宽能带隙电子器件

硅集成电路和数据存贮是两种最成功的技术，目前，这两种技术继续以高速度发展。在集成电路技术中，按照摩尔定律，一块芯片上的晶体管数目每隔18个月就会翻一翻。而对于磁盘驱动技术，自1991年起磁头的总体位密度以每年60％至100％的速率增加。集成电路是通过对半导体应用电场控制载流子流动来工作的，因此关键的参数是电子或空穴上的电荷。而在磁性数据存贮中关键的参数是电子的自旋。     

用爆炸波起爆癸烷云雾的两种模式

用垂直激波管研究了400μm癸烷液滴与空气混合物的爆炸波起爆。每种混合物有两个极限起爆能值,即高值Ecu,和低值Ecl。当起爆能的值高于Ecu时,观察到100%发生爆轰;而当其低于Ecl时,就不会发生爆轰。有趣的是,当起爆能水平在Ecu和Ecl之间时观察到对应于不同的起爆能水平有不同的起爆行为。如实验结果所表明的,爆轰的激发不仅是由于直接起爆,而且也由于“爆燃”到爆轰的转变。     

Regulation of cellulose synthesis in Acetobacter xylinum by cyclic diguanylic acid

Cellulose is the most abundant renewable carbon resource on earth and is an indispensable raw material for the wood, paper, and textile industries. A model system to study the mechanism of cellulose biogenesis is the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum which produces pure cellulose as an extracellular product. It was from this organism that in vitro preparations which possessed high levels of cellulose synthase activity were first obtained in both membranous and soluble forms. We recently demonstrated that this activity is subject to a complex multi-component regulatory system, in which the synthase is directly affected by an unusual cyclic nucleotide activator enzymatically formed from GTP, and indirectly by a Ca (2+) -sensitive phosphodiesterase which degrades the activator. The cellulose synthase activator (CSA) has now been identified as bis-(3' 5')-cyclic diguanylic acid (5'G3'p5'G3'p) on the basis of mass spectroscopic data, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and comparison with chemically synthesized material. We also report here on intermediary steps in the synthesis and degradation of this novel circular dinucleotide, which have been integrated into a model for the regulation of cellulose synthesis.     

适用的哲学与认识的工具

一、适用的哲学最近几十年来,科学信息空前爆炸,以致就具体而积极地研究认识方法来说,"自然哲学"变得太广泛了.对此,物理学家、生物学家、心理学家以及其他在本学科领域进行创造性工作的专家,都应该加以研究;或者自己研究,或者和相应的科学史专家合作研究.严肃的科学著作不能没有哲学,但哲学应该是"具     

沃森博士谈人体基因解译计划与日本

詹姆斯·沃森(James D WAFSON)是人体基因解译计划负责人.他以1961年肯尼迪总统决定将人类送往月球那样的口气,就该计划的重要性作了如此叙述:"为了彻底搞清具有30亿碱基对的人体遗传基因序列,最终需花去相当于将美国人送抵月球的十分之一左右的费用.但是,基因解译计划对人类生活所     

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations before 2.2 billion years ago

The composition of the Earth's early atmosphere is a subject of continuing debate. In particular, it has been suggested that elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide would have been necessary to maintain normal surface temperatures in the face of lower solar luminosity in early Earth history. Fossil weathering profiles, known as palaeosols, have provided semi-quantitative constraints on atmospheric oxygen partial pressure (pO2) before 2.2 Gyr ago. Here we use the same well studied palaeosols to constrain atmospheric pCO2 between 2.75 and 2.2 Gyr ago. The observation that iron lost from the tops of these profiles was reprecipitated lower down as iron silicate minerals, rather than as iron carbonate, indicates that atmospheric pCO2 must have been less than 10(-1.4) atm--about 100 times today's level of 360 p.p.m., and at least five times lower than that required in one-dimensional climate models to compensate for lower solar luminosity at 2.75 Gyr. Our results suggest that either the Earth's early climate was much more sensitive to increases in pCO2 than has been thought, or that one or more greenhouse gases other than CO2 contributed significantly to the atmosphere's radiative balance during the late Archaean and early Proterozoic eons.