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.     

基于联合卡尔曼滤波器的燃料电池传感器故障检测与容错研究

介绍了基于多传感器信息融合技术的联合卡尔曼滤波器的结构和算法,并将此方法运用于燃料电池发动机多传感器的复杂系统中．理论分析与仿真结果表明,该联合卡尔曼滤波器设计合理,其融合算法具有全局最优性,能够有效地对燃料电池发动机传感器的故障进行检测,改善了系统的容错能力和复原能力,提高了系统运行的稳定性．     

基于PCI总线接口卡的身份认证

目前主要采用的身份认证方法有两种,即静态身份认证和动态身份认证.本文介绍了动态身份认证的两种方法:时间同步机制的身份认证和挑战/应答机制的身份证证,并介绍了采用PCI接口卡实现挑战/应答机制的身份认证方案,阐述了制作PCI接口卡及采用PCI9052接口芯片开发PCI总线驱动程序的方法和编程注意要点.     

燃料电池内阻在线测试系统研究

内阻是反应燃料电池性能的重要指标,设计燃料电池内阻在线测试系统具有重要意义.但燃料电池内阻具有明显的非线性和时变特性,一般难以精确测量.为了解决这个问题,本文在对燃料电池内阻进行分析的基础上,结合电化学阻抗谱测试思想,提出了一种改进的燃料电池欧姆内阻在线测试法--交流变频调幅测量法,并基于高性能数字信号处理器设计了测试系统硬件电路和软件,得到了较好的测量效果.     

Regulation of primary cilia formation and left-right patterning in zebrafish by a noncanonical Wnt signaling mediator, duboraya

Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of nearly every animal cell. Although important functions of primary cilia in morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis have been identified, the mechanisms that control the formation of primary cilia are not understood. Here we characterize a zebrafish gene, termed duboraya (dub), that is essential for ciliogenesis. Knockdown of dub in zebrafish embryos results in both defects in primary cilia formation in Kupffer's vesicle and randomization of left-right organ asymmetries. We show that, at the molecular level, the function of dub in ciliogenesis is regulated by phosphorylation, which in turn depends on Frizzled-2-mediated noncanonical Wnt signaling. We also provide evidence that, at the cellular level, dub function is essential for actin organization in the cells lining Kupffer's vesicle. Taken together, our findings identify a molecular factor that links noncanonical Wnt signaling with the control of left-right axis specification, and provide an entry point for analyzing the mechanisms that regulate primary cilia formation.     

Natural variation at Strubbelig Receptor Kinase 3 drives immune-triggered incompatibilities between Arabidopsis thaliana accessions

Accumulation of genetic incompatibilities within species can lead to reproductive isolation and, potentially, speciation. In this study, we show that allelic variation at SRF3 (Strubbelig Receptor Family 3), encoding a receptor-like kinase, conditions the occurrence of incompatibility between Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. The geographical distribution of SRF3 alleles reveals that allelic forms causing epistatic incompatibility with a Landsberg erecta allele at the RPP1 resistance locus are present in A. thaliana accessions in central Asia. Incompatible SRF3 alleles condition for an enhanced early immune response to pathogens as compared to the resistance-dampening effect of compatible SRF3 forms in isogenic backgrounds. Variation in disease susceptibility suggests a basis for the molecular patterns of a recent selective sweep detected at the SRF3 locus in central Asian populations.     

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.     

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.