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Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in the tumorigenesis and radiosensitivity of multiple cancers. Nevertheless, the biological functions of circRNA periostin (circ‐POSTN) in esophageal cancer (EC) progression and radiosensitivity have not been well elucidated. Methods The expression of circ‐POSTN, microRNA‐876‐5p (miR‐876‐5p), and proto‐oncogene tyrosine‐protein kinase (FYN) was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT‐qPCR). Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT, colony formation, and 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine (EDU) assays. All protein levels were detected by western blot assay. Cell apoptosis and invasion were assessed by flow cytometry analysis and transwell assay, respectively. Dual‐luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to validate the interaction between miR‐876‐5p and circ‐POSTN or FYN. The role of circ‐POSTN in vivo was explored by establishing mice xenograft model. Results Circ‐POSTN was overexpressed in EC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ‐POSTN inhibited cell proliferation and invasion and elevated apoptosis and radiosensitivity in EC cells. MiR‐876‐5p was a direct target of circ‐POSTN, and its knockdown reversed the role of sh‐circ‐POSTN in EC cells. FYN was a direct target of miR‐876‐5p, and FYN elevation weakened the effects of miR‐876‐5p overexpression on the progression and radiosensitivity of EC cells. Moreover, circ‐POSTN acted as a miR‐876‐5p sponge to regulate FYN expression. Circ‐POSTN interference also suppressed tumor growth and enhanced radiosensitivity in vivo. Conclusion Circ‐POSTN knockdown inhibited proliferation and invasion, but increased apoptosis and enhanced radiosensitivity in EC cells via modulating miR‐876‐5p/FYN axis, which might be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for EC.

Abstract With the ongoing mutation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) leading to various variants, there is an urgent need for new diagnostic methods for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The existing nucleic acid test and antigen test suffer from long assay time and low sensitivity, respectively. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS)‐based nasal swabs analysis have been demonstrated as a promising technique in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection screening. However, the applicability of the technique in the different variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 is uncertain. Given the prevalence of the Omicron variant since 2022, we developed a MALDI‐TOF‐based diagnosis method with nasal swab samples to detect the infection by this variant. We collected 325 SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive and 221 SARS‐CoV‐2‐negative nasal swab samples, and the molecular mass fingerprints were acquired from the samples by MALDI‐TOF MS. Using a random forest machine learning classification model to analyze the molecular mass fingerprints MALDI‐TOF mass spectra, the accuracy of 97%, false negative rate of 0%, and false positive rate of 7.6% were achieved for the diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Combining the MALDI‐TOF analysis with top‐down proteomics, we identified four potential protein biomarkers, that is, humanin‐like 4, thymosin beta‐10, thymosin beta‐4 and statherin, in the nasal swab for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019. It was further found that the four protein biomarkers can also differentiate the SARS‐CoV‐2 original strains infection and Omicron strains infection. These results suggest that the MALDI‐TOF MS‐based nasal swab analysis holds effective diagnostic capabilities of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and shows promising potential for global application and extension to other infectious diseases.

Abstract Sanding production of the underground gas storage (UGS) in the depleted reservoir will cause the decline of effective storage capacity, and the erosion of well string and auxiliary equipment, and other engineering problems. A deep understanding of the sanding production contributes to maintaining the injection and production capacity of gas storage and the long‐term safety of the UGS. In this paper, core samples of five main sedimentary microfacies were drilled from the UGS in middle China. The mechanical properties with different conditions of the moisture content in multi‐cycling injection–production process were tested. The critical drawdown pressure (CDP) calculation methods for the UGS were established based on the stress analysis near the wellbore and the Mogi–Coulomb criterion. Adopting the finite element method simulation on the geological model of the target UGS, the geo‐stress of the formation was calculated by inversed analysis and validated based on the Kaiser effect of rock. Then, the CDP of two target wells of the UGS were investigated. The effects of the water moisture and the cycling times of the injection–production process on the CDP were also analyzed. The geo‐stress distribution shows that the horizontal maximum principal stress ranges from 53 to 68 MPa, and the horizontal minimum principal stress is 46–58 MPa in the target reservoir section, and the vertical minimum principal stress is 69–77 MPa in the target reservoir. The calculated CDP changed with the types of the sedimentary microfacies in the range of [6.27, 8.77] MPa, in which the CDP of the mixed mud and sand flat sedimentary facies was the lowest. The weakness of the CDP with the increasing of the moisture content and the cycling times were analyzed quantitively.

Abstract The quantum mechanisms how life efficiently utilizes energy and transmits information remain unclear yet. Frequency medicine, an emerging cross‐discipline of both quantum mechanics and biomedicine, is a promising turning point for biomaterials and medicine developing from the matter level to the energy level. Recognizing the pivotal role of molecular vibrational frequencies in resonant energy coupling and transmission underscores the potential of frequency medicine to precisely regulate biomaterial vibrations, influencing interactions and reactions in living organisms. At present, scientists have unveiled sophisticated phototherapeutics; nevertheless, their advancement necessitates the precise mapping of the life energy. In contrast to genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics studied on the matter level, omics of frequencies related to medicine should be on the energy level. Herein, starting from the history of frequency medicine, and followed by the introduction of vibrational strong coupling applications in life sciences, we emphasize the significance, necessity, and urgency of studying spatiotemporal omics of medicine frequencies. By decoding the energy atlas of life, we can acquire profound insights into the quantum mechanisms that govern life processes from an energy standpoint. We anticipate that the integration of biomaterials with spatiotemporal frequency omics related to medical research will contribute significantly to advancing the goals of precision medicine, potentially revolutionizing pharmaceuticals, such as terahertz drugs.

When high-speed trains operate under braking conditions, the wheel-rail interaction increases significantly, which can lead to more serious wear problems. To analyze the evolution of wheel wear and the dynamic characteristics of wheel-rail under braking conditions, this paper first carries out long-term monitoring of the service state of wheel-rail during the operation period. The study analyzed the matching characteristics of the measured wheel-rail profile and calibrated the wear model by using the collected data. The resulting wear prediction model was then used to examine the wheel wear characteristics under braking conditions. The research results indicate that during the operation period, the wheel experiences tread concave wear within a range of ±20 mm of the rolling circle, at a rate of approximately 0.05 mm per 10,000 km. Meanwhile, the rail experiences top surface wear at a natural rate of about 0.09 mm per year. Concave wear causes the contact point of the wheel-rail to appear in two zones, resulting in a sudden change of contact geometric parameters. The concave worn wheel and rail with a 60 N profile have better matching compared to the 60 rail profile. Increasing the braking torque and wheel-rail friction coefficient will significantly increase the wheel wear depth on straight sections. On small-radius curve sections, rail side lubrication can significantly reduce high rail side wheel flange wear. A worn concave wheel can lead to unfavorable wheel-rail contact geometry characteristics and increase low-frequency components in the vehicle’s lateral dynamic response.

Abstract With the emergence of new information and communication technology, mobile‐based ridesharing services have received more attention and have improved. They offer timely and convenient service and exert an enormous influence on pollution and congestion by allowing passengers to share overlapping routes. However, ridesharing services have also been discussed and called into question by people with respect to their attractiveness, their comfort, and passenger safety. This paper proposes a ridesharing algorithm with a perceived mechanism by introducing multiple dimensions of perceived value to overall assess passengers’ perceptions. The approach involved can continuously track the psychological changes in passengers during travel, capture the dynamic and comprehensive perceptions of passengers, and make real‐time adjustments on this basis. Furthermore, the proposed partition‐based parallel strategy can ensure high‐quality services and further enhance computational efficiency. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted based on the urban transportation network and the actual trip data from Manhattan to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The results show that it is important to effectively capture the passengers’ perception of ridesharing services and apply them to optimization mechanisms, which will contribute to improving the perception of ride experiences and attracting potential passengers.

Abstract Background and Aim The biological functions and clinical implications of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT1) remain unclarified in gastric cancer (GC). The aim of the current study was to explore the possible clinicopathological significance of LPCAT1 and its perspective mechanism in GC tissues. Materials and Methods The protein expression and mRNA levels of LPCAT1 were detected from in‐house immunohistochemistry and public high‐throughput RNA arrays and RNA sequencing. To have a comprehensive understanding of the clinical value of LPCAT1 in GC, all enrolled data were integrated to calculate the expression difference and standard mean difference (SMD). The biological mechanism of LPCAT1 in GC was confirmed by computational biology and in vitro experiments. Migration and invasion assays were also conducted to confirm the effect of LPCAT1 in GC. Results Both protein and mRNA expression levels of LPCAT1 in GC were remarkably higher than those in noncancerous controls. Comprehensively, the SMD of LPCAT1 mRNA was 1.11 (95% CI = 0.86–1.36) in GC, and the summarized AUC was 0.85 based on 15 datasets containing 1727 cases of GC and 940 cases of non‐GC controls. Moreover, LPCAT1 could accelerate the invasion and migration of GC by boosting the neutrophil degranulation pathway and disturbing the immune microenvironment. Conclusion An increased level of LPCAT1 may promote the progression of GC.

Abstract To optimize railway car routing based on balanced station‐line capacities, thereby improving railway freight traffic organization efficiency, and reducing transportation costs, a railway car routing optimization model based on the coordinated utilization of station‐line capacities was developed. Based on the theory of the membership function in fuzzy mathematics, the level of railway station‐line coordination based on capacity utilization was presented. The occupancy of a railway line by each car was taken as a binary decision variable. Using a set of deviation constraints, the deviation between the station‐line flow of the railway network and the utilization of a certain level was expressed in the form of decision variables that were then penalized to different degrees in the objective function. The total transportation cost and the penalty cost were taken as the objective function for minimization. Based on the characteristics of the fuzzy membership degree, the relationship between the penalty for capacity deviation and the membership function in the optimization model was analyzed, and the calculation method of the penalty for the capacity deviation considering the membership function was presented. An adaptive large‐scale neighbourhood search (ALNS) algorithm was designed to solve the model, and its effectiveness was verified. An actual 36‐station railway network was used to validate the proposed railway car routing optimization model through comparison with existing models. The optimization results showed that, at the expense of increasing the transportation cost by 1.05%, the coordination penalty cost was reduced by 11.24%, the overall cost was reduced by 3.21%, and most of the situation with 90% utilization rate of stations and lines in the railway network was eliminated. The model proposed in this paper can help reduce the pressure on lines and stations with tight capacity in the network, improve the utilization of virtual lines and stations and coordination of station‐line capacities.

Abstract Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) etiopathogenesis highlights the contributions of overproduction of CD4+ T cells and loss of immune tolerance. However, the involvement of CD8+ T cells in SLE pathology and disease progression remains unclear. Here, the comprehensive immune cell dysregulation in total 263 clinical peripheral blood samples composed of active SLE (aSLE), remission SLE (rSLE) and healthy controls (HCs) is investigated via mass cytometry, flow cytometry and single‐cell RNA sequencing. This is observed that CD8+CD27+CXCR3− T cells are increased in rSLE compare to aSLE. Meanwhile, the effector function of CD8+CD27+CXCR3− T cells are overactive in aSLE compare to HCs and rSLE, and are positively associated with clinical SLE activity. In addition, the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is monitored to interleukin‐2 stimulation in aSLE and rSLE to construct dynamic network biomarker (DNB) model. It is demonstrated that DNB score‐related parameters can faithfully predict the remission of aSLE and the flares of rSLE. The abundance and functional dysregulation of CD8+CD27+CXCR3− T cells can be potential biomarkers for SLE prognosis and concomitant diagnosis. The DNB score with accurate prediction to SLE disease progression can provide clinical treatment suggestions especially for drug dosage determination.

Abstract In order to adapt to the development of modern education and provide education practitioners with decision‐making suggestions, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the public's attention to basic chemistry education (BCE) and academic attention. However, many existing research is based on a single platform to study social hot information, such as Google Index, Baidu Index, Web of Science, and so on. But they ignore the relationship that exists between the Baidu Index and related academic platforms, and ignore the common information reflected between them. This paper takes advantage of the big data method, through the big data of Baidu Index and the big data obtained from China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) database, to study the network attention and academic attention of BCE, and propose a CVS‐LSP‐GP framework. It first selects keywords through correlation analysis, secondly uses the data obtained from the first step to construct a nonlinear regression model, and finally combines the results of gray prediction to predict the academic attention of CNKI related to BCE. The research results show that the BCE is mainly affected by the micro‐lecture teaching mode, and relevant education practitioners should integrate the micro‐lecture mode into teaching for more further research and practice.

Sodium alginate-lanthanum (SA/Lan) hydrogel spheres were prepared by ion cross-linking method to remove Congo Red (CR) in an aqueous solution. The adsorption performance was assessed through batch experiments. The experiment revealed that the highest adsorption capacity of SA/Lan for CR was achieved when the mass concentration of La3+ was 1%, the dosage was 2 g·L−1, the initial concentration of CR was 30 mg·L−1, the adsorption time was 60 min, and the reaction temperature was 25°C. The adsorption capacity of 10.81 mg·g−1 was the corresponding figure. The adsorption process was consistent with the Langmuir and pseudosecond-order models.

Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) is a rapidly developing condition owing to a lack of effective treatment and resulting in a high mortality rate in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) contain numerous antigens and proinflammatory substances that directly damage the vascular endothelium and aggravate vascular inflammation, which is considered an important pathogenic factor of DAH in SLE. Therefore, blocking the release of NETs from neutrophils is an important target for the treatment of DAH in SLE. In this study, we investigated whether the inhibition of neutrophils releasing NETs could relieve DAH in SLE. Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), a small molecule, has been reported to inhibit the release of NETs by neutrophils. In vitro experiments revealed that Nec-1 inhibited alveolar epithelial cell damage by preventing the release of NETs. Furthermore, vivo studies showed that Nec-1 alleviated lupus pulmonary haemorrhage in mice by reducing lung pathology severity, body weight, and serum inflammatory cytokine levels. Mechanistically, Nec-1 prevented NET release by inhibiting neutrophil elastase (NE) activation and N-Gasdermin D (N-GSDMD) expression. Additionally, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence findings showed that Nec-1 decreased NE expression in the lung tissues of mice with lupus pulmonary haemorrhage. Thus, NETs released by neutrophils contributed to the pathogenesis of DAH in SLE, and Nec-1 showed protective effects by the inhibition of NET production via the reduction of NE activation and N-GSDMD expression.

Abstract Objective Genetic variants in the GRIN genes that encode N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunits have been identified in various neurodevelopmental disorders, including epilepsy. We identified a GRIN1 variant from an individual with early‐onset epileptic encephalopathy, evaluated functional changes to NMDAR properties caused by the variant, and screened FDA‐approved therapeutic compounds as potential treatments for the patient. Methods Whole exome sequencing identified a missense variant in GRIN1. Electrophysiological recordings were made from Xenopus oocytes and transfected HEK cells to determine the NMDAR biophysical properties as well as the sensitivity to agonists and FDA‐approved drugs that inhibit NMDARs. A beta‐lactamase reporter assay in transfected HEK cells evaluated the effects of the variant on the NMDAR surface expression. Results A recurrent de novo missense variant in GRIN1 (c.1923G>A, p.Met641Ile), which encodes the GluN1 subunit, was identified in a pediatric patient with drug‐resistant seizures and early‐onset epileptic encephalopathy. In vitro analysis indicates that GluN1‐M641I containing NMDARs showed enhanced agonist potency and reduced Mg2+ block, which may be associated with the patient’s phenotype. Results from screening FDA‐approved drugs suggested that GluN1‐M641I containing NMDARs are more sensitive to the NMDAR channel blockers memantine, ketamine, and dextromethorphan compared to the wild‐type receptors. The addition of memantine to the seizure treatment regimen significantly reduced the patient’s seizure burden. Interpretation Our finding contributes to the understanding of the phenotype–genotype correlations of patients with GRIN1 gene variants, provides a molecular mechanism underlying the actions of this variant, and explores therapeutic strategies for treating GRIN1‐related neurological conditions.

Abstract The micro‐indentation test has been regarded as an efficient tool to obtain the elasticity modulus and hardness of the minerals in rock, which is essential for studying the deformation‐crack mechanism of the pore structure. However, researches on microscopic plastic parameters have been rarely conducted. This paper develops a novel method to determine the microscopic initial strength and residual strength of brittle sandstone. A dimensionless analysis on the micro‐indentation curve of rock is conducted to acquire its key influencing factors of the elastoplastic properties, which include the initial cohesive force and the residual cohesive force. Then, small cylindrical rock samples are prepared for micro‐CT scanning and micro‐indentation test by a conical indenter to acquire the microstructure, indentation curve, and the microscale elasticity. The pore scale indentation simulation is conducted using the reconstructed rock models with different strength. The function between the indentation curve and strength is deduced by the parametric finite element method (FEM) study. Based on this function, the microscale initial strength and residual strength of the brittle sandstone are determined. The proposed method is validated by comparing the microscale numerical simulation results of uniaxial compression on the representative volume element (RVE) model of rock with the experimental results. A reasonable deviation is observed compared with the experimental benchmark data for the stress‐strain curves, as well as Young's modulus and uniaxial compression strength, proving the effectiveness of the proposed method.

In order to tackle the congestion and environmental issues, customized bus services are proposed and deployed in metropolitan areas. As emerging public transportation services, customized bus services bring passengers more convenience and accessibility. Besides, conventional customized bus services generally organize homogeneous fleet and single location selection to passengers. In this paper, to enhance the mobility and flexibility of customized buses and increase companies’ profit, we propose a new form of customized bus service with heterogeneous fleets and multiple candidate locations. First, a mixed-integer programming model (MIP) is developed to describe the customized bus problem. Compared with the conventional model, the proposed MIP is involved in the case of one passenger with multiple candidate pickup or delivery locations and can be solved by GUROBI on small scale, quickly and efficiently. Second, an improved adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm (ALNSip) is utilized to address the large-scale problem more efficiently. Time slack calculation method is then designed to optimize vehicle timetables, which provides stable and excellent performance for searching feasible solutions. In addition, we propose two inserting operators to deal with the problem with multiple candidate locations and analyse its influence on the results. Finally, we test the performance of the proposed model and algorithm on the numerical experiments. And they are verified the effectiveness and implication in a small-scale case on a simplified Sioux waterfall network and a large-scale problem in Beijing, China. The result shows that ALNSip outperforms other algorithms in searching for more satisfying solutions with higher efficiency. However, the GUROBI solver can obtain the solution to small-scale problems within a shorter time than ALNSip. Furthermore, it can be suggested that the heterogeneous fleets service with multiple candidate locations is helpful to facilitate collaboration among vehicles and optimize pickup and delivery routes in consequence.

In the midst of sharing concepts, bike sharing has made innovative changes to people’s travel modes. Providing high-quality services is essential to promoting the usage of bike sharing and to reducing traffic congestion by shifting people away from private car use. This research explores the factors that influence users’ selection of bike sharing as a transportation mode by identifying and describing relationships to user perception, psychological expectations, and loyalty. The effects of value identity, convenience, economy, comfort, perceived safety, travel characteristics (TC), and sociodemographic factors (SD) on the selection and usage of bike-sharing systems in Changsha, China, were analyzed. The mediating effect of user satisfaction (US) on the relationship between perceived quality (PQ) and use loyalty was examined. A total of 700 questionnaires were distributed at 20 bike-sharing locations, to which 569 users effectively responded. The results of the analysis indicate that loyalty to bike sharing was predicted by all of the studied constructs except for gender. The results of this study help us better understand the influencing factors of bike-sharing usage and can aid policymakers in formulating effective guidance strategies for bike-sharing travel demand based on a model structure.

Background. It remains controversial whether body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), or triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has a stronger association with diabetes. The aims of the study were to compare the magnitude of associations of four indicators with diabetes risk. Methods. Data collected from annual health examination dataset in the Xinzheng during 2011 and 2019. A total of 41,242 participants aged ≥ 45 years were included in this study. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine associations between the four indicators and diabetes risk. Results. After 205,770 person-years of follow up, diabetes developed in 2,472 subjects. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of diabetes (highest vs reference group) were 1.92 (1.71–2.16) for BMI, 1.99 (1.78–2.23) for WC, 1.65 (1.47–1.86) for WHtR, and 1.66 (1.47–1.87) for TyG, respectively. In addition, the risk of diabetes increased with baseline BMI (HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.35) and TyG (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.30), but the lowest HR was 0.78 (95% CI 0.65–0.92) when WC was approximately 72 cm, and 0.85 (95% CI 0.72–0.99) when WHtR was approximately 0.47 in women. In joint analyses, the highest risk was observed in participants with a high BMI combined with a high WC (HR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.98, 2.58). Conclusions. In middle-aged and elderly Chinese population, BMI and WC were more strongly associated with diabetes than WHtR or TyG, especially the combined effect of BMI and WC.

The risk of cardiovascular diseases is closely related to diabetes. Macrovascular disease is the main cause of death and disability in patients with type 2 diabetes. In recent years, the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), a new type of hypoglycemic drug, has been shown to regulate blood sugar levels, improve myocardial ischemia, regulate lipid metabolism, improve endothelial function, and exert a protective role in the cardiovascular system. This study reviewed the protective effects of GLP-1RA on the cardiovascular system.

Abstract Supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing is an environmentally friendly anhydrous method. To study the propagation process during supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing, a full three‐dimensional model, coupled rock deformation, fluid transport, heat conduction, dynamic changes of carbon dioxide physical parameters, to investigate the process of fracture propagation during supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing, is established by the three‐dimensional boundary element method, the finite volume method, and finite difference method. And to solve the multiple physics coupling problems, a fully implicit solution and Newton‐Raphson iteration method are used. On the basis of this model established in this paper, the influential factors of supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing are analyzed. The results show that both of the reservoir temperature and the original in situ stress are important for carbon dioxide fracturing; The higher the reservoir temperature and the lower the initial in situ stress is, the longer and wider the fracture will be. The temperature of carbon dioxide at bottom is of no significance to the fracture length, fracture width, and the bottom hole pressure. A growing injection rate will lead to the increase of the fracture length and fracture width. This study would provide a reference for the fluid phase control of supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing technology.

Abstract The pore‐scale imbibition mechanism in fractured water‐wetted reservoirs has been acknowledged as an efficient tool to enhance oil recovery. Most rock in a natural reservoir is mixed‐wetted, but most studies on the pore‐scale imbibition process only focused on the water‐wetted rock. This paper adopts two mixed‐wetted core samples for microspontaneous imbibition experiment, micro‐CT scanning, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test. The results indicate that the pore radius distribution of the segmented CT images is consistent with that of the NMR test. The microimbibition recovery ratio of core No. 34‐1 and core No. 64 in the spontaneous imbibition experiment are 27.7% and 58.2%, which agrees well with that computed by the micro‐CT scanning image (27.63% and 56.09%). Based on the segmented images, the influences of the Jamin's effect, pore size distribution, and wettability on the microspontaneous imbibition are visualized and quantitatively studied. The Jamin's effect is the important factor that hinders the microimbibition process. The main pore size of imbibition distributes in the range of 1‐25 μm. Furthermore, the pore‐scale spontaneous imbibition process in a single pore with mixed wettability is investigated and analyzed. The relationships among the contact angle, capillary force, recovery ratio, wettability, and the microimbibition recovery are revealed.

Abstract A new three‐dimensional fluid‐solid coupling fracture propagation model of synchronous fracturing was established to study the dynamic propagation process of simultaneous hydraulic fracturing. In this paper, we used an improved three‐dimensional boundary element method and a finite difference method, respectively, for calculating the deformation of the reservoir rock and the flow of the fracturing fluid during the fracturing process. The interaction between hydraulic fractures and nature fractures was also considered. Sensitivity analysis showed that during synchronous fracturing, the fractures between the wells attracted each other and injected with more fluid due to interference between the fractures. Affected by natural fractures, the trajectory of hydraulic fractures was more tortuous. Besides, the width and height of hydraulic fractures captured by natural fractures were reduced. In order to reduce the difference in length between individual fractures, smaller well spacing and larger cluster spacing should be used.

Abstract Varieties of pore‐scale numerical and empirical approaches have been proposed to predict the rock permeability when the pore structure is known, for example, microscopic computerized tomography (micro‐CT) technology. A comparative study on these approaches is conducted in this paper. A reference dataset of nine micro‐CT images of porous rocks is generated and processed including artificial sandpacks, tight sandstone, and carbonate. Multiple numerical and empirical approaches are used to compute the absolute permeability of micro‐CT images including the image voxel‐based solver (VBS), pore network model (PNM), Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), Kozeny‐Carman (K‐C) equation, and Thomeer relation. Computational accuracy and efficiency of different numerical approaches are investigated. The results indicate that good agreements among numerical solvers are achieved for the sample with a homogeneous structure, while the disagreement increases with an increase in heterogeneity and complexity of pore structure. The LBM and VBS solver both have a relative higher computation accuracy, whereas the PNM solver is less accurate due to simplification on the topological structure. The computation efficiency of the different solver is generally computation resources dependent, and the PNM solver is the fastest, followed by VBS and LBM solver. As expected, empirical relation can over‐estimate permeability by a magnification of 50 or more, particularly for those strong heterogeneous structures reported in this study. Nevertheless, empirical relation is still applicable for artificial rocks.

Abstract Calcium hydroxyphosphate, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, is commonly known as hydroxyapatite (HAP). The acidic calcium and basic phosphate/hydroxide sites in HAP can be modified via isomorphous substitution of calcium and/or hydroxide ions to enable a cornucopia of catalyzed reactions. Herein, isomorphic substitution of Ca2+ ions by Cu2+ ions especially at very low levels of exchange created new analogs of molecular surface frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) in CuxCa10−x(PO4)6(OH)2, thereby boosting its performance metrics in heterogeneous CO2 photocatalytic hydrogenation. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy characterization and density functional theory calculations provided fundamental insights into the catalytically active SFLPs defined as proximal Lewis acidic Cu2+ and Lewis basic OH−. The photocatalytic pathway proceeds through a formate reaction intermediate, which is generated by the reaction of CO2 with heterolytically dissociated H2 on the SFLPs. Given the wealth of information thus uncovered, it is highly likely that this work will spur the further development of similar classes of materials, leading to the advancement and, ultimately, large‐scale application of photocatalytic CO2 reduction technologies.

In order to study the anchoring performance of a new type of self-expanding, high-strength, precompression anchoring technology with a large amount of expansion agent (ω ≥ 5) cement slurry as anchoring solids under confined surrounding rock conditions, a rock mass anchoring device and methods that simulate in situ stress are developed, and real-time monitoring of expansion stress and anchor pull-out tests are carried out. The results show that the internal interface stress has a loss effect over time, and the stress loss value shows a linear increase trend with the dosage, but the loss rate shows a linear decreasing relationship with the dosage. This paper defines the coordinated additional stress and obtains its temporal and spatial evolution law in the rock mass. It is pointed out that there is a lag time difference between the peak of internal interface stress and the peak of coordinated additional stress, explaining its mechanical mechanism from the perspective of stress transfer. The strong restraint of the sealing section of the anchor hole causes the anchor solid to form a “shuttle-shaped” microexpanded head with thin ends and a middle drum under the expansion stress. During the drawing process, the microexpanded head is “stuck” in the anchor hole and moves upward to form the unique “load platform effect” of the anchoring system. And the mechanical mechanism diagram of this effect is obtained. It is pointed out that this effect can greatly improve the ductility of the anchoring system and the ultimate energy consumption value of damage. A prediction model for the ultimate pull-out force of self-expanding bolts is established. It is pointed out that the initial confining stress value has an exponential effect on the ultimate pull-out force. It shows that the surrounding rock with strong confinement constraints can greatly increase the ultimate pull-out resistance of the bolt. The self-expanding strengthening coefficient λ and the surrounding rock stress influence coefficient k are introduced, the bolt interface mechanics formula and energy equation of the self-expanding anchor system are established, and the feasibility of the formula is verified by the calculation example. It is concluded that the ultimate pull-out resistance of the anchorage with ω = 30 is increased by 3.38 times compared with the ordinary anchorage under the initial confining stress condition of 0.7 MPa, the prepeak displacement of the bolt is increased by 2.08 times, and the prepeak energy consumption of the anchoring system is increased by 7.34 times. The cost only increased by 0.023% based on the literature example.

As porous, heterogeneous, and anisotropic material, the microscopic structure of the rock has a significant influence on its mechanical properties. Rare studies were devoted to this area using pore scale modeling and simulations. In this paper, different types of sandstones are imaged using micro-CT technology. The rock porosity is obtained by filtering, binarization, and threshold segmentation. The texture coefficient (TC) and the tortuosity of the rock skeleton are calculated by open source program, where the tortuosity of the rock skeleton is firstly used to characterize the microscopic structure of the rock. Combining with the rock mechanics parameters obtained in the laboratory, the simulation of uniaxial compression is performed on the reconstructed pore scale rock finite element mesh model by ANSYS software. Young’s modulus, compressive strength, yield strength, shear modulus, and other related parameters obtained by numerical simulation are adopted to determine the optimal representative volume element (RVE) size. Moreover, the effects of microscopic structure characteristics on the mechanical properties of the rock are studied quantitatively. The results indicate that the averaged von Mises stress distribution, displacement field, and plastic strain field of rocks show anisotropy and heterogeneity. The stress concentration and the X-shaped conjugate plastic shear zone are investigated. The samples of S1∼S4 reach the elastic limit and enters the plastic yield state, when the strain is about 0.5%. And the critical yield strain of samples S5300-1∼S5400-2 is about 1%. Then, the quantitative relationships between porosity, TC, tortuosity of rock skeleton and rock mechanics parameters of digital rock samples are established and analyzed. The tortuosity of the rock skeleton is highly correlated with the mechanical parameters of the rock, i.e., Young’s modulus (R2 = 0.95), compressive strength (R2 = 0.94), yield strength (R2 = 0.92), and shear modulus (R2 = 0.94), which is believed to be more feasible to reveal the impacts of the microstructure of the rock on its mechanical properties.

Abstract To achieve substantial reductions in CO2 emissions, catalysts for the photoreduction of CO2 into value‐added chemicals and fuels will most likely be at the heart of key renewable‐energy technologies. Despite tremendous efforts, developing highly active and selective CO2 reduction photocatalysts remains a great challenge. Herein, a metal oxide heterostructure engineering strategy that enables the gas‐phase, photocatalytic, heterogeneous hydrogenation of CO2 to CO with high performance metrics (i.e., the conversion rate of CO2 to CO reached as high as 1400 µmol g cat−1 h−1) is reported. The catalyst is comprised of indium oxide nanocrystals, In2O3−x(OH)y, nucleated and grown on the surface of niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) nanorods. The heterostructure between In2O3−x(OH)y nanocrystals and the Nb2O5 nanorod support increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies and prolongs excited state (electron and hole) lifetimes. Together, these effects result in a dramatically improved photocatalytic performance compared to the isolated In2O3−x(OH)y material. The defect optimized heterostructure exhibits a 44‐fold higher conversion rate than pristine In2O3−x(OH)y. It also exhibits selective conversion of CO2 to CO as well as long‐term operational stability.

Abstract Stress is an important contributing factor in the outbreak of infectious fish diseases. To comprehensively understand the impact of catecholamine stress hormone norepinephrine (NE) on the pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila, we assessed variations in bacterial growth, virulence‐related genes expression and virulence factors activity after NE addition in serum‐SAPI medium. Further, we assessed the effects of NE on A. hydrophila virulence in vivo by challenging fish with pathogenic strain AH196 and following with or without NE injection. The NE‐associated stimulation of A. hydrophila strain growth was not linear‐dose‐dependent, and only 100 μM, or higher concentrations, could stimulate growth. Real‐time PCR analyses revealed that NE notably changed 13 out of the 16 virulence‐associated genes (e.g. ompW, ahp, aha, ela, ahyR, ompA, and fur) expression, which were all significantly upregulated in A. hydrophila AH196 (p

There are two main categories of force control schemes: hybrid position-force control and impedance control. However, the former does not take into account the dynamic interaction between the robot’s end effector and the environment. In contrast, impedance control includes regulation and stabilization of robot motion by creating a mathematical relationship between the interaction forces and the reference trajectories. It involves an energetic pair of a flow and an effort, instead of controlling a single position or a force. A mass-spring-damper impedance filter is generally used for safe interaction purposes. Tuning the parameters of the impedance filter is important and, if an unsuitable strategy is used, this can lead to unstable contact. Humans, however, have exceptionally effective control systems with advanced biological actuators. An individual can manipulate muscle stiffness to comply with the interaction forces. Accordingly, the parameters of the impedance filter should be time varying rather than value constant in order to match human behavior during interaction tasks. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of impedance control strategies including standard and extended control schemes. Standard controllers cover impedance and admittance architectures. Extended control schemes include admittance control with force tracking, variable impedance control, and impedance control of flexible joints. The categories of impedance control and their features and limitations are well introduced. Attention is paid to variable impedance control while considering the possible control schemes, the performance, stability, and the integration of constant compliant elements with the host robot.

Relying on the express freight network, the dispatching of empty pallets based on the pallet pool mode is studied to reuse pallets with the minimum transport cost, enhance the pallet utilization rate, reduce the waste of resources, and save the cost of logistics. Considering the influence of transport efficiency for different modes in transportation process, differences of transportation cost, carbon emissions, and transportation timeliness of demand points required, an optimization model is constructed. The objective of the model is to minimize the total cost including transportation cost, inventory cost, lease cost, and loss cost. According to the structural characteristics of the model, genetic algorithm and improved cloud clonal selection operation is used to solve the model. Finally, the validity and rationality of the optimization model are verified by a case study. The result shows that the total dispatching cost of considering time requirement is 1.8 times the cost without considering the time requirement, respectively, both less than the total cost of pallets leasing. Moreover, when there are 3 supply points and 2 demand points and the number of iterations is 100, after the algorithms are run for 30 times, the worst values are 9305 and 8317 for genetic algorithm and the improved cloud clonal selection operation, respectively. Therefore, the efficiency of the improved cloud clonal selection operation is higher than genetic algorithm.

In China, based on the mobile Internet technology and global positioning system (GPS), innovative bike-sharing is different from traditional bike-sharing system with docking station, for its flexibility and convenience. However, innovative bike-sharing system faces operational challenges, especially in faulty bike-sharing recycling (FBSR) problem. In this paper, a framework is designed based on the optimization method to solve the FBSR problem so that it can minimize the total recycling costs by taking the route optimization and loading capacity ratio as constraints. The FBSR method combines the K-means method for clustering faulty bike-sharing with planning recycling route for operational decisions. Moreover, CPLEX solver is used to obtain the desired result of the FBSR model. Finally, a case study based on a certain area in Beijing, China, is used to verify the validity and applicability of the model. The results show that the value of loading capacity ratio and the number of clustering points greatly affect the results of FBSR problem. Four vehicles are designated to execute FBSR tasks required by different clustering points. This study is of considerable significance for the bike-sharing promotion in the last-mile situation to the real problems arising in the initial period.

An operational process at train marshaling yard is considered in this study. The inbound trains are decoupled and disassembled into individual railcars, which are then moved to a series of classification tracks, forming outbound trains after being assembled and coupled. We focus on the allocation plan of the classification tracks. Given are the disassembling and assembling sequence, the railcars connection plan, and a number of classification tracks. Output is the assignment of the railcars to the classification tracks. An integer programming model is proposed, aimed at reducing the number of coupling operations, as well as the number of dirty tracks which is related to the rehumping operation, and the order of the railcars on the outbound train must satisfy the block sequence. Tabu algorithm is designed to solve the problem, and the model is also tested by CPLEX in comparison. A numerical experiment based on a real-world case is analyzed, and the result can be reached within a reasonable amount of time. We also discussed a number of factors that may affect the track assignment and gave suggestions for the real-world case.