With a grain of salt: what halite has to offer to discussions on the origin of life

This experimental study investigated how the dynamics of the crystallization of the evaporite mineral halite could affect the accumulation and preservation of organic macromolecules present in the crystallizing solution. Halite was grown under controlled conditions in the presence of polymer nanoparticles that acted as an analog to protocellular material. Optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy were used to trace the localization of the nanoparticles during and after growth of halite crystals. The present study revealed that the organic nanoparticles were not regularly incorporated within the halite, but were very concentrated on its surfaces. Their distribution was controlled dominantly by the morphologic surface features of the mineral rather than by specific molecular interactions with an atomic plane of the mineral. This means that the distribution of organic molecules was controlled by surfaces like those of halite's evaporitic growth forms. The experiments with halite also demonstrated that a mineral need not continuously incorporate organic molecules during its crystallization to preserve those molecules: After rejection by (non-incorporation into) the crystallizing halite, the organic nanoparticles increased in concentration in the evaporating brine. They ultimately either adsorbed in rectilinear patterns onto the hopper-enhanced surfaces and along discontinuities within the crystals, or they were encapsulated within fluid inclusions. Of additional importance in origin-of-life considerations is the fact that halite in the natural environment rapidly can change its role from that of a protective repository (in the absence of water) to that of a source of organic particles (as soon as water is present) when the mineral dissolves.     

Was Earth ever infected by martian biota? Clues from radioresistant bacteria

Here we propose that the radioresistance (tolerance to ionizing radiation) observed in several terrestrial bacteria has a martian origin. Multiple inconsistencies with the current view of radioresistance as an accidental side effect of tolerance to desiccation are discussed. Experiments carried out 25 years ago were reproduced to demonstrate that "ordinary" bacteria can develop high radioresistance ability after multiple cycles of exposure to high radiation dosages followed by cycles of recovery of the bacterial population. We argue that "natural" cycles of this kind could have taken place only on the martian surface, and we hypothesize that Mars microorganisms could have developed radioresistance in just several million years' time and, subsequently, have undergone transfer to Earth by way of martian meteorites. Our mechanism implies multiple and frequent exchanges of biota between Mars and Earth.     

超声速进气道可压及不可压流动数值模拟

采用Chio-Merkle预处理矩阵对可压NS(Navier-Stokes)方程组进行时间预处理,分析了预处理方法的物理和数学背景.用有限体积方法,结合LU-SGS(Lower-Upper-Symmetric-Gauss-Seidel)隐式时间积分和AUSM+(P)(Precondition Advection Upstream Splitting Method)格式、中心差分2种空间离散格式,求解该预处理NS方程组.通过圆弧凸包流动和二维方腔顶盖驱动流动的数值试验表明,该方法克服了传统时间迭代方法模拟低速流动时的刚性问题,加速了收敛过程,可以同时有效地模拟可压及不可压流动.用此方法与块结构化网格技术相结合,进行了在不同飞行马赫数、攻角和出口反压条件下,混压式轴对称超声速进气道三维流场数值模拟.计算结果表明:该方法能准确地捕获复杂激波系,清楚地揭示进气道三维流动现象;进气道性能随工作条件的变化规律,与理论分析一致.      

防老剂D纯度对天然橡胶(NR)热氧老化性能的影响

为了改善天然橡胶的热氧老化性能,试验了防老剂D提纯品和工业品对天然橡胶(NR)热氧老化性能的影响,测试了其热氧化诱导期、热失重、热老化的性能变化。结果表明：含杂少纯度高的防老剂D使天然橡胶的抗热氧老化得到改善。     

介质覆盖的柱面共形微带天线的互耦分析

 共形微带天线间的互耦对微带天线阵的性能有重要影响,另一方面,为了防止对微带天线阵的自然的或人为的损害,需要在天线阵表面涂覆介质层或给其加上天线罩,因此在设计共形微带天线与阵列时也应当考虑覆盖层或天线罩的影响.利用严格的全波法分析和计算了介质覆盖、探针馈电的柱面共形微带天线单元间的互耦,给出了E面和H面互耦的数值结果,并讨论了柱面曲率半径和贴片间距对互耦的影响,给出了互耦随频率的变化关系,同时也研究了衬底介质和覆盖层对互耦的作用.     

有限平面上圆口径辐射场的数值分析

计算由TE₁₁模激励的圆波导末端开口所形成的圆口径天线的辐射场.首先利用等效原理和矩量法计算嵌在无限大金属板上圆口径的等效磁流分布,允许圆波导中有任意多个高次模式存在,利用傅里叶变换法求得其辐射方向图,然后把该辐射场作为有限接地板边缘的入射场,利用几何绕射理论(GTD)计算有限接地板对圆口径方向图的贡献,其中在焦散区及接近焦散区区域采用等效磁流法计算有限接地板的影响,给出计算公式及计算例子,部分结果得到了文献的验证.     

Radio plasma imager simulations and measurements

The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) will be the first-of-its kind instrument designed to use radio wave sounding techniques to perform repetitive remote sensing measurements of electron number density (N _e) structures and the dynamics of the magnetosphere and plasmasphere. RPI will fly on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission to be launched early in the year 2000. The design of the RPI is based on recent advances in radio transmitter and receiver design and modern digital processing techniques perfected for ground-based ionospheric sounding over the last two decades. Free-space electromagnetic waves transmitted by the RPI located in the low-density magnetospheric cavity will be reflected at distant plasma cutoffs. The location and characteristics of the plasma at those remote reflection points can then be derived from measurements of the echo amplitude, phase, delay time, frequency, polarization, Doppler shift, and echo direction. The 500 m tip-to-tip X and Y (spin plane) antennas and 20 m Z axis antenna on RPI will be used to measures echoes coming from distances of several R _E. RPI will operate at frequencies between 3 kHz to 3 MHz and will provide quantitative N _e values from 10^–1 to 10⁵ cm^–3. Ray tracing calculations, combined with specific radio imager instrument characteristics, enables simulations of RPI measurements. These simulations have been performed throughout an IMAGE orbit and under different model magnetospheric conditions. They dramatically show that radio sounding can be used quite successfully to measure a wealth of magnetospheric phenomena such as magnetopause boundary motions and plasmapause dynamics. The radio imaging technique will provide a truly exciting opportunity to study global magnetospheric dynamics in a way that was never before possible.     

三维机翼亚临界定常流的局部线性化有限元法

本文使用了两种类型等参元,通过变分法,计算了三维机翼亚临界定常位势流中的压力分布,计算结果与试验结果符合较好。文中还使用了有限元法中的局部线性化理论,插值出元素中心点密度去处理迭代过程中元素系数阵的计算,其结果与通常的有限元计算相吻合,但计算时间却明显减少了。文中还对有限元法局部线性化理论和局部线性化有限元法做了阐述。     

Muon Observations

Muon observations are complementary to neutron monitor observations but there are some important differences in the two techniques. Unlike neutron monitors, muon telescope systems use coincidence techniques to obtain directional information about the arriving particle. Neutron monitor observations require simple corrections for pressure variations to compensate for the varying mass of atmospheric absorber over a site. In contrast, muon observations require additional corrections for the positive and negative temperature effects. Muon observations commenced many years before neutron monitors were constructed. Thus, muon data over a larger number of solar cycles is available to study solar modulation on anisotropies and other cosmic ray variations. The solar diurnal and semi-diurnal variations have been studied for many years. Using the techniques of Bieber and Chen it has been possible to derive the radial gradient, parallel mean-free path and symmetric latitude gradient of cosmic rays for rigidities <200 GV. The radial gradient varies with the 11-year solar activity cycle whereas the parallel mean-free path appears to vary with the 22-year solar magnetic cycle. The symmetric latitudinal gradient reverses at each solar polarity reversal. These results are in general agreement with predictions from modulation models. In undertaking these analyses the ratio of the parallel to perpendicular mean-free path must be assumed. There is strong contention in the literature about the correct value to employ but the results are sufficiently robust for this to be, at most, a minor problem. An asymmetric latitude gradient of highly variable nature has been found. These observations do not support current modulation models. Our view of the sidereal variation has undergone a revolution in recent times. Nagashima, Fujimoto and Jacklyn proposed a narrow Tail-In source anisotropy and separate Loss-Cone anisotropy as being responsible for the observed variations. A new analysis technique, more amenable to such structures, was developed by Japanese and Australian researchers. They confirmed the existence of the two anisotropies. However, they found that the Tail-In anisotropy is asymmetric and that both anisotropies had different positions from the prediction. Most 27-day modulations are observed at neutron monitor rigidities but not so readily at higher rigidities. An exception to this is the Isotropic Intensity Wave modulation observed in the early 1980s and again in 1991. This modulation is very strongly related to the heliospheric sector structure and implies a significantly different cosmic ray density on either side of the neutral sheet. The interpretation of most cosmic ray modulation phenomena requires good latitude coverage in both hemispheres. The closure of many muon observatories is a matter of concern. In the northern hemisphere a few new instruments are being constructed and spatial coverage is barely adequate. In the southern hemisphere the situation is far worse with the possibility that within a decade only the Mawson observatory in Antarctica will still be in operation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基于双响应波段工作的红外热像仪测温原理与误差分析

为了提高红外热像仪测温的准确性,根据红外辐射理论,从红外热像仪的测温原理出发,分析了基于双响应工作波段的热像仪的测温原理,得出了目标物体的发射率、物体温度计算公式以及相应误差的估算公式,分析了各影响因素对热像仪测量准确度的影响,提供了一种目标物体发射率的测定方法,对利用红外热像仪准确测量内燃机等热能机械表面温度具有重要的意义。