Molecular fingerprinting with the resolved modes of a femtosecond laser frequency comb

The control of the broadband frequency comb emitted from a mode-locked femtosecond laser has permitted a wide range of scientific and technological advances--ranging from the counting of optical cycles for next-generation atomic clocks to measurements of phase-sensitive high-field processes. A unique advantage of the stabilized frequency comb is that it provides, in a single laser beam, about a million optical modes with very narrow linewidths and absolute frequency positions known to better than one part in 10(15) (ref. 5). One important application of this vast array of highly coherent optical fields is precision spectroscopy, in which a large number of modes can be used to map internal atomic energy structure and dynamics. However, an efficient means of simultaneously identifying, addressing and measuring the amplitude or relative phase of individual modes has not existed. Here we use a high-resolution disperser to separate the individual modes of a stabilized frequency comb into a two-dimensional array in the image plane of the spectrometer. We illustrate the power of this technique for high-resolution spectral fingerprinting of molecular iodine vapour, acquiring in a few milliseconds absorption images covering over 6 THz of bandwidth with high frequency resolution. Our technique for direct and parallel accessing of stabilized frequency comb modes could find application in high-bandwidth spread-spectrum communications with increased security, high-resolution coherent quantum control, and arbitrary optical waveform synthesis with control at the optical radian level.     

The detection of carbonation by the Drosophila gustatory system

There are five known taste modalities in humans: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate). Although the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster tastes sugars, salts and noxious chemicals, the nature and number of taste modalities in this organism is not clear. Previous studies have identified one taste cell population marked by the gustatory receptor gene Gr5a that detects sugars, and a second population marked by Gr66a that detects bitter compounds. Here we identify a novel taste modality in this insect: the taste of carbonated water. We use a combination of anatomical, calcium imaging and behavioural approaches to identify a population of taste neurons that detects CO2 and mediates taste acceptance behaviour. The taste of carbonation may allow Drosophila to detect and obtain nutrients from growing microorganisms. Whereas CO2 detection by the olfactory system mediates avoidance, CO2 detection by the gustatory system mediates acceptance behaviour, demonstrating that the context of CO2 determines appropriate behaviour. This work opens up the possibility that the taste of carbonation may also exist in other organisms.     

重金属污染土壤的植物修复及其机理研究

近年来,作为一种成本低廉、对环境友好的修复方法,重金属污染土壤的植物修复成为环境修复领域的研究热点.早期的研究侧重于超富集植物的发现与实际应用,近来超富集植物重金属富集机理的研究得到了重视.尽管重金属植物累积的生化机制尚未能被完整阐述,但在土壤重金属生物活性、超富集植物重金属的吸收、转运、储存等方面还是取得了大量进展.综述了近年来国内外相关研究工作成果,探讨了该研究领域存在的主要问题,认为在有机鳌合剂如有机酸与氨基酸等对重金属活性、耐性和离子迁移转运系统中所起作用等方面尚需要深入研究.如果在植物重金属吸收、迁移、解毒机理及其影响因素等重金属富集的关键方面能取得进展,则将大大丰富污染土壤重金属修复的研究与应用领域.     

宋代铁钱的中子衍射研究

利用飞行时间法中子衍射技术( time of flight neutron diffraction) 对 3 枚陕西出土的宋代铁钱进行了无损的相分析, 采用英国卢瑟福实验室的高分辨率中子衍射仪 GEM( General Materials Diffractometer) , 定量地揭示了铁钱的相组成、合金成分与主要锈蚀产物的成分。分析结果表明铁钱的主要物相为铁素体、渗碳体( 还含有 Fe₃P), 主要锈蚀产物为棕黄色针铁矿(α-FeOOH) , 没有发现铁素体晶粒的织构化, 表明铁钱系铸造而成。中子衍射这种完全无损且量化的物理实验技术在中国文化遗产的科学分析与保护研究中具有广阔的应用前景。     

Evasion of the p53 tumour surveillance network by tumour-derived MYC mutants

The c-Myc oncoprotein promotes proliferation and apoptosis, such that mutations that disable apoptotic programmes often cooperate with MYC during tumorigenesis. Here we report that two common mutant MYC alleles derived from human Burkitt's lymphoma uncouple proliferation from apoptosis and, as a result, are more effective than wild-type MYC at promoting B cell lymphomagenesis in mice. Mutant MYC proteins retain their ability to stimulate proliferation and activate p53, but are defective at promoting apoptosis due to a failure to induce the BH3-only protein Bim (a member of the B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) family) and effectively inhibit Bcl2. Disruption of apoptosis through enforced expression of Bcl2, or loss of either Bim or p53 function, enables wild-type MYC to produce lymphomas as efficiently as mutant MYC. These data show how parallel apoptotic pathways act together to suppress MYC-induced transformation, and how mutant MYC proteins, by selectively disabling a p53-independent pathway, enable tumour cells to evade p53 action during lymphomagenesis.     

中国甘肃一例前足迹主导的翼龙足迹组合:对行为学的影响（英文）

翼龙是已知的、最早飞上天际的脊椎动物,目前已经发现了成千上万件化石,代表着这一大家族从晚三叠世到晚白垩世在全球范围内的蓬勃发展史.自2004年甘肃盐锅峡地区首次报道翼龙足迹以来,中国陆续发现了一批翼龙足迹化石,绝大多数的足迹点都保存了翼龙的前后足迹.2013年,我们在盐锅峡地区发现了至少20个翼龙前足迹的凸型足迹,而没有发现任何后足迹,这些足迹可归于一个单独翼龙遗迹属——Pteraichnus.这是中国第一次发现由前足迹主导的翼龙足迹组合,这可能反映了翼龙前后足迹在同等保存条件下的不同深度.更重要的是,盐锅峡的这批翼龙足迹与当地发现的大量虫迹相关,一些足迹甚至就保存在虫迹面上,这些虫迹包括Cochlichnus,Spongeliomorpha和Paleophycus,因此推断这批翼龙造迹者很可能以这些无脊椎动物造迹者为食.