Face2Multi-modal: in-vehicle multi-modal predictors via facial expressions

Towards intelligent Human-Vehicle Interaction systems and innovative Human-Vehicle Interaction designs, in-vehicle drivers' physiological data has been explored as an essential data source. However, equipping multiple biosensors is considered the limited extent of user-friendliness and impractical during the driving procedure. The lack of a proper approach to access physiological data has hindered wider applications of advanced biosignal-driven designs in practice (e.g. monitoring systems and etc.). Hence, the demand for a user-friendly approach to measuring drivers' body statuses has become more intense. In this Work-In-Progress, we present Face2Multi-modal, an In-vehicle multi-modal Data Streams Predictors through facial expressions only. More specifically, we have explored the estimations of Heart Rate, Skin Conductance, and Vehicle Speed of the drivers. We believe Face2Multi-modal provides a user-friendly alternative to acquiring drivers' physiological status and vehicle status, which could serve as the building block for many current or future personalized Human-Vehicle Interaction designs. More details and updates about the project Face2Multi-modal is online at https://github.com/unnc-ucc/Face2Multimodal/

CEACAM1 Negatively Regulates IL-1β Production in LPS Activated Neutrophils by Recruiting SHP-1 to a SYK-TLR4-CEACAM1 Complex

LPS-activated neutrophils secrete IL-1β by activation of TLR-4. Based on studies in macrophages, it is likely that ROS and lysosomal destabilization regulated by Syk activation may also be involved. Since neutrophils have abundant expression of the ITIM-containing co-receptor CEACAM1 and Gram-negative bacteria such as Neisseria utilize CEACAM1 as a receptor that inhibits inflammation, we hypothesized that the overall production of IL-1β in LPS treated neutrophils may be negatively regulated by CEACAM1. We found that LPS treated neutrophils induced phosphorylation of Syk resulting in the formation of a complex including TLR4, p-Syk, and p-CEACAM1, which in turn, recruited the inhibitory phosphatase SHP-1. LPS treatment leads to ROS production, lysosomal damage, caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in neutrophils. The absence of this regulation in Ceacam1−/− neutrophils led to hyper production of IL-1β in response to LPS. The hyper production of IL-1β was abrogated by in vivo reconstitution of wild type but not ITIM-mutated CEACAM1 bone marrow stem cells. Blocking Syk activation by kinase inhibitors or RNAi reduced Syk phosphorylation, lysosomal destabilization, ROS production, and caspase-1 activation in Ceacam1−/− neutrophils. We conclude that LPS treatment of neutrophils triggers formation of a complex of TLR4 with pSyk and pCEACAM1, which upon recruitment of SHP-1 to the ITIMs of pCEACAM1, inhibits IL-1β production by the inflammasome. Thus, CEACAM1 fine-tunes IL-1β production in LPS treated neutrophils, explaining why the additional utilization of CEACAM1 as a pathogen receptor would further inhibit inflammation

Physical and mathematical modeling of gas production in shale matrix

Shale gas mainly stores in shale matrix, and gas production in shale matrix is very important during exploration. In order to clarify gas production and transport mechanism in shale matrix, an experimental modeling of gas production in shale matrix was designed and conducted with Longmaxi shale samples collected from South of Sichuan. The experimental results show that gas production decline curve displays a “L” pattern which indicates initial production is high and declines rapidly, while late production is low and declines moderately; meanwhile, pressure propagation in shale matrix is quite slow due to ultralow permeability. Based on the results, a mathematical model was derived to describe gas production in shale matrix. The comparison between numerical solution of mathematical model and experimental results shows that the mathematical model can well describe gas transport in shale matrix. In addition, factors affecting gas production were investigated on the basis of the mathematical model. Adsorbed gas can replenish gas pressure in pores by desorption and delay pressure propagation, and gas production decreases very quickly when there is no adsorbed gas. Other parameters (diffusion coefficient, permeability and porosity) also need to be considered in shale gas development

Physical and mathematical modeling of gas production in shale matrix

Shale gas mainly stores in shale matrix, and gas production in shale matrix is very important during exploration. In order to clarify gas production and transport mechanism in shale matrix, an experimental modeling of gas production in shale matrix was designed and conducted with Longmaxi shale samples collected from South of Sichuan. The experimental results show that gas production decline curve displays a “L” pattern which indicates initial production is high and declines rapidly, while late production is low and declines moderately; meanwhile, pressure propagation in shale matrix is quite slow due to ultralow permeability. Based on the results, a mathematical model was derived to describe gas production in shale matrix. The comparison between numerical solution of mathematical model and experimental results shows that the mathematical model can well describe gas transport in shale matrix. In addition, factors affecting gas production were investigated on the basis of the mathematical model. Adsorbed gas can replenish gas pressure in pores by desorption and delay pressure propagation, and gas production decreases very quickly when there is no adsorbed gas. Other parameters (diffusion coefficient, permeability and porosity) also need to be considered in shale gas development

Impact of temperature on the isothermal adsorption/desorption of shale gas

Isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments under different temperatures were carried out with the Longmaxi Formation shale samples collected from southern Sichuan. The experimental results show that temperature affects the adsorption and desorption capacity of shale, the adsorption capacity of shale decreases with temperature increase. The adsorption curve and desorption curve of shale are not coincident and the thermodynamic reason for the hysteresis of the desorption curve is that the isosteric heat of the shale adsorption process is greater than that of the desorption process. The Langmuir model and desorption model can describe the isothermal adsorption and desorption processes very well, respectively. Isothermal adsorption and desorption curves under different temperatures can be predicted by isosteric heat curves which match the experimental results. Shale gas production is a process of gas desorption and the desorption characteristics directly impact the production of shale gas, so the desorption model should be taken into consideration in the shale gas production forecast and numerical simulation. Key words: shale, temperature, adsorption, desorption, isosteric adsorption hea

Principal characteristics of marine shale gas, and the theory and technology of its exploration and development in China

The exploration and development theory and technology of marine shale gas with shallow burial depth of 3500 m in South China has become mature after more than 10 years of practice. In order to continuously promote the exploration and development of shale gas in China, based on the research results of many scholars, combined with production practice, the main characteristics of marine shale gas in China and the main theory and technology of exploration and development are further summarized. The results show that: (1) The basic characteristics of marine shale gas in southern China are marine deep-water shelf deposition, and organic-rich shale is distributed continuously in a large area; The organic matter is stored in situ after high thermal maturity gas generation, and the gas content of shale is affected by late tectonic activity; The reservoir space is dominated by nano-scale pores, and the reservoir is super-tight and ultra-low permeability, which has no natural productivity without well stimulation; Bedding and natural fracture affect the productivity of shale gas wells; The mechanical properties of shale rock determine the effect of horizontal wells. In the early stage of well production, the production rate is high and the decline is fast, while in the middle and late stage, the rate is low but the production cycle is long. (2) Based on the above characteristics, the theory of “sweet spot” and “sweet interval” of shale gas and the theory of effective development of artificial gas reservoir are established, that is, the sedimentary and tectonic interaction forms the “sweet area” or “sweet spot” of marine shale gas. Gas productivity is determined by geological and engineering factors, so the “sweet spot” must be found to develop. By constructing artificial gas reservoir through “making an artificial high permeability area, and reconstructing a seepage field”, the effective development of ultra-tight and low permeability shale gas reservoirs can be realized. It is the most effective technique for shale gas development to accurately create “transparent geological body” of reservoirs based on geology-engineering integrated evaluation technology and establish artificial gas reservoir through multi-stage fracturing technology. (3) The overpressure area in the southern Sichuan Basin is the “sweet area” for shale gas development. The “sweet interval” of the lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation with a thickness of 3–5 m and high brittle-rich organic matter is the optimal “golden target” for horizontal wells. (4) The development leapfrog from the first generation to the second generation has been realized by the key technology of multi-stage fracturing of horizontal wells. The EUR per well of Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation and Longmaxi Formation in southern Sichuan has increased from 0.5 × 108 m3 in the initial stage to 1.0 × 108–1.2 × 108 m3 at present with a buried depth of shallower than 3500 m. (5) The effective area favorable for shale gas development in southern Sichuan is 2.0 × 104 km2, and it is estimated that the proven geological reserves of shale gas can reach 10 × 1012 m3. It is preliminarily predicted that the shale gas production in China will exceed 300 × 108 m3 in 2025 and reach 400 × 108 m3 in 2035

An Approach for Predicting the Effective Stress Field in Low-Permeability Reservoirs Based on Reservoir-Geomechanics Coupling

Low-permeability reservoirs are important to the future growth of oil and gas reserves and production in China. Predicting the effective stress, σe, in reservoirs is vitally important due to its considerable impact on reservoir development through hydraulic fracturing. This paper presents methods for predicting the σe field in ultralow-permeability reservoirs through reservoir–geomechanics coupling, which involve the simulation and coupling of the tectonic stress σ and pore pressure Pp fields based on three-dimensional (3D) geological models. First, 3D geological models were constructed based on basic data for the oilfield where the reservoir of interest is located. Then, finite element and finite difference simulations were performed to construct the σ and Pp fields, respectively, in the reservoir. Different types of initial σe were coupled based on 3D geological models. Subsequently, a dynamic σe field in the reservoir was established based on oilfield production data in conjunction with the transformation, optimization, and coupling of specific grid property parameters obtained from different numerical methods. Finally, the proposed methods were tested on real-world data acquired from well area X in an oilfield in Shaanxi Province, China. The results show that the proposed methods can be used to establish the σ and Pp fields in a reservoir based on 3D geological models combined with different numerical methods, and subsequently predict the σe value in the reservoir

A Logical Growth Model considering the influence of shale gas reservoirs and development characteristics

As shale gas development is advancing continuously and rapidly, how to deeply analyze the production performance of shale gas wells and evaluate their production characteristics has become an urgent problem in the evaluation of shale gas productivity construction zone, the formulation of new area development scheme and the preparation of planning program. Some scholars have applied the Logical Growth Model (LGM) in the production decline analysis of unconventional gas wells, but the influences of shale gas reservoir and development characteristics are not taken into consideration. Therefore, this method still has some space of further development and improvement. In this paper, a Logistic Growth Model considering shale gas reservoirs and development characteristics (RB-LGM) was established based on the previous research results. Then, it was applied to the shale gas development wells in the Changning Block of the Sichuan Basin to analyze their production performance, and the analysis results were compared with the fitting and prediction results provided by the Arps hyperbolic decline model. Finally, the optimal well spacing of horizontal wells was determined using RB-LGM. And the following research results were obtained. First, shale gas is produced by deploying horizontal wells in the clustered pattern in a large number, so on the basis of LGM, RB-LGM takes shale gas reservoir parameters (thickness, shale density, gas content) and development parameters (horizontal section length, well spacing and recovery factor) as the logic control factors of horizontal-well gas production fitting, so that the production prediction result of gas well is more reasonable. Second, RB-LGM can not only well fit the early production data of gas well, but ensure the convergence of the later prediction results under the control of logical conditions. Third, RB-LGM takes into account the influence of shale gas reservoir and development characteristics so as to optimize the horizontal well pattern and analyze the change trend of reservoir parameters in the development area through data inversion

Geological and Engineering Integrated Shale Gas Sweet Spots Evaluation Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method: A Case Study of Z Shale Gas Field HB Block

As an emerging unconventional energy resource, shale gas has great resource potential and developmental prospects. The effective evaluation of geological sweet spots (GSS), engineering sweet spots (ESS) and comprehensive sweet spots (CSS) is one of the main factors for a high-yield scale and economic production of shale gas. Sweet spot evaluation involves a comprehensive analysis based on multiple parameters. Conventional evaluation methods consider relatively simple or single factors. Although the main influencing factors are understood, the influence of different factors is as of yet unknown, and a comprehensive consideration may strongly affect the evaluation results. In this paper, the fuzzy mathematics method is introduced for shale gas sweet spot evaluation. With the help of fuzzy mathematics tools, such as membership function, the objective of comprehensive sweet spots evaluation based on multiple parameters is realized. Additionally, the reliability of the evaluation of sweet spots is improved. Firstly, previous research results are used for reference, and the evaluation factor system of geological and engineering sweet spots of shale gas is systematically analyzed and established. Then, the basic principle of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is briefly introduced, and a geological engineering integrated shale gas sweet spots evaluation method, based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, is designed and implemented. Finally, the data from HB blocks in the Z shale gas field in China are adopted. According to the evaluation results, the modified method is tested. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can synthesize a number of evaluation indices, quickly and effectively evaluate the GSS, ESS and CSS in the target area, and the results have high rationality and accuracy, which can effectively assist in well-pattern deployment and fracture design

The Experience of Inhaled COVID-19 Vaccination among First-line Medical Staff in Epidemic Prevention Aged≥18 Years in Guiyang City: a Qualitative Study

Background Inhaled recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (type 5 adenoviral vector) (hereinafter referred to as the inhaled COVID-19 vaccine) is the first approved inhaled COVID-19 vaccine in China, with the advantages of good immunity, painlessness, and higher accessibility, which has been included in the WHO Emergency Use Listing and China's list of second-dose booster immunization vaccines. The real-world application of this vaccine deserves more attention due to the poor understanding of it by the public. Objective To understand the real experience in depth of first-line medical staff in epidemic prevention aged≥18 years in Guiyang city who received inhaled COVID-19 vaccine, so as to provide a reference for the promotion of this type of vaccine. Methods The recipients who completed the emergency vaccination with inhaled COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site of Guiyang city in October 2022 were selected as research subjects based on the the principle of booster immunization by using purposive sampling method. The sample size was determined by interviewing until no new case emerged which was data saturation. A total of 17 recipients were interviewed in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the research subjects, face-to-face interviews were conducted to understand the vaccination experience at that time firstly, and telephone interviews were conducted 5-7 days after vaccination. The Colaizzi seven-step analysis method was used for the data collection and analysis. Results A total of five themes were summarized including the convenience of vaccination, good vaccination experience, light psychological burden, low vaccine hesitancy and uncertain protective effect. The convenience of vaccination includes simple and time-saving vaccination process, fast vaccination speed, low cost, and no interruption of nucleic acid testing; the good vaccination experience includes comfortable feeling of vaccination, harmonious observation atmosphere, fewer adverse reactions, and no interference with daily life; light psychological burden includes reduction of tension and anxiety of vaccination, better mental health maintenance, non-invasive vaccination and elimination of vaccination fears; low vaccine hesitancy includes high vaccination accessibility, increase of vaccine acceptance, increase of public perception of epidemic outbreak risk; uncertain protective effect includes uncertain which vaccination method provides better protection between injection and inhalation, whether inhaled COVID-19 vaccine has a good protective effect against variant strains. Conclusion Inhaled COVID-19 vaccine is convenient to administer with fewer adverse reactions, which is highly accepted by first-line medical staff in epidemic prevention aged≥18 years in Guiyang city with good experience