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Super oil and gas basins provide the energy foundation for social progress and human development. In the context of climate change and carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, constructing an integrated energy and carbon neutrality system that balances energy production and carbon reduction becomes crucial for the transformation of such basins. Under the framework of a green and intelligent energy system primarily based on “four news”, new energy, new electricity, new energy storage, and new intelligence, integrating a “super energy system” composed of a huge amount of underground resources of coal, oil, gas and heat highly overlapping with abundant wind and solar energy resources above ground, and a regional intelligent energy consumption system with coordinated development and utilization of fossil energy and new energy, with a carbon neutrality system centered around carbon cycling is essential. This paper aims to select the traditional oil and gas basins as “super energy basins” with the conditions to build world-class energy production and demonstration bases for carbon neutrality. The Ordos Basin has unique regional advantages, including abundant fossil fuel and new energy resources, as well as matching CO2 sources and sinks, position it as a carbon neutrality “super energy basin” which explores the path of transformation of traditional oil and gas basins. Under the integrated development concept and mode of “coal + oil + gas + new energy + carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)/carbon capture and storage (CCS)”, the carbon neutrality in super energy basin is basically achieved, which enhance energy supply and contribute to the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, establish a modern energy industry and promote regional green and sustainable development. The pioneering construction of the world-class carbon neutrality “super energy system” demonstration basin in China represented by the Ordos Basin will reshape the new concept and new mode of exploration and development of super energy basins, which is of great significance to the global energy revolution under carbon neutrality.

Abstract In the context of China’s rapid economic development, corporate pollutant emissions are increasing, underscoring the imperative for further enhancement of corporate environmental performance. Given the significance of high-tech enterprises in the environmental domain, this study examines the impact of investor attention on the corporate environmental performance of Chinese high-tech enterprises. This study utilized data from 463 high-tech enterprises in mainland China from 2011 to 2022 and employed the dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) technique. The findings indicate that investor attention has a negative impact on the corporate environmental performance of high-tech enterprises. This research also finds that both media attention and coverage sentiment mitigate the negative relationship between investor attention and environmental performance of high-tech firms. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that in the sample of IT service industry, heightened media attention exacerbates the negative impact of investor attention on corporate environmental performance, and media coverage sentiment exhibits no significant moderating effect. Within samples of non-polluting and state-owned enterprises, increased media coverage sentiment amplifies the negative impact of investor attention on corporate environmental performance. This paper suggests that policymakers should foster a media environment that supports accurate and thorough environmental reporting while businesses should proactively engage with media to align investor perceptions with sustainable environmental practices.

As a major emerging economy, China government debt burden on local governments remains substantial, so enhance fiscal self-sufficiency and debt sustainability is so important. Utilizing panel data spanning from 2004 to 2020 across 29 provincial-level governments in China, this study employs the SYS-GMM approach to empirically validate the significant negative impact of digital infrastructure development on governments’ fiscal self-sufficiency rates. Furthermore, the research shows the significant positive mediating role of technological expenditure efficiency between digital infrastructure and fiscal self-sufficiency, implying that digital infrastructure can enhance fiscal self-sufficiency by augmenting technological innovation efficiency. Under the moderating effect mechanism, fiscal decentralization positively moderates the relationship between digital infrastructure and fiscal self-sufficiency. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the impact of digital infrastructure on fiscal self-sufficiency is more pronounced in high-density regions. At the same time, its effect is less significant in low-density areas, indicating regional disparities in China’s digital infrastructure development. The contribution of this study is grounded in fiscal decentralization theory, policy recommendations advocate granting local governments greater autonomy over tax categories and broadening their fiscal revenue. Concurrent efforts should be directed towards deepening reforms in the fiscal and taxation systems, as well as budget management mechanisms.

Underground coal gasification is currently the highest-temperature (over 1200 ℃) unconventional development method for fossil energy. Underground gasification of coal in the medium-deep (refer to the depth of 800～1500 m in this paper) has obvious advantages in improving the gasification pressure and reducing the geological safety risks. Scientific prediction of safe width of gasification cavity is important to ensure stable gasification operation. Since the method of calculating the safe width of gasification cavity based on Controlled Retreat Injection Point (CRIP) process has not yet been established, targeted research is needed to ensure the smooth implementation of field tests. Once the top plate of the gasification cavity is “exposed” to high temperature behind the gasification cavity. The generation position of thermal stresses inside the rock and the influence law of differences in the thermal expansion coefficient of particles and matrix on the magnitude of thermal stresses were studied by numerical simulation under compressive stress constraints. the thermal damage mechanism of rock under high temperature was clarified combined with the scanning electron microscope results of rock after high temperature treatment. According to the characteristics of CRIP gasification process, a thin plate model of gasification cavity roof considering the influence of high temperature was established, and a method for calculating the safe width of the gasification cavity was proposed in combination with the theory of “key layer”. The study revealed that, rock thermal damage was caused by the interaction and synergy of rock physicochemical reactions and thermal stress, and the rock undergone irregular deformation at high temperatures. Microstructural changes of rock caused by the thermal damage were the fundamental cause of changes in rock mechanical and physical properties. The maximum tensile thermal stress in rock occurred at the grain interfaces or in grains with small coefficient of thermal expansion. The maximum tensile thermal stress increased rapidly with decreasing the thermal expansion coefficient of the grain when the ratio of the thermal expansion coefficient of the grain to that of the matrix is in the range of [0.01−1). The microcracks of mudstone was developed when heated to 200 ℃, the crack development was more obvious when heated to 400 ℃, which mainly along the edge of the particles rupture. The number of cracks was increased and the size was larger when heated to 600−800 ℃. The larger cracks and numerous pores were formed when heated to 1000 ℃. The crack connectivity increased significantly at 1200 °C, and the stomatal development was larger. Due to the effect of high temperature, the step constant for the thin plate model is no longer a constant, and specific values need to be determined based on the extent of thermal damage to the roof of gasification cavity and the location of the hard rock layer on the top plate. The safe width of gasification cavity was affected by temperature. In the study, the calculated safe widths of sandstone roof at 35 and 1000 °C were 34.3 m and 14.1 m, respectively, with a difference of 58.9%. while the safe widths at 35 and 1000 °C were 16.7 m and 15.9 m, respectively, with a 4.8% difference. Lastly, a method of determining the longitudinal target area of coal seam was proposed from the perspective of reducing the risk of roof collapse and improving gasification control. When the coal seam thickness exceeded half of the gasification cavity safe width, it was suggested to design the longitudinal target area of horizontal well at a location not more than half of the safe width of gasification cavity from the top of the coal.

To increase the carbon conversion of char in gasification, this paper aimed to reveal the gasification behaviours of char residues. Char residues with different ash contents in this work were prepared from Shenmu char and Tejing char. Those char residues were gasified by different CO2 gas mixtures at different temperatures. The gasification process of char residue was different from the end stage of the gasification process of the corresponding raw char: the gasification rate of the char residue increased at first and then decreased, whereas the gasification rate of the corresponding raw char kept decreasing during the end stage of gasification. The highest gasification rate was achieved at a lower conversion in the gasification of char residue than in the gasification of the corresponding raw char. Catalytic minerals, high temperature, and high CO2 partial pressure benefited the gasification of gasified char residues. The char residues that contained more catalytic minerals were more reactive in gasification and were less sensitive to changes in temperature and CO2 partial pressure. The Modified Random Pore Model (MRPM) and Random Pore Model (RPM) were used to predict the gasification kinetics of the chars, and the MRPM describes the gasification processes of gasified char residues well.

Introduction: In recent decades, numerous large survey projects have been initiated to enhance our understanding of the cosmos. Among these, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) stands out as a flagship project of the Stage IV cosmology imaging surveys, offering an open-source framework for data management and processing adaptable to various instruments.Methods: In this paper, we introduce the ‘obs_mccd’ software package, designed to serve as a bridge linking raw data from generic mosaic-CCD instruments to the LSST data management framework. The package also facilitates the deployment of tailored configurations to the pipeline middleware. To validate our data processing pipeline, we processed a batch of realistic data from a commissioning wide-field telescope.Results: We established a prototype of the quality control (QC) system capable of assessing image quality parameters such as PSF size, ellipticity, and astrometric calibration. Our findings indicate that using a fifth-order polynomial for astrometric calibration effectively characterizes geometric distortion, achieving a median average geometric distortion residual of 0.011 pixel.Discussion: When comparing the performance of our pipeline to our in-house pipeline applied to the same dataset, we observed that our new ‘obs_mccd’ pipeline offers improved precision, reducing the median average geometric distortion residual from 0.016 pixel to 0.011 pixel. This enhancement in performance underscores the benefits of the obs_mccd package in managing and processing data from wide-field surveys, and it opens up new avenues for scientific exploration with smaller, flexible survey systems complementing the LSST.

Abstract Cost‐effective non‐noble metal‐based catalysts for selective hydrogenation with excellent activity, selectivity, and durability are still the holy grail. Herein, an oxygen‐doped carbon (OC) chainmail encapsulated dilute Cu–Ni alloy is developed by simple pyrolysis of Cu/Ni‐metal–organic framework. The CuNi0.05@OC catalyst displays superior performance for atmospheric pressure transfer hydrogenation of p‐chloronitrobenzene and p‐nitrophenol, and for hydrogenation of furfural, all in water and with exceptional durability. Comprehensive characterizations confirm the close interactions between the diluted Ni sites, the base Cu, and optimized three‐layered graphene chainmail. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the properly tuned lattice strain and Schottky junction can adjust electron density to facilitate specific adsorption on the active centers, thus enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity, while the OC shell also offers robust protection. This work provides a simple and environmentally friendly strategy for developing practical heterogeneous catalysts that bring the synergistic effect into play between dilute alloy and functional carbon wrapping.

Aluminosilicate zeolites are widely recognized as an industrially important crystalline microporous material. Among them, small-pore SSZ-13 stands out as an artificial aluminosilicate zeolite with CHA topology. Since its invention in 1985, SSZ-13 zeolite has garnered significant attention in both academia and industry due to its exceptional performance in heterogeneous catalysis, gas adsorption and separation. Modification of its physicochemical properties to meet the diverse requirements of various application scenarios has become a prominent topic in zeolite research. Considerable efforts have been devoted to alleviating the diffusion limitations inherent in micropores by downsizing crystal size or introducing additional mesopores and/or macropores to construct hierarchical structures. Regulating framework Al atoms in isolation or pairing introduces remarkable catalytic or adsorptive diversity into compositionally similar SSZ-13 zeolites. The conventional synthesis of SSZ-13 zeolite, which involves the use of expensive and toxic N,N,N-trimethyl-1-adamantylammonium hydroxide (TMAdaOH) as an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) and a hydrothermal crystallization process lasting typically more than four days, severely hinders its cost-effective utilization. In response, extensive research endeavors have been dedicated to developing innovative synthetic approaches for SSZ-13 zeolites aimed at greener, more efficient, and economically viable production. This article presents a comprehensive overview of recent research developments in the field of SSZ-13 zeolites, encompassing novel synthetic methods, hierarchical engineering, nanocrystal technology, Al distribution, fast synthesis, and cost reduction techniques, aiming to provide valuable insights and guidance to relevant researchers.

Oil-rich coal is a special coal resource with a tar yield ≥ 7% and a combination of coal, oil, and gas attributes. It is an important resource and development direction for the clean utilization of coal, and has important scientific value in alleviating the shortage of national oil and gas resources and promoting the breakthrough development of coal chemical industry. There are a large number of tar-rich coal resources in the eastern basin of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In order to find out the occurrence and distribution of tar-rich coal, the coal accumulation and occurrence characteristics of tar-rich coal were studied by means of sedimentary environment analysis, proximate analysis of coal, ultimate analysis of coal, and Gray-King assay for coal. The geological block method was used to estimate the resources of tar-rich coal. The results show that the tar-rich coal seams in the Santanghu Basin are mainly distributed in the upper section of the Badaowan Formation (J1b2), the Sangonghe Formation (J1s) and the lower section of the Xishanyao Formation (J2x1), the tar yield is about 13.67%, which is high tar-rich coal. The tar-rich coal seams in the Turpan-Hami Basin are developed in the middle section of the Xishanyao Formation (J2x2), and the tar yield is about 7.6%, which are tar-bearing coal and tar-rich coal. The tar-rich coal in the area is generally characterized by ultra-low to medium-low water content, low to medium-low ash content, medium-high to high volatile content, high tar yield, rich in oil generating components such as vitrinite and lipitnite, low degree of coalification, and formed in the lacustrine-deltaic sedimentary environment. The potential of rich oil coal resources in the study area is large. The resources of tar-rich coal in the Santanghu Basin is estimated to be 67.083 billion tonnes above a depth of 2 000 m, and the resources of tar-rich coal in the Turpan-Hami Basin is estimated to be 41.755 billion tonnes above a depth of 2 000 m, and the average thickness of the coal seams is more than 9 m. In order to effectively utilize the development of oil rich coal resources, the technical assumption of Underground Coal Pyrolysis (UCP) is proposed. The UCP refers to the establishment of heat introduction and product production channels in underground coal seams through petroleum engineering technology. Through artificial heating, coal undergoes in-situ carbonization reactions. The pyrolysis products include tar, gas (CH4, H2, light hydrocarbon C2+, etc.), and water. The carbon element in coal is mainly left underground in the form of semicoke, and the generated carbon dioxide can be used to drive oil in the Santanghu and Turpan-Hami Basins. The remaining carbon dioxide can be buried in-situ using the semicoke layer. The UCP achieves a clean conversion of coal resources through “hydrogen extraction and carbon retention”, which is expected to become a technical direction for the low-carbon green development of tar-rich coal.

Zeolite-based catalysts efficiently catalyze the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with methane (CH4-SCR) for the environmentally friendly removal of nitrogen oxides, but suffer severe deactivation in high-temperature SO2- and H2O-containing flue gas. In this work, SSZ-39 zeolite (AEI topology) with high hydrothermal stability is reported for preparing CH4-SCR catalysts. Mild acid leaching with oxalic acid (OA) not only modulates the Si/Al ratio of commercial SSZ-39 to a suitable value, but also removes some extra-framework Al atoms, introducing a small number of mesopores into the zeolite that alleviate diffusion limitation. Additional Co3O4 modification during indium exchange further enhances the catalytic activity of the resulting In-Co3O4/H-SSZ-39(OA). The optimized sample exhibits remarkable performance in CH4-SCR under a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 24,000 h−1 and in the presence of 5 vol% H2O. Even under harsh SO2- and H2O-containing high-temperature conditions, it shows satisfactory stability. Catalysts containing Co3O4 components demonstrate much higher CH4 conversion. The strong mutual interaction between Co3O4 and Brønsted acid sites, confirmed by the temperature-programmed desorption of NO (NO-TPD), enables more stable NxOy species to be retained in In-Co3O4/H-SSZ-39(OA) to supply further reactions at high temperatures.

BackgroundThe development of pulsed field ablation (PFA) as a new technique for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has been advancing rapidly in recent years. My team's previous work has shown the safety and long-term efficacy of bipolar asymmetric pulses in animal experiments. However, in ongoing clinical trials, we have observed that atrial fibrillation (AF) recurs in some patients after surgery, but the rhythm returns to normal without surgical intervention after seven days, and there is no recurrence in the follow-up.Based on this observation, we have proposed the hypothesis that myocardial cell apoptosis may play a role in AF recurrence after PFA. Our team has designed animal experiments to verify this hypothesis and further investigate the process of PFA-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.MethodsPulse field ablation was performed on 15 dogs and the animals were dissected at various time points after the operation (immediately, 3 days, 7 days, 30 days, and 150 days). To obtain ablation voltage maps, electroanatomic mapping was performed before and after ablation and before dissection. The ablation area was also subjected to HE and TUNEL staining to analyze apoptosis and pathological results.ResultsThe edge area of the ablation in the pulmonary vein (PV) demonstrated continuous dynamic changes from 0 to 2 h after the operation and a slight expansion of the ablation range was observed in the long-term follow-up. Myocardial intima hyperplasia was observed from 0 to 7 days. Local apoptosis was detected from 0 to 2 h and massive, concentrated apoptosis was observed at 3 days. No recurrence of apoptosis was seen at 7 days, 30 days, and 150 days.ConclusionsThe results of this study showed that after pulse field ablation (PFA), the central ablation area of the canine heart experienced immediate cardiomyocyte death. Meanwhile, cardiomyocytes in the edge ablation area underwent apoptosis, which began from 0 to 2 h post-operation and ended between 3 and 7 days. This process occurred simultaneously with intimal thickening.In the long-term follow-up group, there was no recovery of isolation and no recurrence of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and no change was observed in the endomyocardial intima.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of Tn7-derivatives transposons in MDR Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from anal swabs of chicken and swine in China from 2015–2020. Methods: The Tn7 tnsA gene was screened in 207 P. mirabilis isolates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Illumina Hiseq (200 × coverage) was used for genome sequencing. Transposon maps were completed by PCR and Sanger sequencing and analysed by BLAST. Results: The Tn7 tnsA gene was detected in 21 strains by PCR. Eight novel Tn7-derivatives, named Tn6667, Tn6668, Tn6669, Tn6670, Tn7095, Tn7096, Tn7097 and Tn7098, were characterised. Three types of hybrid class 2/1 integrons were found at the right end of Tn7 derivatives. A novel Tn7-like transposon Tn6666 with an active integrase gene intI2, whose transposition module shows 93% nucleotide identity to the corresponding region of Tn7, was characterised in three strains. Tn6666 is also found next to Tn7097 or Tn7098 in the chromosomes of two clonally related P. mirabilis strains. The number of resistance genes carried by the novel transposons varied from 1 to 18. A novel variant of class A extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene, blaPER-16, with eight base substitutions compared with blaPER-12, was harboured by Tn7098. Conclusion: Our study characterised diverse novel Tn7-derivatives and a new Tn7-like transposon in P. mirabilis. An active integrase gene intI2 might promote the diversification of Tn7-like transposons. More attention should be paid to the prevalence and evolution of Tn7-derivatives and Tn7-like transposons and antimicrobial resistance genes they carry.

Using carbon dioxide as a gasification agent for underground coal gasification (UCG) can not only reduce carbon dioxide emissions but is also expected to lead to a new natural gas technology revolution and ensure national energy security. To explore the effect of the oxygen content in oxygen-enriched carbon dioxide gasification agents on the results of gasification experiments, underground gasification experiments under different oxygen-enrichment conditions were designed, and quantitative parameters were used to analyze and evaluate the gas produced in the gasification experiments. The results showed that as the oxygen content in the oxygen-enriched carbon dioxide gasification agent increased, the CO and H2 in the combustible gas gradually increased, and the calorific value of the combustible gas also slowly increased, reaching a peak value under the gasification condition of 60% oxygen concentration, and then decreased slightly; the product formation rate and the gas production per unit mass of coal fluctuated. The coal consumption rate increased with time and was relatively stable. According to theoretical calculations for the gasification energy recovery evaluation system, the overall energy recovery rate was 56.34%, and the energy utilization rate was relatively high. Research on quantitative indicators based on gas production data has good practical significance for evaluating the gasification efficiency of UCG, which can be used to better evaluate and control the reaction process of UCG.

Coal pyrolysis is the basis of coal gasification, as it is the necessary reaction step in the coal conversion process. To study the pyrolysis characteristics of different coal grades under temperature, thermal simulation tests of three different ranks of coal were conducted, and the pore structure and gas products were analyzed by using liquid nitrogen adsorption and gas chromatographic, and perform fractal fitting for pores of different size. The results show that the pyrolysis gas output of Inner Mongolia lignite is higher than that of Xinjiang long flame coal and Hancheng bituminous coal. With the increase of coal rank, the gas output of each gas component also shows a decreasing trend and the initial temperature and peak temperature of various gases gradually shift to high temperature. With the increase of temperature, the average pore size, volume, specific surface area, and fractal dimension of the three kinds of coal char show an increasing trend. The average pore size and pore volume of coal char increase, and the fractal dimension increase with the increase of coal rank. The comprehensive comparative analysis of the gaseous products, average pore size, pore volume, and fractal dimension of the three coal chars shows that Inner Mongolia lignite has high gas production, large average pore size, good connectivity, and simple pore structure, which is conducive to the escape of pyrolysis gas and the transportation of gasification agent and is the best favorable coal for gasification. The research results are expected to provide experimental guidance for the actual production of underground coal gasification.

The world is endowed with a tremendous amount of coal resources, which are unevenly distributed in a few nations. While sustainable energy resources are being developed and deployed, fossil fuels dominate the current world energy consumption. Thus, low-carbon clean technologies, like underground coal gasification (UCG), ought to play a vital role in energy supply and ensuring energy security in the foreseeable future. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of the world's development of UCG for enhanced hydrogen production. It is revealed that the world has an active interest in decarbonizing the coal industry for hydrogen-oriented research in the context of UCG. While research is ongoing in multiple coal-rich nations, China dominates the world's efforts in both industrial-scale UCG pilots and laboratory experiments. A variety of coal ranks were tested in UCG for enhanced hydrogen output, and the possibilities of linking UCG with other prospective technologies had been proposed and critically scrutinized. Moreover, it is found that transborder collaborations are in dire need to propel a faster commercialization of UCG in an ever-more carbon-conscious world. Furthermore, governmental and financial support is necessary to incentivize further UCG development for large-scale hydrogen production.

A key point in the underground coal gasification process is the cavity evolution in the horizontal segment. The morphological evolution law of the gasification cavity has not been clarified, which is the bottleneck restricting the analysis of its controllability. In this paper, a physical simulation system for cavity generation was developed, and the cavity evolution in a targeted coal seam with overburden pressure was duplicated in the laboratory. A set of temperature field synchronous monitoring devices was developed to realize temperature sampling within a cavity and the surrounding rock. By analyzing the relationship between the overall temperature distribution pattern and the gasification agent injection condition, the morphological propagation law of the cavity is verified to be water drop-shaped, and influencing factors including the injection flow rate and the gasification agent component ratio are investigated. The axial length and volume of the cavity increase with an increasing injection flow rate. Higher oxygen content results in increased size in all dimensions. The research results provide theoretical support and reference for applying controlled cavity formation in the horizontal segment of U-shaped wells.

Periconia is a polyphyletic and asexual morphic genus within the family Periconiaceae (Pleosporales). The genus is characterized by a pale to dark brown stipe with an apical conidial head and ellipsoidal to oblong conidia. Species of Periconia are widely distributed throughout the world in various hosts, while most species are isolated from graminaceous plants. During our investigations of microfungal in Sichuan Province, China, 26 Periconia isolates were collected from a wide variety of graminaceous plants. These isolates corresponded to 11 species based on the examination of morphology and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis (SSU, ITS, LSU, TEF1, RPB2). This includes six new species (P. chengduensis, P. cynodontis, P. festucae, P. imperatae, P. penniseti, and P. spodiopogonis) and five new records (P. byssoides, P. chimonanthi, P. cookie, P. pseudobyssoides, and P. verrucosa). A comprehensive description and illustrations of the new species are provided and discussed with comparable taxa. These discoveries expand our knowledge of the species diversity of Periconia taxa in graminaceous plants in China.

Torula is an asexual and hyphomycetous genus in the family Torulaceae. Torula species are generally saprophytic. They have a worldwide distribution and abound in humid or freshwater habitats. In order to better understand this genus, we carried out several field collections from Sichuan, China. As a result, we obtained nine Torula isolates from dead woody substrates in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Based on a biphasic approach of morphological examination and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses (ITS, SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB2), these collections were identified as belonging to seven Torula species. Four of them were new species (Torula chinensis, T. longiconidiophora, T. sichuanensis and T. submersa), and the other three belonged to existing species, though one was found for the first time in China (T. masonii). Morphological and updated phylogenetic delamination of the new discoveries is also discussed. This study provides further insights into our understanding of wood-based Torula species in China.

Abstract Etching growth is widely employed for growing metal species, carving out some of the finest nanocrystals. However, such a general concept has so far evaded the growth of porous crystals. Herein, a novel nucleophilic etching growth mechanism that can be exploited to tune zeolite materials is uncovered. Most critical is the identification of mild etchant used in situ to successfully synthesize high‐quality hierarchically porous ZSM‐5 crystals. Time‐series sample characterizations allow to visualize and track the complex zeolite crystallization pathway involving initial nucleation, intermediate dissolution, and subsequent nanoparticle attachment regrowth. Competition and cooperation between framework growth and in situ dissolution lead to facile control over size, morphology, crystallinity, composition, and mesoporosity by varying the amount of etchant or nucleophilicity. The judicious use of this mechanism results in dramatically improved catalytic activity in methanol to hydrocarbon reactions owing to the simultaneously increased crystallinity, secondary mesopores, and proper acid properties.

In this study, thermophysical and mechanical tests were conducted on sandstone samples from room temperature to 1000 °C. Based on the test results, the thermophysical properties (such as specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion coefficient) of sandstone after high-temperature treatment and the variations of mechanical properties (including peak strength, peak strain, elastic modulus, and whole stress-strain curve) with temperature were analyzed. Indeed, the deterioration law of sandstone after high-temperature treatment was also explored with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that with the increase in temperature, the specific heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient of sandstone samples after high-temperature treatment increase first and then decrease, while the thermal conductivity gradually decreases. The range from room temperature to 1000 °C witnesses the following changes: As temperature rises, the peak strength of sandstone rises initially and falls subsequently; the elastic modulus drops; the peak strain increases at an accelerated rate. Temperature change has a significant effect on the deterioration rules of sandstone, and the increase in temperature contributes to the transition in the failure mode of sandstone from brittle failure to ductile failure. The experimental study on the thermophysical and mechanical properties of sandstone under the action of high temperature and overburden pressure has a guiding significance for the site selection and safety evaluation of UCG projects.

Based on the present situation and trend of underground coal gasification in China and overseas, this article puts forward the basic concept, mechanism and mode of underground coal gasification, and presents the challenges, development potential and development path now faced. In China, underground coal gasification which is in accord with the clean utilization of coal can produce “artificial gas”, which provides a new strategic approach to supply methane and hydrogen with Chinese characteristics before new energy sources offer large-scale supply. Coal measure strata in oil-bearing basins are developed in China, with 3.77 trillion tons coal reserves for the buried depth of 1 000−3 000 m. It is initially expected that the amount of natural gas resources from underground coal gasification to be 272−332 trillion cubic meters, which are about triple the sum of conventional natural gas, or equivalent to the total unconventional natural gas resources. According to the differences of coal reaction mechanism and product composition of underground coal gasification, the underground coal gasification can be divided into three development modes, hydrogen-rich in shallow, methane-rich in medium and deep, supercritical hydrogen-rich in deep. Beyond the scope of underground mining of coal enterprises, petroleum and petrochemical enterprises can take their own integration advantages of technologies, pipeline, market and so on, to develop underground coal gasification business based on their different needs and technical maturity, to effectively exploit a large amount of coal resources cleanly and to alleviate the tight supply of natural gas. It can also be combined with using the produced hydrogen in nearby area and the CO2 flooding and storage in adjacent oil areas to create a demonstration zone for net zero emissions of petroleum and petrochemical recycling economy. It is significant for reserving resources and technologies for the coming “hydrogen economy” era, and opening up a new path for China’s “clean, low carbon, safe and efficient” modern energy system construction. Key Words: coal, underground coal gasification, natural gas, gas revolution, coal-made methane, coal-made hydrogen, supercritical water, supercritical water gasification

Helminthosporium is a polyphyletic genus in Massarinaceae (Pleosporales). Species of Helminthosporium are characterized by having septate and erect conidiophores, acro-pleurogenous and distoseptate conidia with a ring-shaped scar at the base. During a survey of fungal diversity in Sichuan Province, China, six Helminthosporium-like isolates were collected from dead branches of unknown trees. Five barcodes, including ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2), SSU, LSU, TEF1, and RPB2 were amplified and sequenced. Morphological examination and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses revealed two new Helminthosporium species (H. chengduense sp. nov., and H. chinense sp. nov.), a new genus (Synhelminthosporium gen. nov.) with a type species Synhelminthosporium synnematoferum sp. nov., and two known species (Helminthosporium submersum and H. velutinum) within Massarinaceae. The new genus Synhelminthosporium differs from the phylogenetically closest genus Helminthosporium by producing synnematous conidiophores. This work expands our understanding of the diversity of Helminthosporium-like taxa in Sichuan Province, China.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) may change the energy consumption structure from coal-dominated to gas-dominated in the years to come. Before that, three important problems need to be solved, including failure of gasification due to large amounts of water pouring into the gasifier, environmental pollution caused by gas migration to the surface, and low calorific value caused by poor control of the degree of gasification. In this study, a geological model is first established using the computer modeling group (CMG), a commercial software package for reservoir simulation. Then, the inflow of coal seam water into the gasifier during the controlled retracting injection point (CRIP) gasification process is simulated based on the geological model, and the maximum instantaneous water inflow is simulated too. Meanwhile, the migration of gasified gas is also simulated, and the migration discipline of different gases is shown. Finally, the pressure distributions in two stages are presented, pointing out the dynamic pressure characteristics during the UCG process. The results show that (a) the cavity width, production pressure, and gasifier pressure are negatively correlated with the maximum instantaneous water inflow, while the initial formation pressure, injection pressure, coal seam floor aquifer energy, and temperature are positively correlated; (b) CO2 is mainly concentrated near the production well and largely does not migrate upward, O2 migrates upward slowly, while CH4, CO and H2 migrate relatively quickly. When the injection–production pressure difference is 2 MPa, it takes 33.5 years, 40 years, and 44.6 years for CH4, CO, and H2 to migrate from a depth of 1000 m to 200 m, respectively. When the pressure difference increases to 4 MPa, the gas migration rate increases about two-fold. The aquifer (3 MPa) above a coal outcrop can slow down the upward migration rate of gas by 0.03 m/day; (c) the pressure near the production well changes more significantly than the pressure near the injection well. The overall gasifier pressure rises with gasifier width increases, and the pressure distribution always presents an asymmetric unimodal distribution during the receding process of the gas injection point. The simulation work can provide a theoretical basis for the operation parameters design and monitoring of the well deployment, ensuring the safety and reliability of on-site gasification.

The Gymnobelideus leadbeateri (Leadbeater’s Possum) is listed as Critical Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We assembled the complete mitochondrial genome for the G. leadbeateri and characterized it to provide informative data for forthcoming studies for understanding its evolution and conservation genetics. The G. leadbeateri mitogenome is 16,812 bp long and encodes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete mitogenome shows that G. leadbeateri is related to Petaurus breviceps (sugar glider) and Dactylopsila trivirgata (striped possum).

Since the environment for the CBM development in China has been changing in recent years, it is necessary to re-consider the relevant strategies. Through investigations, surveys, geologic assessment, strategic decision-making and other techniques, the strategies for CBM development in China were discussed in respect to present situations, opportunities, challenges, proved reserves, producing reserves, strategic principles, strategic countermeasures, time-spatial allocation of strategies, risk assessments, and elimination of relevant risks. Some research results were obtained. Firstly, still in its initial development stage with fast growth, the CBM industry in China has made outstanding achievements in six aspects and also faces challenges in six aspects. Secondly, strategic focus can be summarized as constructing six CBM production bases in Qinshui, Eastern margin of Ordos Basin, Southwest China, Changqing, Northwest China, and Northeast China, respectively, according to the principles of “steadily developing middle-high rank coals, accelerating the development of low-rank coals and strengthening the comprehensive utilization of mining gas wells”. It is expected that the producing reserves and peak-production rate will be 3–4 trillion m3 and 35–45 billion m3/a, respectively. Thirdly, major strategic risks in CBM development in China include low productivities of individual wells, improper understandings of geologic conditions, decline in investments and lack of technical reserves. To eliminate these risks, it is necessary to reinforce work in the following five aspects, namely, strengthening comprehensive exploration and development of coal-bearing formations, creating favorable environments for the development of private oil companies, expanding spaces for the growth of technical service companies, conducting more researches for the development of innovative technologies in more areas and intensifying law enforcement.

China has been continuously improving its monitoring methods and strategies to address key infectious diseases (KIDs). After the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003, China established a comprehensive reporting system for infectious diseases (IDs) and public health emergencies. The relatively lagging warning thresholds, limited warning information, and outdated warning technology are insufficient to meet the needs of comprehensive monitoring for modern KIDs. Strengthening early monitoring and warning capabilities to enhance the public health system has become a top priority, with increasing demand for early warning thresholds, information, and techniques, thanks to constant innovation and development in molecular biology, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and other identification and analysis technologies. A panel of 31 experts has recommended a fourth-generation comprehensive surveillance system targeting KIDs (41 notifiable diseases and emerging IDs). The aim of this surveillance system is to systematically monitor the epidemiology and causal pathogens of KIDs in hosts such as humans, animals, and vectors, along with associated environmental pathogens. By integrating factors influencing epidemic spread and risk assessment, the surveillance system can serve to detect, predict, and provide early warnings for the occurrence, development, variation, and spread of known or novel KIDs. Moreover, we recommend comprehensive ID monitoring based on the fourth-generation surveillance system, along with a data-integrated monitoring and early warning platform and a consortium pathogen detection technology system. This series of considerations is based on systematic and comprehensive monitoring across multiple sectors, dimensions, factors, and pathogens that is supported by data integration and connectivity. This expert consensus will provides an opportunity for collaboration in various fields and relies on interdisciplinary application to enhance comprehensive monitoring, prediction, and early warning capabilities for the next generation of ID surveillance. This expert consensus will serve as a reference for ID prevention and control as well as other related activities.