Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Simultaneous Delivery and Pick-Up Service Based on MCPSO

This paper considers two additional factors of the widely researched vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW). The two factors, which are very common characteristics in realworld, are uncertain number of vehicles and simultaneous delivery and pick-up service. Using minimization of the total transport costs as the objective of the extension VRPTW, a mathematic model is constructed. To solve the problem, an efficient multiswarm cooperative particle swarm optimization (MCPSO) algorithm is applied. And a new encoding method is proposed for the extension VRPTW. Finally, comparing with genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the MCPSO algorithm performs best for solving this problem

Interface-engineered ferroelectricity of epitaxial Hf\u3csub\u3e0.5\u3c/sub\u3eZr\u3csub\u3e0.5\u3c/sub\u3eO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e thin films

Ferroelectric hafnia-based thin films have attracted intense attention due to their compatibility with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. However, the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase is thermodynamically metastable. Various efforts have been made to stabilize the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase of hafnia-based films such as controlling the growth kinetics and mechanical confinement. Here, we demonstrate a key interface engineering strategy to stabilize and enhance the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase of the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin film by deliberately controlling the termination of the bottom La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 layer. We find that the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films on the MnO2-terminated La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 have more ferroelectric orthorhombic phase than those on the LaSrO-terminated La0.67Sr0.33MnO3, while with no wake-up effect. Even though the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thickness is as thin as 1.5nm, the clear ferroelectric orthorhombic (111) orientation is observed on the MnO2 termination. Our transmission electron microscopy characterization and theoretical modelling reveal that reconstruction at the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/ La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 interface and hole doping of the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 layer resulting from theMnO2 interface termination are responsible for the stabilization of the metastable ferroelectric phase of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2. We anticipate that these results will inspire further studies of interface-engineered hafnia-based systems

Idiopathic Male Infertility Is Strongly Associated with Aberrant Promoter Methylation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR)

Abnormal germline DNA methylation in males has been proposed as a possible mechanism compromising spermatogenesis of some men currently diagnosed with idiopathic infertility. Previous studies have been focused on imprinted genes with DNA methylation in poor quality human sperms. However, recent but limited data have revealed that sperm methylation abnormalities may involve large numbers of genes or shown that genes that are not imprinted are also affected.Using the methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and bisulfite sequencing method, we examined methylation patterns of the promoter of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene (NG_013351: 1538-1719) in sperm DNA obtained from 94 idiopathic infertile men and 54 normal fertile controls. Subjects with idiopathic infertility were further divided into groups of normozoospermia and oligozoospermia. Overall, 45% (41/94) of idiopathic infertile males had MTHFR hypermethylation (both hemimethylation and full methylation), compared with 15% of fertile controls (P<0.05). Subjects with higher methylation level of MTHFR were more likely to have idiopathic male infertility (P-value for trend  = 0.0007). Comparing the two groups of idiopathic infertile subjects with different sperm concentrations, a higher methylation pattern was found in the group with oligozoospermia.Hypermethylation of the promoter of MTHFR gene in sperms is associated with idiopathic male infertility. The functional relevance of hypermathylation of MTHFR to male fertility warrants further investigation

Comparison of the Development and Prognosis in Patients of Hypertriglyceridemic Pancreatitis with and without Diabetes

Aim. To investigate the clinical features and prognosis in patients of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis with or without diabetes. Methods. 157 patients with hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) were included in this study. Patients with a previous history of diabetes were identified in the group of HTGP with diabetes (HTGPD), while patients without a history of diabetes were identified in the group of HTGP. The clinical characteristics and prognosis data of these patients in the two groups were analyzed. Results. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, body mass index, glycated serum protein (GSP), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score were significantly associated with mortality in patients with HTGP. The mortality was significantly higher in the HTGPD group than in the HTGP group (p<0.001). Compared to patients of HTGP, those of HTGPD had older age of onset, higher blood glucose levels, and higher GSP levels on admission. Electrocardiograms showed that patients of HTGPD had a significantly higher risk of heart ischemia than those of HTGP (p<0.05). Patients of HTGPD had higher APACHE II scores than those of HTGP (p<0.001). Single-factor analysis showed that higher triglyceride levels, GSP, LDL, and previous history of diabetes were associated with HTGP recurrence. Conclusions. Clinicians should be alert to patients of HTGP with diabetes. Diabetes is an important risk factor for HTGP and hyperglycemia may affect the development and prognosis of HTGP

Anti-Disturbance Dynamic Surface Control for Position Tracking of Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Based on Nonlinear Extended State Observer

In this paper, an anti-disturbance output feedback dynamic surface control (DSC) method is proposed for the position tracking of interior permanent magnet synchronous motor subject to unknown nonlinearities and time-varying disturbances. Specifically, a nonlinear extended-state-observer (NLESO) based on exponential functions is designed to estimate the total disturbance composed of system uncertainties and external disturbances. Then, by compensating for the total disturbance via the NLESO, an anti-disturbance output feedback law is designed based on the DSC approach. The salient features of the proposed approach is twofold. First, the total uncertainty including internal and external disturbances can be accurately estimated by an NLESO in real time. Second, the desired anti-disturbance performance of the servo control system can be achieved regardless of the position measurement only. The stability of the closed-loop control system is proved by using the cascade theory and input-to-state stability theory. Both simulation and experiment results are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method

Geological conditions for continental tight oil formation and the main controlling factors for the enrichment: A case of Chang 7 Member, Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, NW China

The Chang7 Member of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin is a typical continental tight oil province. The geological conditions and the main controlling factors for the formation of tight oil province in Chang 7 Member were studied based on extensive core analysis data, laboratory simulation tests and practical work of tight oil exploration and development in the basin. The tight oil in the Chang 7 Member is characterized by wide distribution, excellent source rock conditions, tight sandstone reservoirs, complicated pore-throat structure, poor physical properties, high oil saturation, high quality oil, and low pressure coefficient. During the depositional period of Chang7 Member, the bottom shape of the basin was steep at southwest and gentle at northeast, the tectonic movements were active, favorable for the deposition of source rock and reservoir; the widespread high quality source rock can provide sufficient oil supply for the large tight oil province; the large scale sand bodies provide good reservoir condition for the large tight oil province; the abundant structural fractures in the tight reservoir act as pathways for tight oil migration; and the stable deposition and tectonic evolution of the basin provide good preservation conditions for the tight oil province. The main controlling factors of Chang7 Member tight oil enrichment are as follows: (1) good configuration of source rock and reservoir and constant charging are the key to the formation of the tight oil province; (2) abundant micro-scale pores are the premise of tight oil enrichment; (3) strong and sustained charging guarantees the enrichment and high yield of oil in the tight reservoirs. Key words: Triassic, Yanchang Formation, tight oil, oil enrichment controlling factors, source rock and reservoir configuration, hydrocarbon-generating overpressure, sustained charge, Ordos Basi

Emergency Vehicle Scheduling Problem with Time Utility in Disasters

This paper presents a flexible emergency rescue system which is chiefly composed of three parts, namely, disaster assistance center, relief vehicles, and disaster areas. A novel objective of utility maximization is used to evaluate the entire system in disasters. Considering the uncertain road conditions in the relief distribution, we implement triangular fuzzy number to calculate the vehicle velocity. As a consequence, a fuzzy mathematical model is built to maximize the utility of emergency rescue system and then converted to the crisp counterpart. Finally, the results of numerical experiments obtained by particle swarm optimization (PSO) prove the validity of this proposed mathematical model

Present-day in-situ stress field within the Yanchang Formation tight oil reservoir of Ordos Basin, central China

The present-day in-situ stress field has many important and practical applications during the exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources. The Ordos Basin is a significant petroliferous basin in China, within which, the Yanchang Formation serves as the most significant tight oil reservoir. However, an overview of previous studies indicates that little was known as to the present-day stress state in the Yanchang Formation. Therefore, the present-day stress field in the Yanchang Formation tight oil reservoir of the Ordos Basin is systematically analyzed in this study. The orientation of horizontal maximum principal stress (S) within the Yanchang Formation of Ordos Basin ranges between north-northeast-south-southwest-trending (NNE-SSW) and east-northeast-west-southwest-trending (ENE-WSW) based on interpretations of borehole breakouts and drilling-induced fractures from borehole imaging logs. The S orientation shows various tendencies in different wells, which may result from differential development in lithology, natural fracture and bedding plane over various regions. The estimated magnitudes of vertical stress (S), S and horizontal minimum principal stress (S) in the studied wells indicate that the normal faulting stress regime is dominant within the Yanchang Formation. In addition, the geomechanical assessments of wellbore stability and natural fracture reactivation are also performed. Natural fractures in the Yanchang Formation Chang 7 tight oil reservoir of Ordos Basin are developed striking mainly in the northeast-southwest-trending (NE-SW) and west-northwest-east-southeast-trending (WNW-ESE). Among them, those fractures with NE-SW-trending strikes are more conductive with reference to the present-day stress state, contributing more to tight oil production in the Ordos Basin. In addition, within the Yanchang Formation, if horizontal wells are drilled towards the NNE-SSW-trending to ENE-WSW-trending, they are more likely to have wellbore instability issues. The results in this study provide important geological information for tight oil production in the Yanchang Formation of Ordos Basin

Characteristics and formation mechanisms of gravity-flow deposits in a lacustrine depression basin: Examples from the Late Triassic Chang 7 oil member of the Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, Central China

Understanding the flow processes that form gravity-flow deposits is vital for modeling and predicting sandstone bodies in the subsurface, which is of great significance for conventional and unconventional oil and gas exploration and development in lacustrine basins. This study analyses gravity-flow deposits of the Late Triassic Chang 7 oil member of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, using a combination of well-log analysis, core observations, thin-section analysis, and laboratory measurements. The sedimentary facies, formation mechanisms, distribution patterns, and depositional models of gravity-flow deposits are investigated. Thirteen facies and eight bed-types are recognized in the gravity-flow deposits. Bed types represent deposits of sandy slides, sandy slumps, debrites, high-density turbidites, hybrid event beds, transitional flow deposits, surge-like low-density turbidites, and quasi-steady low-density turbidites. Gravity-flow deposits, particularly those caused by sediment failure, are composed of slides, slumps, debrites, high-density turbidites, hybrid event beds, transitional flow deposits, and surge-like low-density turbidites. These deposits form as isolated lenticular sand bodies, with retrogradational internal stacking patterns. In contrast, gravity-flow deposits caused by flooding rivers are composed of high-density turbidites, hybrid event beds, transitional flow deposits, and quasi-steady low-density turbidites. These deposits exhibit elongate morphologies with progradation stacking patterns internally. The collision between the North China Block and the South China Block, which occurred during the closing of the Qinling Ocean, lead to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. These activities promoted the development of gravity-flow deposits associated with sediment failure from delta fronts in both the northeastern and southwestern parts of the basin. Concurrently, extremely humid climatic conditions promoted increased fluvial drainage, leading to enhanced hyperpycnal flows into the deep-lacustrine basin depocenters in the Late Triassic. This study emphasized that detailed facies analysis and distribution pattern analysis are the fundamental way to identify the formation mechanisms of gravity flow deposits in lacustrine depression basins

Exploration potential of shale oil in Chang7 Member, Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, NW China

The geological conditions and exploration potential of shale oil in Chang7 Member, Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, were studied from various aspects, including petrographic characteristics, storage ability, geochemical features, friability and mobility of hydrocarbon in the source rock, etc. A classification criterion of lithofacies for Upper Triassic Chang 7 source rock in Ordos Basin were established based on the correlation between lithology, organic carbon content and logging parameters, from which, the spatial distribution and development scale of two types of shale, black shale and dark massive mudstone, have been predicted. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of the micro-structures of Chang7 source rock using state-of-the-art microscopic facilities including argon ion milling – field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and Nano-CT reveal that the dominant pore types in Chang7 source rock are intra-granular pores and inter-granular pores; the pores and throats in the two kinds of lithofacies are both nano-scale, and the dark massive mudstone has better physical properties than the black shale. The Chang7 shale oil resources and mineability were evaluated based on the parameters from geochemical experiments on the source rock, including pyrolysis S1, chloroform bitumen ‘A’, TOC and thermal maturity, free hydrocarbon content, as well as geo-mechanical properties such as brittle mineral content and development of fractures. With large scale of favorable lithofacies, good storage ability and abundant hydrocarbon, Chang7 Member has the material basis for shale oil occurrence and accumulation, in addition, the shale oil there has accumulated greatly and has favorable properties for flowing in nano-scale pores and throats. All these show that Chang7 Member has high potential for shale oil exploration, in which, the dark massive mudstone is a more favorable target for shale oil exploration under the present technical conditions. Key words: Ordos Basin, Triassic Chang 7 Member, shale oil, geological condition, exploration potentia