The association of GRB 060218 with a supernova and the evolution of the shock wave

Although the link between long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and supernovae has been established, hitherto there have been no observations of the beginning of a supernova explosion and its intimate link to a GRB. In particular, we do not know how the jet that defines a gamma-ray burst emerges from the star's surface, nor how a GRB progenitor explodes. Here we report observations of the relatively nearby GRB 060218 (ref. 5) and its connection to supernova SN 2006aj (ref. 6). In addition to the classical non-thermal emission, GRB 060218 shows a thermal component in its X-ray spectrum, which cools and shifts into the optical/ultraviolet band as time passes. We interpret these features as arising from the break-out of a shock wave driven by a mildly relativistic shell into the dense wind surrounding the progenitor. We have caught a supernova in the act of exploding, directly observing the shock break-out, which indicates that the GRB progenitor was a Wolf-Rayet star.     

Episodic fresh surface waters in the Eocene Arctic Ocean

It has been suggested, on the basis of modern hydrology and fully coupled palaeoclimate simulations, that the warm greenhouse conditions that characterized the early Palaeogene period (55-45 Myr ago) probably induced an intensified hydrological cycle with precipitation exceeding evaporation at high latitudes. Little field evidence, however, has been available to constrain oceanic conditions in the Arctic during this period. Here we analyse Palaeogene sediments obtained during the Arctic Coring Expedition, showing that large quantities of the free-floating fern Azolla grew and reproduced in the Arctic Ocean by the onset of the middle Eocene epoch (approximately 50 Myr ago). The Azolla and accompanying abundant freshwater organic and siliceous microfossils indicate an episodic freshening of Arctic surface waters during an approximately 800,000-year interval. The abundant remains of Azolla that characterize basal middle Eocene marine deposits of all Nordic seas probably represent transported assemblages resulting from freshwater spills from the Arctic Ocean that reached as far south as the North Sea. The termination of the Azolla phase in the Arctic coincides with a local sea surface temperature rise from approximately 10 degrees C to 13 degrees C, pointing to simultaneous increases in salt and heat supply owing to the influx of waters from adjacent oceans. We suggest that onset and termination of the Azolla phase depended on the degree of oceanic exchange between Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas.     

面向大数据处理的划分聚类新方法

大数据处理是物联网研究和应用上不可回避的难题之一,针对常用聚类方法在大数据处理上的不足,设计了一种划分聚类新方法。该方法采用了大数据集的抽样技术,对多次抽取的规模足够大的样本进行聚类以确定自然簇质心的初始位置,在此基础上采用抽样后剩余数据样本对质心的初始位置进行更新,以便校正偏离理想位置的初始质心。该划分聚类算法具有线性空间复杂度和时间复杂度。实验结果表明所提的新聚类算法不仅能得到比常用聚类算法更理想的结果,而且运行速度快,适合处理大规模数据的聚类任务。     

浅谈住宅小区宅间绿地的规划设计

本文通过论述宅间绿地的建设模式、特点以及设计原则,并加以实例分析,旨在引起住宅小区设计者和社会各界的重视,从而提高住宅小区绿化景观设计水平。     

OFDM通信系统的分析与仿真

本文介绍了OFDM系统的基本原理,理论分析OFDM通信系统中传输数据的变化。简要介绍OFDM系统的两类同步算法,并且通过仿真数据比较了两类算法的定时估计精度。     

Sr_2CaMO_6(M=W,Mo)的合成及光催化性能

用溶胶-凝胶法合成双钙钛矿氧化物Sr2CaWO6,用半湿法合成Sr2CaWO6和Sr2CaMoO6样品.对制得的Sr2CaWO6和Sr2CaMoO6样品进行X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)分析,并测试其光催化分解水制氢和光催化降解酸性红B的活性.考察半湿法合成Sr2CaWO6和Sr2CaMoO6前驱体时草酸铵加入量对样品性能的影响.结果表明,Sr2CaWO6在紫外光的照射下既可以分解水产生氢气,也可以降解酸性红B,且不同方法制得的样品活性相近,而Sr2CaMoO6在紫外光照射下不具有光催化活性.半湿法合成Sr2CaWO6和Sr2CaMoO6时加入一定量的草酸铵可提高样品的纯度和结晶完整性.     

植物基因沉默的研究进展

植物抗病毒机制是目前研究的热点.在长期的进化过程中,植物形成了一系列复杂有效的防御机制来抵御、破坏病原物的侵染.近年来,基因沉默作为一个重要的细胞内防御外源核酸的机制,越来越受到科学家的重视.对这一领域的研究不仅能够了解基因沉默的机理,并且可以为利用该机制构建抗病毒转基因植物提供理论指导和技术支持.     

Cortical modulation of pain

The sensation commonly referred to as pain has two components. The first is the sensory-discriminative component and provides information on location, modality and intensity of stimuli. The second is the affective-motivational component and refers to the emotional responses (fear, distress etc.) and the urge to respond evoked by the somatic sensation, and at the cortical level these two components appear to be located in different regions. The cortex probably influences pain by two different mechanisms. There is good evidence that the cortex can reduce pain by interrupting the transmission of noxious information from the spinal cord level by activating descending pain modulatory systems located in the brainstem. Less well established is the idea that modulation can also occur at the cortical level to change the affective-motivational aspects of nociception so that pain is perceived but looses its emotional and aversive component.Received 28 June 2004; received after revision 17 August 2004; accepted 21 August 2004