可用于先进复合材料的一种中温固化环氧树脂

本文评价了一种可用于纤维缠绕先进复合材料的,以聚醚三胺进行固化的双酚F 环氧树脂。该树脂系统具有低粘度,长使用期,并能在中温下进行固化。使用这种树脂制造的复合材料,未发现明显的纤维微皱摺或分层现象,这意味着介于纤维和基体之间不同的热膨胀系数已不成为一个问题。该树脂系统浇注体典型力学性能(拉伸、压缩和剪切)已测得。拉伸:最大应力75.8兆帕(Mpa),最大应力下的应变为4.2%,模量为3171兆帕,断裂应力为71兆帕,断裂应变为5.8%。压缩:最大应力为87兆帕,最大应力下的应变为4.7%,模量为3150兆帕。剪切:断裂应力为52.2兆帕,冲击强度为32.6牛顿米/米。     

Evaluation of theories of complex movement planning in different levels of gravity

Due to high redundancy of degrees of freedom in the human body, we can perform any movement, from the simplest to the most complex, in many different ways. Several studies are still trying to identify the motor strategies that master this redundancy and generate the movements whose characteristics are highly stereotyped. The aim of this work is to build a simulator that is able to evaluate different motor planning hypotheses. The most interesting applications of this tool occur in studies of the motor strategy in microgravity conditions. The comparison between simulated movements and kinematics data recorded both on Earth, and during a 5-month mission on board the Mir station shows that for a complex whole-body movement (such as trunk bending) a single planning criterion cannot explain all movement aspects. However, the simulator allows an understanding of the motor planning adaptation of astronauts. In space, the lack of equilibrium constraint (which on Earth brings about the center of mass control) leads to a new motor strategy that minimizes dynamic interactions with the floor.     

The origin and early evolution of membrane channels

The origin and early evolution of ion channels are considered from the point of view that the transmembrane segments of membrane proteins are structurally quite simple and do not require specific sequences to fold. We argue that the transport of solute species, especially ions, required an early evolution of efficient transport mechanisms, and that the emergence of simple ion channels was protobiologically plausible. We also argue that, despite their simple structure, such channels could possess properties that, at the first sight, appear to require markedly greater complexity. These properties can be subtly modulated by local modifications to the sequence rather than global changes in molecular architecture. In order to address the evolution and development of ion channels, we focus on identifying those protein domains that are commonly associated with ion channel proteins and are conserved throughout the three main domains of life (Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea). We discuss the potassium-sodium-calcium superfamily of voltage-gated ion channels, mechanosensitive channels, porins, and ABC-transporters and argue that these families of membrane channels have sufficiently universal architectures that they can readily adapt to the diverse functional demands arising during evolution.     

Carbonaceous cherts in the Barberton greenstone belt and their significance for the study of early life in the Archean record

The 3.5-3.2 Ga old volcano-sedimentary succession of the Barberton greenstone belt (South Africa) is characterized by lithological units that are repeated in a regular manner. Komatiitic, basaltic, and dacitic volcanic and volcaniclastic sequences are capped by zones of silica enrichment, followed by bedded carbonaceous cherts. Stratiform and crosscutting carbonaceous chert veins are common in silica alteration zones and bedded cherts. A detailed field study of several chert horizons and chert veins that range in age from 3.47 to 3.30 Ga revealed the importance of syndepositional hydrothermal activity for their origin. Bedded cherts consist of silicified detrital and tuffaceous sediments that were deposited on the seafloor. Silicification took place at the sediment-water interface as a result of diffuse upflow of low-temperature hydrothermal fluids, which gave rise to the formation of impermeable chert caps. Fluid overpressure resulted in the breaching of the cap rocks at times. Chert veins contain angular host rock fragments, replace wall rocks, and show evidence of multiple vein fillings and in situ brecciation of earlier generations of vein fillings. They represent hydraulic fractures that were initiated by overpressuring of the hydrothermal system. The vein networks were infilled, partly by hydrothermal chert precipitates, and partly by still unconsolidated (not yet silicified) sedimentary material derived from overlying sedimentary horizons. Field, petrographic, isotopic, and trace element evidence indicate that most carbonaceous matter represents sedimentary material that originated by biogenic processes in the Archean oceans and not by hydrothermal processes in the subsurface.     

Observations from a 4-year contamination study of a sample depth profile through Martian meteorite Nakhla

Morphological, compositional, and biological evidence indicates the presence of numerous well-developed microbial hyphae structures distributed within four different sample splits of the Nakhla meteorite obtained from the British Museum (allocation BM1913,25). By examining depth profiles of the sample splits over time, morphological changes displayed by the structures were documented, as well as changes in their distribution on the samples, observations that indicate growth, decay, and reproduction of individual microorganisms. Biological staining with DNA-specific molecular dyes followed by epifluorescence microscopy showed that the hyphae structures contain DNA. Our observations demonstrate the potential of microbial interaction with extraterrestrial materials, emphasize the need for rapid investigation of Mars return samples as well as any other returned or impactor-delivered extraterrestrial materials, and suggest the identification of appropriate storage conditions that should be followed immediately after samples retrieved from the field are received by a handling/curation facility. The observations are further relevant in planetary protection considerations as they demonstrate that microorganisms may endure and reproduce in extraterrestrial materials over long (at least 4 years) time spans. The combination of microscopy images coupled with compositional and molecular staining techniques is proposed as a valid method for detection of life forms in martian materials as a first-order assessment. Time-resolved in situ observations further allow observation of possible (bio)dynamics within the system.     

Lichens survive in space: results from the 2005 LICHENS experiment

This experiment was aimed at establishing, for the first time, the survival capability of lichens exposed to space conditions. In particular, the damaging effect of various wavelengths of extraterrestrial solar UV radiation was studied. The lichens used were the bipolar species Rhizocarpon geographicum and Xanthoria elegans, which were collected above 2000 m in the mountains of central Spain and as endolithic communities inhabiting granites in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Lichens were exposed to space in the BIOPAN-5 facility of the European Space Agency; BIOPAN-5 is located on the outer shell of the Earth-orbiting FOTON-M2 Russian satellite. The lichen samples were launched from Baikonur by a Soyuz rocket on May 31, 2005, and were returned to Earth after 16 days in space, at which time they were tested for survival. Chlorophyll fluorescence was used for the measurement of photosynthetic parameters. Scanning electron microscopy in back-scattered mode, low temperature scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the organization and composition of both symbionts. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, in combination with the use of specific fluorescent probes, allowed for the assessment of the physiological state of the cells. All exposed lichens, regardless of the optical filters used, showed nearly the same photosynthetic activity after the flight as measured before the flight. Likewise, the multimicroscopy approach revealed no detectable ultrastructural changes in most of the algal and fungal cells of the lichen thalli, though a greater proportion of cells in the flight samples had compromised membranes, as revealed by the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability Kit. These findings indicate that most lichenized fungal and algal cells can survive in space after full exposure to massive UV and cosmic radiation, conditions proven to be lethal to bacteria and other microorganisms. The lichen upper cortex seems to provide adequate protection against solar radiation. Moreover, after extreme dehydration induced by high vacuum, the lichens proved to be able to recover, in full, their metabolic activity within 24 hours.     

An examination of the carbon isotope effects associated with amino acid biosynthesis

Stable carbon isotope ratios (delta(13)C) were determined for alanine, proline, phenylalanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, aspartate (aspartic acid and asparagine), glutamate (glutamic acid and glutamine), lysine, serine, glycine, and threonine from metabolically diverse microorganisms. The microorganisms examined included fermenting bacteria, organotrophic, chemolithotrophic, phototrophic, methylotrophic, methanogenic, acetogenic, acetotrophic, and naturally occurring cryptoendolithic communities from the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Here we demonstrated that reactions involved in amino acid biosynthesis can be used to distinguish amino acids formed by life from those formed by nonbiological processes. The unique patterns of delta(13)C imprinted by life on amino acids produced a biological bias. We also showed that, by applying discriminant function analysis to the delta(13)C value of a pool of amino acids formed by biological activity, it was possible to identify key aspects of intermediary carbon metabolism in the microbial world. In fact, microorganisms examined in this study could be placed within one of three metabolic groups: (1) heterotrophs that grow by oxidizing compounds containing three or more carbon-to-carbon bonds (fermenters and organotrophs), (2) autotrophs that grow by taking up carbon dioxide (chemolitotrophs and phototrophs), and (3) acetoclastic microbes that grow by assimilation of formaldehyde or acetate (methylotrophs, methanogens, acetogens, and acetotrophs). Furthermore, we demonstrated that cryptoendolithic communities from Antarctica grouped most closely with the autotrophs, which indicates that the dominant metabolic pathways in these communities are likely those utilized for CO(2 )fixation. We propose that this technique can be used to determine the dominant metabolic types in a community and reveal the overall flow of carbon in a complex ecosystem.     

Superlow-Frequency MHD-Eigenoscillations With a Discrete Spectrum in Parabolic Model of Magnetosphere

A new concept of the global magnetospheric resonator is suggested for fast magnetosonic waves in which the role of the resonator is played by the near part of the plasma sheet. It is shown that the magnetosonic wave is confined in this region of the magnetosphere throughout its boundaries. The representative value of the resonator's eigenfrequency estimated at f ≈ 1 mHz is in good agreement with observational data on ultraThe theory explains the ground-based localization of the oscillations observed in the midnight-morning sector of the high-latitude magnetosphere.      

A Mechanism of Solar Variability Effect on Radiative Balance of the Earth Atmosphere

Possible mechanisms of solar-climatic connections, which may be of importance as over short and long time intervals, are discussed. The variations of energetic balance of Earth's climatic system for the last fifty years are estimated. It is ascertained that the disbalance between the flux of solar energy that comes to the Earth and radiates to space is of 0.1% for the last ten years. The suggested mechanism makes it possible to explain not only the observed variation of the enthalpy of the Earth's climatic system for the period 1910-1980, but also the climate anomalies during last thousand years: the climate optimum in 12 century, and"small glacial period" in 16-17 centuries.