Academia Sinica

About: Academia Sinica is a facility organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 52086 authors who have published 65998 publications receiving 1728114 citations. The organization is also known as: Central Research Academy.

Elastic-wave stimulation of oil production; a review of methods and results

Abstract: Numerous observations accumulated principally during the last 40 years show that seismic waves generated from earthquakes and cultural noise may alter water and oil production In some cases wave excitation may appreciably increase the mobility of fluids The effect of elastic waves on the permeability of saturated rock has been confirmed in numerous laboratory experiments Two related applications have arisen from these findings In the first application, high-power ultrasonic waves are applied for downhole cleaning of the near-wellbore in producing formations that exhibit declining production as a result of the deposition of scales and precipitants, mud penetration, etc In many cases, ultrasound effectively removes the barriers to oil flow into the well The ultrasonic method is reported to be successful in 40-50 percent of the cases studied In the case of successful treatment, the effect of improved permeability may last up to several months Whereas this method has a very local effect, a second application is used to stimulate the reservoir as a whole Here seismic frequency waves are applied at the earth’s surface by arrays of vibroseis-type sources This method has produced promising results; however, further testing and understanding of the mechanisms are necessary

Conventional taxonomy obscures deep divergence between Pacific and Atlantic corals

Abstract: Only 17% of 111 reef-building coral genera and none of the 18 coral families with reef-builders are considered endemic to the Atlantic, whereas the corresponding percentages for the Indo-west Pacific are 76% and 39%1,2. These figures depend on the assumption that genera and families spanning the two provinces belong to the same lineages (that is, they are monophyletic). Here we show that this assumption is incorrect on the basis of analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Pervasive morphological convergence at the family level has obscured the evolutionary distinctiveness of Atlantic corals. Some Atlantic genera conventionally assigned to different families are more closely related to each other than they are to their respective Pacific ‘congeners’. Nine of the 27 genera of reef-building Atlantic corals belong to this previously unrecognized lineage, which probably diverged over 34 million years ago. Although Pacific reefs have larger numbers of more narrowly distributed species, and therefore rank higher in biodiversity hotspot analyses3, the deep evolutionary distinctiveness of many Atlantic corals should also be considered when setting conservation priorities.

Plasmon Inducing Effects for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: X-ray Absorption Approach to Electronic Structures

Abstract: Artificial photosynthesis using semiconductors has been investigated for more than three decades for the purpose of transferring solar energy into chemical fuels. Numerous studies have revealed that the introduction of plasmonic materials into photochemical reaction can substantially enhance the photo response to the solar splitting of water. Until recently, few systematic studies have provided clear evidence concerning how plasmon excitation and which factor dominates the solar splitting of water in photovoltaic devices. This work demonstrates the effects of plasmons upon an Au nanostructure–ZnO nanorods array as a photoanode. Several strategies have been successfully adopted to reveal the mutually independent contributions of various plasmonic effects under solar irradiation. These have clarified that the coupling of hot electrons that are formed by plasmons and the electromagnetic field can effectively increase the probability of a photochemical reaction in the splitting of water. These findings suppor...

Electron reconstruction and identification efficiency measurements with the atlas detector using the 2011 lhc proton-proton collision data

Abstract: Many of the interesting physics processes to be measured at the LHC have a signature involving one or more isolated electrons. The electron reconstruction and identification efficiencies of the ATLAS detector at the LHC have been evaluated using proton-proton collision data collected in 2011 at TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb. Tag-and-probe methods using events with leptonic decays of and bosons and mesons are employed to benchmark these performance parameters. The combination of all measurements results in identification efficiencies determined with an accuracy at the few per mil level for electron transverse energy greater than 30 GeV.

Up-Regulation of Tumor Interleukin-8 Expression by Infiltrating Macrophages: Its Correlation with Tumor Angiogenesis and Patient Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the interaction between tumor-infiltrating macrophages and cancer cells and its effect on the expression of a potent angiogenic factor, interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor angiogenesis, and patient outcome in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Experimental Design: We measured tumor IL-8 mRNA expression (by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR), intratumor microvessel counts, and tumor-infiltrating macrophage density (by immunohistochemical staining) in 35 NSCLC surgical specimens and correlated with the patient’s clinical outcome. We then investigated the interaction between macrophages (cell line THP-1) and six different human cancer cell lines (four NSCLCs, one osteosarcoma, and one hepatoma) and its effect on IL-8 mRNA expression using a macrophage/cancer cell coculture system, IL-8 mRNA expression in lung cancer cells, and macrophages being measured separately after coculture in the presence or absence of six anti-inflammatory agents, i.e. , pentoxifylline, aspirin, indomethacin, dexamethasone, celecoxib (a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor), and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, a specific nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibitor. NF-κB transcriptional activity and protein levels were measured by reporter gene assay and Western blot. Results: The tumor-infiltrating macrophage density correlated significantly and positively with tumor IL-8 mRNA expression and intratumor microvessel counts and significantly and negatively with patient survival. In addition, after cell–cell interaction in cancer cell:macrophage cocultures, marked IL-8 mRNA expression was induced in lung cancer cells (∼270-fold) and, to a lesser degree, in macrophages (4.5-fold). The increase in IL-8 mRNA expression correlated with the in vitro metastatic potential of the cancer cells. All six anti-inflammatory agents suppressed induction of IL-8 mRNA expression in lung cancer cells by >90%, four (pentoxifylline, celecoxib, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, and dexamethasone) having a dose-dependent effect. NF-κB transcriptional regulation and protein levels were simultaneously increased in the nuclei of cancer cells in macrophage/cancer cell cocultures, this effect also being suppressed by all six anti-inflammatory agents. Conclusions: The interaction between infiltrating macrophages and cancer cells up-regulates IL-8 mRNA expression, especially in the cancer cells; this may contribute greatly to the increased tumor angiogenesis and adverse outcome in NSCLC patients with a high density of tumor-infiltrating macrophages. Anti-inflammatory agents can suppress the induction of IL-8 mRNA expression seen in lung cancer cells after coculture with macrophages, and this suppression is mediated, in part, through the NF-κB pathway.