Interplanetary transfer of photosynthesis: an experimental demonstration of a selective dispersal filter in planetary island biogeography

We launched a cryptoendolithic habitat, made of a gneissic impactite inoculated with Chroococcidiopsis sp., into Earth orbit. After orbiting the Earth for 16 days, the rock entered the Earth's atmosphere and was recovered in Kazakhstan. The heat of entry ablated and heated the rock to a temperature well above the upper temperature limit for life to below the depth at which light levels are insufficient for photosynthetic organisms ( approximately 5 mm), thus killing all of its photosynthetic inhabitants. This experiment shows that atmospheric transit acts as a strong biogeographical dispersal filter to the interplanetary transfer of photosynthesis. Following atmospheric entry we found that a transparent, glassy fusion crust had formed on the outside of the rock. Re-inoculated Chroococcidiopsis grew preferentially under the fusion crust in the relatively unaltered gneiss beneath. Organisms under the fusion grew approximately twice as fast as the organisms on the control rock. Thus, the biologically destructive effects of atmospheric transit can generate entirely novel and improved endolithic habitats for organisms on the destination planetary body that survive the dispersal filter. The experiment advances our understanding of how island biogeography works on the interplanetary scale.     

Origin of informational polymers and the search for non-terran life: protection of the polymeric state of DNA by phosphate minerals

An in-depth analysis of the effects exerted on the DNA backbone by 25 crystal phosphate minerals is reported. Degradation of DNA oligomers was performed with two different reactions: Hydrolysis following Nucleophilic Degradation (HND), initiated by the nucleophilic addition of formamide on both purine and pyrimidine nucleobases, and Hydrolysis following Nucleophilic Substitution (HNS) carried on by water and starting with the removal of a nondegraded base. A complete panel of effects on the phosphoester bonds, from protection to enhanced instability to absence of interference, is described. These effects differ in the different degradation pathways and in different physical-chemical conditions. The relationship between the hardness of the mineral and its protective ability is discussed. In addition to its interest per se, this study was prompted by the observed catalytic abilities of soluble and mineral phosphates (Saladino et al., 2006c) on the synthetic reactions by formamide. The relevance of these observations in the search for nonterran life is discussed.     

Shareable Instruments and Observatories for the Joint Research Center on Space Weather of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences

Presented are the ideas and proposals in regards to the pooling of by RAS, SB, ISTP, and CSSAR,CAS toward coordinated usage of existing ground-based and orbiting helio-geophysical observatories, single large installations as well as creating, forecasting services and new observing facilities, in the interests of achieving a profitable activity of the China-Russia Joint Research Center on Space Weather (JRCSW).     

Input Parameters for Models of Energetic Electrons Fluxes at the Geostationary Orbit

The results of cross-correlation analysis between electrons fluxes (with energies of > 0.6MeV, > 2.0 MeV and > 4.0MeV), geomagnetic indices and solar wind parameters are shown in the paper. It is determined that the electron fluxes are controlled not only by the geomagnetic indices, but also by the solar wind parameters, and the solar wind velocity demonstrates the best relation with the electron fluxes. Numerical value of the relation efficiency of external parameters with the highly energetic electrons fluxes shows a periodicity. It is presented here the preliminary results of daily averaged electrons fluxes forecast for a day ahead on the basis of the model of neuron networks.     

土星磁层顶的Kelvin-Helmholtz不稳定性和磁流体表面波

本文采用可压缩磁流体力学近似并选取Voyager-1的观测数据,讨论了土星磁层顶的Kelvin-Helmholtz不稳定性和磁流体表面波.计算表明,土星磁层随星体自转同磁鞘流之间的速度差,可以在地方时午前、中午和距中午不远的午后磁层顶激发不稳定性;午前和午后区有很强的非对称性.计算所得的波的特性与观测一致.     

EUVE卫星的GPS测轨

1992年夏,随着极紫外探测卫星(EUVE)一起发射了一台单频GPS接收机。EUVE卫星轨道低,并在星体上直接安装了二个天线,可用来研究误差源,以及未来卫星可达到的定轨精度。利用GDPSY—OASLSⅡ软件处理了几段GPS教据。从EUVE来的数据和从全球GPS接机网来的数据相结合,消除了SA的影响。研究了几种消除单频数据中电离层延时误差以及利用简化动力学法求解轨道的方法。通过内符合检验并与哥达德航天中心产生的GTDS轨道解作比对,鉴定了GPS测轨精度。利用GPS的测轨精密度和准确度在一米量级。     

单片集成温度传感器

本文介绍利用双极型晶体管和集成电路构成温度传感器的各种方法。讨论了单晶体管敏感元件的性能。文中提出二种集成电路,其一的输出电流精确地正比于绝对温度。另一种新型的集成电路的输出电流可按°C、°F或任意分度。此外还介绍了一些供特殊应用的集成温度传感器,其中包括精密的小量程温度传感器、具有逻辑及模似信号输出的温度传感器和温控振荡器。     

Photochemical synthesis of citric acid cycle intermediates based on titanium dioxide

The emergence of the citric acid cycle is one of the most remarkable occurrences with regard to understanding the origin and evolution of metabolic pathways. Although the chemical steps of the cycle are preserved intact throughout nature, diverse organisms make wide use of its chemistry, and in some cases organisms use only a selected portion of the cycle. However, the origins of this cycle would have arisen in the more primitive anaerobic organism or even back in the proto-metabolism, which likely arose spontaneously under favorable prebiotic chemical conditions. In this context, we report that UV irradiation of formamide in the presence of titanium dioxide afforded 6 of the 11 carboxylic acid intermediates of the reductive version of the citric acid cycle. Since this cycle is the central metabolic pathway of contemporary biology, this report highlights the role of photochemical processes in the origin of the metabolic apparatus.