Life before RNA

The hypothesis that life originated and evolved from linear informational molecules capable of facilitating their own catalytic replication is deeply entrenched. However, widespread acceptance of this paradigm seems oblivious to a lack of direct experimental support. Here, we outline the fundamental objections to the de novo appearance of linear, self-replicating polymers and examine an alternative hypothesis of template-directed coding of peptide catalysts by adsorbed purine bases. The bases (which encode biological information in modern nucleic acids) spontaneously self-organize into two-dimensional molecular solids adsorbed to the uncharged surfaces of crystalline minerals; their molecular arrangement is specified by hydrogen bonding rules between adjacent molecules and can possess the aperiodic complexity to encode putative protobiological information. The persistence of such information through self-reproduction, together with the capacity of adsorbed bases to exhibit enantiomorphism and effect amino acid discrimination, would seem to provide the necessary machinery for a primitive genetic coding mechanism.     

压力畸变对涡扇发动机稳定性影响的试验

为了评定涡扇发动机在稳态工作时的抗压力畸变能力，采用可调畸变速度的发动机进口压力畸变模拟器，在发动机地面静止试车台上进行了不同进气畸变度下的整机抗畸变试验，试验中获得了发动机重要参数随不同畸变度的变化数据，并得到了发动机能稳定工作的最大进气畸变度范围。     

Real-time studies on microalgae under microgravity

Using remote sensing technique, we investigated real-time Nostoc sphaeroides Kütz (Cyanobacterium) in Closed System under microgravity by SHENZHOU-2 spacecraft in January 2001. The experiments had 1 g centrifuges in space for control and ground control group experiments were also carried out in the same equipments and under the same controlled condition. The data about the population growth of Nostoc sp. of experiments and temperature changes of system were got from spacecraft every minute. From the data, we can find that population growth of Nostoc sp. in microgravity group was higher than that of other groups in space or on ground, even though both the control 1 g group in space and 1 g group on ground indicated same increasing characteristics in experiments. The growth rate of 1.4 g group (centrifuged group on ground) was also promoted during experiment. The temperature changes of systems are also affected by gravity and light. Some aspects about those differences were discussed. From the discussion of these results during experiment, it can be found that gravity is the major factor to lead to these changes.     

可调压力畸变模拟器的设计与研究

畸变模拟器是小型涡扇发动机气动稳定性的核心技术,本文创新设计月牙板式可调压力畸变模拟器,用于涡扇发动机抗畸变试验。畸变模拟器的研制采用了结构设计与气动设计并行的方案,结构设计采用小尺寸机械传动方式,气动设计通过数值模拟完成了模拟器插板的优化设计,通过大曲率插板改善了插板后流场。通过畸变模拟器吹风试验表明,畸变模拟器出口截面马赫数达到了0.24~0.44,插板的堵塞系数在14.2%~29.2%内,畸变模拟器的综合畸变指数在2%~20%内连续可调,满足小型涡扇发动机工况包线和抗畸变试验所需综合畸变指数。     

Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes activity of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 (Cyanobacterium) under simulated microgravity

It was found that reactive oxygen species in Anabaena cells increased under simulated microgravity provided by clinostat. Activities of intracellular antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase were higher than those in the controlled samples during the 7 days' experiment. However, the contents of glutathione [correction of gluathione], an intracellular antioxidant, decreased in comparison with the controlled samples. The results suggested that microgravity provided by clinostat might break the oxidative/antioxidative balance. It indicated a protective mechanism in algal cells, that the total antioxidant system activity increased, which might play an important role for algal cells to adapt the environmental stress of microgravity.