A new experimental simulation method for the development of non-renewable hydrogen energy—Oil and gas resources

At present, the proportion of tight oil in non-renewable hydrogen energy is increasing. According to an initial exploration and attemptable practice on the exploration of tight oil, it is found that the cost can be controlled effectively and positive effects are achieved. But this technique cannot make sure the proppants filled uniformly in the long fracture. Several researches on the proppants migration experiment devices and factors influencing on proppant setting are reviewed and a new set of experimental device to simulate the laws of proppants setting in long fracture is developed. This device can simulate the main factors influencing proppants setting performance. It analyzes several factors such as wall filtration, construction displacement, sand concentration, proppant size and density, viscosity of fracturing fluid is used to rank the influencing degree of every factor. Considering the effects of mutual interference between proppants, width of fracture, rough fracture surface and fracture surface filtration during the proppants setting progress, the mathematical model of proppant setting is modified by adding sand concentration correction factor, wall effect correction factor and filtration correction factor. The experimental data verify the accuracy of the settlement model is established using the data getting from experiment.     

Preparation of high strength foam ceramics from sand shale and steel slag

Foam ceramics with high strength were successfully fabricated by using sand shale and steel slag as the major materials and SiC as foam agent. The influence of raw materials ratio and heat treatment temperatures on crystalline phases, porosity, mechanical properties and pore structures was investigated via XRF, XRD, SEM, DTA-TG, Micro-CT. The results indicate that the raw materials composed of 94 wt% sand shale and 6 wt% steel slag enable the fabrication of foam ceramics possessing strength of 29.98 MPa, bulk density of 0.821 g/cm³, total porosity of 67.22%, closed porosity of 55.27% and thermal conductivity of 0.08 W/(m·K). Micro-CT result shows that the pores with an average size of 267.05 μm are isolated. Pore wall thickness conforms to normal distribution, and it ranges from 18 to 42 μm. The superior property makes it promising high-strength and lightweight material in application fields, including thermal insulation materials and lightweight building materials.     

Monitoring of pollution in Egyptian Red Sea

The level of the Egyptian Red Sea water pollution by oil was studied to assess the general pattern of oil pollutants and to evaluate the hydrocarbon origin (anthropogenic, petrogenic or biogenic) with emphasis on the poly aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water. The oil extracted from the samples was analyzed by gas chromatography to determine the concentrations and distribution of aliphatic and alicyclic n-alkanes. Results obtained indicate that most of the organic species present in water samples consist of petrogenic hydrocarbons with additional biogenic types. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique was used to study the poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) fingerprints of the studied water samples. The results obtained indicate the presence of PAHs of both pyrogenic and petrogenic origins.     

Discovery and characterization of tyrosinases from sea anemone pedal disc

Abstract

The formation of underwater adhesion is a complicated physiological process and many different types of enzymes are found to be essential apart from structural proteins. Previous studies have shown that various tyrosinases were present in marine adhesives, but little information is available about the over-expression and enzymatic characterization of these enzymes. Specifically, this study first identified four significantly up-regulated tyrosinases in the pedal disc of Haliplanella luciae by means of multi-omics technology, and made preliminary bioinformatics predictions. Sequence alignment showed that the Tyr1_Hl contained six conserved His residues that bind to copper ions, of which a tyrosinase with diphenolase activity named as Tyr1_Hl^Δ, was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells and purified by affinity chromatography. Enzymatic characterization showed that the activity of Tyr1_Hl^Δ was Cu²⁺ dependent and maximum catalytic activities were in 20?mM Tris–HCl (pH 8.0) at 37?°C. In summary, we identified novel tyrosinases in the pedal disks of sea anemone for the first time and the Tyr1_Hl^Δ was successfully recombinant expressed. Our study will provide basis for future exploration of bio-adhesion mechanism and design of bio-adhesives derived from sea anemones.     

渤海海域辽西构造带S型走滑转换带特征及控藏作用定量表征

S型走滑转换带是走滑环境下广泛发育的一类构造。以往的研究认识多集中在对走滑转换带类型划分的探讨上，缺乏对其控藏作用的精细研究。本次研究利用渤海海域辽东湾地区连片三维地震资料，结合油气田实例，运用统计学方法分析了辽西构造带S型走滑转换带的控藏作用。辽西带新生代构造变形总体表现为NE向伸展构造系统和NNE向右旋走滑构造系统的叠加构造变形，S型走滑转换带可分为增压段和释压段两大类。按照走滑转换带演化阶段的不同，将增压段进一步细分为压扭低凸起段、平缓增压段和强烈增压段等3个亚类。将释压段同样细分为纺锤形浅凹、平缓释压段和菱形释压段等3个亚类。将走滑断裂末端发育的转换带归纳为增压型或释压型马尾扇。应用S型走滑转换带“油气富集指数”的分析方法，论证了S型走滑转换带弯曲度与走滑调节断层活动性具有正相关性，并成功应用于辽西凹陷南次洼旅大5-2北油田成藏分析工作中，为勘探决策提供了定量化依据。     

Total mercury levels in crustacean species from Italian fishery

This study investigated mercury contamination levels in eight commercially valuable crustacean species caught off the Central Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts of Italy. Total mercury levels were measured by Thermal Decomposition-Amalgamation-Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Results showed a high variability among species with values ranging from 0.070 to 1.24 (mg kg^?1 wet weight). The lowest mercury levels were detected in caramote prawn (Penaeus kerathurus), warty crab (Eriphia verrucosa) and European spider crab (Maja squinado), decapods living in shallow waters. Levels exceeding the limits established by the European Commission were found in species living in close contact with bottom sediments: deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), blue and red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). For shrimps, the inter-individual variability observed was mostly related to the body size, indicating the accumulation of mercury with age. An estimation of the human intake of mercury associated to the consumption of the crustaceans sampled and its comparison with the Tolerable Weekly Intake are provided.     

The microstructure of buccal cavity and alimentary canal of Siganus rivulatus: Scanning electron microscope study

The microstructure of the oral cavity and alimentary canal of herbivorous fish Siganus rivulatus collected from the Red Sea were investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that S. rivulatus has three types of teeth, tri‐cusped, bi‐cusped, and papilliform. A taste bud (Type I) was recorded in the oropharyngeal cavity. Characteristic styles of microridges on the cell's surface inside the buccal cavity were recorded. Also, the distribution of the mucous cells in the lining of the mouth cavity, alimentary canal was observed. Mucosal folds along the distinct parts of alimentary canal, showed characteristic pattern which was complex in the intestinal mucosa. The results concluded that there are characteristic microstructures according to feeding habitat compared with other bony fishes.     

Cultivating more-than-human care: Exploring bird watching as a landscaping practice on the example of sand martins and flooded gravel pits

The environmental crisis has created a demand for practices that build awareness about the interconnections of diverse forms of life, allowing humans to understand complex earthly relationships and reconnect with the land they inhabit. This paper contributes to this debate by investigating bird watching activities and their relevance for architects and landscape architects. Drawing upon multispecies studies and the notion of landscape thinking, it examines the potential of birding as a caring landscaping practice. It analyzes the relationship between birders and sand martins in two case studies and probes how birders develop attentiveness for the birds and their shared environment. The investigation suggests that birding fosters care beyond the observed species. It can trigger a landscaping practice comparable to landscape thinking that helps humans reconnect with the land, fostering response-able spatial design practices.     

Coastal trapped waves in the southern Caspian Sea

Previous studies reported coastal trapped waves (CTWs) in the Caspian Sea (CS). This study deals with the generation mechanisms, the temporal and spatial variability of CTWs in this area, and their transformations during propagation from the origin to the destination using recent measurements and high-resolution numerical simulations. CTWs are observed at all stations with periods of 2–6 days after northerly storms. The Absheron Peninsula, old Sefidrud delta, and Nur coasts were identified as the CTWs prone regions. The generation of CTWs in these locations was confirmed using numerical experiments. The propagation away from the generating location of CTWs was analyzed using a representative real wind storm. In the west part of the CS, the generation mechanism of CTWs is mainly similar to the barotropic Kelvin waves; in contrast, it is similar to the continental shelf waves in the southern shelves. The results can be used to study the contribution of generated CTWs to the transport of sediment and biological materials in all large lakes.     

Investigation report of geotechnical disaster on river area due to typhoon landfall three times on Okhotsk region,Hokkaido, Japan

For one week from August 17 to 23, 2016, three consecutive typhoons made landfall in Hokkaido for the first time on record. These typhoons and the front they stimulated brought record-breaking torrential rain over the eastern part of Hokkaido. To investigate the damage to grounds and rivers resulting from this rainfall, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) and the Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS) formed a disaster research group to conduct an investigation. This report provides the results of the investigation into damage to the grounds of areas along the Tokoro River of the Okhotsk region, Hokkaido, that suffered from this tremendous and diverse disaster. Specifically, the report describes the situation of the levees which were broken and eroded by the overflowing water, the shape of the levee bodies, the levee body soil properties examined by observation of the sections, as well as the occurrence of sand boiling and air blows. The washout of road embankments as well as damage to road bridge mounting fills and abutment backfills were also investigated. The investigation has demonstrated the need to clarify the resistance of the abutment backfills and levee bodies to flowing water as well as the geotechnical predominant factors in order to clarify the mechanisms behind erosion and washout, the need to review new measures that allow for the scale of sand boiling and resultant changes in levee body stability, and the fact that the existing embankments were able to temporarily suppress the flooding water which had spilled over from the river. Furthermore, although it has been identified that the findings of a study on an embankment washout associated with a tsunami can be applied to measures taken against the overflowing water, it has also been found necessary to clarify the predominant geotechnical factors using model tests and to use a more sophisticated analytical approach to establish a geotechnical stability review as soon as possible in order to prevent the levees and embankments from being eroded and washed out due to overflowing water.