Characterisation of freeform, structured surfaces in T-spline spaces and its applications

In advanced manufacturing, surface topographical designs with deterministic freeform and embedded structures have proven to contain effective, additive functionalities. These surfaces need to be geometrically characterised regarding the designed form and structures. However, this is problematic since existing characterisation techniques such as polynomial form removal, Gaussian/spline/wavelet filtration, field-based statistical parameterisation, spectral and fractal analysis do not provide satisfying results. In this paper, we, therefore, propose to characterise the complex surfaces in T-spline spaces, i.e. basis spline spaces along with T-junctions, using an efficient T-spline fitting algorithm. Several case studies show that the proposed method is compatible and has notable potentials for the challenging characterisation tasks, including non-Euclidean freeform removal, edge-reserving filtration with multiscale analysis, scattered data interpolation and smoothing, and smart large-data downsampling or compression

Philippine Sea and East Asian plate tectonics since 52 Ma constrained by new subducted slab reconstruction methods

We reconstructed Philippine Sea and East Asian plate tectonics since 52 Ma from 28 slabs mapped in 3-D from global tomography, with a subducted area of ~25% of present-day global oceanic lithosphere. Slab constraints include subducted parts of existing Pacific, Indian, and Philippine Sea oceans, plus wholly subducted proto-South China Sea and newly discovered ñEast Asian Sea.î Mapped slabs were unfolded and restored to the Earth surface using three methodologies and input to globally consistent plate reconstructions. Important constraints include the following: (1) the Ryukyu slab is ~1000 km N-S, too short to account for ~20Á Philippine Sea northward motion from paleolatitudes; (2) the Marianas-Pacific subduction zone was at its present location (±200 km) since 48 ± 10 Ma based on a \u3e1000 km deep slab wall; (3) the 8000 _ 2500 km East Asian Sea existed between the Pacific and Indian Oceans at 52 Ma based on lower mantle flat slabs; (4) the Caroline back-arc basin moved with the Pacific, based on the overlapping, coeval Caroline hot spot track. These new constraints allow two classes of Philippine Sea plate models, which we compared to paleomagnetic and geologic data. Our preferred model involves Philippine Sea nucleation above the Manus plume (0Á/150ÁE) near the Pacific-East Asian Sea plate boundary. Large Philippine Sea westward motion and post-40 Ma maximum 80Á clockwise rotation accompanied late Eocene-Oligocene collision with the Caroline/Pacific plate. The Philippine Sea moved northward post-25 Ma over the northern East Asian Sea, forming a northern Philippine Sea arc that collided with the SW Japan-Ryukyu margin in the Miocene (~20_14 Ma). ©2016. The Authors

Upper Palaeozoic gas accumulations of the Yimeng Uplift, Ordos Basin

This paper analyzes the Upper Palaeozoic gas accumulations and conditions of the study area by using the definition and method of petroleum system, and summarizes the natural gas accumulation pattern. The Upper Palaeozoic natural gas in the Yimeng Uplift is mainly from source rocks of Taiyuan and Shanxi Formations in the southern part and Wushenqi area. Braided channel sandbodies of alluvial fan, river channel sandbodies and distributary channel sandbodies of delta plain in the Shanxi and Xiashihezi Formations are the most favorable reservoirs. The thick mudstone layers of the Shangshihezi and Shiqianfeng Formations which cover the whole region constitute the regional seal rock, and there are also many local seal rocks. Oil source, reservoir and seal rocks form a good relationship in time and space and they form two types of assemblage which are the self-generating and self-preserving assemblage in the southern part of the Yimeng Uplift and the lower-generating and upper-preserving assemblage in the southern and northern parts. Natural gas migrated to the north through the migration pathways composed by advantageous sandbody, unconformity, faults and cracks. Structural traps and the distal accumulation pattern dominate in the northern part, while the southern part is characterized by lithologic traps and the proximal accumulation pattern. Key words: Yimeng Uplift, Upper Palaeozoic, geologic accumulation element, migration, trap, accumulation patter

Immuno-protective vesicle-crosslinked hydrogel for allogenic transplantation

Abstract The longevity of grafts remains a major challenge in allogeneic transplantation due to immune rejection. Systemic immunosuppression can impair graft function and can also cause severe adverse effects. Here, we report a local immuno-protective strategy to enhance post-transplant persistence of allografts using a mesenchymal stem cell membrane-derived vesicle (MMV)-crosslinked hydrogel (MMV-Gel). MMVs are engineered to upregulate expression of Fas ligand (FasL) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). The MMVs are retained within the hydrogel by crosslinking. The immuno-protective microenvironment of the hydrogel protects allografts by presenting FasL and PD-L1. The binding of these ligands to T effector cells, the dominant contributors to graft destruction and rejection, results in apoptosis of T effector cells and generation of regulatory T cells. We demonstrate that implantation with MMV-Gel prolongs the survival and function of grafts in mouse models of allogeneic pancreatic islet cells and skin transplantation

Editorial: Active Fold-and-Thrust Belts: From Present-Day Deformation to Structural Architecture and Modelling

(IF 3.66; Q1)International audienc

Editorial: Active Fold-and-Thrust Belts: From Present-Day Deformation to Structural Architecture and Modelling

(IF 3.66; Q1)International audienc

Deep Blind Fault Activity—A Fault Model of Strong <i>M_w</i> 5.5 Earthquake Seismogenic Structures in North China

North China is one of the high-risk areas for destructive and strong earthquakes in mainland China and has experienced numerous strong historical earthquakes. An earthquake of magnitude MW 5.5 struck Pingyuan County, Dezhou city, in Shandong Province, China, on 6 August 2023. This earthquake was the strongest in the eastern North China Craton since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Since the earthquake did not produce surface ruptures, the seismogenic structure for fault responsible for the Pingyuan MW 5.5 earthquake is still unclear. To reveal the subsurface geological structure near the earthquake epicenter, this study used high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) seismic reflection profiles and constructed a three-dimensional (3D) geometric model of the Tuqiao Fault by interpreting the faults in the seismic reflection profiles. This study further combined focal mechanism solutions, aftershock clusters, and other seismological data to discuss the seismogenic fault of the Pingyuan MW 5.5 earthquake. The results show that the Tuqiao Fault is not the seismogenic fault of the MW 5.5 earthquake. The actual seismogenic structure may be related to the NE-oriented high-angle strike-slip blind fault developed in the basement. We further propose three possible fault models for the strong seismogenic structure in North China to discuss the potential seismotectonics in this region

3D fault model and seismotectonics indicate the potential seismic risk in the Daliang Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

3D Fault Model

High seismic velocity structures control moderate to strong induced earthquake behaviors by shale gas development

Abstract Moderate to strong earthquakes have been induced worldwide by shale gas development, however, it is still unclear what factors control their behaviors. Here we use local seismic networks to reliably determine the source attributes of dozens of M > 3 earthquakes and obtain a high-resolution shear-wave velocity model using ambient noise tomography. These earthquakes are found to occur close to the target shale formations in depth and along high seismic velocity boundaries. The magnitudes and co-seismic slip distributions of the 2018 Xingwen $${M}_{{{{{{\rm{L}}}}}}}5.7$$ M L 5.7 and 2019 Gongxian $${M}_{{{{{{\rm{L}}}}}}}5.3$$ M L 5.3 earthquakes are further determined jointly by seismic waveforms and InSAR data, and the co-seismic slips of these two earthquakes correlate with high seismic velocity zones along the fault planes. Thus, the distribution of high velocity zones near the target shale formations, together with the stress state modulated by hydraulic fracturing controls induced earthquake behaviors and is critical for understanding the seismic potentials of hydraulic fracturing

Assessment of strong earthquake risk in the Chinese mainland from 2021 to 2030

The long-term earthquake prediction from 2021 to 2030 is carried out by researching the active tectonic block boundary zones in the Chinese mainland. Based on the strong earthquake recurrence model, the cumulative probability of each target fault in the next 10 years is given by the recurrence period and elapsed time of each fault, which are adopted from relevant studies such as seismological geology, geodesy, and historical earthquake records. Based on the long-term predictions of large earthquakes throughout the world, this paper proposes a comprehensive judgment scheme based on the fault segments with the seismic gap, motion strongly locked, sparse small-moderate earthquakes, and apparent Coulomb stress increase. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the relative risk for strong earthquakes that may occur in the coming 10 years on the major faults in the active tectonic block boundary zones in the Chinese mainland. The present loading rate of each fault is first constrained by geodetic observations; the cumulative displacement of each fault is then estimated by the elapsed time since the most recent strong earthquake