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The utilization of 2D layered black phosphorus (BP) in ultraviolet (UV) optoelectronic devices has garnered significant attention due to its high hole mobility and strong light–material interaction. However, its practical applications are impeded by its low light absorption efficiency and environmental instability. To address these challenges, constructing an ionic liquid gated BP/SiC mixed-dimensional photodetector by integrating the high ultraviolet light absorption capacity of SiC with the effective electronic property modulation and surface protection of ionic liquid is suggested in this work. Remarkably, the developed device exhibits an improving photoresponsivity of 10.24 A/W at a gate voltage of −2 V and source–drain voltage of 0.5 V, which is ∼73 times larger than that of the BP UV photodetector, as well as an enhanced environmental stability for at least 30 days. This research offers potential strategies for optimizing the performance of advanced functional devices using 2D/3D mixed-dimensional heterojunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-temperature gas-solid reaction device was used to simulate the gasification of coke in a hydrogen-rich blast furnace, with the gasification reaction of water/anhydrous bulk cokes studied. CO2 and H2O effects on coke gasification kinetics were analyzed in CO2-N2-H2O and CO2-N2 with the experimental temperature of 1173–1523 K, the CO2 content of 15–60%, and the H2O content of 15%. Compared with those of CO2-N2, the gasification reaction rate and carbon conversion rate of cokes in the CO2-N2-H2O mixture were significantly higher. Carbon conversion rates of the CO2-N2-H2O mixture at different temperatures were about 30% higher than those of CO2-N2 on average, and the gasification reaction rate was about 50% higher on average. There were two temperature regions for gasifying cokes in CO2-N2-H2O and CO2-N2 mixtures. At 1,273 K, the gasification reaction is transformed into diffusion control, which is from chemical reaction control. The aggravation of coke gasification by H2O generated after hydrogen reduction of iron ores was mainly reflected at the lower temperature. Besides, the kinetic model analysis showed that random pore model was optimal in describing the gasification reaction of cokes in CO2-N2-H2O and CO2-N2, and the addition of H2O improved the gasification reaction's activation energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volume‐fraction changes of CO2 and H2O after adding different proportions of H2 to the hydrogen‐rich blast furnace were simulated by thermodynamic calculations to evaluate the effects of H2 on coke gasification in a blast furnace. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the H2O content in the mixed gas gradually increased with higher H2 content. The coke gasification kinetics effective diffusion coefficient De and interfacial reaction rate constant k+ of the coke gasification reaction improved with higher H2 content. In addition, the reactivity of cokes enhanced and the coke strength after reaction decreased with higher H2 content. Mercury porosimeter experiments demonstrated that the coke gasification reaction mainly occurred on the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The important role of viral communities in various environments is being continuously revealed. However, the current understanding of viruses in soil ecosystem remains poor, especially in plant continuous cropping soils. Methods: Here, we provide detailed information about prokaryotic and viral diversity, the functional classes of viral ORFs and virus-host linkage in Coptis chinensis continuously cropped fields and uncultivated fields by analyzing physiochemical characteristics, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and viromic data. Results: Among prokaryotes, some specific bacteria, especially plant pathogens of the order Burkholderiales, were enriched in soil due to the continuous cropping of C. chinensis. For viruses, we recovered 1,029 viral contigs from continuous cropping and uncultivated soil samples. Continuous cropping of C. chinensis significantly influenced the diversity and abundance of soil viral communities and viral protein functions. Furthermore, we linked 9.06% of viral contigs to putative hosts, spanning 7 bacterial phyla and 2 archaeal phyla. Unfortunately, the specific bacteria enriched in C. chinensis continuous cropping soils were not predicted to be prokaryotic hosts of the recovered viruses. Conclusion: Overall, these findings reveal the effects of C. chinensis continuous cropping on the diversity and composition of the prokaryotic and viral communities, and indicated how virus-host interactions influence the soil microbes in continuous cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple cropping is an effective measure to enhance the intensity of land use. The North China Plain is one of China's most important grain production areas, with 70 % of the arable land under double rotation of winter wheat and summer maize. The allocation of irrigation water between two crop seasons depends on soil water flow and crop water consumption. This is because the amount of moisture left in the soil at the end of one season affects how much moisture is in the soil at the beginning of the next season. As a result, the amount of crops produced and the amount of water needed for irrigation are influenced by the initial soil moisture conditions and the soil's hydraulic properties. This study aims to analyze how various factors affect crop yield when faced with water scarcity. The factors considered include initial soil moisture condition, soil texture, and irrigation scheduling. The simulation results indicate that, in most cases, initial soil moisture conditions have a more significant impact on crop yield than soil hydraulic characteristics. The impact of irrigation can differ based on the irrigation method and availability of water. Hence, when distributing irrigation water over a year, it is crucial to consider the soil's water transport between two crop cycles to achieve the ideal full and deficit irrigation in a crop rotation system. Additionally, a joint optimal irrigation plan can significantly reduce the adverse effects of unfavorable soil hydraulic characteristics. Moreover, the optimal irrigation strategy can enhance crop water productivity and food security simultaneously. • Factors affecting yield stability and water balance of different irrigation systems were explored. • Global sensitivity analysis reveals initial soil moisture conditions, soil hydraulic characteristics, and scheduling strategy as main factors. • Feasible operation ranges for full and deficit irrigation are provided for the North China Plain. • It is necessary to optimize crop rotation systems globally instead of focusing solely on single cropping seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the failure region around wellbore under a given mud pressure, three different strength criteria are fit to triaxial experimental data, then the strength criterion with the smallest fitting error is selected to analyse wellbore stability. Based on the investigate of rock strength criteria, a prediction model for the shear failure region around borehole is established. The influence of wellbore trajectory on the shape and position of shear failure region around wellbore, and collapse pressure variation at wellbore wall is analysed. Results indicated that, the area of shear collapse around the well predicted by Mohr-Coulomb criterion (MC) is elliptic, while the same results predicted by extended Mogi-Coulomb criterion (EMG-C) is approximately quadrilateral. The intermediate main stress decreases the collapse pressure and its anisotropy at the wellbore wall, but increases the failure region around the wellbore. The EMG-C takes into account the effect of intermediate principal stress and the nonlinear failure characteristics of rocks in high stress environment, and the prediction position of the shear collapse region around the borehole is quite different from the shape predicted by MC criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influences of the gas mixtures of carbon dioxide and water vapor with different water vapor content on the thermal properties of cokes were studied at 1,373 k using a high-temperature gas-solid reaction device to clarify the action mechanism of water vapor in the dissolution loss of metallurgical coke in the blast furnace. Furthermore, the reaction depth and the microstructure of coke samples with different water vapor content were studied. The results showed that the reactivity of cokes was significantly improved by steam, and coke strength after the reaction was significantly weakened. Cokes with strong reactivity were more affected by water vapor. When H2O content was 0 and 11.1%, the reactivity indices of cokes with strong reactivity were 2.03 and 1.67 times that of cokes with poor reactivity, respectively. The influence of H2O on the strength ratio of two kinds of cokes after the reaction was ignored when H2O content exceeded 50.1%. The analysis of coke reaction depth after the reaction under different H2O content showed that the solution loss reaction between H2O and coke is mainly concentrated on the coke surface, while CO2 can penetrate into the coke to react. In addition, by comparing two kinds of coke with different reactivity, it is found that coke with higher reactivity is more sensitive to water vapor. The micromorphologies of cokes after reactions showed that water vapor significantly affected the pore and pore sizes of cokes. When water vapor content increased, the pore sizes of cokes increased, with the thinner pore wall and the increased number of new pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fused-ring compounds containing a N–B–N (NBN) unit have emerged as a class of emitters for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in recent years. However, despite the success of these compounds in achieving efficient green OLEDs, their application in blue OLEDs has not yet been realized. In this study, two new NBN-containing compounds featuring unsymmetrical molecular structures are designed and synthesized. The structural design endows the compounds with efficient blue emission and narrower emission bandwidths. A blue fluorescent OLED based on one of the compounds exhibits simultaneously a high external quantum efficiency of 4.2% and an excellent Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.152, 0.096). The impressive performance of the OLED device suggests that with proper molecular designs, NBN-containing compounds possess great potential as excellent blue emitters for OLEDs, and thus merit further investigation and attention. [Display omitted] • Two new fused-ring compounds containing a N–B–N unit and featuring unsymmetrical molecular structures. • Easy adjustment of luminescent properties by simply changing the heteroatom in a boron-bonded structural motif. • Efficient blue emission with high fluorescence quantum yields and narrower emission bandwidths. • Efficient blue organic light-emitting diodes with excellent color coordinates based on N–B–N-containing compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continental shale oil reservoir has low permeability, high clay content, rich lamellar structure, and strong heterogeneity, which makes the reservoir vulnerable to hydration damage. In order to study characteristics of hydration damage and its influence on permeability of lamellar shale oil reservoirs, a series of experiments such as high-pressure mercury injection, steady gas permeability, rock thin section identification, and scanning electron microscope were carried out with the downhole core in Ordos Basin as the experimental object. The effects of water and water-based drilling fluid on pore size distribution, permeability, and rock microstructure were analyzed. Results show that the pore size of the reservoir is mainly nanoscale, and the pore size of shale changes most dramatically in the stage of hydration for 12-24 hours, while that of tuff changes most dramatically in 24-48 hours. The permeability increases rapidly with hydration time and then tends to be stable, among which the permeability of samples with lamellar structure in the direction parallel to the lamellar structure is most easily affected by hydration and changes fastest. Hydration leads to the formation of new pores, new fractures, and the expansion of existing fractures in rocks, especially in the strata containing large amounts of terrigenous clastic, lamellar structure, and pyrite. The new seepage channel increases the permeability of rock, and the soil powder and plugging particles in drilling fluid are easy to form protective mud cake in these places. These protective mud cakes not only change the microstructure of rock but also inhibit the influence of hydration on the pore space and permeability of rock, which play an effective role in preventing the mineral shedding on the rock surface, reducing the increase of micropores and delaying hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals on coke reactivity and coke microstructure was studied by the mechanical mixing method to produce metallurgical cokes with high reactivity. The Gasification kinetics of coke samples was further studied to clarify the catalytic mechanism of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals on cokes, which provided a basis and guidance for the production of hydrogen-rich blast furnace charge. The chemical reactivity index of cokes increased significantly after adding alkali metals or alkaline earth metals. Meanwhile, CaO had little effect on the structural strength of cokes, while the structural strength of cokes added with K 2 CO 3 and Na 2 CO 3 decreased. The microstructure analysis of different coke samples showed that cokes produced new pores after adding alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, with increased contact area and decreased disorder of cokes. These were the main reasons for the increased reactivity index of cokes. The addition of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals increased the positive reaction rate constant and the effective diffusion coefficient inside cokes by analyzing the kinetic behavior of cokes after adding alkali metals or alkaline earth metals. Furthermore, it reduced gasification reaction resistance and internal-diffusion mass transfer resistance. • Production of high reactivity coke from alkali metals and alkali earth metals. • Highly reactive coke has a lower reaction temperature than conventional coke. • The microstructure of high reactivity coke becomes more porous and less ordered. • The catalyst will reduce the resistance in the gasification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale oil is an unconventional oil resource with significant reserves and considerable prospects. There is a substantial shale oil reservoir in the Triassic Chang 7 Member of the Southern Ordos Basin. However, hydration would change the physical properties and rock microstructure during the drilling process. Drilling stuck, lost circulation, collapse, and other accidents easily occur, which restricts the efficient and safe development of shale oil. In order to study the effect of hydration on physical properties and microstructure of shale oil reservoir, mineral composition test, hydration test, and rock microstructure test were carried out on the downhole cores. The results show that there is a large number of laminated thin sandstone in the upper shale of the reservoir and the weak cementation between shale and sandstone provides a channel for hydration. The lower part of the reservoir is a tuff with a small amount of irregular structural fractures. Compared with the weak hydration reaction of shale, the tuff expanded, deformed, and softened after encountering water, and its water sensitivity is more obvious than that of shale section. The porosity and permeability of the reservoir are very low, and the heterogeneity is strong. The rock pore size is concentrated in the range of 1–10 nm and 50–1000 nm, in which the intergranular and intragranular pore content is high. Hydration would lead to mineral shedding and fracture extension, and the number and size of pores and fractures would increase. Porosity and permeability also increased with the change of rock structure, which was obvious in the early hydration stage of the downhole cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a kind of lung cancer which possesses high morbidity and mortality. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been abundantly reported to participate in regulating cellular activities of various diseases, including cancers. LINC01116 was reported as a tumor promoter in some cancers, whereas its function has not been clarified in LUSC. OBJECTIVE: This exploration aimed to study the modulatory role of LINC01116 in LUSC. METHODS: The expressions of LINC01116, miR-744-5p and SCN1B were determined by RT-qPCR. CCK-8, EdU and transwell assays were conducted to evaluate the proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities of A549 and H1299 cells. The protein expression of SCN1B or EMT-associated proteins was examined through western blot assay. The interaction between miR-744-5p and LINC01116 (or SCN1B) was confirmed by RNA pull down and luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: LINC01116 was up-regulated in LUSC tissues and cells, and LINC01116 repression limited the proliferative, migratory, invasive capabilities and EMT process in LUSC cells. In mechanism, LINC01116 directly interacted with miR-744-5p, and its expression was negatively correlated with miR-744-5p expression. SCN1B, overexpressed in LUSC tissues and cells, was proved to be targeted by miR-744-5p. Furthermore, SCN1B expression was in a negative association with miR-744-5p expression. At last, SCN1B amplification recovered the inhibitive effect of LINC01116 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process in LUSC. CONCLUSION: LINC01116 regulated miR-744-5p/SCN1B axis to exacerbate LUSC, providing a helpful theoretic basis for the exploration of LUSC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydration of rock during drilling will lead to wellbore instability. The wellbore stability can be effectively improved by accurately evaluating the hydration damage of rocks. However, there are few studies on the hydration damage of volcanic rocks. Based on the S-wave frequency domain, nuclear magnetic resonance and effective porosity, this article establishes a hydration damage variable, and discusses the influence of hydration on the microstructure, acoustic properties and mechanical properties of basalt and tuff. The results show that volcanic rocks produce new cracks during soaking, accompanied by mineral spalling and clay expansion. The correlation between the new hydration damage variable and the existing hydration damage variable is greater than 0.8. At the same time, the stress–strain curve simulated by the hydration constitutive model is in good agreement with the results of uniaxial compression experiments, and the average relative error of the elastic parameters of the two is small. The average relative errors of the peak stress, peak strain, and elastic modulus of basalt are 2.45%, 1.07%, and 1.72%, respectively, and the average relative errors of tuff are 1.49%, 0.45%, and 3.55% respectively. This study provides a new idea for evaluating the hydration damage of volcanic rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR‐TADF) emitters with narrow emission spectra have garnered significant attention in future organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) displays. However, current C=O/N‐embedded MR‐TADF systems still lack satisfactory performance in terms of electroluminescence bandwidths and external quantum efficiencies (EQEs). In this study, a C=O/N‐embedded green MR‐TADF emitter, featuring two acridone units incorporated in a sterically protected 11‐ring fused core skeleton, is successfully synthesized through finely controlling the reaction selectivity. The superior combination of multiple intramolecular fusion and steric wrapping strategies in the design of the emitter not only imparts an extremely narrow emission spectrum and a high fluorescence quantum yield to the emitter but also mitigates aggregation‐induced spectral broadening and fluorescence quenching. Therefore, the emitter exhibits leading green OLED performance among C=O/N‐based MR‐TADF systems, achieving an EQE of up to 37.2 %, a full width at half maximum of merely 0.11 eV (24 nm), and a Commission Internationale de l′Éclairage coordinate of (0.20, 0.73). This study marks a significant advance in the realization of ideal C=O/N‐based MR‐TADF emitters and holds profound implications for the design and synthesis of other MR‐TADF systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR‐TADF) emitters with narrow emission spectra have garnered significant attention in future organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) displays. However, current C=O/N‐embedded MR‐TADF systems still lack satisfactory performance in terms of electroluminescence bandwidths and external quantum efficiencies (EQEs). In this study, a C=O/N‐embedded green MR‐TADF emitter, featuring two acridone units incorporated in a sterically protected 11‐ring fused core skeleton, is successfully synthesized through finely controlling the reaction selectivity. The superior combination of multiple intramolecular fusion and steric wrapping strategies in the design of the emitter not only imparts an extremely narrow emission spectrum and a high fluorescence quantum yield to the emitter but also mitigates aggregation‐induced spectral broadening and fluorescence quenching. Therefore, the emitter exhibits leading green OLED performance among C=O/N‐based MR‐TADF systems, achieving an EQE of up to 37.2 %, a full width at half maximum of merely 0.11 eV (24 nm), and a Commission Internationale de l′Éclairage coordinate of (0.20, 0.73). This study marks a significant advance in the realization of ideal C=O/N‐based MR‐TADF emitters and holds profound implications for the design and synthesis of other MR‐TADF systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AAA ATPase spastin is a microtubule‐severing enzyme that plays important roles in various cellular events including axon regeneration. Herein, we found that the basal ATPase activity of spastin is negatively regulated by spastin concentration. By determining a spastin crystal structure, we demonstrate the necessity of intersubunit interactions between spastin AAA domains. Neutralization of the positive charges in the microtubule‐binding domain (MTBD) of spastin dramatically decreases the ATPase activity at low concentration, although the ATP‐hydrolyzing potential is not affected. These results demonstrate that, in addition to the AAA domain, the MTBD region of spastin is also involved in regulating ATPase activity, making interactions between spastin protomers more complicated than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compressive strength of shale is a comprehensive index for evaluating the shale strength, which is linked to shale well borehole stability. Based on correlation analysis between factors (confining stress, height/diameter ratio, bedding angle, and porosity) and shale compressive strength (Longmaxi Shale in Sichuan Basin, China), we develop a dimension analysis-based model for prediction of shale compressive strength. A nonlinear-regression model is used for comparison. A multitraining method is used to achieve reliability of model prediction. The results show that, compared to a multi-nonlinear-regression model (average prediction error = 19.5%), the average prediction error of the dimension analysis-based model is 19.2%. More importantly, our dimension analysis-based model needs to determine only one parameter, whereas the multi-nonlinear-regression model needs to determine five. In addition, sensitivity analysis shows that height/diameter ratio has greater sensitivity to compressive strength than other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air drilling is low cost and effectively improves the penetration rate and causes minimal damage to liquid-sensitive pay zones. However, there is a potential downhole explosion when combustible gas mixed with drilling fluid reaches the combustible condition. In this paper, based on the underground combustion mechanism, an explosive range calculation model is established. This model couples the state equation and the empirical formula method, which considers the inert gas content, pressure, mixed gas component, and temperature. The result shows that increase of the inert gas content narrows the explosive range, while increase of the gas temperature and pressure improves the explosive range. A case in Chongqing, China, is used to validate the explosive range calculation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of deformation temperatures on recrystallization in a Ni-based single-crystal superalloy was investigated. Electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) was used to determine if recrystallization could occur. The deformation dislocation microstructure was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Critical annealing temperatures for recrystallization of compressed samples with around 5% plastic strains were determined. The results indicated that deformation temperature had an important influence on the recrystallization behavior. Samples deformed at around 980 °C have the highest propensity for recrystallization. The recrystallization nucleation mechanism in this alloy was discussed. Low misorientations are induced in deformed samples, even at elevated deformation temperatures. Annealing twinning through stacking faults plays a significant role in recrystallization at low plastic strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we isolated a mycobacteriophage infecting Mycobacterium smegmatis mc155 from a soil sample collected in Shandong Province in China. This phage was named Shandong1. It is a member of the family Siphoviridae with an isometric head and a long tail. Its genome was found to be 60,618 bp long with 67.46% G + C content and 96 putative protein-coding genes. No tRNA-encoding genes were identified. Comparative genomics analysis showed that the mycobacteriophage Shandong1 should be considered a member of a new species in mycobacteriophage cluster K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volcanic rock with developed pores is important reservoir for oil and gas, but its complex pore-fracture structural characteristics lead to the hydration reaction when the volcanic strata is invaded by drilling fluid or fracturing fluid, which brings great challenges to the drilling operation and oil and gas production in volcanic rock reservoir. In order to understand the influence of clay hydration on the pore characteristics and permeability of different types of volcanic reservoirs. In this paper, we selected distilled water as the imbibition solution, and obtained the variation law of pore structure and physical properties of Permian tuff and basalt in Sichuan Basin during pressurized imbibition through a series of indoor test methods. The results show that the clay content of tuff is high, and the clay hydration produces new cracks during soaking, which leads to the increase of nuclear magnetic porosity of tuff after soaking. At the same time, it also makes some unconnected pores connected with each other, resulting in the increase of rock permeability in the later stage of soaking. During soaking, mineral particles peel off, and some clay minerals are transported to pores and fractures under hydrodynamic action, resulting in the reduction of effective porosity of tuff. The basalt is dense with poor physical properties. There are almost no cracks in the rock soaked for 0–24 h. After soaking for 48 h, new cracks are generated in the rock, which may be caused by the increase of pore pressure in the rock. The mineral particles around the crack obviously fall off and block the pore throat, resulting in the reduction of rock permeability after soaking. This study provides not only helps for avoiding the occurrence of lost circulation, well collapse and other accidents, efficient and safe drilling, but also a theoretical basis for the development of hydraulic fracturing in volcanic reservoirs. • The pore structure and physical properties of volcanic rocks with different soaking time were studied. • The influence of complex pore structure and rock type on the hydration of volcanic rocks is considered. • According to the experimental analysis, the hydration of volcanic rocks is divided into three stages. • The hydration of volcanic rock will produce cracks, accompanied by the spalling of minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has evolved multiple strategies to counter host immunity. Proteins are one important player in the host–pathogen interaction. A comprehensive list of such proteins will benefit our understanding of pathogenesis of Mtb. Methods A genome-scale dataset was created from different sources of published data: global gene expression studies in disease models; genome-wide insertional mutagenesis defining gene essentiality under different conditions; genes lost in clinical isolates; subcellular localization analysis and non-homology analysis. Using data mining and meta-analysis, expressed proteins critical for intracellular survival of Mtb are first identified, followed by subcellular localization analysis, finally filtering a series of subtractive channel of analysis to find out promising drug target candidates. Results The analysis found 54 potential candidates essential for the intracellular survival of the pathogen and non-homologous to host or gut flora, and might be promising drug targets. Conclusion Based on our meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis, 54 hits were found from Mtb around 4000 open reading frames. These hits can be good candidates for further experimental investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacteriophage SWU1 is a newly isolated phage from soil sample collected in Sichuan province, China using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 155 as host. Plaque, phage morphology and one-step growth curve were characterized. The complete genomic sequence of phage SWU1 was determined by shotgun sequencing. The ends of SWU1 were determined. Structural proteins of SWU1 were analyzed by NanoLC-ESI-MS/MS. Seven ORFs were identified as structural protein encoded by SWU1 genome. The genetic basis underlying the SWU1 plaque was explored using comparative genomics. Prophages homologous to SWU1 were identified in two pathogens, Segniliparus rugosus ATCC BAA-974 and Mycobacterium rhodesiae JS60. Genus Segniliparus is a member of the order Corynebacteriales. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Mycobacterium prophages in different genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During underbalanced drilling, real-time monitoring of parameters such as the porosity and permeability of the gas reservoir is the fundamental basis for researching the formation properties and drilling risk prevention. As the drilled layer thickness increases, the exposed area of the gas reservoir also gradually increases, and the amount of gas that flows into the wellbore varies, which causes changes to the wellbore gas–liquid distribution and its control parameters. Such changes pose challenges to the precise interpretation of the gas reservoir in underbalanced drilling, and the difficulty of controlling the underbalanced well also increases. Therefore, a series of studies on computing formation gas output in underbalanced conditions was performed via real-time monitoring of the total hydrocarbon value using ground-monitoring equipment, and an unsteady seepage model of the reservoir gas was developed by considering the flow characteristics of the gas while drilling. We analyzed the time-varying gas output and seepage boundary characteristics of the gas reservoir that is opened gradually during the underbalanced drilling. Based on the superposition principle, a computational model of gas reservoir’s permeability was derived based on the computational results of the unsteady seepage flow model. Moreover, the porosity distribution in the working area was obtained according to the relationship between porosity and permeability, and a highly efficient and accurate evaluation of the gas reservoir while underbalanced drilling was achieved. Based on a field example it was demonstrated that these methods can meet the demands of engineering projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field-effect transistor (FET) is regarded as the most promising candidate for the next-generation biosensor, benefiting from the advantages of label-free, easy operation, low cost, easy integration, and direct detection of biomarkers in liquid environments. With the burgeoning advances in nanotechnology and biotechnology, researchers are trying to improve the sensitivity of FET biosensors and broaden their application scenarios from multiple strategies. In order to enable researchers to understand and apply FET biosensors deeply, focusing on the multidisciplinary technical details, the iteration and evolution of FET biosensors are reviewed from exploring the sensing mechanism in detecting biomolecules (research direction 1), the response signal type (research direction 2), the sensing performance optimization (research direction 3), and the integration strategy (research direction 4). Aiming at each research direction, forward perspectives and dialectical evaluations are summarized to enlighten rewarding investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Permian volcanic reservoir in Sichuan Basin is mainly composed of three types of volcanic rocks (basalt, tuff and breccia), showing an intertwined distribution of their characteristics. The mechanical properties of these rocks, affected by the invasion of water-based drilling fluid, are significantly different, resulting in frequent and complex wellbore instability problems during drilling operations. Thus, using compression tests and scanning electron microscope tests, the mechanical properties and microscopic failure mechanisms of these rocks are studied considering the effect of water absorption, and their implications for wellbore stability are discussed. The results demonstrate the following points. (1) The strength, elastic modulus, cohesion and internal friction angle of basalt are significantly greater than those of tuff and breccia, and these values of tuff are the smallest, but the axial strain of tuff at peak stress is the largest. (2) With the effect of hydration, the elastic deformations of the three kinds of volcanic rocks would weaken, and the plastic deformations are enhanced. These trends for tuff and breccia are more obvious than those of basalt. With the increase in water absorption time, the strength, strains at peak stress, elastic modulus, cohesion and internal friction angle all decrease significantly, but Poisson's ratios change irregularly. (3) The hydration of clay minerals will lead to the surface expansion of mineral particles in these rocks, especially the mineral particles of tuff and breccia will be fragmented and disintegrated to form some loose particle structures in local areas. (4) The collapse mud weight for the tuff well section is the highest, followed by that of the breccia well section and that of the basalt well section, but it decreases most significantly for the breccia well section after water absorption. The collapse mud weights determined by the result of tuff well sections agree with the practical situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since carbonate reservoirs develop pores and fractures and have a complex formation pressure system, overflow and even blowout seriously threaten the exploration and development of these kinds of reservoirs. According to the overflow characteristics of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs, a field monitoring and identification method for overflow has been developed. This method is based on the top-down logic framework for early overflow identification, combined with optimized monitoring parameters. The DBSCAN clustering algorithm is used to identify abnormal logging parameters, and thus, a probability weight coefficient of overflow (K) indicated by the abnormal engineering parameters of a gas well can be calculated. K is divided into four early warning response levels of overflow, and the overflow control operation can be made according to the different levels of early warning response. Based on this method, an integrated software system for field monitoring and identification of early overflow is designed. This software system integrates the functions of data collection and management, overflow risk parameter calculation, overflow early warning, and overflow simulation analysis. Finally, according to a case analysis of overflow prediction for a fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir in Well XX, this method's prediction stability and accuracy are demonstrated, indicating that it can be used for the overflow early warning in engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, with the advancement of exploitation for domestic tight gas reservoir, more and more attention has been paid to the borehole stability based on the quantitative prediction of ground stress. In this paper, related research has been made in a tight sandstone gas reservoir in eighth segment of Shihezi group (P1x) and first segment of Shanxi group (P1s) in Eastern Sulige of Inner Mongolia; limitation of application of Huang model in the area has been discussed on the basis of an in-depth analysis of the geological character according to the logging information, and a new optimized Newberry model has been obtained. By using this model, the horizontal ground stress of this region was quantitatively forecasted with minor error and the results prove that the Newberry model can perfectly fit the quantitative calculation of horizontal ground stress. In the meantime, according to borehole collapsed technique and the analysis of the trend of induced slot, the horizontal ground stress direction has been determined. The study shows that the maximum horizontal principal stress direction in eastern Sulige is close to east–west and the minimum horizontal principal stress direction is close to north–south. The elaborate research about the horizontal stress for the tight sandstone formation in eastern Sulige in this paper can meet the need of judgment of ground stress better in this area and it is of great significance to the safety of drilling of profitable reservoir in this area, reservoir fracturing and stimulating, and the safety of production in the subsequent process of development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

P2X7R is a vital modifier of various inflammatory and immune-related diseases. However, the immunomodulatory effects of P2X7R on corneal allograft rejection remains unknown. Here we showed that P2X7R expression was significantly upregulated in corneal grafts of allogeneic transplant mice. Pharmacological blockage of P2X7R remarkably prolonged graft survival time, and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in corneal grafts, in particular Th1/Th17 cells. Meanwhile, the frequencies of Th1/Th17 cells in draining lymph nodes were significantly decreased in P2X7R blocked allogeneic mice. Further results showed that the effect of P2X7R on promoting Th1/Th17 mediated immune responses in corneal allograft rejection relied heavily on its activation on the NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β axis, while P2X7R blockage could mitigate such activation. Nevertheless, the addition of IL-1β in vivo abrogated the protective effect of P2X7R blockage on promoting corneal graft survival. These findings demonstrate that blockage of P2X7R can substantially alleviate corneal allograft rejection and promote grafts survival, highlighting it as a promising target for preventing or treating corneal allograft rejection. • P2X7R signaling is involved in mice with corneal allograft rejection. • P2X7R blockage suppresses corneal allograft rejection via alleviating the infiltration and functions of immune cells. • P2X7R blockage suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent release of IL-1β during corneal allograft rejection. • Targeting the P2X7/NLRP3 pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy for corneal allograft rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) SERS substrate with the denser "hotspots" is synthesized by the constriction of PDMS film decorated with sandwiched graphene@AgNPs@graphene (G@AgNPs@G) nanostructure. Graphene layers above and below the AgNPs are used to absorb molecules onto the "hotspots", and prevent the oxidation of AgNPs in our design. PDMS films can be easily shrunk for 3D structures, causing advantages in enhancement ability and light-matter interaction. Benefiting from the above advantages, a detection limit of 10−14 M (CV) and enhancement factor (EF) of 3.9 × 109 were obtained in our experiment. Theoretical analyses (FDTD) were also used to study the enhancement mechanism. For practical purposes, in-situ detection of MG molecules on the fish surface and the label-free detection of DNA base of adenine (A) and cytosine (C) were also studied. The high enhancement factor, great sensitivity, reliability, and stability of substrate reasonably proved that it can be used as an excellent SERS substrate for biomolecular detection. Fig. 1. (a) Schematic diagram of the fabrication process of corrugated G@AgNPs@G/PDMS film. (b) The SEM image of AgNPs@G/PDMS film generated by spin-coating AgNPs on PDMS film. (c) The SEM image of the corrugated G@AgNPs@G/PDMS film. (d) The close-up views of the corrugated G@AgNPs@G/PDMS film. [Display omitted] • The formation of 3D structure with high density of hot spots as shrinkage of PDMS film decorated with AgNPs. • The higher SERS enhancement effect obtained by controlling shrinkage of substrate to obtain enrichment of molecules. • Such a substrate has a high enhancement factor (EF = 3.9*109), great sensitivity, reliability, and stability. • The single-molecule SERS detection of DNA base of A and C. • The method has simple steps and can achieve reproducible large-scale fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ bioremediation is a safe and cost-effective technology for the cleanup of organic-contaminated soil, but its remediation rate is usually very slow, which results primarily from limited mass transfer of pollutants to the degrading bacteria in soil media. This study investigated the feasibility of adopting 2D non-uniform electric field to enhance in situ bioremediation process by promoting the mass transfer of organics to degrading bacteria under in situ conditions. For this purpose, a 2D non-uniform electrokinetic system was designed and tested at bench-scale with a sandy loam as the model soil and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) as the model organic pollutant at two common operation modes (bidirectional and rotational). Periodically, the electric field reverses its direction at bidirectional mode and revolves a given angle at rotational mode. The results demonstrated that the non-uniform electric field could effectively stimulate the desorption and the movement of 2,4-DCP in the soil. The 2,4-DCP was mobilized through soil media towards the anode at a rate of about 1.0cmd−1 V−1. The results also showed that in situ biodegradation of 2,4-DCP in the soil was greatly enhanced by the applied 2D electric field upon operational mode. At the bidirectional mode, an average 2,4-DCP removal of 73.4% was achieved in 15 days, and the in situ biodegradation of 2,4-DCP was increased by about three times as compared with that uncoupled with electric field, whereas, 34.8% of 2,4-DCP was removed on average in the same time period at the rotational mode. In terms of maintaining remediation uniformity in soil, the rotational operation remarkably excelled the bidirectional operation. In the hexagonal treatment area, the 2,4-DCP removal efficiency adversely increase with the distance to the central electrode at the bidirectional mode, while the rotational mode generated almost uniform removal in soil bed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Borehole instability in laminar formations often occurs during drilling operations without a clear explanation. Two dominant factors, rock lithology and stress concentration effects on borehole instability, are investigated in this study. The microstructure and mineral composition are evaluated to determine the possible reactions of the drilling fluid and shale interaction. A borehole stability model in a transversely isotropic medium is established using three different types of polyaxial strength criteria to study the effect of the degree of elastic anisotropy and intermediate principal stress on the lower boundary of the safe drilling window. Research has indicated that Poisson's ratio anisotropy does not markedly change the collapse pressure at low anisotropy. However, the effect of the elastic modulus anisotropy is notable, and the collapse pressure predicted by polyaxial criteria is more sensitive to elastic anisotropy. The collapse pressure calculated by the Mohr–Coulomb criterion is the upper limit; the results predicted by the Modified Lade and Modified Wiebols–Cook criterion are similar, corresponding to the wellbore orientations. This study explores the failure mechanisms of wells drilled in layered shales, which can help determine critical mud pressure and well orientation design. The outcomes of this investigation indicate the implications of fully accounting for the degree of elastic anisotropy and the influence of intermediate stress in conducting wellbore stability analysis. • Micro-structure and mineral composition effects on borehole instability are evaluated. • Three different poly axial criteria are used in wellbore stability analysis for layered shale. • Elastic anisotropy effect on collapse pressure predicted by different criteria are compared. • The importance of incorporating elastic anisotropy and σ 2 is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geomechanical behaviors of shale in many geotechnical engineering areas, such as shale gas extraction, tunnel excavation, slope engineering, are highly influenced by anisotropy and hydration. In this work, a number of ϕ25 mm × 50 mm shale specimens were prepared with three levels of moisture contents and seven bedding plane orientations (β , in degrees) relative to the axial direction. A series of compression tests for these specimens was then conducted under four different confining pressures to investigate their geomechanical behaviors considering the combined effect of anisotropy and hydration. The results demonstrate the following points. 1) During the water absorption process, the shale specimens swell and suffer damage, which are primarily observed along the bedding plane. 2) The curve of compressive strength (peak deviatoric stress) vs. β is "U-shaped," with the lowest value at β = 30°. The apparent elastic modulus decreases with the increase in β and then remains nearly unchanged when β > 45°. As β increases, the strains at peak stress and average apparent Poisson's ratio increase first and then decrease when β > 30°. 3) The plastic deformation stage and residual stress stage, which negatively relate to the elastic-brittle properties of shale, become more obvious with increasing moisture content, and the specimen for which β is closer to 30° exhibits a more significant change of that. 4) With increasing moisture content, the compressive strength and axial strain at peak stress decrease, apparent elastic modulus decreases nonlinearly, and average apparent Poisson's ratio increases approximately linearly. 5) The effect of anisotropy on the compressive strength decreases with increasing confining pressure and this weakened effect by confining pressure becomes less with increasing moisture content. 6) With the increase in β , the effect of water absorption on the compressive strength first strengthens a little and then weakens when β > 30° or 45°, and this change with β becomes more significant under higher confining pressure. 7) The effect of confining pressure on the compressive strength strengthens a little when β < 30° and then weakens with the increase in β , and this change with β weakens with increasing moisture content. 8) The anisotropy of shale could be the major controlling factor for geomechanical behaviors, and water absorption along the bedding plane can enhance the effect of anisotropy. The results can not only guide the design and construction of geotechnical engineering structures related to shale, but can also be used as a reference for geological research on the deformation and failure of shale formations affected by water intrusion and geological stresses. • Swelling and damage of hydrated shale mainly generate along the bedding plane. • Effect of anisotropy on strength decreases with increasing confining pressure. • Shale changes from brittleness to elastic-plastic with increasing moisture content. • Strength and axial strain at peak stress decrease with increasing moisture content. • Elastic modulus reduces and Poisson's ratio increases as increasing moisture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale oil is an unconventional kind of oil and gas resource with great potential. China has huge reserves of shale oil, and shale oil resources are abundant in the third submember of the Triassic Chang 7 member in the southern Ordos Basin. At present, this area is in the initial stage of shale oil exploration and development. The reservoir pore is one of the key factors affecting oil accumulation, drilling safety, and oil production. It is also an important reservoir parameter that must be defined in the exploration stage. In general, the clay content in the shale section is high, and is prone to hydration. In order to study the effect of fluid on the pore type, structure, and distribution of shale oil reservoirs, experiments using X-ray diffraction, a porosity–permeability test, mercury porosimetry, rock casting thin section, and scanning electron microscopy were carried out. The experimental results show that the content of clay and quartz is very high in the studied formation. The pore porosity and permeability of the rock is highly heterogeneous because of the obvious stratigraphic bedding and interbeds. Microstructural observation of rocks shows that the main pore types are intergranular pores, intragranular pores, intercrystalline pores, and organic pores. Crack types are dissolution cracks, contraction cracks of organic matter, and abnormal pressure structural cracks. After hydration, the porosity of rock will increase in varying degrees, and pore size, pore content in different sizes, and pore structure will also change. The results show that the pores of tuff mainly changes at the initial stage of hydration, and the pore change of tuff is the most obvious within 6 hours of soaking in clear water. The influence of hydration on the pore of shale is greater than that of tuff, but the main change stage is later than tuff, and the pore change of shale is the most obvious within 12 to 24 hours of soaking in clear water. The soaking experiment of water-based drilling fluid (WBM-SL) shows that it can plug a certain size of holes and cracks and form a protective layer on the rock surface, thus effectively reducing hydration. In actual construction, multisized solid particles should be allocated in drilling fluid according to the formation pore's characteristics, and the stability of the protective layer should be guaranteed. This can reduce the accident of well leakage and collapse and is conducive to the efficient and safe development of shale oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important branch of wearable electronics, flexible pressure sensors have attracted extensive research owing to their wide range of applications, such as human–machine interfaces and health monitoring. To fulfill the requirements for different applications, new material design and device fabrication strategies have been developed in order to manipulate the mechanical and electrical properties and enhance device performance. In this paper, the important progresses in flexible pressure sensor development over recent years are selectively reviewed from a material and application perspective. First, an overview of the fundamental working mechanism and the systematic design approach is presented. Particularly, how the theoretical modeling has been used as an auxiliary tool to achieve better sensing performance is discussed. A number of applications, including human–machine interfaces, electronic skin and health monitoring, and certain application‐driven functions, e.g., pressure distribution visualization and direction‐sensitive force detection, are highlighted. Lastly, various advanced manufacturing methods used for realizing large‐scale fabrication are introduced. Recent scientific and engineering progresses of flexible pressure sensors are reported in this review. First, the fundamental sensor assessment principles and latest material developments are introduced. The theoretical methods for sensor modeling are then discussed. Applications and new auxiliary functions of flexible pressure sensors are presented. Lastly, advanced manufacturing technologies for large‐scale fabrication of the sensors are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable pressure sensors enable long‐term real‐time health monitoring in a noninvasive and power‐efficient way; however, the sensors are often required to be precisely applied at the optimal measurement spot, e.g., nearby radial artery, for signal acquisition, causing inconvenience for untrained users or the elders. In this paper, a wearable liquid‐capsule sensor platform embedded with a piezo‐resistive pressure sensor is presented for continuous, accurate, and alignment‐relaxed physiological monitoring, i.e., heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) tracking. The flexible capsule design ensures comfort and good device conformation to any skin regions. For HR and BP measurements, experiments are performed on 12 human subjects. The results show that the capsuled sensor can continuously track: 1) HR with a mean absolute difference (MAD) of 0.88 beats per minute (bpm) and 2) BP with a MAD<3 mmHg for both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. The new liquid‐capsule‐based sensor platform may help to realize an accurate, flexible, robust, and low‐power solution for next‐generation wearable health monitoring devices. A wearable liquid‐capsule sensor platform embedded with a piezo‐resistive pressure sensor for continuous, accurate, and alignment‐relaxed physiological monitoring, i.e., heart rate and blood pressure tracking, is realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteriophage 8P was isolated with a Pseudomonas stutzeri strain isolated from an oil reservoir as its host bacterium. The phage genome comprises 63,753 base pairs with a G+C content of 64.35. The phage encodes 63 predicted proteins, and 27 of them were functionally assigned. No tRNA genes were found. Comparative genomics analysis showed that 8P displayed some relatedness to F116-like phages (78% identity, 20% query coverage). The genome has very low sequence similarity to the other phage genomes in the GenBank database and Viral Sequence Database. Based on whole-genome analysis and transmission electron microscopy imaging, 8P is proposed to be a member of a new species in the genus Hollowayvirus, family Podoviridae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid advances in manufacturing technologies have provided great opportunities for scalable fabrication of novel sensing structures and devices. Here, the application of near‐field electrospinning to the fabrication of flexible strain sensors is explored. Through theoretical modeling, it is first verified that a strong anisotropic response of a strain sensor can be obtained through introducing a grid‐shaped design to its sensing layer. Following this guideline, near‐field electrospinning is applied to fabricate polyurethane grids with well‐controlled period and thickness and the grid is further decorated with conductive silver nanowires. Through tuning the structure of the polyurethane grid and the density of the silver nanowires, a high gauge factor (GF = 338.47) under high strain (200%) is achieved, representing the best sensing and stretching property combination reported for flexible strain sensors. In good agreement with the theoretical model, the strain sensors are only sensitive to the strain along the electrode direction and are insensitive to perpendicular direction strains. Based on this characteristic response, the excellent capability of the strain sensors in distinguishing hand movement and monitoring physiological signals is demonstrated, suggesting the great application potential of the sensors in robotic vision and prosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well leakage of fractured strata is a tricky problem while drilling. This unwieldy problem is usually caused by the poor formation of the cementing degree, the staggered-mesh of the fracture, and the low bearing capacity of the formation, which can also lead to a narrow and even unsafe window of drilling fluid density. For fractured strata, the normal plugging material has the disadvantages of unsuitable size and low strength, resulting in unsuccessful first time plugging and an increase in cost. Therefore, we developed a polymer plugging gel for the fractured strata, named XNGJ-3. XNGJ-3 is mainly made of an acrylamide monomer and is accompanied by the reactive monomers of carboxyl and hydroxyl as ingredients. XNGJ-3 has a low viscosity before gelling. At 80 °C it becomes gelled, and the gelling time was controlled within the required time of the practical application. These conditions are beneficial for making the plugging material enter the crossing fracture smoothly and occlude the fracture. XNGJ-3 also has a good deformability and can avoid being damaged during the process of fracture closure. The well leakage simulated experiment revealed that the bearing capacity of this material can reach 21 MPa and the inverse bearing capacity can reach 20 MPa. These strengths are more than twice that of common polymer plugging gels. Finally, three leaked wells in the fractured strata of the Sichuan Basin were used to verify the plugging effect of XNGJ-3. Compared with other common plugging materials, XNGJ-3 has the advantages of having a higher success rate of first time plugging, a lower economic cost, a shorter work time, and so forth, which indicate that this plugging material has a good engineering application value in dealing with well leakage of fractured strata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is a common type of tumor in women worldwide. MicroRNAs have been identified as regulators in many human cancers. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the functional role of miR‐125b in regulating breast cancer progression. Methods: We used the StarBase database to investigate the expression of miRNA‐125b in breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues. MMP11 3′‐UTR construct and luciferase reporter assays was performed for target genes. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK‐8 and colony formation assay. The migration and invasion were assessed by transwell assay. Results: Luciferase reporter assays showed miRNA‐125b directly targeted MMP11. miRNA‐125b by transfection with its mimic in breast cancer cells significantly suppressed breast cancer cell proliferation and migration. Western blot revealed that overexpression of miRNA‐125b substantially reduced MMP11 protein expression. We used the UALCAN database to investigate the expression of MMP11 in human breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues. In addition, we found that miRNA‐125b spoiled MMP11 induced breast cancer cell proliferation and migration promotion effect. Conclusions: miRNA‐125b mimic inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells through targeting MMP11 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we isolated and characterized a lytic phage, named vB_SmaM_PS2 (abbreviated as PS2), which can infect Serratia marcescens clinical isolates. Morphologically, phage PS2 can be classified within the Myoviridae family. The 167,276 bp double-stranded DNA genome of PS2 possesses 41.7% GC content. A total of 276 protein-coding genes and 4 tRNA genes were predicted in the PS2 genome. Of the 276 genes, 131 (47%) encoded T4-like genes, most of which are DNA replication and virion structural genes. Therefore, phage PS2 should be a new member of the T4-like Serratia phage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, microbial synthesis has become a common way for producing valuable chemicals. Traditionally, microbial production of valuable chemicals is accomplished by a single strain. For the purpose of increasing the production titer and yield of a recombinant strain, complicated pathways and regulation layers should be fine-tuned, which also brings a heavy metabolic burden to the host. In addition, utilization of various complex and mixed substrates further interferes with the normal growth of the host strain and increases the complexity of strain engineering. As a result, modular co-culture technology, which aims to divide a target complex pathway into separate modules located at different single strains, poses an alternative solution for microbial production. Recently, modular co-culture strategy has been employed for the synthesis of different natural products. Therefore, in this review, various chemicals produced with application of co-cultivation technology are summarized, including co-culture with same species or different species, and regulation of population composition between the co-culture members. In addition, development prospects and challenges of this promising field are also addressed, and possible solution for these issues were also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of large igneous provinces (LIPs) seems to require a series of conditions conducive to massive dolomitization; however, the specific mechanisms remain unclear. Based on petrographic, geochemical and fluid-inclusion microthermometry analyses, this study identifies the types of dolomites in the Maokou Formation (Middle Permian) in the eastern Sichuan Basin. It analyses the related dolomitization fluids and discusses the influencing mechanisms of the Emeishan large igneous provinces (ELIP) on dolomitization at different stages. Three types of dolomite were identified: (1) fabric-retentive, very finely crystalline, planar-s to nonplanar-a dolomite (MD1); (2) fabric-retentive, fine to medium crystalline, planar-s to nonplanar-a dolomite (MD2); and (3) medium to coarsely crystalline, nonplanar (saddle) dolomite (SD). MD1 exhibited dark-red luminescence under cathodoluminescence and rare earth element patterns that are similar to those of lime mudstone, indicating that its dolomitization fluid was medium-salinity Permian seawater. MD2 displayed orange-red luminescence under cathodoluminescence, with a high Ba content (mean: 397.5 ppm) and positive Eu anomalies (mean: 2.34), indicating that its dolomitization fluid was a mixture of shallowly buried seawater and a small amount of external hydrothermal fluid. SD showed red luminescence under cathodoluminescence, with the highest Ba content (mean: 9820.4 ppm) and significant positive Eu anomalies (mean: 3.165), indicating that its dolomitization fluid was mainly ELIP-related hydrothermal fluid with a small amount of residual seawater. Before the ELIP activity, no dolomite occurred in the study area. In the initial stage of ELIP activity, upwelling of the Emeishan mantle plume led to a shift in sedimentary patterns, promoting the occurrence of reflux dolomitization and the formation of MD1. In the intermediate stage of ELIP activity, the activation of basement faults promoted the occurrence of thermal convection dolomitization, resulting in MD2 formation. In the peak stage of ELIP activity, large-scale eruption of Emeishan basalt led to the development of hydrothermal dolomitization, forming SD. This study provides an approach to the investigation of the influences of LIPs on dolomitization processes. • Three types of dolomite are developed in the Maokou Formation in eastern Sichuan. • Each type of dolomite show different origin and nature of dolomitized fluids. • The ELIP control the formation and distribution of dolomite of Maokou formation in Sichuan Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have witnessed great progress in creating vivid audio-driven portraits from monocular videos. However, how to seamlessly adapt the created video avatars to other scenarios with different backgrounds and lighting conditions remains unsolved. On the other hand, existing relighting studies mostly rely on dynamically lighted or multi-view data, which are too expensive for creating video portraits. To bridge this gap, we propose ReliTalk, a novel framework for relightable audio-driven talking portrait generation from monocular videos. Our key insight is to decompose the portrait’s reflectance from implicitly learned audio-driven facial normals and images. Specifically, we involve 3D facial priors derived from audio features to predict delicate normal maps through implicit functions. These initially predicted normals then take a crucial part in reflectance decomposition by dynamically estimating the lighting condition of the given video. Moreover, the stereoscopic face representation is refined using the identity-consistent loss under simulated multiple lighting conditions, addressing the ill-posed problem caused by limited views available from a single monocular video. Extensive experiments validate the superiority of our proposed framework on both real and synthetic datasets. Our code is released in (https://github.com/arthur-qiu/ReliTalk). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a phaC R gene encoding PHA synthase was identified in Rhodoligotrophos defluvii which was adjacent to β-ketothiolase encoded by phaA R gene and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase encoded by phaB R gene. Amino acid comparison of PhaC R showed the highest homology of 65.98% with PhaC of R. appendicifer , while its homology with typical class I PHA synthase in Cupriavidus necator was only 42.54%. PHA synthesis genes were then transformed into E. coli harboring phaCAB R and phaC R AB C which were cultured with 15 g/L glucose respectively, and 20.46 wt% and 16.95 wt% of CDW for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were accumulated respectively. To further explore the effect of substrate specificity for PHA production, the ptsG gene was then deleted and 15 g/L glucose and 1.5 g/L propionate were co-employed as carbon sources, which enabled the synthesis of poly(3HB- co -3HV) copolymer. As a result, poly(3HB-co-3HV) was accumulated up to 24.74 wt% of CDW, and the highest content of 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) was 10.86 mol%. The T d5 was 260 °C, which implied that it possessed good thermal stability, and the M w of GPC in recombinant strains were between 22 and 26 × 104 g/mol, and the highest PDI was 3.771. The structure of poly (3HB- co -3HV) copolymer was determined through 1H NMR analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Alpha-asarone reduced infarct volume and improved neurological function. • Alpha-asarone treatment alleviated cell injury and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. • Alpha-asarone decreased GFAP, Iba-1, and LC3II/LC3I expression. • Alpha-asarone is likely to be a promising agent for ischemic stroke. Alpha-asarone, a major active component isolated from Acorus gramineus, can affect brain functions and behaviors by multiple mechanisms. However, the effect of alpha-asarone on cerebral ischemia–reperfusion (CIR) stroke has not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of alpha-asarone and the involved mechanisms against CIR stroke. Rats were subjected to middle cerebral occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h. Then the drug or drug-free vehicle was intravenously injected to corresponding groups. After reperfusion for 24 h, the infarct volume was evaluated by Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride (TTC) staining. The neurofunctional recovery and post-stroke epilepsy were evaluated. Nissl and Hematoxylin–Eosin (H&E) staining were used for histological observation. We investigated the protective mechanism of alpha-asarone against the stroke. The results showed that alpha-asarone exhibited a desirable neuroprotective effect, manifested as reducing infarct volume and post-stroke epilepsy and improving neurological function. Histological and flow cytometry analysis revealed that alpha-asarone treatment alleviated cell injury and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, alpha-asarone decreased GFAP, Iba-1, and LC3II/LC3I expression and increased the expression of p62. These results suggested that alpha-asarone attenuated the CIR stroke injury via ameliorating glial activation and autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fully rigorous unsaturated thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupling model based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and continuum mechanics is developed to investigate the instability mechanism of the borehole drilled in deep gas-bearing formations. It incorporates the gas–water two-phase seepage phenomena, geomechanical loading, and temperature-difference disturbance during deep drilling process. Comparing the predictions of the previous saturated THM model and the presented model, the maximum relative errors of pore pressure, effective radial stress, effective tangential stress, and temperature are 30.2%, 34.6%, 3.4%, and 0.5%, respectively. The maximum prediction deviation in the width and depth of the failure zone occurs at the early time (t = 10−5 d). The unsaturated thermal coupling effect, although less influential on pore pressure and effective radial stress, makes a great contribution to the effective tangential stress with a maximum relative error of 10.1% for the temperature-difference of 30 K, and enhances the time dependence of the failure zone. The cooling condition is favorable to avoid shear collapse failure of the borehole, while the heating condition is not. The results also show that the gas-bearing formations with lower initial water saturation, higher rock permeability, or higher water phase relative permeability correspond to the higher risk of wellbore instability. The thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient of the solid phase have a much greater effect on wellbore stability than those of the fluid phases. The effect of unsaturated THM coupling on wellbore stability may be more significant at lower rock permeabilities. The research findings provide insight into the wellbore stability analysis during drilling in deep gas-bearing formations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio alginolyticus is a notable pathogen that can infect fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life. It is also a common pathogen of humans and aquatic animals. At present, the problem of antibiotic-resistant V. alginolyticus is becoming increasingly severe. The Vibrio phage can replace antibiotics in the treatment of Vibrio infection. Three phages, named XZ1, XZA, and XZB were isolated from the coastal waters of Qingdao. XZ1 and XZA were classified as Straboviridae and XZB was classified as Caudoviricetes. They were all stable in a wide pH (4.0–10.0) and temperature (20–60 °C) range, could withstand ultraviolet irradiation for 12 min, and survive a salinity of 25 g/L. There were no integrase or virulence factors in their genomes. In vitro, the phage cocktail preparation had a good inhibitory effect on the formation of V. alginolyticus biofilm. At room temperature, phages could reduce the number of V. alginolyticus on foodstuffs (yellow croaker) compared to the control group. This study lays a foundation for the prevention and control of V. alginolyticus infection using phages in the future. • Using Vibrio alginolyticus as a host, three novel phages were successfully isolated. • The three phages can survive in diverse harsh environments across a wide pH range. • Comparative genomics analysis showed a low similarity between three phages. • A phage cocktail was constructed that effectively inhibits Vibrio on the surface of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A modified Hoek-Brown failure criterion for unsaturated intact shale is developed. • The proposed criterion considers the effects of anisotropy and hydration of shale. • The predicted error of the proposed criterion shows as R 2 = 0.936 and AAREP = 5.17%. • Predictive capabilities of the criterion reduce as an increase in moisture content. • The predicted σ 1 is more sensitive to R and r than ξ and η. The mechanical strength of shale is highly influenced by anisotropy and hydration, which cannot be ignored for the stability evaluation of the geotechnical structures related to shale after water invasion. In the present work, a modified Hoek-Brown failure criterion for unsaturated intact shale considering the effects of anisotropy and hydration has been developed in order to obtain an accurate strength evaluation for unsaturated intact shale. In this proposed failure criterion (abbreviated as the proposed criterion), the effect of anisotropy on shale strength is determined by a piecewise functions for uniaxial compression and the parameter k β added in Hoek-Brown (HB) failure criterion for triaxial compression condition, and the effect of incomplete hydration on shale strength is regarded as an effective stress decrease by incorporating a discount function related to moisture content. The proposed criterion is defined by 8 parameters, including a material parameter of HB failure criterion (m), 4 material parameters (ξ , η , R and r) describing the hydration effect and 3 model parameters (g, h and k β) describing the anisotropy effect. The physical meanings and determination procedures of these parameters are described. The predicted values of the proposed criterion agree well with the experimental data, showing that R 2 = 0.966 and AAREP (average absolute relative error percentage) = 4.393% for all the predicted results. The proposed criterion is then compared with other two failure criteria which consider the effects of water invasion and anisotropy on rock strength, showing that the proposed criterion has higher accuracy and better stability. The error of the predicted values for the proposed criterion compared with the tested results increases for the shale specimen for which β (bedding plane orientation relative to the axial loading in degrees, °) is closer to 30°, is bigger for the shale specimen with a higher moisture content, and is bigger for the shale specimen under a higher confining pressure. The sensitivity analysis of the 4 hydration parameters on the predicted results shows that the predicted values are more sensitive to R and r than ξ and η. This proposed criterion can improve the reliability for the stability evaluation of the geotechnical structures related to shale after water invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strain of Bacillus that can tolerate 10 g/L acetic acid and use the volatile fatty acids produced by the hydrolysis and acidification of activated sludge to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate was screened from the activated sludge of propylene oxide saponification wastewater. The strain was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic tree analysis and was named Bacillus cereus L17. Various characterization methods showed that the polymer synthesized by strain L17 is poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, which has low crystallinity, good ductility and toughness, high thermal stability and a low polydispersity coefficient. It has wide thermoplastic material operating space as well as industrial and medicinal applications. The optimal fermentation conditions were determined by single factor optimization. Then, Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken design experiments were carried out according to the single factor optimization results, and the response surface optimization was completed. The final results were: initial pH 6.7, temperature 25 °C, and loading volume 124 mL. The verification experiment showed that the yield of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate after optimization increased by 35.2 % compared to that before optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]