Vertical Pathways Research Articles

Visualizing preferential magmatic and geothermal fluid pathways via electric conductivity at Villarrica Volcano, S-Chile

Preferential fluid pathways along regional fault systems are crucial for the spatial localization of volcanic and geothermal manifestations. Differences in electric properties of fluids and hydrothermal alteration products against the unaltered matrix allow for visualization of such pathways. Unfavorable geometry for 2-D inversion resulting from the fluid pathways in regional faults often being aligned along the geo-electric strike can be overcome by using 3D inversion of magnetotelluric data. For a section in the 1400 km long Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault System (LOFS), we demonstrate the potential of 3-D inversion of magnetotelluric data for visualization of fluid pathways.Six out of eight electric resistivity anomalies at intermediate depth are connected to volcanic or geothermal surface manifestations. Deep and highly conductive anomalies are detected in the vicinity of the volcanic chain and where the LOFS is crosscut by a fault that belongs to the Andean transversal fault system. The anomaly related to the fault crossing reveals a vertical pathway extending to the surface. Phase tensor analyses indicate a structural origin of the latter anomaly that may be connected to a line of volcanic cones that occurs in the NE of the Villarrica Volcano.

Water quality in floating net cages pond of humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) infected by viral nervous necrosis

Humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) is widely cultured in Indonesia due to its various advantages. Yet, the issue with humpback grouper pisciculture is the fact that it is prone to diseases, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. The several disease-causing agents, viruses are quite dangerous agents. One of the viruses that can cause the failure of C. altivelis pond is Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN), which causes stress due to poor water quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the condition of water quality in grouper floating net cages infected by VNN. The research method used in this research was the descriptive method with surveillance survey techniques, including measurement and analysis of water quality. Water quality observed include temperature, pH, Dissolved of Oxygen (DO), salinity, nitrate, and phosphate. Water quality sampling was carried out three times. Based on observations of the clinical symptoms of groupers that were indicated to have been infected by VNN, they showed physical signs of blackened skin and protruding eyes as well as swirling movements. The water quality of floating net cages was 26.7°C, 7.49, 8.53 mg L-1, 32, 0.101 mg L-1, and 0.002 mg L-1, for temperature, pH, DO, salinity, nitrate level, and phosphate level, respectively. Based on the results of the study, the quality of water found in grouper aquaculture was still classified as normal. VNN infection in groupers was possible through a vertical pathway derived from the broodstock.

Post-rift magmatism on the northern South China Sea margin

Abstract Intense magmatism in the form of widespread volcanoes and lava flows is identified in high-resolution 3-D seismic data over a post-rift sequence of the northern South China Sea (SCS). Such a magmatism post-dates the end of seafloor spreading in the SCS by at least 6.8 m.y. A detachment (boundary) fault propagating into a deep-seated magma chamber provided the main vertical pathway for magma migration. In turn, normal faults and dykes constituted a shallow plumbing system through which the magma migrated from the boundary fault and was extruded onto the paleo-seafloor. Volcanism occurred in the study area from ca. 8.2 Ma to ca. 1.1 Ma in the form of two distinct events, dated ca. 5.2 Ma and ca. 2.8 Ma, which are correlated with the Dongsha Event. Extrusive magma formed volcano edifices and extensive lava flows; the latter of which were confined to the troughs of sediment waves or, instead, flowed along submarine canyons. As a corollary, this study shows that in the SCS: (1) young magmatism is widespread on the northern continental margin, (2) seafloor morphology greatly influences the architecture of deep-water volcanoes, and (3) syn-rift faults (especially detachment faults) reactivated by regional tectonics closely control the magma plumbing systems.

Vertical Pathway Inhibition Overcomes Adaptive Feedback Resistance to KRASG12C Inhibition.

Although KRAS represents the most commonly mutated oncogene, it has long been considered an "undruggable" target. Novel covalent inhibitors selective for the KRASG12C mutation offer the unprecedented opportunity to target KRAS directly. However, prior efforts to target the RAS-MAPK pathway have been hampered by adaptive feedback, which drives pathway reactivation and resistance. A panel of KRASG12C cell lines were treated with the KRASG12C inhibitors ARS-1620 and AMG 510 to assess effects on signaling and viability. Isoform-specific pulldown of activated GTP-bound RAS was performed to evaluate effects on the activity of specific RAS isoforms over time following treatment. RTK inhibitors, SHP2 inhibitors, and MEK/ERK inhibitors were assessed in combination with KRASG12C inhibitors in vitro and in vivo as potential strategies to overcome resistance and enhance efficacy. We observed rapid adaptive RAS pathway feedback reactivation following KRASG12C inhibition in the majority of KRASG12C models, driven by RTK-mediated activation of wild-type RAS, which cannot be inhibited by G12C-specific inhibitors. Importantly, multiple RTKs can mediate feedback, with no single RTK appearing critical across all KRASG12C models. However, coinhibition of SHP2, which mediates signaling from multiple RTKs to RAS, abrogated feedback reactivation more universally, and combined KRASG12C/SHP2 inhibition drove sustained RAS pathway suppression and improved efficacy in vitro and in vivo. These data identify feedback reactivation of wild-type RAS as a key mechanism of adaptive resistance to KRASG12C inhibitors and highlight the potential importance of vertical inhibition strategies to enhance the clinical efficacy of KRASG12C inhibitors.See related commentary by Yaeger and Solit, p. 1538.

Overcoming Adaptive Resistance to KRAS Inhibitors Through Vertical Pathway Targeting.

KRAS G12C inhibitors have shown promise in KRAS G12C-mutant lung cancer but intrinsic and acquired resistance are common. Cotreatment with inhibitors of the protein phosphatase SHP2 can abrogate the adaptive response of cancer cells to KRAS inhibitors resulting in greater suppression of MAPK signaling and enhanced tumor growth inhibition.See related article by Ryan et al., p. 1633.

Single-actuator AUV performing 3-DOF motion

In this study, we aim to design, simulate and build an autonomous underwater robot with constrained number of control input. A one degree-of-freedom (DOF) input robot whose control output come in three-DOF underwater position is created and tested through simulation and experiment.The robot has a tube-like shape with a vertical pathway inside for pushing water through using a motorized propeller as its only actuator, making ‘1-DOF input’. Despite constraining to one actuator, three different patterns of input by the difference of motor actuation are used to get various output underwater. When the motor rotates forward, the water is pushed upward and the robot moves downward. With backward rotation, the robot rotates around the vertical axis to change orientation. Lastly, when the motor stops, the robot floats with strong buoyancy. In addition, some weights are placed on its body for asymmetrical trajectory.Following a formation of design and mechanism, a model is derived. A simulation is carried out to verify the ability of the proposed model. Then, a test robot is built and tested in a real water tank. Both the simulation and experiment results support the proposal, showing that the robot can travel in 3-DOF with the limited inputs.

Characterisation of submarine depression trails driven by upslope migrating cyclic steps: Insights from the Ceará Basin (Brazil)

Abstract Circular to elliptical topographic depressions, isolated or organized in trails, have been observed on the modern seabed in different contexts and water depths. Such features have been alternatively interpreted as pockmarks generated by fluid flow, as sediment waves generated by turbidity currents, or as a combination of both processes. In the latter case, the dip of the slope has been hypothesized to control the formation of trails of downslope migrating pockmarks. In this study, we use high-quality 3D seismic data from the offshore Ceara Basin (Equatorial Brazil) to examine vertically stacked and upslope-migrating trails of depressions visible at the seabed and in the subsurface. Seismic reflection terminations and stratal architecture indicate that these features are formed by cyclic steps generated by turbidity currents, while internal amplitude anomalies point to the presence of fluid migration. Amplitude Versus Offset analysis (AVO) performed on partial stacks shows that the investigated anomalies do not represent hydrocarbon indicators. Previous studies have suggested that the accumulation of permeable and porous sediments in the troughs of vertically stacked cyclic steps may create vertical pathways for fluid migration, and we propose that this may have facilitated the upward migration of saline pore water due to fluid buoyancy. The results of this study highlight the importance of gravity-driven processes in shaping the morphology of the Ceara Basin slope and show how non-hydrocarbon fluids may interact with vertically stacked cyclic steps.

Visualising fluid migration due to hydrate dissociation: implications for submarine slides

The impact of gas hydrate dissociation on submarine landslides has become an increasingly significant issue. However, previous models cannot interpret the newly discovered non-conformity between the slide surface and the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. Here, the authors design an experimental approach for visualising fluid migration during hydrate dissociation at atmospheric pressure. The results identify the lateral and vertical fluid migration pathways. Weak layers propagate nearly laterally beyond the hydrate zone, which lengthens the potential slide surface. Vertical pathways branch and deviate from their original paths, generating a shallower slide surface. Furthermore, the findings show that fluid overpressure under the overlying layer leads to steepening slopes. The lubrication effect and the underestimated inclination of slopes at failure may account for the low-angle failure of clay slopes. The results support a new conceptual model that reconciles the non-conformity between the slide surface and the base of the gas hydrate stability zone and offer a new perspective for the large-scale failure of low-angle submarine slopes. It will be interesting and important to confirm these implications in the future.

Dysbiotic microbiota in autistic children and their mothers: persistence of fungal and bacterial wall-deficient L-form variants in blood

Based on our hypothesis for existing microbiota of wall-deficient variants (L-forms) in human blood, we created an innovative methodology, which allowed for the development of L-form populations from blood of all investigated people. In contrast to healthy controls, blood L-forms from autistic children and their mothers converted under appropriate conditions of cultivation into detectable opportunistic bacteria and fungi, а process demonstrated by light and transmission electron microscopy. It can be distinguished into two types of states – “eubiotic” blood microbiota in healthy individuals, and “dysbiotic” in autistic children and their mothers. Remarkably, the unifying finding for autistic children and their mothers was the presence in blood of wall-free variants from life-cycle of filamentous fungi. Increased specific IgG, IgM and IgA, together with typical mold growth were a decisive argument for proven presence of Aspergillus fumigatus in almost all of the autistic children. As it was demonstrated in our previous study, filterable L-forms can be transmitted by vertical pathway from mother to child before birth. Thus, it can be suggested that autistic children may be born already colonized with fungi, while a “silent aspergillosis” could contribute or even be a leading cause for neurodevelopmental disorders in the early childhood.

Impacts of atmospheric vertical structures on transboundary aerosol transport from China to South Korea

To forecast haze pollution episodes caused by high concentrations of long-range transported pollutants emitted in the areas upstream of South Korea, it is crucial to study and identify their behaviour. We analysed the three-dimensional air quality structure in Seoul using ground observation data and aerosol lidar measurements to identify vertical aerosol intrusion into the Korean Peninsula during the spring of 2016. The intrusions were particularly affected by the development of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) in the leeward regions. The nocturnal pollutant intrusion into the Korean peninsula via the Yellow Sea was examined using measured data. The pollutants first reached the area above the nocturnal boundary layer (548 ± 180 m) and approached ground level on the following day due to convective mixing depending on the convective ABL growth (1182 ± 540 m) in daytime. These intrusion mechanisms were mostly attributed to extremely high concentrations (i.e. >100 μg m−3) of fine particulate matter in the leeward regions, accounting for four of the total of six cases for which the warnings and alerts were issued in Seoul Metropolitan Area over a year-long period (2016). The horizontal and vertical pathways of the long-range transported pollutants and the atmospheric vertical structure were identified as key factors affecting the surface air quality concentration in the leeward regions.

Tractography delineation of the vertical occipital fasciculus using quantitative T1 mapping

The vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF) is a white-matter tract that connects the ventral and dorsal visual streams. The precise borders of the VOF have been a matter of dispute since its discovery in the 19th century. The presence of an adjacent vertical pathway, the posterior arcuate fasciculus, makes it especially hard to determine the anterior extent of the VOF. By integrating diffusion MRI tractography with quantitative T1 mapping we found that the vertical streamlines originating in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex show a pattern of lower T1 in more posterior streamlines. We used this pattern to develop an automatic procedure for VOF identification based on a sharp increase in the streamline T1 signature along the posterior-anterior axis. We studied the cortical endpoints of the VOF and their relation to known cytoarchitectonic and functional divisions of the cortex. These results show that multi-modal MRI information, which characterizes local tissue microstructure such as myelination, can be used to delineate white-matter tracts in vivo.

Vertical dominant migration channel and hydrocarbon migration in complex fault zone, Bohai Bay sag, China

The quantitatively/semi-quantitatively formation conditions of vertical dominant hydrocarbon migration pathways were analyzed based on the big data analysis of petroleum geological parameters of complex fault Zone zone in the central-south Bohai Bay. According to this condition, the vertical dominant migration pathway and its charge points/segments are searched through structural modeling assistant analysis in the East Sag of Huanghekou. Under the constraints of charge points/segments, numerical simulation of hydrocarbon charge and migration is carried out to successfully predict hydrocarbon migration pathways and hydrocarbon enrichment blocks in shallow layers of complex fault zone. The main results are as follows: (1) The hydrocarbon charge in shallow layers of the active fault zone is differential, the charge points/sections of vertical dominant migration pathways are the starting points of shallow hydrocarbon migration and are very important for the hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the shallow layers. (2) Among the shallow faults, those cutting the deep transfer bins or deep major migration pathways, with fault throw of more than 80 m in the accumulation period and the juxtaposition thickness between fault and caprock of the deep layers of less than 400 m are likely to be vertical dominant migration pathways in the sag area. (3) By controlling the vertical dominant migration pathways and charging points/segments in carrier layer, Neo-tectonic movement caused the differential hydrocarbon accumulation in the complex fault zone. The research results are of great significance for the fine exploration of the complex fault zone.

Effective stress constraints on vertical flow in fault zones: Learnings from natural CO2 reservoirs

Some fault zones leak vertically to the ground surface or seafloor, whereas most others remain naturally sealed. Understanding the factors that cause this leakage is essential for predicting and preventing such leakage for both conventional reservoir development and subsurface CO2 storage. This study, a comparison of leaking and nonleaking natural CO2 gas accumulations, provides such constraints. We compare and contrast trap configurations, fluid pressures, and stress states for several natural CO2 accumulations from the Colorado Plateau. Extensive surface geologic data are integrated with subsurface data from a large suite of groundwater and hydrocarbon wells. Leakage of CO2 is documented by geochemical surveys and the occurrence of extensive travertine deposits. The leakage occurs exclusively in fault fracture damage zones where the total fluid pressure reduces the minimum horizontal effective stress to approximately zero. These results are consistent with natural and accidentally induced fault seeps from some deep-water hydrocarbon reservoirs. These criteria can be used to evaluate the potential for fault zones to provide vertical leakage pathways and loss of fluid containment.

Developmental dynamics of antibiotic resistome in aerobic biofilm microbiota treating wastewater under stepwise increasing tigecycline concentrations

This study aimed to investigate the impact of tigecycline, the third generation tetracycline, on the antibiotic resistance development in environmental microbiota. Two biological contact oxidation reactors containing aerobic biofilm microbiota were constructed, one of which was constantly fed with synthetic wastewater spiked with increasing concentrations of tigecycline (0 to 25 mg/L) under a hydrolytic retention time of 24 h. Over a period of 636 days, chemical oxygen demand removal over 90% and complete nitrification were achieved for both the control and tigecycline-exposed reactors, and effluent tigecycline concentrations in the tigecycline-exposed system were always <0.051 mg/L. Significant increases (p < 0.01) in resistome abundance and resistant bacteria ratio were detected at a tigecycline dose of 10 and 25 mg/L, respectively, revealed by metagenomic sequencing and culture-based method. The increase of resistome in the tigecycline system was mainly attributed to the enrichment of tetX, one cooperative tetracycline degrading gene. Partial canonical correspondence analysis showed that the change of resistome was mainly driven by bacterial community shift (vertical pathway). Network and genome binning analyses further suggested that the proliferation of Flavobacterium harboring tetX contributed to a relatively low community-wide resistance development in the aerobic biofilm microbiota under tigecycline selection by reducing the antibiotic concentration. This work provides scientific bases for the management and evaluation of the resistance risk induced by this novel antibiotic.

Carcinogenesis Associated with Human Papillomavirus Infection. Mechanisms and Potential for Immunotherapy.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for approximately 5% of all cancers and is associated with 30% of all pathogen-related cancers. Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide; about 70% of cervical cancer cases are caused by the high-risk HPVs (HR HPVs) of genotypes 16 and 18. HPV infection occurs mainly through sexual contact; however, viral transmission via horizontal and vertical pathways is also possible. After HPV infection of basal keratinocytes or ecto-endocervical transition zone cells, viral DNA persists in the episomal form. In most cases, infected cells are eliminated by the immune system. Occasionally, elimination fails, and HPV infection becomes chronic. Replication of HPVs in dividing epithelial cells is accompanied by increased expression of the E6 and E7 oncoproteins. These oncoproteins are responsible for genomic instability, disruption of the cell cycle, cell proliferation, immortalization, and malignant transformation of HPV-infected cells. Besides, E6 and E7 oncoproteins induce immunosuppression, preventing the detection of HPV-infected and transformed cells by the immune system. HPV integration into the genome of the host cell leads to the upregulation of E6 and E7 expression and contributes to HPV-associated malignization. Prophylactic HPV vaccines can prevent over 80% of HPV-associated anogenital cancers. The vaccine elicits immune response that prevents initial infection with a given HPV type but does not eliminate persistent virus once infection has occurred and does not prevent development of the HPV-associated neoplasias, which necessitates the development of therapeutic vaccines to treat chronic HPV infections and HPV-associated malignancies.

Characteristics of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the Linhe-Jilantai area, Hetao Basin, China

Based on the seismic data analysis, source rock geochemistry and reservoir physical properties, the source reservoir allocation and reservoir forming conditions in the Linhe-Jilantai area in Hetao Basin were studied. The results show that the source rocks of the Lower Cretaceous and the Oligocene in the study area reach the standard of fair-good source rocks, and the lithology of reservoirs is mainly feldspar sandstone and lithic feldspathic sandstone with good physical properties. Combined with vertical and lateral migration pathways, three hydrocarbon accumulation models of near source, far source and inside source are proposed. The research results can provide reference and guidance for the further hydrocarbon exploration in Hetao Basin.

A Cause Analysis of the High-Content Nitrogen and Low-Content Hydrocarbon in Shale Gas: A Case Study of the Early Cambrian in Xiuwu Basin, Yangtze Region

There are successes and failures in the exploration of marine shale gas in South China. In some shale gas plays with great basis for hydrocarbon generation, a phenomenon exists that gas loggings reflect low gas bearing in some of the wells and the gas is dominated by nitrogen rather than hydrocarbon gas. The study of nitrogen concentration in shale gas contributes to solve the question that how shale gas diffuses in complex tectonic areas, which helps to figure out the preservation requirements and accumulation mechanisms of shale gas and avoid exploration crisis. This study focused on the lower Cambrian shale in Xiuwu Basin, Lower Yangtze Region, with emphasis on the well Jiangye-1, using gas component analysis, stable nitrogen isotope analysis, overburden permeability tests in parallel and perpendicular directions, and FIB-HIM experiments, also combining with core description, outcrop observation, and seismic interpretation to explore the causes of the high-content nitrogen and low-content hydrocarbon in the lower Cambrian shale gas. The results show that the nitrogen of the lower Cambrian shale in Xiuwu Basin is derived from the atmosphere and the deep crust-upper mantle. The bedding planes and the detachment layer at the bottom of the lower Cambrian compose the lateral pathways, and the widespread deep faults are the vertical pathways for shale gas migration and diffusion. Combining these two, an effective pathway network was built, favorable to gas exchange between the shale gas interval and the atmosphere, partly leading to the concentration of nitrogen and the diffusion of hydrocarbon gas. In the Jurassic, the magmatic activities occurred frequently in the surrounding areas, which not only brought nitrogen from the deep crust-upper mantle but also increased the value of paleo-heat flow even though the basin began to uplift, which promoted the graphitization of organic matter and the collapse of organic pores and accelerated the loss of shale gas. Based on the study above, an explanation model was summarized to expound the causes of high-content nitrogen and low-content hydrocarbon in shale gas plays near the plate-active region in Xiuwu Basin, Lower Yangtze Region.

Geophysical response to simulated methane migration in groundwater based on a controlled injection experiment in a sandy unconfined aquifer

Geophysical methods have the capacity to detect and characterize gas-phase dynamics in groundwater. Suitable methods can be deployed at surface or within boreholes depending on the required depth of investigation, spatial/temporal resolution, and geologic conditions. While the application of geophysical methods to monitor immiscible phase contaminants in the subsurface has been extensively documented, the effects of hydraulic properties and flow system conditions on the nature of the geophysical responses used to elucidate multi-phase fluid flow remains underdeveloped. A series of numerical 2-dimensional multi-phase flow and geophysical model simulations based on a controlled methane release experiment in the Borden unconfined sand aquifer was carried out to assess the influence of porous media hydraulic properties and flow system conditions on geophysical signatures associated with transient gas-phase saturation and gas migration behaviour. Specifically, the utility of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to monitor gas-phase plume dynamics in shallow groundwater flow systems is examined. ERT and GPR responses to gas-phase distribution and migration during a 72-day methane gas injection and subsequent recovery period was calculated using a numerical multi-phase flow model (CFbio) simulating four distinct parameterizations of the sandy aquifer system. Geophysical models showed that ERT was effective at imaging the central position of the plume but was less effective at detecting thinner lateral migration pathways extending beyond the primary high gas saturation bulb. Conversely, GPR was able to detect thin gas pools emanating from the primary gas bulb and small-scale vertical preferential pathways arising from capillary boundaries with contrasting saturations; however, gradational boundaries proved to be more difficult to resolve using GPR. This study demonstrates that ERT and GPR can be very useful tools in combination for longer-term monitoring of stray gas leakage from decommissioned hydrocarbon wells in shallow granular media freshwater aquifers, especially given the likelihood of strong lateral migration.

Gas flow through shallow sediments—A case study using passive and active seismic field data

Offshore Quaternary sediment sequences are generally weak and unconsolidated, and fluid flow through these rock formations is hard to predict or model. Surface flow observations, such as gas seeps, often appear random and may be controlled by the architecture and facies distribution within the shallow strata. Using geophysical data acquired before and after a sub-seabed blowout from a 4700m-deep interval in a North Sea hydrocarbon exploration well, we investigate the nature of subsurface gas flow behaviour in shallow sediment sequences. The underground gas blow-out lasted for a period of almost one year, and when the flow from the deep gas reservoir was stopped, we observed that fluids continued to flow in the shallow subsurface and probably continue to this day, almost 30 years later.During the underground blowout phase, passive seismic data revealed episodes of up to 30 min with high seismicity followed by quieter periods of several hours. Time-lapse seismic data revealed that gas had migrated into several shallow sand layers, and that this migration had continued over for at least 25 years. The seismic data also indicated that gas entered into a shallow tunnel valley complex approximately 1–2 years after the blowout, and at a later stage migrated further. The 3D seismic data also shows indications of gas leakage outside the well bore of the relief well, drilled through the overburden sediments 1.2 km away from the main well. This implies that wells drilled through weak overburden rocks can weaken the formations potentially creating vertical pathways for gas migration. The observations from this gas migration case history are used to gain more general insights into the flow of buoyant gases, especially CO2, in shallow unconsolidated sediment sequences.

Porous Nafion nanofiber composite membrane with vertical pathways for efficient through-plane proton conduction

Nafion has been the benchmark of proton exchange membrane for decades due to the excellent proton conduction and physicochemical properties. While the strong dependence of transfer channel continuity on humidity always causes serious conductivity drops and hampers the wide application. Herein, a combination of electrospinning and soft template (ionic liquid) methods is proposed to fabricate porous Nafion nanofiber. The resultant nanofiber mat is then impregnated with chitosan (CS) to prepare porous nanofiber composite membrane (PNFCM). This is different from traditional nanofiber composite membrane (NFCM), of which through-plane conductivity is much lower than in-plane one (i.e., strong transfer anisotropy). The abundant pores inside porous nanofibers provide numerous vertical transfer channels at interfaces between CS and pore walls. Meanwhile, the –NH/–NH2 groups on CS form acid-base pairs with –SO3H groups along pore walls. These stable vertical pathways significantly facilitate the through-plane proton conduction at both hydrated and anhydrous conditions. Particularly, PNFCM attains perpendicular conductivities of 307 mS cm−1 at 90 °C and 100% RH, and 150 mS cm−1 at 120 °C and 0% RH, which are, respectively, 3.2 and 2.7 times of that of NFCM. Consequently, the transfer anisotropy coefficient decreases and fuel cell performances enhance obviously.