Quantitative seismic interpretation of rock brittleness based on statistical rock physics

Rock brittleness is one of the important properties for fracability evaluation, and it can be represented by different physical properties. The mineralogy-based brittleness index (BIM) builds a simple relationship between mineralogy and brittleness, but it may be ambiguous for rocks with a complex microstructure; whereas the elastic moduli-based brittleness index (BIE) is applicable in the field, but BIE interpretation needs to be constrained by lithofacies information. We have developed a new workflow for quantitative seismic interpretation of rock brittleness: Lithofacies are defined by a criterion combining BIM and BIE for comprehensive brittleness evaluation; statistical rock-physics methods are applied for quantitative interpretation by using inverted elastic parameters; acoustic impedance and elastic impedance are selected as the optimized pair of attributes for lithofacies classification. To improve the continuity and accuracy of the interpreted results, a Markov random field is applied in the Bayesian rule as the spatial constraint. A 2D synthetic test demonstrates the feasibility of the Bayesian classification with a Markov random field. This new interpretation framework is also applied to a shale reservoir formation from China. Comparison analysis indicates that brittle shale sections can be efficiently discriminated from ductile shale sections and tight sand sections by using the inverted elastic parameters

Optimized Quantum Implementation of AES

In this paper, we research the implementation of the AES family with Pauli-X gates, CNOT gates and Toffoli gates as the underlying quantum logic gate set. First, we investigate the properties of quantum circuits and the influence of Pauli-X gates, CNOT gates and Toffoli gates on the performance of the circuits constructed with those gates. Based on the properties of quantum circuits as well as our observations on the classical ones built by Boyar \emph{et al.} and Zou \emph{et al.}, we research the construction of reversible circuits for AES\u27s Substitution-box (S-box) and its inverse (S-box$^{-1}$) by rearranging the classical implementation to three parts. Since the second part is treated as a 4-bit S-box in this paper and can be dealt with by existing tools, we propose a heuristic to search optimized reversible circuits for the first part and the third part. The application of our method reveals that the reversible circuits constructed for AES S-box and its inverse consume fewer qubits with optimized CNOT gate consumption and Toffoli depth. In addition, we study the construction of reversible circuits for the key schedule and the round function of AES by applying various number of S-boxes in parallel. As a result, we report quantum circuits of AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256 with 269, 333 and 397 qubits, respectively. If more qubits are allowed, quantum circuits that outperform state-of-the-art schemes in the metric of $T\cdot M$ value for the AES family can be reported, and it needs only 474, 538 and 602 qubits for AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256, respectively

Pre-hypoxia exposure inhibited copper toxicity by improving energy metabolism, antioxidant defence and mitophagy in the liver of the large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea.

This study investigated the effects of moderate hypoxia pre-exposure on energy metabolism, antioxidant defence and mitophagy in the liver of the large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea exposed to Cu. Fish were pre-exposed to either normoxia or hypoxia (~3.0 mg L-1, 42% O2 saturation) for 48 h, and subsequently were subjected to either control (without Cu addition) or Cu (168 μg L-1) under normoxic conditions for another 48 h. Copper exposure under normoxia induced Cu toxicity that increased mortality, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde, and aberrant hepatic mitochondrial ultrastructure. Interestingly, hypoxia pre-exposure improved energy metabolism, antioxidant ability and mitophagy response, and reduced the Cu content to inhibit Cu toxicity, reflecting the enhanced survival rate and reduced oxidative damage. In these processes, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), transcription factors NFE2-related nuclear factor 2 (Nrf2), and forkhead box O-3 (FoxO3) mRNA levels were correlated with expression of genes related to energy metabolism, antioxidant defence and mitophagy, respectively, indicating HIF-1α, Nrf2, and FoxO3 are required for the induction of their respective target genes. Overall, moderate hypoxia pre-exposure was able to generate adaptive responses to mitigate Cu-induced toxicological effects, underlining a central role of hormesis

NAT10 Maintains OGA mRNA Stability Through ac4C Modification in Regulating Oocyte Maturation

In vitro maturation (IVM) refers to the process of developing immature oocytes into the mature in vitro under the microenvironment analogous to follicle fluid. It is an important technique for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and, especially, those young patients with the need of fertility preservation. However, as the mechanisms of oocyte maturation have not been fully understood yet, the cultivation efficiency of IVM is not satisfactory. It was confirmed in our previous study that oocyte maturation was impaired after N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) knockdown (KD). In the present study, we further explored the transcriptome alteration of NAT10-depleted oocytes and found that O-GlcNAcase(OGA) was an important target gene for NAT10-mediated ac4C modification in oocyte maturation. NAT10 might regulate OGA stability and expression by suppressing its degradation. To find out whether the influence of NAT10-mediated ac4C on oocyte maturation was mediated by OGA, we further explored the role of OGA in IVM. After knocking down OGA of oocytes, oocyte maturation was inhibited. In addition, as oocytes matured, OGA expression increased and, conversely, O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) level decreased. On the basis of NAT10 KD transcriptome and OGA KD transcriptome data, NAT10-mediated ac4C modification of OGA might play a role through G protein–coupled receptors, molecular transduction, nucleosome DNA binding, and other mechanisms in oocyte maturation. Rsph6a, Gm7788, Gm41780, Trpc7, Gm29036, and Gm47144 were potential downstream genes. In conclusion, NAT10 maintained the stability of OGA transcript by ac4C modification on it, thus positively regulating IVM. Moreover, our study revealed the regulation mechanisms of oocytes maturation and provided reference for improving IVM outcomes. At the same time, the interaction between mRNA ac4C modification and protein O-GlcNAc modification was found for the first time, which enriched the regulation network of oocyte maturation

Cu pre-exposure alters antioxidant defense and energy metabolism in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea in response to severe hypoxia

Abstract(#br)The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Cu pre-exposure on antioxidant defense and energy metabolism in the liver of the large yellow croaker exposed to severe hypoxia. Fish were pre-acclimated to 0 and 30 μg Cu L −1 for 96 h, and subsequently exposed to 7.0 and 1.5 mg DO L −1 for another 24 h. Hypoxic stress alone increased reactive oxygen species and hepatic vacuoles. When compared to hypoxic stress alone, hypoxic stress plus Cu pre-exposure increased mortality and ROS production, and worsened histological structure by inhibiting antioxidant defense and aerobic metabolism, and enhancing anaerobic metabolism, suggesting Cu pre-acclimation aggravated hypoxia-induced oxidative damage. NFE2-related nuclear factor 2 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α might participate in the transcriptional regulation of genes related to antioxidant response and energy metabolism, respectively. In conclusion, Cu pre-acclimation had a synergistic effect on antioxidant response and energy metabolism in fish under severe hypoxia, which contributes to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying negative effects of Cu pre-acclimation against hypoxic damage in fish