Taxane recovery from cells of Taxus in micro- and hypergravity

Cell suspension cultures of Taxus cuspidata produce taxanes that are released from the outer surface of cells into the culture medium as free and bound alkaloids. Paclitaxel (Taxol (TM)), is an anti-cancer drug in short supply. It has a taxane ring derived from baccatin III and a C-13 phenylisoserine side-chain. This drug is produced over a wide range of gravitational forces. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to paclitaxel, baccatin III, and the C-13 phenylisoserine side chain were combined in multiple-labeling studies to localize taxanes and paclitaxel on cell surfaces or on particles released into the culture medium. Bioreactor vessel design altered the composition of taxanes recovered from cells in simulated microgravity. At 10(-2) and 2x10(-4)g, taxane recovery was reduced but biomass growth and percent paclitaxel was significantly increased. At 1 to 24g, growth was reduced with a significant recovery of total taxanes with low percent paclitaxel. Bound paclitaxel was also localized in endonuclease-rich fragmenting nuclei of individual apoptotic cells. A model is presented comprising TCH (touch) genes encoding enzymes that modify taxane-bearing xylan residues in cell walls, the calcium-sensing of gravitational forces by the cytoplasm, and the predisposition of nuclei to apoptosis. This integrates the adaptive physiological and biochemical responses of drug-producing genomes with gravitational forces.     

中国空军的志愿队

空中作战出现有志愿队 ,乃起自西班牙的佛朗哥内战时代 ,当时双方参与作战的飞行员 ,有来自英、美、苏联、德、意、法等国 ,他们参与的动机 ,多少与其本国的政治背景有关。彼此使用不同的机种 ,互相在空中逞强逞勇 ,借机表演一场国际性的空中比武而已 ,反正胜负都是西班牙人自己的事。我国自七七芦沟桥对日抗战之后 ,于翌年春中国空军已成立一志愿队 ,名为十四队 ,直属于航空委员会。当时航委会的主任是钱大钧将军。队部设在汉口公园内 ,队中的飞行员与地勤人员 ,中外国藉皆有 ,队长是美人史密斯( SMITH) ,年近四十 ,机务员是英人司密时 ,…     

涡轮叶栅前缘上游端壁气膜冷却的流场实验研究

对前缘上游端壁有单排和双排孔冷却的大尺寸低速涡轮导向叶栅进行了气动测量、热示踪和端壁流场显示,在吹风比1～3范围获得了叶栅内的详细流场、冷气的空间分布和端壁上的流动图案。结合先前测得的没有冷却时的流场数据,这些结果表明端壁气膜冷却对叶栅流场结构有重大影响,吹风比是主宰射流与二次流间相互作用的主要因素,双排孔喷射使冷气比单排孔喷射更贴近端壁。低吹风比喷射冷气不能到达压力面并被二次流逐渐卷离端壁;中吹风比喷射有效的抑制了二次流的形成,并使端壁流线偏向于无粘流流线,冷气很均匀的覆盖在端壁上。      

Sugar synthesis from a gas-phase formose reaction

Prebiotic possibilities for the synthesis of interstellar ribose through a protic variant of the formose reaction under gas-phase conditions were studied in the absence of any known catalyst. The ion-molecule reaction products, diose and triose, were sought by mass spectrometry, and relevant masses were observed. Ab initio calculations were used to evaluate protic formose mechanism possibilities. A bilateral theoretical and experimental effort yielded a physical model for glycoaldehyde generation whereby a hydronium cation can mediate formaldehyde dimerization followed by covalent bond formation leading to diose and water. These results advance the possibility that ion-molecule reactions between formaldehyde (CH(2)O) and H(3)O(+) lead to formose reaction products and inform us about potential sugar formation processes in interstellar space.     

Comparative metagenomics of two microbial mats at cuatro ciénegas basin I: ancient lessons on how to cope with an environment under severe nutrient stress

Abstract The Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) is an oasis in the desert of Mexico characterized by low phosphorus availability and by its great diversity of microbial mats. We compared the metagenomes of two aquatic microbial mats from the CCB with different nutrient limitations. We observed that the red mat was P-limited and dominated by Pseudomonas, while the green mat was N-limited and had higher species richness, with Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria as the most abundant phyla. From their gene content, we deduced that both mats were very metabolically diverse despite their use of different strategies to cope with their respective environments. The red mat was found to be mostly heterotrophic, while the green mat was more autotrophic. The red mat had a higher number of transporters in general, including transporters of cellobiose and osmoprotectants. We suggest that generalists with plastic genomes dominate the red mat, while specialists with minimal genomes dominate the green mat. Nutrient limitation was a common scenario on the early planet; despite this, biogeochemical cycles were performed, and as a result the planet changed. The metagenomes of microbial mats from the CCB show the different strategies a community can use to cope with oligotrophy and persist. Key Words: Microbial mats-Metagenomics-Metabolism. Astrobiology 12, 648-658.     

Bacterial communities and the nitrogen cycle in the gypsum soils of cuatro ciénegas basin, coahuila: a Mars analogue

Abstract The OMEGA/Mars Express hyperspectral imager identified gypsum at several sites on Mars in 2005. These minerals constitute a direct record of past aqueous activity and are important with regard to the search of extraterrestrial life. Gale Crater was chosen as Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity's landing site because it is rich in gypsum, as are some desert soils of the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) (Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico). The gypsum of the CCB, which is overlain by minimal carbonate deposits, was the product of magmatic activity that occurred under the Tethys Sea. To examine this Mars analogue, we retrieved gypsum-rich soil samples from two contrasting sites with different humidity in the CCB. To characterize the site, we obtained nutrient data and analyzed the genes related to the N cycle (nifH, nirS, and nirK) and the bacterial community composition by using 16S rRNA clone libraries. As expected, the soil content for almost all measured forms of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were higher at the more humid site than at the drier site. What was unexpected is the presence of a rich and divergent community at both sites, with higher taxonomic diversity at the humid site and almost no taxonomic overlap. Our results suggest that the gypsum-rich soils of the CCB host a unique microbial ecosystem that includes novel microbial assemblies. Key Words: Cuatro Ciénegas Basin-Gale Crater-Gypsum soil microbial diversity-Molecular ecology-Nitrogen cycle. Astrobiology 12, 699-709.     

Impact disruption and recovery of the deep subsurface biosphere

Although a large fraction of the world's biomass resides in the subsurface, there has been no study of the effects of catastrophic disturbance on the deep biosphere and the rate of its subsequent recovery. We carried out an investigation of the microbiology of a 1.76 km drill core obtained from the ～35 million-year-old Chesapeake Bay impact structure, USA, with robust contamination control. Microbial enumerations displayed a logarithmic downward decline, but the different gradient, when compared to previously studied sites, and the scatter of the data are consistent with a microbiota influenced by the geological disturbances caused by the impact. Microbial abundance is low in buried crater-fill, ocean-resurge, and avalanche deposits despite the presence of redox couples for growth. Coupled with the low hydraulic conductivity, the data suggest the microbial community has not yet recovered from the impact ～35 million years ago. Microbial enumerations, molecular analysis of microbial enrichment cultures, and geochemical analysis showed recolonization of a deep region of impact-fractured rock that was heated to above the upper temperature limit for life at the time of impact. These results show how, by fracturing subsurface rocks, impacts can extend the depth of the biosphere. This phenomenon would have provided deep refugia for life on the more heavily bombarded early Earth, and it shows that the deeply fractured regions of impact craters are promising targets to study the past and present habitability of Mars.     

实时OTF动态GPS系统定位结果

1988年,美国陆军工程部正式开始研究利用GPS载波相位的实时定位系统。该项研究的最终目标是在1993年做成一台实用样机,能实时获得厘米级的三维定位精度。这一目标实现了,1993年3月开始对样机进行测试。1993年8月进行了首次演示,10月进行了首次公开演示。该设备一般能在“动中”(OTF)15秒时间内分辨模糊整周数,不需要作静态初始化。任一相距20km左右的移动平台可利用该设备进行可靠而稳健的精密定位。在各种工作条件下作了试验,以评价动平台精密定位OTF解模糊的极限。本文总结了这些试验的结果。早期所作的实时试验证明三维方向的定位精度可达1—3cm。本文还介绍了最终实时系统的设计方案以及与水文监测平台的结合问题。