m3) and a small amount of tight sandstone gas, limestone gas and magmatic rock gas. CMG rocks mainly include shale and coal seams of the marine–terrestrial transitional facies Taiyuan Formation and continental facies Shanxi Formation, providing a favorable material basis for CMG enrichment. The coal seams are largely mature to highly mature, with satisfactory hydrocarbon generation potential and reservoir connectivity. They are low-porosity, low-permeability, underpressurized and undersaturated reservoirs. The shale organic matter is primarily Type II, with a moderate organic matter abundance. The material is at the middle-to high-maturity stage, provides a suitable hydrocarbon generation potential, belongs to low-porosity and low-permeability reservoirs, and exhibits favorable fracturing properties. There are several stable and independent gas-bearing systems among the coal measures. The CMG accumulation combination types are mostly self-sourced gas reservoirs and self-sourced+other-source near-source gas reservoirs, followed by other-source gas reservoirs. CBM and SG play the role of vertical regulation and horizontal regulation, respectively.

The recovery of top coal in the caving face directly impacts the efficiency of mining coal resources. The geological conditions and mining parameters are well known to be significant influences on the recovery of top coal. This study focused on the 9-301 working face, which is located in a thick coal seam with a large dip angle. The influences of the coal seam’s dip angle, mining direction, and coal caving mode and interval on the recovery were analyzed using PFC2D simulation. Field trials were also carried out. The results of the numerical calculations show that the recovery of top coal is clearly affected by the dip angle, with recovery decreasing as the dip angle is increased. Mining from the top to bottom along the dip of the coal seam is beneficial to improve recovery. The top-coal recovery using the multicycle-sequence coal caving method is higher than when using single-sequence coal caving and single-interval coal caving modes. The top-coal recovery using “one cutting and one caving” (coal caving interval of 0.8 m) was higher than that under two cuttings and one caving (coal caving interval of 1.6 m). During the field trials, the recovery of top coal under different caving intervals and modes was measured. The results show that the recovery of top coal is optimal when using one cutting and one caving with multicycle-sequence coal caving modes. The field measurements are consistent with the simulation results. The results of this study can help guide additional research for optimizing the recovery of top coal from thick coal seams with large dip angles.

‘Yunhongli No. 1’ is a rare and well-colored red pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) germplasm resource, and is popular in the market due to its bright red color and high quality. This study used Illumina high-throughput sequencing technologies for red pear ‘Yunhongli No. 1’ of chloroplast genome sequencing and analysis. The genome features of P. pyrifolia ‘Yunhongli No. 1’ and the phylogenetic relationships were reported and established. The complete chloroplast genome is 160,113 bp in length, consisting of a pair of inverse duplication regions 26,386 bp, a large single-copy region 88,052 bp, and a small single-copy region 19,214 bp. The entire genome contains 80 messenger RNA (mRNA) genes, 30 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The phylogenetic tree of 15 Rosaceae species revealed red pear ‘Yunhongli No. 1’ is more closely related to Pyrus communis × P. pyrifolia ‘Greensis.’

Vacuum packaging is used extensively in MEMS sensors for improving performance. However, the vacuum in the MEMS chamber gradually degenerates over time, which adversely affects the long-term performance of the MEMS sensor. A mathematical model for vacuum degradation is presented in this article for evaluating the degradation of vacuum packaged MEMS sensors, and a temperature-accelerated test of MEMS gyroscope with different vacuums is performed. A mathematical degradation model is developed to fit the parameters of the degradation of Q-factor over time at three different temperatures. The results indicate that the outgassing rate at 85 °C is the highest, which is 0.0531 cm2/s; the outgassing rate at 105 °C is the lowest, which is 0.0109 cm2/s; and the outgassing rate at 125 °C is in the middle, which is 0.0373 cm2/s. Due to the different mechanisms by which gas was released, the rate of degradation did not follow this rule. It will also be possible to predict the long-term reliability of vacuum packaged MEMS sensors at room temperature based on this model.

In this study, due to the inconsistencies in the understanding of the sedimentary types in the second section of the Dongying Formation (Ed2) and the third section of the Shahejie Formation (Es3) in the middle and deep strata of Nanpu No. 3 structural area, the depositional characteristics of the deep braided river delta, fan delta, deep-water slump turbidite fan, and coastal and shallow lake in the Nanpu No. 3 structural area were examined in-depth. The investigations were begun based on the descriptions and observations of core samples obtained from eight cored wells in the study area, in combination with seismic, well logging, and rock ore data. The results revealed that the sources of the material in the study area originated from the Shaleitian salient in the southwest direction. It was determined that the fan deltas and the shallow lake sedimentary system had developed during the SQ1 sequence and SQ2 sequence periods. The braided river deltas and the shallow lake and turbidite sedimentary system with multi-stage superposition had developed during the SQ3 to SQ7 sequence periods, and their distribution range had been controlled by the structural background of the gentle slope zone of the lake basin. On that basis, a sequence deposition filling model controlled by a slope break zone in the middle and deep strata of the Nanpu No. 3 structural area was established in this study starting from the typical seismic profile, in which such factors as the tectonic activity characteristics, lake basin boundary shape, water depths, and so on, were comprehensively considered. The goal of this research investigation was to provide beneficial information for oil and gas explorations in similar areas.

The evolution process of the surrounding rock failure mechanism is studied because of spalling and roof fall accidents at the top corner of longwall top coal caving faces affected by mining and the difficulty of moving the advanced end support. Methods are proposed to improve the stability of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end including cutting at the top corner of the end, reinforcing the anchor cable, changing the stress distribution of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end, and transferring the stress concentration area of surrounding rocks to the deeper rock. Field observations of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the 15107 fully mechanized caving face show that the stress value of the surrounding rocks at the corner between the roof of the return airway and the coal wall of the working face is 28.9 MPa when the surrounding rocks are in a stable state without mining. The stress value of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end is 32.3 MPa when it is affected by mining, which results in spalling and roof fall. The surrounding rocks are in a stable state when the maximum stress of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the reinforced anchor cable’s back-end is 26.1 MPa. The results show that cutting of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end and the reinforcement of the anchor cable can avoid the spalling and roof fall when the top corner of the end is affected by mining and can ensure that the end support advances and working face moves forward.

Currently, the exploration and development of hot and dry rock (HDR) has the characteristics of deep reservoir, stratum breakage, high temperature in the bore (usually >200°C), etc. In the process of drilling, problems such as large leakage of drilling fluids, instability of hole wall and sticking are easy to occur. In this paper, through the reelection and op¬timization of foaming agents, foam stabilizers, tacki-fiers, fluid loss additives and other treatment agents, the formula of circulating foam drilling fluid with 240°C resistances is obtained: 4% Sodium Bentonite + 2% Sepiolite+1% Foaming Agent FPJ+1% Foam Stabilizer WPJ+1% Tackifier GDP+3% Fluid Loss Additive OCL-JA+1%GHTS High Temperature Protectant. The formula has the stable performance at about 240°C, the half-life of >10 min, the foaming volume of 800ml (400ml), and the density of 0.6-1.0 g/cm3. It meets the requirements of dry hot rock drilling site construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In insects, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional enzymes playing an important role in metabolizing a wide range of endogenous and exogenous compounds, including plant secondary compounds, insecticides, and odorant molecules. In this study, we identified 14 GSTs from codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.), which is a worldwide internal pest of tree fruit. The cytosolic GSTs contain the conserved glutathione (GSH)- binding domain and substrate-binding domain. The microsomal GSTs are transmembrane proteins containing a conserved motif consisting of 16 amino acids. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that 10 CpomGSTs were expressed in the antennae. Among them, a novel signal peptide containing GST (CpomGSTd2) was restrictedly expressed in the antennae and the expression levels were significantly higher in male than in female. Phylogenetic analysis shows that CpomGSTd2 shares close relationships with olfactory GSTs of other insects. We prepared the recombinant CpomGSTd2 and determined its GST catalytic property using 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and reduced GSH as substrates. This protein exhibited high GST catalytic activity within the temperature ranged from 25 to 50 °C and the optimal pH was 7.0. Our results suggest that antenna is important site for GST-mediated biotransformation and CpomGSTd2 may play a role in the odorant degradation for chemosensory perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In insects, sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) are critical peripheral olfactory proteins and highly promote the sensitivity of pheromone detection. In this study, we cloned an SNMP transcript (CpomSNMP2, GenBank KU302714) from the antennae of the codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.). Its open reading frame is 1,575 bp and it encodes a protein with 524 amino acids. CpomSNMP2 contains two putative transmembrane domains and has a large extracellular loop. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CpomSNMP2 is clustered into the group of previously characterized lepidopteron SNMP2s. Expression levels of CpomSNMP2 were significantly higher in antennae of both males and females than in tissues from the thoraxes, abdomens, legs, and wings. CpomSNMP2 was distributed in sensilla trichodea of both males and females, but only in sensilla chaetica of males. This study provides evidence for olfactory roles of CpomSNMP2 in this moth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]