Substantial reservoirs of molecular hydrogen in the debris disks around young stars

Circumstellar accretion disks transfer matter from molecular clouds to young stars and to the sites of planet formation. The disks observed around pre-main-sequence stars have properties consistent with those expected for the pre-solar nebula from which our own Solar System formed 4.5 Gyr ago. But the 'debris' disks that encircle more than 15% of nearby main-sequence stars appear to have very small amounts of gas, based on observations of the tracer molecule carbon monoxide: these observations have yielded gas/dust ratios much less than 0.1, whereas the interstellar value is about 100 (ref. 9). Here we report observations of the lowest rotational transitions of molecular hydrogen (H2) that reveal large quantities of gas in the debris disks around the stars beta Pictoris, 49 Ceti and HD135344. The gas masses calculated from the data are several hundreds to a thousand times greater than those estimated from the CO observations, and yield gas/dust ratios of the same order as the interstellar value.     

The raccoon, Procyon Iotor, in Wyoming

Recent distribution maps show raccoon as occupying only the extreme eastern - northeastern portion of Wyoming. However, there is substantial evidence that raccoon are common throughout Wyoming and currently inhabit all the major and many of the minor drainages throughout Wyoming.     

Ocean-like water in the Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2

For decades, the source of Earth's volatiles, especially water with a deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) of (1.558?±?0.001)?×?10(-4), has been a subject of debate. The similarity of Earth's bulk composition to that of meteorites known as enstatite chondrites suggests a dry proto-Earth with subsequent delivery of volatiles by local accretion or impacts of asteroids or comets. Previous measurements in six comets from the Oort cloud yielded a mean D/H ratio of (2.96?±?0.25)?×?10(-4). The D/H value in carbonaceous chondrites, (1.4?±?0.1)?×?10(-4), together with dynamical simulations, led to models in which asteroids were the main source of Earth's water, with ≤10 per cent being delivered by comets. Here we report that the D/H ratio in the Jupiter-family comet 103P/Hartley 2, which originated in the Kuiper belt, is (1.61?±?0.24)?×?10(-4). This result substantially expands the reservoir of Earth ocean-like water to include some comets, and is consistent with the emerging picture of a complex dynamical evolution of the early Solar System.     

Does the brain know the physics of specular reflection?

Images of artificial and natural scenes typically contain many highlights generated by mirror-like reflection from glossy surfaces. Until recently, computational models of visual processes have tended to regard highlights as obscuring the structure of the underlying scene. The truth is that, on the contrary, highlights are rich in local geometric information. Here we report that the three-dimensional appearance of a highlight on a computer-simulated stereoscopic curved surface affects observers' judgment of surface gloss. We also show that the 3-D appearance of a highlight affects the perception of surface curvature--that is, it can force an ambiguous convex-concave figure to change state. We thus conclude that human visual analysis seems to employ a physical model of the interaction of light with curved surfaces, a model firmly based on ray optics and differential geometry.     

Sequence, structure and activity of phosphoglycerate kinase: a possible hinge-bending enzyme.

The fitting of sequenced peptides to a high-resolution X-ray map of phosphoglycerate kinase has yielded the complete sequence and structure of the horse muscle enzyme. Metal ADP and ATP substrates are bound to one of the two widely separated domains in an environment that seems unsuitable for phosphoglycerate binding. The most plausible binding site for the phosphoglycerate substrate is on the other domain about 10 A from the ATP, which implies the possibility of a large scale hinge-bending of the domains to bring the two substrates together in a water-free environment for catalysis.     

磁性隧道结中自旋相关输运的势垒影响

为了研究势垒对铁磁/绝缘层/半导体/绝缘层/铁磁(FM/I/SM/I/FM)双隧道结中自旋相关电子输运特性的影响,提出了在半导体层厚度合适的情况下,非对称势垒对于提高平行结构磁性双隧道结的自旋注入效率SIE(spin injection efficiency)更具优势.数值计算结果表明,当两势垒强度的比率达到合适数值时双结的SIE和隧穿磁电阻TMR(tunneling magnetore resistance)都将达到最大,这给提高从铁磁到半导体的SIE带来新选择.研究还表明,非对称势垒结构磁性隧道结中增大铁磁交换能对提高SIE和TMR都是有益的,而且铁磁交换能的增加对SIE的提高要比对TMR的提高更显著.     

关于加强青年农民工的思想道德建设的思考

青年农民工是我国工业化、城市化进程中的一支重要力量,他们在为我国经济社会发展做出巨大贡献的同时,却遭受着不公正的待遇,不能取得与拥有城镇户口身份的劳动者平等的地位并享受相应权益等等,这些问题在一定程度上造成青年农民工在思想和道德素质上表现出种种不足,给社会和谐稳定带来了隐患。为此,加强青年农民工的思想道德建设,成为和谐社会发展中的一个重要课题。     

通过镍(II)-硫键和碘离子基元反应有理合成碘-二硫醇盐桥联的双核镍-镍配合物

本文报道由于碘离子对不稳定的Ni(II)-S(芳基硫醇盐)键的亲核作用,使得Fe(CO)412和Ni(SR)2(dppe(SR=芳基硫醇盐)之间的反应生成NiI2(dppe).含碘和二芳基硫醇盐离子桥联的Ni-Ni双核配合物[(dppe)Ni(μ-I)(μ-pdt)Ni(dppe)]I和[(dppe)Ni(μ-I)(μ-edt)Ni(dppe)]I可方便地由[NiI2(dppe)]和[Ni(pdt)(dppe)]或[Ni(edt)(dppe)]在二氯甲烷的溶液中的反应制得;该类反应可认为是由于硫醇盐离子基团中S-供体上的孤对电子对Ni-I键的进攻所致.另一方面,我们观察到[FeCp(CO)2I]和[Ni(pdt)(dppe)]或[Ni(edt)(dppe)]在二氯甲烷中的反应极其缓慢;但当向上述反应体系中加入NH4PF6进行复分解置换后,源于碘离子和Ni(II)-S键的作用同样可得到含碘与二芳基硫醇盐离子桥联的Ni-Ni双核配合物[(dppe)Ni(μ-I)(μ-pdt)Ni(dppe)]PF6和 [(dppe)Ni(μ-I)(μ-edt)Ni(dppe)]PF6.实验结果说明在本文所讨认的镍(II)-硫醇盐离子-膦配合物中,Ni(II)-S键的反应活性随桥联的第二金属离子和不同的碘离子基元而改变.