Genome divergence in two Prochlorococcus ecotypes reflects oceanic niche differentiation

The marine unicellular cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest-known oxygen-evolving autotroph. It numerically dominates the phytoplankton in the tropical and subtropical oceans, and is responsible for a significant fraction of global photosynthesis. Here we compare the genomes of two Prochlorococcus strains that span the largest evolutionary distance within the Prochlorococcus lineage and that have different minimum, maximum and optimal light intensities for growth. The high-light-adapted ecotype has the smallest genome (1,657,990 base pairs, 1,716 genes) of any known oxygenic phototroph, whereas the genome of its low-light-adapted counterpart is significantly larger, at 2,410,873 base pairs (2,275 genes). The comparative architectures of these two strains reveal dynamic genomes that are constantly changing in response to myriad selection pressures. Although the two strains have 1,350 genes in common, a significant number are not shared, and these have been differentially retained from the common ancestor, or acquired through duplication or lateral transfer. Some of these genes have obvious roles in determining the relative fitness of the ecotypes in response to key environmental variables, and hence in regulating their distribution and abundance in the oceans.     

Antimicrobial activity of cyclacillin againstEscherichia coli in vivo and in vitro

Résumé Chez la souris, l'effet de la cyclacilline diffère peu de celui de l'ampicilline, en ce qui concerne la concentration ou localisation deE. coli dans le sang, la rate et la foie. Une différence importante est cependant notée dans les concentrations minima inhibitrices (MIC) de ces deux antibiotiques pour les bactéries gram-négatives.     

Biosynthesis of cobalamin (vitamin B12): a bacterial conundrum

The biosynthesis of cobalamin (vitamin B12) is described, revealing how the concerted action of around 30 enzyme-mediated steps results in the synthesis of one of Nature's most structurally complex 'small molecules'. The plethora of genome sequences has meant that bacteria capable of cobalamin synthesis can be easily identified and their biosynthetic genes compared. Whereas only a few years ago cobalamin synthesis was thought to occur by one of two routes, there are apparently a number of variations on these two pathways, where the major differences seem to be concerned with the process of ring contraction. A comparison of what is currently known about these pathways is presented. Finally, the process of cobalt chelation is discussed and the structure/function of the cobalt chelatase associated with the oxygen-independent pathway (CbiK) is described.     

某型航空发动机对插板式进气畸变的响应

为得到较为准确的发动机对进气畸变的稳定性响应模型,首先分析了由实验所得到的某型航空涡扇发动机进口扰流插板产生的稳态总压畸变和紊流分布。相对于压气机转子进口,将周向分布的稳态总压畸变和截面脉动压力处理成为一组不同频率的压力激励波形分布。通过频谱分析得到:在发动机失稳前,稳态畸变形成的波形频率最低,幅值最大,是引起发动机失稳的主要原因。对该组合畸变激励波用一阶响应模型进行动态修正并使用平行压气机分析模型,得到了经修正的压气机喘振边界和得到改善的发动机进气畸变响应模型。最后分别计算了高、低压压气机逐步失稳的工作点移动过程。结果表明:与压气机出口实验失稳波形十分接近,该模型准确可行。     

局部固支功能梯度板的横向弯曲研究

研究了局部固支功能梯度方板在横向均布载荷作用下的静力学问题。假设功能梯度材料由陶瓷和钢组成，材料弹性模量设计为沿着板的厚度方向按照幂指数形式连续变化，功能梯度方板的四个边均为局部固支，应用Kirchhoff薄板理论和虚功原理推导了板的静力学有限元方程。另分别考虑了各边50%固支和25%固支两种情况，在板材料为纯陶瓷和纯钢时，将所得结果与ANSYS软件结果对比，验证了所建模型的准确性。最后，重点分析了梯度指数对板面和边界最大挠度的影响。结果表明梯度指数和固支范围是决定最大挠度的关键参数，其中固支范围对边界上最大挠度的影响更大。