Gravity modes as a way to distinguish between hydrogen- and helium-burning red giant stars

Red giants are evolved stars that have exhausted the supply of hydrogen in their cores and instead burn hydrogen in a surrounding shell. Once a red giant is sufficiently evolved, the helium in the core also undergoes fusion. Outstanding issues in our understanding of red giants include uncertainties in the amount of mass lost at the surface before helium ignition and the amount of internal mixing from rotation and other processes. Progress is hampered by our inability to distinguish between red giants burning helium in the core and those still only burning hydrogen in a shell. Asteroseismology offers a way forward, being a powerful tool for probing the internal structures of stars using their natural oscillation frequencies. Here we report observations of gravity-mode period spacings in red giants that permit a distinction between evolutionary stages to be made. We use high-precision photometry obtained by the Kepler spacecraft over more than a year to measure oscillations in several hundred red giants. We find many stars whose dipole modes show sequences with approximately regular period spacings. These stars fall into two clear groups, allowing us to distinguish unambiguously between hydrogen-shell-burning stars (period spacing mostly ～ 50 seconds) and those that are also burning helium (period spacing ～ 100 to 300 seconds).     

Spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

Spin-orbit (SO) coupling--the interaction between a quantum particle's spin and its momentum--is ubiquitous in physical systems. In condensed matter systems, SO coupling is crucial for the spin-Hall effect and topological insulators; it contributes to the electronic properties of materials such as GaAs, and is important for spintronic devices. Quantum many-body systems of ultracold atoms can be precisely controlled experimentally, and would therefore seem to provide an ideal platform on which to study SO coupling. Although an atom's intrinsic SO coupling affects its electronic structure, it does not lead to coupling between the spin and the centre-of-mass motion of the atom. Here, we engineer SO coupling (with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus strengths) in a neutral atomic Bose-Einstein condensate by dressing two atomic spin states with a pair of lasers. Such coupling has not been realized previously for ultracold atomic gases, or indeed any bosonic system. Furthermore, in the presence of the laser coupling, the interactions between the two dressed atomic spin states are modified, driving a quantum phase transition from a spatially spin-mixed state (lasers off) to a phase-separated state (above a critical laser intensity). We develop a many-body theory that provides quantitative agreement with the observed location of the transition. The engineered SO coupling--equally applicable for bosons and fermions--sets the stage for the realization of topological insulators in fermionic neutral atom systems.     

Shank3 mutant mice display autistic-like behaviours and striatal dysfunction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a range of disorders that share a core of neurobehavioural deficits characterized by widespread abnormalities in social interactions, deficits in communication as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. The neurological basis and circuitry mechanisms underlying these abnormal behaviours are poorly understood. SHANK3 is a postsynaptic protein, whose disruption at the genetic level is thought to be responsible for the development of 22q13 deletion syndrome (Phelan-McDermid syndrome) and other non-syndromic ASDs. Here we show that mice with Shank3 gene deletions exhibit self-injurious repetitive grooming and deficits in social interaction. Cellular, electrophysiological and biochemical analyses uncovered defects at striatal synapses and cortico-striatal circuits in Shank3 mutant mice. Our findings demonstrate a critical role for SHANK3 in the normal development of neuronal connectivity and establish causality between a disruption in the Shank3 gene and the genesis of autistic-like behaviours in mice.     

新概念无人穿梭艇静水操纵性能

引入一种具有单体半滑行穿浪船型的新概念无人艇——穿梭艇,对其优良的操纵性能进行研究和分析.根据国际海事组织船舶操纵性试验标准,搭建穿梭艇自航模系统,进行标准的自航操纵性试验,获取相关的静水操纵性数据.采用船舶操纵性理论,结合试验数据对穿梭艇的操纵性能进行研究和分析.试验和分析结果表明穿梭艇具有良好的操纵性能和灵活性、独特的操纵性特点和优势.此外,采用数值计算方法,对其独特的操纵性特点进行了理论分析.     

Mutations in ISPD cause Walker-Warburg syndrome and defective glycosylation of α-dystroglycan

Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by complex eye and brain abnormalities with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) and aberrant a-dystroglycan glycosylation. Here we report mutations in the ISPD gene (encoding isoprenoid synthase domain containing) as the second most common cause of WWS. Bacterial IspD is a nucleotidyl transferase belonging to a large glycosyltransferase family, but the role of the orthologous protein in chordates is obscure to date, as this phylum does not have the corresponding non-mevalonate isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway. Knockdown of ispd in zebrafish recapitulates the human WWS phenotype with hydrocephalus, reduced eye size, muscle degeneration and hypoglycosylated a-dystroglycan. These results implicate ISPD in a-dystroglycan glycosylation in maintaining sarcolemma integrity in vertebrates.     

科学饲料管理系统的研究与实现

本文论述了“清真畜产品规范生产与质量认证系统”中“科学饲料管理系统”的设计过程以及研发成果。该系统针对奶牛、肉牛和肉羊等特色动物养殖中饲料合理化和科学化的要求，对异构数据集成整合，即在客户端将各种异构数据转换成XML格式文件，通过Internet网络上传至服务器指定文件夹，并进行字段映射和数据整理，最后将经过整理的数据导入服务器数据库的相关表中，从而建立了宁夏地区特色动物饲料原料成分及配比数据库（知识库），实现了全区共享的饲料配方服务管理平台、事务处理平台等。“科学饲料管理系统”的应用有助于改进奶牛等动物饲料配方的科学性，提高饲料的利用率，达到节本增效的目标，为提高养殖业管理水平与畜产品生产效率提供信息化技术支撑。     

CORBA系统事务处理的模拟和分析

事务处理对于建立可靠的CORBA应用系统是很统设计的原则.CORBA的一个重要的服务是OMG的提出了对象事务处理服务OTS(ObjectTransaction Service),负责将事务处理与对象在ORB层上结合.事务成为分布式对象系统中恢复、一致性、并发的基本单位.用着色时序Petri网模拟和分析CORBA环境下的事务处理.     

Evidence for cultivar adoption and emerging complexity during the mid-Holocene in the La Plata basin

Multidisciplinary investigations at the Los Ajos archaeological mound complex in the wetlands of southeastern Uruguay challenge the traditional view that the La Plata basin was inhabited by simple groups of hunters and gatherers for much of the pre-Hispanic era. Here we report new archaeological, palaeoecological and botanical data indicating that during an increasingly drier mid-Holocene, at around 4,190 radiocarbon (14C) years before present (bp), Los Ajos became a permanent circular plaza village, and its inhabitants adopted the earliest cultivars known in southern South America. The architectural plan of Los Ajos during the following Ceramic Mound Period (around 3,000-500 14C yr bp) is similar to, but earlier than, settlement patterns demonstrated in Amazonia, revealing a new and independent architectural tradition for South America.     

FK506 sensitizes mammalian cells to high osmolarity by modulating p38 MAP kinase activation

The immunosuppressants tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporin A (CsA) have increased the survival rates in organ transplantation. Both drugs inhibit the protein phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) in activated T cells, exhibiting similar side-effects. Diabetes is observed more often in FK506 than CsA therapy, probably due to inhibition of new molecular targets other than CaN. We studied FK506 toxicity in mammalian cells. FK506, but not CsA, regulated p38 activation by osmotic stress, and decreased viability in osmostressed cells. In addition, FK506 treatment strongly increased the phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2a (eIF-2a) subunit. eIF-2a phosphorylation, p38 inhibition and cell lethality were relieved by addition of excess amino acids to the medium, suggesting that amino acid availability mediated FK506 toxicity. Therefore, these FK506-dependent responses could be relevant to the non-therapeutic effects of FK506 therapy.Received 16 October 2003; received after revision 8 January 2004; accepted 14 January 2004