Analytisch-chemische Bestimmung nichtradioaktiver Stoffe mit einem Flüssig-Szintillationsspektrometer durch Radiolumineszenz und Absorptionsphotometrie im Čerenkov-Licht

Summary Three techniques are described which allow a quantitative chemical determination of non-radioactive substances by the means of a liquid scintillation counter. The first method is based on the chemical quenching of a radioluminescent solution through the substance that is to be determined. The second method may be described as absorption photometry in erenkov-light and the third one as absorption photometry in radiofluorescence light.     

Genetic mapping with SNP markers in Drosophila.

Map-based positional cloning of Drosophila melanogaster genes is hampered by both the time-consuming, error-prone nature of traditional methods for genetic mapping and the difficulties in aligning the genetic and cytological maps with the genome sequence. The identification of sequence polymorphisms in the Drosophila genome will make it possible to map mutations directly to the genome sequence with high accuracy and resolution. Here we report the identification of 7,223 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,392 insertions/deletions (InDels) in common laboratory strains of Drosophila. These sequence polymorphisms define a map of 787 autosomal marker loci with a resolution of 114 kb. We have established PCR product-length polymorphism (PLP) or restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) assays for 215 of these markers. We demonstrate the use of this map by delimiting two mutations to intervals of 169 kb and 307 kb, respectively. Using a local high-density SNP map, we also mapped a third mutation to a resolution of approximately 2 kb, sufficient to localize the mutation within a single gene. These methods should accelerate the rate of positional cloning in Drosophila.     

Overcoming lability of extremely long alkane carbon-carbon bonds through dispersion forces

Steric effects in chemistry are a consequence of the space required to accommodate the atoms and groups within a molecule, and are often thought to be dominated by repulsive forces arising from overlapping electron densities (Pauli repulsion). An appreciation of attractive interactions such as van der Waals forces (which include London dispersion forces) is necessary to understand chemical bonding and reactivity fully. This is evident from, for example, the strongly debated origin of the higher stability of branched alkanes relative to linear alkanes and the possibility of constructing hydrocarbons with extraordinarily long C-C single bonds through steric crowding. Although empirical bond distance/bond strength relationships have been established for C-C bonds (longer C-C bonds have smaller bond dissociation energies), these have no present theoretical basis. Nevertheless, these empirical considerations are fundamental to structural and energetic evaluations in chemistry, as summarized by Pauling as early as 1960 and confirmed more recently. Here we report the preparation of hydrocarbons with extremely long C-C bonds (up to 1.704??), the longest such bonds observed so far in alkanes. The prepared compounds are unexpectedly stable--noticeable decomposition occurs only above 200?°C. We prepared the alkanes by coupling nanometre-sized, diamond-like, highly rigid structures known as diamondoids. The extraordinary stability of the coupling products is due to overall attractive dispersion interactions between the intramolecular H???H contact surfaces, as is evident from density functional theory computations with and without inclusion of dispersion corrections.     

基于拉格朗日系统中约束力思想的编队卫星构形非线性控制方法

借鉴经典动力学中约束力的思想,提出了一种编队卫星构形精确保持的非线性控制方法．该方法首先将非线性和摄动条件下编队卫星构形保持问题转换为带有完整约束的拉格朗日动力学系统,然后将问题转换为一组微分代数方程,通过求解微分代数方程,确定编队卫星构形保持的非线性控制律．由于借鉴了约束力的思想,该方法自然地利用了编队卫星动力学系统的力学特性,具有节省能量和高精度的特点．通过对线性和非线性条件下空间圆编队卫星构形保持问题的仿真,验证了提出的非线性控制方法的这些特性．     

Inhibition of IgM antibody-mediated aggregation ofTrypanosoma gambiense in the presence of complement

This paper deals with the immune reaction betweenTrypanosoma gambiense and monoclonal IgM mouse antibody at equivalence with or without rabbit complement. Antibody-mediated trypanosome clumps formed in the absence of complement, and were readily dissociated by complement to become free. In the presence of complement, on the other hand,T. gambiense were not aggregated by the antibody. Free parasites adhered readily to cultured peritoneal macrophages. Complement-mediated dissociation of the clumped trypanosomes in the equivalence area released a large number of previously bound surface antigens. These antigens were capable of binding again to fresh IgM antibody. Experimental results further indicated that the complement system caused a functional alteration, changing the multivalent nature of the IgM antibody in the immune complex into a univalent one. This phenomenon is of great advantage to the infected host in clearing pathogens in vivo, as it allows more antibodies to attach to trypanosomes and subsequently initiate complement activity.     

The Ter mutation in the dead end gene causes germ cell loss and testicular germ cell tumours

In mice, the Ter mutation causes primordial germ cell (PGC) loss in all genetic backgrounds. Ter is also a potent modifier of spontaneous testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) susceptibility in the 129 family of inbred strains, and markedly increases TGCT incidence in 129-Ter/Ter males. In 129-Ter/Ter mice, some of the remaining PGCs transform into undifferentiated pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cells, and after birth differentiate into various cells and tissues that compose TGCTs. Here, we report the positional cloning of Ter, revealing a point mutation that introduces a termination codon in the mouse orthologue (Dnd1) of the zebrafish dead end (dnd) gene. PGC deficiency is corrected both with bacterial artificial chromosomes that contain Dnd1 and with a Dnd1-encoding transgene. Dnd1 is expressed in fetal gonads during the critical period when TGCTs originate. DND1 has an RNA recognition motif and is most similar to the apobec complementation factor, a component of the cytidine to uridine RNA-editing complex. These results suggest that Ter may adversely affect essential aspects of RNA biology during PGC development. DND1 is the first protein known to have an RNA recognition motif directly implicated as a heritable cause of spontaneous tumorigenesis. TGCT development in the 129-Ter mouse strain models paediatric TGCT in humans. This work will have important implications for our understanding of the genetic control of TGCT pathogenesis and PGC biology.     

一种用于结构动态过程数值模拟的广义有限元法

提出了一种能同时处理连续体和离散体动态过程的有限元法. 该法通过构造接触力模型, 将传统的离散元当做标准的一节点有限单元来看待. 新构造的一节点单元与常规有限单元具有同样物理特征, 包括应力和应变. 从而, 将离散元算法与有限元算法紧密结合在一起, 形成了统一的、与现有有限元系统兼容的广义有限元计算模型. 这种模型不仅简化了计算过程, 还可最大限度地发挥现有有限元代码的功能. 数值算例表明, 新方法可以更加有效地模拟大量离散体与连续体相互作用的复杂动力学过程.     

A low density of 0.8 g cm(-3) for the Trojan binary asteroid 617 Patroclus

The Trojan population consists of two swarms of asteroids following the same orbit as Jupiter and located at the L4 and L5 stable Lagrange points of the Jupiter-Sun system (leading and following Jupiter by 60 degrees ). The asteroid 617 Patroclus is the only known binary Trojan. The orbit of this double system was hitherto unknown. Here we report that the components, separated by 680 km, move around the system's centre of mass, describing a roughly circular orbit. Using this orbital information, combined with thermal measurements to estimate the size of the components, we derive a very low density of 0.8(- 0.1)+0.2 g cm(-3). The components of 617 Patroclus are therefore very porous or composed mostly of water ice, suggesting that they could have been formed in the outer part of the Solar System.     

Late Jurassic salamanders from northern China

With ten extant families, salamanders (urodeles) are one of the three major groups of modern amphibians (lissamphibians). Extant salamanders are often used as a model system to assess fundamental issues of developmental, morphological and biogeographical evolution. Unfortunately, our understanding of these issues has been hampered by the paucity of fossil evidence available to assess the early history of the group. Here we report the discovery of an extraordinary sample of salamander fossils, some with rare soft-tissue impressions, from the Upper Jurassic of China. With over 500 articulated specimens, this assemblage documents the morphological diversity of early urodeles and includes larvae and adults of both neotenic and metamorphosed taxa. Phylogenetic analysis confirms that these salamanders are primitive, and reveals that all basal salamander clades have Asian distributions. This is compelling evidence for an Asian origin of Recent salamanders, as well as for an extensive and early radiation of several major lineages. These discoveries show that the evolution of salamanders has involved phylogenetic and ecological diversification around a body plan that has remained fundamentally stable for over 150 million years.     

A laser frequency comb that enables radial velocity measurements with a precision of 1 cm s(-1)

Searches for extrasolar planets using the periodic Doppler shift of stellar spectral lines have recently achieved a precision of 60 cm s(-1) (ref. 1), which is sufficient to find a 5-Earth-mass planet in a Mercury-like orbit around a Sun-like star. To find a 1-Earth-mass planet in an Earth-like orbit, a precision of approximately 5 cm s(-1) is necessary. The combination of a laser frequency comb with a Fabry-Pérot filtering cavity has been suggested as a promising approach to achieve such Doppler shift resolution via improved spectrograph wavelength calibration, with recent encouraging results. Here we report the fabrication of such a filtered laser comb with up to 40-GHz (approximately 1-A) line spacing, generated from a 1-GHz repetition-rate source, without compromising long-term stability, reproducibility or spectral resolution. This wide-line-spacing comb, or 'astro-comb', is well matched to the resolving power of high-resolution astrophysical spectrographs. The astro-comb should allow a precision as high as 1 cm s(-1) in astronomical radial velocity measurements.