Dynamic change of ERPs related to selective attention to signals from left and right visual field during head-down tilt

To study further the effect of head-down tilt (HDT) on slow positive potential in the event-related potentials (ERPs), the temporal and spatial features of visual ERPs changes during 2 hour HDT (-10 degrees) were compared with that during HUT (+20 degrees) in 15 normal subjects. The stimuli were consisted of two color LED flashes appeared randomly in left or right visual field (LVF or RVF) with same probability. The subjects were asked to make switch response to target signals (T) differentially: switching to left for T in LVF and to right for T in RVF, ignoring non-target signals(N). Five sets of tests were made during HUT and HDT. ERPs were obtained from 9 locations on scalp. The mean value of the ERPs in the period from 0.32-0.55 s was taken as the amplitude of slow positive potential(P400). The main results were as follows. 1) The mean amplitude of P400 decreased during HDT which was more significant at the 2nd, 3rd and 5th set of tests; 2) spatially, the reduction of mean P400 amplitude during HDT was more significant for signals from RVF and was more significant at posterior and central brain regions than that on frontal locations. As that the positive potential probably reflects the active inhibition activity in the brain during attention process, these data provide further evidence showing that the higher brain function was affected by the simulated weightlessness and that this effect was not only transient but also with interesting spatial characteristics.     

金属结晶:从单晶到微晶

控制铸件的晶体和冷却速率对合金的宏、微观组织、最终力学性能有很大影响.根据期望,冷却金属可很慢或很快.为生产一种单晶体,在模具中以10~(-3)～10~(-1)度/秒的冷却速率作定向结晶,最终的铸件形成一个近似网状的涡轮叶片.相反,以10~6度/秒的冷却速率快速结晶,则形成粉末或带状物.这些材料具有很细小的颗粒,而且合金元素和强化相的分布相当均匀.     

Detectability of planetary characteristics in disk-averaged spectra II: synthetic spectra and light-curves of earth

Spatially and spectrally resolved models were used to explore the observational sensitivity to changes in atmospheric and surface properties and the detectability of surface biosignatures in the globally averaged spectra and light-curves of the Earth. Compared with previous efforts to characterize the Earth using disk-averaged models, a more comprehensive and realistic treatment of the surface and atmosphere was taken into account here. Our results are presented as a function of viewing geometry and phases at both visible/near-infrared (0.5-1.7 microm) and mid-infrared (5-25 microm) wavelength ranges, applicable to the proposed NASA-Terrestrial Planet Finder visible coronagraph and mid-infrared interferometer and to the ESADarwin mission architectures. Clouds can change the thermal emission by as much as 50% compared with the cloud-free case and increase the visible albedo by up to 500% for completely overcast cases at the dichotomy phase. Depending on the observed phase and their distribution and type, clouds can also significantly alter the spectral shape. Moreover, clouds impact the detectability of surface biosignatures in the visible wavelength range. Modeling the disk-averaged sensitivity to the "red-edge," a distinctive spectral signature of vegetation, showed that Earth's land vegetation could be seen in disk-averaged spectra, even with cloud cover, when the signal was averaged over the daily time scale. We found that vegetation is more readily discriminated from clouds at dichotomy (50% illumination) rather than at full phase. The detectability of phytoplankton was also explored, but was found to be more difficult to detect in the disk-average than land vegetation.     

航天发动机高空模拟试验新设施

本文介绍了 BPD 公司的 ISA2 高空模拟试验新设施,其性能大大超过本公司原有的 ISA 1航天发动机试验设施。本文介绍了该设施特有的蒸气发生设备、专用试车架、冷却系统和控制系统。同时还谈到了设施的某些特点,如在蒸气发生器内采用饱和水和用机械泵来实现初步真空。分析了设施性能以及它与预测值的一致性,并报导了在真空度大约为0.6千帕(约4.5毫米汞柱)情况下的某些测试结果。