21世纪士兵的新装备——微型无人飞行器

由于高能量储备和微型精确飞行控制技术的突破性进展,一种供士兵用的比鸟还小的微型侦察无人机已被列入美国国防研制计划     

Topological biosignatures: large-scale structure of chemical networks from biology and astrochemistry

The chemical basis of life involves more than simply the presence of biological molecules; biochemical systems embody a complex network of reactions with characteristic topological features. At the same time, chemical complexity is also present in nonbiological contexts, inviting us to clarify the relationship between chemistry and life through comparative studies. This study examines chemical networks from biology (the metabolism of E. coli) and astronomy (gas-phase reactions in dark molecular clouds) to establish common topological features that may be generic for any complex chemical system, as well as clear differences that may be topological signatures of life. The biological and astrochemical networks exhibit different scaling behaviors, and the network motifs found in the two systems show similarities as well as significant differences. The PageRank algorithm was used to quantify the degree to which individual species act primarily as products or reactants; in the metabolic network, these two roles are nearly identical for most species, whereas the astrochemical network shows a clearer partitioning into reactants and products.     

Abundance and diversity of microbial inhabitants in European spacecraft-associated clean rooms

The determination of the microbial load of a spacecraft en route to interesting extraterrestrial environments is mandatory and currently based on the culturable, heat-shock-surviving portion of microbial contaminants. Our study compared these classical bioburden measurements as required by NASA's and ESA's guidelines for the microbial examination of flight hardware, with molecular analysis methods (16S rRNA gene cloning and quantitative PCR) to further develop our understanding of the diversity and abundance of the microbial communities of spacecraft-associated clean rooms. Three samplings of the Herschel Space Observatory and its surrounding clean rooms were performed in two different European facilities. Molecular analyses detected a broad diversity of microbes typically found in the human microbiome with three bacterial genera (Staphylococcus, Propionibacterium, and Brevundimonas) common to all three locations. Bioburden measurements revealed a low, but heterogeneous, abundance of spore-forming and other heat-resistant microorganisms. Total cell numbers estimated by quantitative real-time PCR were typically 3 orders of magnitude greater than those determined by viable counts, which indicates a tendency for traditional methods to underestimate the extent of clean room bioburden. Furthermore, the molecular methods allowed the detection of a much broader diversity than traditional culture-based methods.     

The PROCESS experiment: an astrochemistry laboratory for solid and gaseous organic samples in low-earth orbit

The PROCESS (PRebiotic Organic ChEmistry on the Space Station) experiment was part of the EXPOSE-E payload outside the European Columbus module of the International Space Station from February 2008 to August 2009. During this interval, organic samples were exposed to space conditions to simulate their evolution in various astrophysical environments. The samples used represent organic species related to the evolution of organic matter on the small bodies of the Solar System (carbonaceous asteroids and comets), the photolysis of methane in the atmosphere of Titan, and the search for organic matter at the surface of Mars. This paper describes the hardware developed for this experiment as well as the results for the glycine solid-phase samples and the gas-phase samples that were used with regard to the atmosphere of Titan. Lessons learned from this experiment are also presented for future low-Earth orbit astrochemistry investigations.     

Adsorption of amino acids (ALA, CYS, HIS, MET) on zeolites: fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy investigations

Minerals adsorb more amino acids with charged R-groups than amino acids with uncharged R-groups. Thus, the peptides that form from the condensation of amino acids on the surface of minerals should be composed of amino acid residues that are more charged than uncharged. However, most of the amino acids (74%) in today's proteins have an uncharged R-group. One mechanism with which to solve this paradox is the use of organophilic minerals such as zeolites. Over the range of pH (pH 2.66-4.50) used in these experiments, the R-group of histidine (His) is positively charged and neutral for alanine (Ala), cysteine (Cys), and methionine (Met). In acidic hydrothermal environments, the pH could be even lower than those used in this study. For the pH range studied, the zeolites were negatively charged, and the overall charge of all amino acids was positive. The conditions used here approximate those of prebiotic Earth. The most important finding of this work is that the relative concentrations of each amino acid (X=His, Met, Cys) to alanine (X/Ala) are close to 1.00. This is an important result with regard to prebiotic chemistry because it could be a solution for the paradox stated above. Pore size did not affect the adsorption of Cys and Met on zeolites, and the Si/Al ratio did not affect the adsorption of Cys, His, and Met. ZSM-5 could be used for the purification of Cys from other amino acids (Student-Newman-Keuls test, p<0.05), and mordenite could be used for separation of amino acids from each other (Student-Newman-Keuls test, p<0.05). As shown by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, Ala interacts with zeolites through the [Formula: see text] group, and methionine-zeolite interactions involve the COO, [Formula: see text], and CH(3) groups. FT-IR spectra show that the interaction between the zeolites and His is weak. Cys showed higher adsorption on all zeolites; however, the hydrophobic Van der Waals interaction between zeolites and Cys is too weak to produce any structural changes in the Cys groups (amine, carboxylic, sulfhydryl, etc.); thus, the FT-IR and Raman spectra are the same as those of solid Cys.     

固体推进剂的非线性结构模型

在大多数固体推进剂特性的线性和非线性理论中,一个主要的缺陷在于忽略了内部损伤。对于那些已引出损伤参数的非线性理论,数值常数与推进剂的物理性质无关。而且,这些理论具有如此复杂的性质以至于要完成一个庞大的实验测试程序。已经提出了一个表示固体推进剂性质的简单方法。这个方法以一个基本定律为基础,该定律用一个应力衰减函数修正粘弹表达式。根据单轴试验数据,可用衰减函数表示推进剂的非线性性质。在卸载期损伤的表达式中,这个方法比过去的方法显示出重大的改进。分别定义松弛和再加载为过去最大应力的正态函数。利用这种方法对复杂的过程进行了预测,而且实测应力与预测应力很接近。     

第三章 带有动力传动装置的行星式液压振动器

行星式液压振动器与惯性振动器有关,在这种振动器内部被作成实心、空心或在液压缸的端头带凸肩的工作元件(转子)多半沿壳体内的圆形轨道滚动。这种振动器的扰动力直接在接触点由转子传给壳体。这使得人们有可能在合理地选择材料和正确计算的情况下,制造出扰动力很大、非常坚固耐用和其它类型振动器无法达到的振动器。内装式结构方案有很高的可靠性和很长的工作寿命,因其内部不存在机械传动装置。     

HBM测量系统在航空航天中的应用

RUAG公司用HBM测量系统进行飞机全尺寸疲劳试验瑞士RUAG公司的研究人员对瑞士版F/A-18战斗机的加强结构进行了大规模的综合试验研究,以验证飞机结构是否能满足较高的要求,达到所需的5000个飞行小时的工作寿命。     

失落了的文明

在气候炎热的危地马拉丛林中,一群人在血红色的大金字塔下站了好几个小时.他们一动不动.所有的目光都集中在塔顶的石刻上.在那儿,国王的头上佩带着翎毛,一手持一柄双首鳄节杖,正要从留有祖先信息的神堂中现身而出.这群人虽然看不到国王的动态、却懂得这种宗教仪式的奥秘:通过服用致幻药飘飘然地进入阴间.国王会使用黑曜岩刀片或鱼脊骨,刺穿他自己的阴茎.随即掏出一根绳子穿过伤口,让血液沥到几张树皮纸上.然后他拿起带血的树皮纸将它点燃,从缕缕上升的烟雾中金蛇飞舞的幻象便呈现在国王的面前.     

应及时切实地检查原料需要计划系统

在过去的十年里,上千个制造公司在原料需求量计划系统(MRP—material Requir—ment Planning)上,采用了许多新技术。还有些公司不惜花费大量的时间和资金去设计原材料需求量计划系统,但都没有取得预期的效果。虽然企业的效益不断增加,库存量减少了20—40％,功效提高了5—20％,为顾客服务水平提高了10—50％,但大部分公司并