43 research outputs found
Secondary Migration of Hydrocarbons in the Zhujiang Formation in the Huixi Half-graben, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea
No full textThe process and mechanisms of secondary hydrocarbon migration in the Huixi half-graben, Pearl River Mouth Basin, were investigated on the basis of geological analysis of the strata and study of the porosity and permeability of the reservoir rocks, fluid potential, oil properties, and geochemistry of oil-source correlation. The results suggest that the hydrocarbons of the Zhujiang Formation in the Huixi half-graben were derived from source rocks of the Eocene Wenchang Formation and the Eocene–Oligocene Enping Formation in the Huizhou Sag. The hydrocarbons migrated laterally from northeast to southwest. The sandstone in the upper member of the Zhujiang Formation exhibited superior physical properties (porosity and permeability) and connectivity than the lower member. Thin sandstone beds with good physical properties and stable distribution in the upper member of the Zhujiang Formation were the main carrier beds for lateral hydrocarbon migration.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Public Pension Reforms and Fiscal Foresight: Narrative Evidence and Aggregate Implications
No full textPublicFinanceWith aging societies, policymakers have increasingly focused on pension retrenchment reforms in recent years to keep their pension systems solvent. PERC Professor Sarah Zubairy and co-author Huixin Bi explore the evolution of pension policy across countries and investigate the macroeconomic impact of pension structural reforms in OECD countries from 1962 to 2017, in particular those with implementation delays. The new data set uncovers that changes in pension policy come in waves, with a rapid expansion of pension systems between 1960s and 1980s followed by a wave of retrenchments since 1990s. Structural pension reforms, which are motivated by long-run fiscal sustainability concerns, often come with significant implementation delays. Findings show that in response to structural pension retrenchments without delays, people close to retirement stay in the work force longer to compensate for the decline in their pensions, leading to a decline in old-age pension spending. News about structural pension retrenchment in the future, however, lead the marginal group of population to exit the labor market prior to the reform being implemented. As a result, government spending on old age pensions tend to increase, rather than decrease, over the medium term. This channel of fiscal foresight is particularly prevalent for pension reforms that change retirement age and contribution years and that come with longer implementation delays
Stratigraphic controls on the evolution and distribution of Lacustrine beach and bar Sands—Bohai Bay basin in China
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Biological Adsorption and Accumulation Analysis of Hizikia fusiforme Response to Copper Stress Conditions
No full textCoastal water pollution is an important environmental problem now days. Hizikia fusiforme is cultivated in coastal water, being considered as a healthy food. However, little information exists concerning on this species responses to copper stress conditions. Experiments were conducted to distinguish biological adsorption and biological accumulation of H. fusiforme in regard to copper stress; it was determined the long-term stress with lower concentrations of copper (0.25 mg/L and 0.50 mg/L) and short-term stress with higher concentrations of copper (1.5 mg/L and 3.0 mg/L) on H. fusiforme. Results suggested that H. fusiforme has different response to various copper stresses; lower concentration stress could significantly enhance the growth of H. fusiforme, while H. fusiforme growth was inhibited and mitigated injured by 0.25-0.50 mg/L copper stress. Under the highest stress, H. fusiforme was extremely harmed, the biomass loss was significant and dry weight/fresh weight was also significantly decreased. Results suggested that lower and higher concentrations of copper stress have different impacts on H. fusiforme; the biological adsorption amount is lower than that of biological accumulation amount under low copper stress conditions, but the biological adsorption amount is much higher under high concentration copper stress. A better understanding of H. fusiforme responses to heavy metal stress should bring more data about its physiological adaptation mechanism under such conditions
Therapeutic Potential of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells-Based Micro-Tissues in a Rat Model of Postprostatectomy Erectile Dysfunction
No full textIntroductionStem cells (SCs) show significant benefits in the treatment of postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the low retention rate of the traditional single-cell strategy at the injection sites limits its therapeutic potential. AimThis study aims to investigate the feasibility and mechanism of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)-based micro-tissues (MTs) in the treatment of ED in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerves (CNs) injury. MethodsADSCs labeled with 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) were used to generate MTs with hanging drop method. 10 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats underwent sham surgery and intracavernous (IC) injection of phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (the sham group). Another 70 rats underwent bilateral CN crush and were then treated with PBS (n=10, the crush group), dissociated ADSCs (n=30, the ADSCs group), and MTs (n=30, the MTs group), respectively. At day 1, 3, 7, 14 (n=5), and 28 (n=10) postsurgery, specimens were harvested for histology. At day 28, 10 rats in each group were examined for erectile function before tissue harvest. Main Outcome MeasuresLight microscopy of the dynamic aggregation of the MT, immunohistologic examination of the MTs, the retention and distribution of EdU+ADSCs in the corpus cavernosum (CC), and the penis histological analyses of collagen content, Western blot of functional proteins in MTs, intracavernous pressure recording on CN electrostimulation. ResultsThree-day-old MTs became stable and expressed nerve growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4, Wnt5a, and collagen IV. More EdU+ADSCs retained in the CC in the MTs group than that in the ADSCs group. IC injection of MTs resulted in significant restoration of the erectile function and histopathological changes compared with the ADSCs group. ConclusionIC-injected MTs resulted in a better restoration of erectile function than traditional single-cell strategy. The underlying mechanisms of recovery appear to involve enhanced cellular retention in the penis and upregulation of some paracrine factors. Xu Y, Guan R, Lei H, Li H, Wang L, Gao Z, Song W, and Xin Z. Therapeutic potential of adipose-derived stem cells-based micro-tissues in a rat model of postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction. J Sex Med 2014;11:2439-2448.Urology & NephrologySCI(E)[email protected]
Sedimentary Characteristics and Evolution Controlling Factors of Platform Margin Reef-Shoal: A Case Study of Upper Carboniferous-Middle Permian in Wushi Area, Tarim Basin
No full textUpper Carboniferous-Middle Permian platform margin reef-shoal reservoirs are one of the most important exploration targets for the northwestern margin of Tarim Basin. In order to obtain a clear understanding of the controlling factors for the platform margin reef-shoal development, field outcrops in the Wushi area, northwestern margin of Tarim Basin had been studied in this article by field measurements, thin section identification, carbon and oxygen isotope testing, and ancient provenance analysis. Studies have shown that the platform margin reefs in the Wushi area were dominated by algae reefs, and the platform margin shoals are dominated by bioclastic shoals and gravel shoals. The characteristics of algal bind inside grains were common. During the Zhaerjiake period, interbedded reefs and shoals were the main type, and platform marginal reefs were of the progressive type. During the Balediertage period, huge thick platform margin reefs were the main type, and the platform margin reefs were of accretion-weak progressive type. The development controlling factors of the platform margin reef-shoal are mainly relative sea-level change, palaeosource, and paleogeomorphy. Relative sea-level changes controlled the development characteristics and superposition mode of the platform margin reef-shoal; there were two sides of the influence of the palaeosource on the platform margin reef-shoal; the paleogeomorphology controlled the development position and spreading scale of platform margin reef-shoal. In the covering area, the platform margin reef-shoal reservoirs adjacent to the fault zone and with large sedimentary thickness might have a good prospect for hydrocarbon exploration
Variation in Glucosinolate Accumulation among Different Sprout and Seedling Stages of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)
No full textGlucosinolates (GLs) are plant secondary metabolites that may act against different types of cancers. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is rich in GLs which makes it an excellent source of these nutraceuticals. The composition and concentration of GLs vary among broccoli cultivars and throughout the developmental stages of the plant. To obtain the GL profiles of broccoli, GL compositions and contents in four early developmental stages (seeds, 3-day sprouts, 11-day and 17-day seedlings) were determined for nine cultivars of broccoli in this study. A total of 12 GLs including 9 aliphatic GLs and 3 indole GLs were identified from the nine broccoli cultivars using LC-QTOF-MS. UPLC results showed that aliphatic GLs concentrations decreased with broccoli sprouts and seedling growth for most cultivars. Interestingly, indole GLs amounts increased after germination and reached the highest level in 3-day sprouts or 11-day seedlings, and they fell back to a low level in 17-day seedlings. The GL profiles of nine cultivars documented in this study will provide useful information for high quality germplasm selection for cultivation or genetic engineering, and further understanding of the GL metabolic pathways
Major and trace elemental compositions of the upper Carboniferous Batamayineishan mudrocks, Wulungu area, Junggar Basin, China: Implications for controls on the formation of the organic-rich source rocks
No full textSensitivity Analysis of Different Hydrothermal Characteristics in the Variable Thermodynamic Processes of Soft Clay Rock
No full textArtificial ground freezing technology is the most important construction method of complex water-bearing soft clay rock. The thermodynamic properties of soft clay rock are important evidence for the design and construction of space resources development, and the variable hydrothermal parameter can directly affect the uncertain thermodynamic properties of soft clay rock. In this work, an array of field experiments on the soft clay rock are carried out, and the anisotropic spatial variations of hydrothermal parameters of soft clay rock are obtained. The statistical variability characteristics of variable hydrothermal parameters are estimated. A stochastic coupling model of soft clay rock with heat conduction and porous flow is proposed, and the uncertain thermodynamic properties of soft clay rock are computed by the self-compiled program. Model validation with the experimental and numerical temperatures is also presented. According to the relationship between anisotropic spatial variations and statistical variability characteristics for the different random field correlation models, the effects of the autocorrelation function, coefficient of variation, and autocorrelation distance of variable hydrothermal parameters on the uncertain thermodynamic properties of soft clay rock are analyzed. The results show that the proposed stochastic analysis model for the thermal characteristics of soft clay rock, considering the spatial variability of frozen soil layers, is scientifically reasonable. The maximum standard deviation of average thickness is 2.33 m, and the maximum average temperature is 2.25 °C. For the autocorrelation function, the most significant impact comes from DBIN. For the coefficient of variation, the most significant impact comes from thermal conductivity. Different variations of hydrothermal parameters have different effects on the standard deviation of soft clay rock temperature. The biggest influence is the thermal conductivity, while the lowest influence is the specific heat capacity
