After the preliminary basic research on the problems encountered during the production period of Gulong shale oil in the Songliao Basin, NE China, and the scientific exploration, the special ...characteristics of Gulong shale oil in terms of reservoir space, phase distribution, flow pattern, and mineral evolution are proposed. The main results are as follows : (1) The source of organic matter, mechanism of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion, and key factors affecting shale oil abundance; (2) The types and structural characteristics of the reservoir and their contribution to porosity and permeability; (3) The mineral origin and evolution of minerals and their influence on reservoir availability, sensitivity, and compressibility; (4) The rock mechanical characteristics and fracture propagation law of Gulong shale; (5) The shale oil products, phase change law and main control factors of adsorption and desorption conversion of Gulong shale oil; (6) The mechanism of shale oil-liquid, solid-liquid gas interaction and enhanced oil recovery. Three key research suggestions are proposed to realize the large-scale economic utilization of the Gulong shale oil as follows: (1) Deepen research on the mechanism of oil and gas generation and discharge, storage and transportation, to guide the selection of geological sweet spots of shale oil; (2) Deepen research on the compressibility and fracture initiation mechanism to support the selection of engineering sweet spots and optimization of engineering design; (3) Deepen research on the fluid interaction mechanism under reservoir conditions, os us to guide the optimization of development schemes and the selection of EOR technologies. A successful development of Gulong shale oil requires global experts and scholars to contribute multidisciplinary innovative ideas and technical ideas to solve production problems.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To predict the effects of nitrogen deposition on nitrogen-mineralizing enzyme activity and soil microbial community structure in artificial temperate forests in northern China, we studied the soil ...properties, nitrogen-mineralizing enzyme activity, and microbial community structure in the soil of a Korean pine plantation in which different concentrations (0, 20, 40, 80 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
) of ammonium nitrate were applied for 5 consecutive years. The results showed that nitrogen addition at different concentrations did not significantly affect the soil pH. High nitrogen addition (80 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
) significantly increased the soil organic matter, ammonium nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen content in the Korean pine plantation, and ammonium nitrogen was the key factor that influenced the soil fungal community structure. The urease activity under the moderate nitrogen addition treatment (40 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
) was significantly lower than that under the control (0 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
), and the protease activity in the three treatments was also significantly lower than that in the control. There was no significant correlation between microbial community structure and the four mineralizing enzymes. After nitrogen addition at different concentrations, the Simpson and Shannon indexes of soil bacteria decreased significantly under low nitrogen addition (20 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
), but the α-diversity index of soil fungi did not show significant differences under nitrogen addition. The microbial community composition was significantly changed by the different treatments. PLS-DA analysis showed that
Tardiphaga
was an important genus that made the greatest contribution to the differences in bacterial community composition among treatments, as was
Taeniolella
for fungal community composition. The low level of nitrogen addition inhibited nitrogen mineralization in the Korean pine plantation by reducing the relative abundances of Nitrosomonadaceae and Betaproteobacteriales and by reducing the abundances of symbiotrophic fungi. Berkelbacteria and Polyporales were bacteria and fungi, respectively, that changed significantly under the high nitrogen addition treatment (80 kg N ha
−1
year
−1
). This study provides more data to support predictions of the changes in nitrogen-mineralizing enzyme activity and microbial community structure in artificial temperate forest soils in response to increased nitrogen deposition.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The shales in the 2nd Member of Shanxi Formation in the east margin of the Ordos Basin were deposited in a marine-nonmarine transitional environment during the Permian. Based on the recent ...breakthroughs in the shale gas exploration and theoretical understandings on the shale gas of the study area, with a comparison to marine shale gas in the Sichuan Basin and marine-nonmarine transitional shale gas in the U.S., this study presents the geological characteristics and development potential of marine-nonmarine transitional gas in the study area. Four geological features are identified in the 2nd Member of the Shanxi Formation in the study area has: (1) stable sedimentary environment is conductive to deposition of widely distributed organic shale; (2) well-developed micro- and nano- scale pore and fracture systems, providing good storage capacity; (3) high content of brittle minerals such as quartz, leading to effectively reservoir fracturing; and (4) moderate reservoir pressure and relatively high gas content, allowing efficient development of shale gas. The 2nd Member of Shanxi Formation in the east margin of Ordos Basin is rich in shale gas resource. Three favorable zones, Yulin-Linxian, Shiloubei-Daning-Jixian, and Hancheng-Huangling are developed, with a total area of 1.28×104 km2 and resources between 1.8×1012 and 2.9×1012 m3, indicating a huge exploration potential. Tests of the 2nd Member of Shanxi Formation in vertical wells show that the favorable intervals have stable gas production and high reserves controlled by single well, good recoverability and fracability. This shale interval has sufficient energy, stable production capacity, and good development prospects, as evidenced by systematic well testing. The east margin of the Ordos Basin has several shale intervals in the Shanxi and Taiyuan formations, and several coal seams interbedded, so collaborative production of different types of natural gas in different intervals can be considered. The study results can provide reference for shale gas exploration and development and promote the rapid exploitation of shale gas in China.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Osmotic and ionic induced salt stress suppresses plant growth. In a previous study,
Enterobacter ludwigii
B30, isolated from
Paspalum vaginatum
, improved seed germination, root length, and seedling ...length of bermudagrass (
Cynodon dactylon
) under salt stress. In this study,
E. ludwigii
B30 application improved fresh weight and dry weight, carotenoid and chlorophyll levels, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, indole acetic acid content and K
+
concentration. Without
E. ludwigii
B30 treatment, bermudagrass under salt stress decreased malondialdehyde and proline content, Y(NO) and Y(NPQ), Na
+
concentration, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate, and abscisic acid content. After
E. ludwigii
B30 inoculation, bacterial community richness and diversity in the rhizosphere increased compared with the rhizosphere adjacent to roots under salt stress. Turf quality and carotenoid content were positively correlated with the incidence of the phyla Chloroflexi and Fibrobacteres in rhizosphere soil, and indole acetic acid (IAA) level was positively correlated with the phyla Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi in the roots. Our results suggest that
E. ludwigii
B30 can improve the ability of bermudagrass to accumulate biomass, adjust osmosis, improve photosynthetic efficiency and selectively absorb ions for reducing salt stress-induced injury, while changing the bacterial community structure of the rhizosphere and bermudagrass roots. They also provide a foundation for understanding how the bermudagrass rhizosphere and root microorganisms respond to endophyte inoculation.
Shale oil has become a global hotspot of unconventional exploration and development. In this study, the latest drill core and experiment analyses of the Qingshankou Formation in the northern Songliao ...Basin were used to evaluate its lithofacies classification, sedimentary environment, pore types, pore-throat structure characterization, and shale oil potential. Lithofacies classification was determined according to the total organic carbon (TOC) content, sedimentary structure, and rock mineral content. Laminae genesis and micro-sedimentary structures indicate the deposition of fine-grained sedimentary rocks (FGSRs) in a semi-deep to deep lacustrine environment; however, evidence also suggests partial reworking by storm events and bottom current flows. FGSRs mostly comprise type I kerogen, with small amounts of type II1. The average vitrinite reflectance of the FGSRs was 1.37%, indicating middle to high stages of thermal maturation within the oil generation window. The N2 adsorption experiment indicated that silty mudstone (SM), silty fine mixed sedimentary rock (SFMR), and argillaceous fine mixed sedimentary rock (AFMR) had ink-bottle-shaped and slit-shaped pores, and the lithofacies were dominated by mesopores, accounting for 77.4%, 71.9%, and 80.8% of the total pore volume, respectively. Mercury injection capillary pressure analysis indicated that SM and SFMR had an average pore-throat radius of 0.01–0.04 μm, whereas AFMR and CM were dominated by nanopores, mainly distributed in the range of 0.004–0.0063 μm. Based on the comprehensive studies of TOC content, pore development, and brittleness, we concluded that organic-rich laminated SM and SFMR should be the focus of shale oil exploration of the Qingshankou Formation in the northern Songliao Basin, followed by organic-rich or organic-moderate laminated and layered AFMR, as well as calcareous fine mixed sedimentary rocks.
Full text
Available for:
CEKLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) can be selectively secreted or retained, adding another layer to their critical role in regulating human health and disease. To date, select RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) ...have been proposed to be a mechanism underlying miRNA localization, but the overall relevance of RBPs in systematic miRNA sorting remains unclear. This study profiles intracellular and small extracellular vesicles' (sEVs) miRNAs in NPY-expressing hypothalamic neurons. These findings were corroborated by the publicly available sEV and intracellular miRNA profiles of white and brown adipocytes, endothelium, liver, and muscle from various databases. Using experimentally determined binding motifs of 93 RBPs, our enrichment analysis revealed that sEV-originating miRNAs contained significantly different RBP motifs than those of intracellularly retained miRNAs. Multiple RBP motifs were shared across cell types; for instance, RBM4 and SAMD4 are significantly enriched in neurons, hepatocytes, skeletal muscle, and endothelial cells. Homologs of both proteins physically interact with Argonaute1/2 proteins, suggesting that they play a role in miRNA sorting. Machine learning modelling also demonstrates that significantly enriched RBP motifs could predict cell-specific preferential miRNA sorting. Non-optimized machine learning modeling of the motifs using Random Forest and Naive Bayes in all cell types except WAT achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.77-0.84, indicating a high predictive accuracy. Given that the RBP motifs have a significant predictive power, these results underscore the critical role that RBPs play in miRNA sorting within mammalian cells and reinforce the importance of miRNA sequencing in preferential localization. For the future development of small RNA therapeutics, considering these RBP-RNA interactions could be crucial to maximize delivery effectiveness and minimize off-target effects.
Abstract
A comprehensive characterisation of the pore structure in shale oil reservoirs is essential for forecasting oil production and exploration risks. This study forecasted these risks in the ...oil-rich Songliao Basin using combination of high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy and quantitative X-ray diffraction to analyze the pore genesis and evolution mode within the first member of the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation (K
2
qn
1
). The results showed the dominance of inorganic pores over organic pores, wherein diagenetic processes, such as compaction, pressure solution, and cementation, were responsible for the destruction of pore structure in the formation. Notably, the pores formed by dissolution and shrinkage cracks resulting from clay mineral transformation improved the oil storage space. Furthermore, according to the geochemical data and clay composition, the K
2
qn
1
shale is in the middle diagenetic stage A, which can be further subdivided into A1 and A2 stages from top to bottom. The porosity slowly decreased in both sub-stages A1 and A2, wherein the decrease was stable in the latter. The diagenetic observations in this study are significant for the exploration of unconventional shale oil in petroliferous basins worldwide.
Full text
Available for:
IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Infantile spasms (IS) is a neurological disorder causing mental and/or developmental retardation in many infants. Hypsarrhythmia is a typical symptom in the electroencephalography (EEG) signals with ...IS. Long-term EEG/video monitoring is most frequently employed in clinical practice for IS diagnosis, from which manual screening of hypsarrhythmia is time consuming and lack of sufficient reliability. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers for automatic IS diagnosis by quantitative analysis of the EEG signals. A large cohort of 101 IS patients and 155 healthy controls (HC) were involved. Typical hypsarrhythmia and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG signals were annotated, and normal EEG were randomly picked from the HC. Root mean square (RMS), teager energy (TE), mean frequency, sample entropy (SamEn), multi-channel SamEn, multi-scale SamEn, and nonlinear correlation coefficient were computed in each sub-band of the three EEG signals, and then compared using either a one-way ANOVA or a Kruskal-Wallis test (based on their distribution) and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The effects of infant age on these features were also investigated. For most of the employed features, significant ( ) differences were observed between hypsarrhythmia EEG and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG or HC, which seem to increase with increased infant age. RMS and TE produce the best classification in the delta and theta bands, while entropy features yields the best performance in the gamma band. Our study suggests RMS and TE (delta and theta bands) and entropy features (gamma band) to be promising biomarkers for automatic detection of hypsarrhythmia in long-term EEG monitoring. The findings of our study indicate the feasibility of automated IS diagnosis using artificial intelligence.
The Qingshankou Formation in the Gulong Sag has attracted significant attention due to its rich shale oil reserves. However, several fundamental geological problems associated with shale from the ...Qingshankou Formation remain unresolved. The Qingshankou Formation in the Gulong Sag is a set of deep-lake and semi-deep-lake fine-grained deposits primarily composed of mudstone and shale. Recent studies have shown that tempestites and storm deposits commonly occur in the Qingshankou Formation. Fine liquefaction veins often occur at the bottom of the tempestite, indicating that storm-shaking liquefaction is expected in the swale structure. Meanwhile, the mudstone and shales primarily have a sand structure with fine grain size, indicating that the environment is exposed to an undercurrent activity, with a water flow velocity of 20–55 cm s
−1
. Unlike previous studies, we posit that the ancient water depth was only 20–30 m or shallower. These phenomena have significance for understanding the formation environment and diagenetic process of shale in the first member of the Qingshankou Formation, which provides a reference for oil and gas exploration and development.
Melatonin is a biomolecule that affects plant development and is involved in protecting plants from environmental stress. However, the mechanisms of melatonin's impact on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) ...symbiosis and cold tolerance in plants are still unclear. In this research, AM fungi inoculation and exogenous melatonin (MT) were applied to perennial ryegrass (
L.) seedlings alone or in combination to investigate their effect on cold tolerance. The study was conducted in two parts. The initial trial examined two variables, AM inoculation, and cold stress, to investigate the involvement of the AM fungus
in endogenous melatonin accumulation and the transcriptional levels of its synthesis genes in the root system of perennial ryegrass under cold stress. The subsequent trial was designed as a three-factor analysis, encompassing AM inoculation, cold stress, and melatonin application, to explore the effects of exogenous melatonin application on plant growth, AM symbiosis, antioxidant activity, and protective molecules in perennial ryegrass subjected to cold stress. The results of the study showed that compared to non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants, cold stress promoted an increase in the accumulation of melatonin in the AM-colonized counterparts. Acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) catalyzed the final enzymatic reaction in melatonin production. Melatonin accumulation was associated with the level of expression of the genes,
and
. Treatment with melatonin can improve the colonization of AM fungi in plants. Simultaneous utilization of AM inoculation and melatonin treatment enhanced the growth, antioxidant activity, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, while simultaneously reducing polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and altering osmotic regulation in the roots. These effects are expected to aid in the mitigation of cold stress in
. Overall, melatonin treatment would help
to improve growth by promoting AM symbiosis, improving the accumulation of protective molecules, and triggering in antioxidant activity under cold stress.