Search for extraterrestrial life using chiral molecules: mandelate racemase as a test case

We have investigated an enzymatic racemization reaction as a marker for extraterrestrial life, which resulted in a change in optical rotation of a mandelic acid over time, as measured by polarimetry. Mandelate racemase was active in aqueous buffer in a temperature range between 0 degrees C and 70 degrees C and also in concentrated ammonium salt solutions and water-in-oil microemulsions in a temperature range between -30 degrees C and 60-70 degrees C; however, the enzyme was not active in several organic cryosolvents. Thus, we have demonstrated that concentrated ammonium salt solutions and water-in-oil microemulsions, both of which are able to form on extraterrestrial planets and moons in the presence of liquid water, are suitable media for enzyme reactions at subzero temperatures. Kinetic data for the mandelate racemase reaction obtained by polarimetry, while reproducible and internally consistent, differed significantly from several sets of data obtained previously by other methods such as chromatography and hydrogen-deuterium exchange. However, we conclude that reactions yielding a polarimetric signal, such as the racemizations employed in this work, are suitable mechanisms by which to utilize a change in chirality over time as a tool to detect signs of life.     

(美)AASHTO柔性道面设计计算式的研究

概括介绍了（美）ＡＡＳＨＴＯ新设计指南中柔性道面设计算式的研究。文中采用地基回弹模量ＭＲ，可靠性指数Ｒ，标准误差Ｓ０和交通偏差曲线图示给出了这些变量对道面结构数ＳＮ（道面强度指数）的影响。研究表明地基有效回弹模量对道面结构数影响最大，预期的当量单轮荷载次之，综合的标准误差最小。