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At least 361 records · Page 20

Forward and inverse modeling of fault transmissibility in subsurface flows

Characterizing physical properties of faults, such as their transmissibility, is crucial for performing predictive numerical simulation of subsurface flows, such as those encountered in petroleum engineering and remediation of subsurface contamination. Here, this paper provides a complete investigation of the inverse problem for fault transmissibility in subsurface flow models, under appropriate assumptions on fault structure. In particular, the following aspects are considered: 1) fault modeling and well-posedness of the forward problem; 2) finite element (FEM) discretizations of the forward problem and their rigorous a priori convergence analysis; 3) Well-posedness of the Bayesian inverse problem, FEM discretization of the infinite dimensional Bayesian inverse formulation, and its rigorous a priori analysis. Moreover, computation of the maximum a posteriori (MAP) point via fast inexact Newton-conjugate gradient optimization and a Laplace approximation of the Bayesian posterior are also presented. Numerical results illustrate the use of the proposed fault model in forward and inverse problems for subsurface flows in two dimensional domains with multiple faults.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Operator inference with roll outs for learning reduced models from scarce and low-quality data

Data-driven modeling has become a key building block in computational science and engineering. However, data that are available in science and engineering are typically scarce, often polluted with noise and affected by measurement errors and other perturbations, which makes learning the dynamics of systems challenging. Here, in this work, we propose to combine data-driven modeling via operator inference with the dynamic training via roll outs of neural ordinary differential equations. Operator inference with roll outs inherits interpretability, scalability, and structure preservation of traditional operator inference while leveraging the dynamic training via roll outs over multiple time steps to increase stability and robustness for learning from low-quality and noisy data. Numerical experiments with data describing shallow water waves and surface quasi-geostrophic dynamics demonstrate that operator inference with roll outs provides predictive models from training trajectories even if data are sampled sparsely in time and polluted with noise of up to 10%.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A unified hp-HDG framework for Friedrichs' PDE systems

Here, this work proposes a unified hp-adaptivity framework for hybridized discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) method for a large class of partial differential equations (PDEs) of Friedrichs' type. In particular, we present unified hp-HDG formulations for abstract one-field and two-field structures and prove their well-posedness. In order to handle non-conforming interfaces we simply take advantage of HDG built-in mortar structures. With split-type mortars and the approximation space of trace, a numerical flux can be derived via Godunov approach and be naturally employed without any additional treatment. As a consequence, the proposed formulations are parameter-free. We perform several numerical experiments for time-independent and linear PDEs including elliptic, hyperbolic, and mixed-type to verify the proposed unified hp-formulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of hp-adaptation. Two adaptivity criteria are considered: one is based on a simple and fast error indicator, while the other is rigorous but more expensive using an adjoint-based error estimate. The numerical results show that these two approaches are comparable in terms of convergence rate even for problems with strong gradients, discontinuities, and singularities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

High hydrogen coverage on graphene via low temperature plasma with applied magnetic field

The chemical functionalization of two-dimensional materials is an effective method for tailoring their chemical and electronic properties with encouraging applications in energy, catalysis, and electronics. One exemplary 2D material with remarkable properties, graphene, can be exploited for hydrogen storage and large on/off ratio devices by hydrogen termination. In this work, we describe a promising plasma-based method to provide high hydrogen coverage on graphene. A low pressure (~10 mtorr) discharge generates a fine-tunable low-temperature hydrogen-rich plasma in the applied radial electric and axial magnetic fields. Post-run characterization of these samples using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates a higher hydrogen coverage, 35.8%, than the previously reported results using plasmas. Plasma measurements indicate that with the applied magnetic field, the density of hydrogen atoms can be more than 10 times larger than the density without the magnetic field. With the applied electric field directed away from the graphene substrate, the flux of plasma ions towards this substrate and the ion energy are insufficient to cause measurable damage to the treated 2D material. As a result, the low damage allows a relatively long treatment time of the graphene samples that contributes to the high coverage obtained in these experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Most of the rhamnogalacturonan-I from cultured Arabidopsis cell walls is covalently linked to arabinogalactan-protein

To characterize a purified rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) containing both RG-I and arabinogalactan-protein (AGP) types of glycosyl residues, an AGP-specific β-1,3-galactanase that can cleave the AG backbone and release the AG sidechain was applied to this material. Carbohydrate analysis and NMR spectroscopy verified that the galactanase-released carbohydrate consists of RG-I covalently attached to the AG sidechain, proving a covalent linkage between RG-I and AGP. Size exclusion chromatography-multiangle light scattering-refractive index detection revealed that the galactanase-released RG-I has an average molecular weight of 41.6 kDa, which, together with the percentage of pectic sugars suggests an RG-I-AGP comprising one AGP covalently linked to two RG-I glycans. Carbohydrate analysis and NMR results of the RG-I-AGP, the galactanase-released glycans, and the RG lyase-released glycans demonstrated that the attached RG-I glycans are decorated with α-1,5-arabinan, β-1,4-galactan, xylose, and 4-O-Me-xylose sidechains. Furthermore, our measurement suggests that the covalently linked RG-I-AGP is the major component of the traditionally prepared RG-I.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Xylan-cellulose core structure of oat water-extractable β-glucan macromolecule: Insight into interactions and organization of the cell wall complex

Water-extractable β-glucan with high molar mass (HM) determines health benefits of oat food. Oat β-glucan was extracted by a standardized in vitro digestion method and co-existing water-extractable polysaccharide (WEP) fraction and its HM-arabinoxylan (HM-AX) subfraction were isolated to identify their highly acid-resistant subunit and investigate molecular interactions between constituent polymers. The WEP and HM-AX samples consisted of arabinoxylans (AXs) (74 and 76 %, respectively), however, cellulose constituted the secondary component (6.6 and 12.8 %, respectively). Multi-detection HPSEC along with specific enzymatic hydrolysis of AXs revealed the presence of the HM-xylan domain (16 and 34 %, respectively) built of numerous single- and multi-component populations with random coil and rod-like conformations, which were embedded in a xylan matrix with spherical conformation and controlled the macromolecular shape. Unlike single-component populations, the multi-component ones were resistant to hydrolytic action of AX-hydrolyzing enzymes and represented the subunits that anchor matrix polysaccharides onto cellulose surface. These results indicate that water-extractable β-glucan macromolecule comprises as integral element a cellulose core with two linking populations, HM-xylan and low molar mass glucomannan, which are surrounded by a feruloylated AX-arabinan-arabinogalactan composite and next laminated by β-glucan matrix. Here, the stiff cellulose-xylan backbone is the basis of HM β-glucan organization, controlled by its cellulose-like segments.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Pectic-AGP is a major form of Arabidopsis AGPs

As a key component in cell walls of numerous organisms ranging from green algae to higher plants, AGPs play principal roles in many biological processes such as cell-cell adhesion and regulating Ca 2+ signaling pathway as a Ca 2+ -capacitor. Consistently, AGP structures vary from species to species and from tissue to tissue. To understand the functions of AGPs, it is vital to know their structural differences relative to their location in the plant. Thus, AGPs were purified from different Arabidopsis tissues. Analyses of these AGPs demonstrated that the AGPs comprised covalently linked pectin and AGP, referred to as pectic-AGPs. Importantly, these pectic-AGPs were glycosylated with a remarkable variety of polysaccharides including homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan-I, and type II arabinogalactan at different ratios and lengths. Furthermore, this result not only suggests that pectic-AGP is a major form of Arabidopsis AGPs, but also supports AGPs serve as crosslinkers covalently connecting pectins with structures tailored for tissue-specific functions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A novel xylosylated fucoglucuronan in Penium reveals structural parallels to rhamnogalacturonan-I and its broad evolutionary footprint in lower plants

Green algae inhabit aquatic environments across the planet and play a crucial role in sustaining the global ecosystem. Ancestors of some Charophytes adapted to terrestrial conditions and eventually evolved into land plants. Extant green algae have inherited traits from their ancestors and evolved into their current morphological and chemical forms, as reflected by their cell walls with distinct shapes and compositions. To illuminate the evolution of plant cell walls and bridge the gap between green algae and land plants, we investigated the charophyte Penium margaritaceum, a close relative of terrestrial plants. We discovered a previously unknown polysaccharide in both its culture medium and cell wall. This polysaccharide, termed xylosylated fucoglucuronan (XFG), possesses a rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I)-like backbone composed of repeating [-3-α-Fucp-(1,4)-α-GlcpA-] disaccharides that are extensively xylosylated and acetylated. Surveying approximately 20 non-vascular plants revealed that XFG and RG-I (or related structures) first emerge in certain Chlorophyceae and subsequently co-occur throughout lineages along the evolutionary trajectory to bryophytes, thereby bridging aquatic green algae to early land plants. The striking structural parallels between XFG, RG-I, and ulvan suggest a shared evolutionary origin, offering new insight into how plant cell walls adapted during the transition from marine to freshwater environments and ultimately to land.

Algae↗

Proteogenomic insights suggest druggable pathways in endometrial carcinoma

We characterized a prospective endometrial carcinoma (EC) cohort containing 138 tumors and 20 enriched normal tissues using 10 different omics platforms. Targeted quantitation of two peptides can predict antigen processing and presentation machinery activity, and may inform patient selection for immunotherapy. Association analysis between MYC activity and metformin treatment in both patients and cell lines suggests a potential role for metformin treatment in non-diabetic patients with elevated MYC activity. PIK3R1 in-frame indels are associated with elevated AKT phosphorylation and increased sensitivity to AKT inhibitors. CTNNB1 hotspot mutations are concentrated near phosphorylation sites mediating pS45-induced degradation of β-catenin, which may render Wnt-FZD antagonists ineffective. Deep learning accurately predicts EC subtypes and mutations from histopathology images, which may be useful for rapid diagnosis. Overall, this study identified molecular and imaging markers that can be further investigated to guide patient stratification for more precise treatment of EC.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Rapid microwave-assisted preparation of high-performance bifunctional Ni3Fe/Co-N-C for rechargeable Zn-air battery

Precious metal-free bifunctional catalysts offer scalable possibilities for achieving oxygen cathodes in rechargeable metal-air batteries. Literature thus far suggests that the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (i.e ORR and OER) take place at different active sites. However, the design and preparation of oxygen electrocatalysts with high-performance is still a great challenge. This work develops a general approach to introduce a nanoparticle that offers oxygen evolution reaction sites onto an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst via rapid microwave treatment. The metal–organic frameworks (Co, ZIF-8) derived Co-N-C with high ORR performance is employed as a support to homogeneously disperse OER active Ni3Fe nanoparticles. Potentials of 1.54 V and 0.79 V have been achieved at current densities of 10 mA cm -2 for OER and 3 mA cm -2 toward ORR, respectively. The developed rechargeable Zn-air battery assembled with Ni 3 Fe/Co-N-C as an oxygen-electrode exhibits superior efficiency and robust durability, exceeding that of commercial Pt/C + IrO 2 . Furthermore, the satisfactory activity of our fabricated wristband shows the successfully practical application of flexible Zn-air batteries for wearable devices.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Highly efficient Pt catalyst on newly designed CeO 2 -ZrO 2 -Al 2 O 3 support for catalytic removal of pollutants from vehicle exhaust

Pt-CeO 2 catalysts have been widely studied for the vehicle emission control. Designing novel CeO 2 based supports with improved physical-chemical properties has become a research hotspot to further promote the catalytic performance and stability of Pt-CeO 2 catalysts. In this work, through utilizing a unique, two-step incipient wetness impregnation (T-IWI) method for ceria-zirconia-alumina (CZA-T) support preparation, a Pt single site catalyst (Pt/CZA-T) with excellent thermal stability was synthesized. Higher oxidation activity and Oxygen storage capacity (OSC) were achieved on activated Pt/CZA-T, comparing to Pt catalysts on regular CeO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Pt/CA) and one-step prepared CeZrO x /Al 2 O 3 (Pt/CZA). Via the modification of hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of γ-Al 2 O 3 by this unique T-IWI method, finer Ce 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 2 particles with higher density of surface defects were formed on CZA-T, on which a higher Pt dispersion and stronger Pt-O-Ce interaction were achieved. Upon activation, smaller, well-dispersed Pt clusters on CZA-T were generated. It was concluded that the CO oxidation performance and OSC were highly related to the size of Pt clusters on different supports that we have developed. Finally, more Pt sites located at Pt cluster-CeZrO x interfaces, which were the real active sites, were responsible for the highest OSC function and CO oxidation activity of activated Pt/CZA-T catalyst.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Constructing efficient CuO x -CeO 2 catalyst for NO reduction by CO: New insights into the structure–activity relationship

CuO-CeO 2 based materials have been recognized as promising substitutes for precious metal catalysts in emission control field due to their superior redox property and low cost. In this work, by optimizing the deposition process of CeO 2 and CuO onto γ-Al 2 O 3 , highly dispersed CuO clusters on unique CeO 2 -Al 2 O 3 support with small CeO 2 particles (7Cu-Ce/CeAl) were successfully constructed for efficient NO reduction by CO, which exhibited much higher NO removal efficiency and N 2 selectivity than CuO catalysts supported on γ-Al 2 O 3 (7Cu/Al) and conventional CeO 2 -Al 2 O 3 support (7Cu/CeAl). Moreover, H 2 O showed limited inhibition effect on the catalytic performance of 7Cu-Ce/CeAl catalyst. With the help of Raman spectra, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, etc., it was clearly revealed that the abundant Cu + /Ce 3+ paired sites with surface synergetic oxygen vacancies (SSOV) on 7Cu-Ce/CeAl catalyst could effectively facilitate the adsorption and activation of CO and NO, thus significantly enhancing the NO removal efficiency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The effect of pore structure in ethane-selective metal-organic frameworks for ethylene purification

Separation of ethylene from ethane is of great importance in petrochemical industry. Adsorptive separation making use of porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is an energy efficient technology compared to the conventional cryogenic distillation. However, preferential adsorption of ethylene over ethane represents the major current challenge. Here we demonstrate how pore structure can significantly alter the adsorption selectivity in two isoreticular Zr-MOFs. A simple ligand functionalization in UiO-66 yields smaller/better matching pore for ethane, and weaker interaction with ethylene, greatly enhancing ethane/ethylene selectivity in MOF-801. Ab initio calculations combined with in situ infrared spectroscopic analysis unveil the nature of host-guest interactions and differences in the overall binding energies. Polymer-grade ethylene (99.9%) can be produced directly from ethane/ethylene mixture in a single step. Having well-balanced adsorption capacity and selectivity, low-cost synthesis and easy scalability MOF-801 stands out as a promising ethane-selective adsorbent for one-step ethylene purification under ambient conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Biocompatible organosolv fractionation via a novel alkaline lignin-first strategy towards lignocellulose valorization

Simultaneous valorization of both carbohydrate and lignin fractions in lignocellulose remains a great challenge. Herein, a novel lignin-first strategy using triethylene glycol (TEG) under alkaline conditions for effective biomass fractionation producing highly digestible carbohydrates and reactive lignin was developed. Delignification was over 80% and fermentable sugar yields were close to 90% after pretreatment at 90°C. The biocompatibility of TEG allowed direct enzymatic hydrolysis of the solid residue without washing, thus minimizing wastewater generation. Furthermore, the obtained lignin (TEGL) had an uncondensed structure with well-preserved β-O-4 linkage, leading to near-equal aromatic monomer yields compared to cellulolytic enzyme lignin after catalytic-free pyrolysis, demonstrating high valorization potential. Finally, the proposed TEG solvent system is promising for a green and sustainable biorefinery process to achieve the complete utilization of lignocellulose.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Advancing technologies for lignin-based jet fuel production in aqueous phase

Integrating lignin into a cellulosic ethanol plant for the co-production of lignin-based jet fuel (LJF) in aqueous phase offers a significant opportunity to boost operational efficiency, economic viability, carbon conversion, and the overall sustainability of biofuel and chemical production. LJF is lignin-structure-based jet fuel blendstocks primarily composed of alkyl-substituted mono-, bi-, and tri-cyclohexanes. It exhibits high energy density, potential for low emissions, and favourable blend characteristics that comply with drop-in specifications. An overview of lignin feedstock, catalytic processes, LJF chemical compositions, fuel properties tests, and techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) indicate that (1) the reactivity of lignin plays a crucial role in its structure transformation to LJF molecules; (2) catalytic processing of lignin to LJF can occur through a simultaneous depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation process, bypassing the intermediate step of producing and upgrading lignin-derived oil; (3) LJF's uniqueness molecules making it more promising for high energy content and low emission jet fuel properties for next generation sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); and (4) TEA and LCA demonstrate that LJF is not only potentially cost-effective but also offers favourable carbon footprint compared to other SAFs. In conclusion, this review highlights the most recent advancements in LJF technology, along with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in fulfilling its potential.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗