Evidence for ubiquitous strong electron-phonon coupling in high-temperature superconductors

Coupling between electrons and phonons (lattice vibrations) drives the formation of the electron pairs responsible for conventional superconductivity. The lack of direct evidence for electron-phonon coupling in the electron dynamics of the high-transition-temperature superconductors has driven an intensive search for an alternative mechanism. A coupling of an electron with a phonon would result in an abrupt change of its velocity and scattering rate near the phonon energy. Here we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to probe electron dynamics-velocity and scattering rate-for three different families of copper oxide superconductors. We see in all of these materials an abrupt change of electron velocity at 50-80 meV, which we cannot explain by any known process other than to invoke coupling with the phonons associated with the movement of the oxygen atoms. This suggests that electron-phonon coupling strongly influences the electron dynamics in the high-temperature superconductors, and must therefore be included in any microscopic theory of superconductivity.     

An exceptionally preserved Lower Cretaceous ecosystem

Fieldwork in the Early Cretaceous Jehol Group, northeastern China has revealed a plethora of extraordinarily well-preserved fossils that are shaping some of the most contentious debates in palaeontology and evolutionary biology. These discoveries include feathered theropod dinosaurs and early birds, which provide additional, indisputable support for the dinosaurian ancestry of birds, and much new evidence on the evolution of feathers and flight. Specimens of putative basal angiosperms and primitive mammals are clarifying details of the early radiations of these major clades. Detailed soft-tissue preservation of the organisms from the Jehol Biota is providing palaeobiological insights that would not normally be accessible from the fossil record.     

Polycystins 1 and 2 mediate mechanosensation in the primary cilium of kidney cells

Several proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) localize to cilia. Furthermore, cilia are malformed in mice with PKD with mutations in TgN737Rpw (encoding polaris). It is not known, however, whether ciliary dysfunction occurs or is relevant to cyst formation in PKD. Here, we show that polycystin-1 (PC1) and polycystin-2 (PC2), proteins respectively encoded by Pkd1 and Pkd2, mouse orthologs of genes mutated in human autosomal dominant PKD, co-distribute in the primary cilia of kidney epithelium. Cells isolated from transgenic mice that lack functional PC1 formed cilia but did not increase Ca(2+) influx in response to physiological fluid flow. Blocking antibodies directed against PC2 similarly abolished the flow response in wild-type cells as did inhibitors of the ryanodine receptor, whereas inhibitors of G-proteins, phospholipase C and InsP(3) receptors had no effect. These data suggest that PC1 and PC2 contribute to fluid-flow sensation by the primary cilium in renal epithelium and that they both function in the same mechanotransduction pathway. Loss or dysfunction of PC1 or PC2 may therefore lead to PKD owing to the inability of cells to sense mechanical cues that normally regulate tissue morphogenesis.     

实施“两个工程” 加强师资队伍建设

随着社会的发展 ,与经济建设最为紧密、最为直接的高等职业技术教育作用越来越突出 ,而办好高职教育的关键在于师资队伍建设。实践证明 ,初稿“青蓝工程”和“名师工程”是加强师资队伍建设的有效途径。     

Hf isotope composition of zircons and implication for the petrogenesis of Yajiangqiao granite,Hunan Province,China

In the peralumineous granite of Yajiangqiao zircon population can be divided into two groups (i.e. Zircon Ⅰ and Zircon Ⅱ), which were formed in magmatic chamber and in emplacement place, respectively. The Hf isotope compositions of two stages of zircon show that the host magma was essentially derived from crustal material by melting. However, some higher 176Hf/177Hf ratios indicate that the granitic zircons should contain fine crystal of zircon formed in mantle-derived magma. In fact, the backscattered electron imaging and the electron microprobe analysis reveal that there is another type of zircon included within Zircon Ⅰ, which is quite different from Zircon Ⅰ and Zircon Ⅱ in morphology and chemistry. They are considered to be the product of the mantle-derived magma intruded into the granitic magma chamber at the beginning of anatexis. Thus,it is suggested that the formation of Yajiangqiao granite is related to the underplating of mantle magma.     

Climate indexes of phytoliths from Homo erectus'''' cave deposits in Nanjing

Many related papers have been published since the first report on the discovery of Nanjing hominid crania by Mu et al.[1]. Mu et al.[1], Xu et al.[2—4], the Tangshan Ar-chaeological Team[5] and Dong[6] have successively stud-ied the Nanjing Homo erectus?symbiotic faunas. Mu et al. and Xu et al. considered that the nature of the fauna in the Tangshan area belongs to the Oriental Realm,and this region was usually occupied by Ailuropoda-Tapirus fauna in the Pleistocene. However, the typica…     

Degradation of pyrene and characterization of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharothrix</Emphasis> sp. PYX-6 from the oligotrophic Tianchi Lake in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China

Bacterial strain PYX-6 that utilizes anthracene,phenanthrene, or pyrene for carbon and energy sources for growth was isolated from a non-polluted lake (Tianchi Lake) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Its morphology, physiological and biochemical properties, cell wall pattern and G C mol% content of DNA molecules were characterized. The 16S rRNA gene of strain PYX-6 was sequenced and analyzed for similarities to related bacterial species. Results indicated that strain PYX-6 is a member of the Genus Saccharothrix, and the strain was named Saccha-rothrix sp. PYX-6. When pyrene was the sole carbon source in cultural medium, the strain PYX-6 assimilated pyrene for growth and 0.005% of yeast extract stimulated pyrene degradation and assimilation. The optimal pH of cultural medium and the optimal shaking frequency during cultivation were 6-8 and 200 r/m, respectively. It was found that the disappearance of pyrene in medium occurred before significant growth of strain PYX-6 took place. Phthalic acid, benzylacetic acid, and benzylpropenoic acid were detected as catabolic intermediates during pyrene degradation with mass spectroscopy and this result indicated that Saccharothrix sp.PYX-6 adopted a pathway that is different from the pathway of the previously reported pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium sp. PYR-1.     

Effects of pattern shape on adaptation of dLGN cell

Pattern adaptation is one of the fundamental sensory processes in the visual system. In this study, we compared pattern adaptation induced by two types of sinusoidal drifting grating in dLGN cells of cat. The two types of grating have the same parameters (e.g. spatial frequency,temporal frequency and contrast) except their pattern shapes,one of which is normal grating and the other annular grating.The results suggested that the annular grating elicited stronger response and stronger pattern adaptation than the normal grating. This is consistent with the adaptation and aftereffect to the two types of drifting gratings seen in psychology and may reflect the subcortical neural mechanism underlying these psychological phenomena.     

A weak El Nio event in 2002 detected by the astronomical observation

Using the length-of-day (LOD) data series derived from astronomical observations made by various modern space techniques, southern oscillation index (SOI) and anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST) in tropical Pacific Ocean, the inter-annual components of these data series are obtained by the technique of band filtering from January 1962 to October 2002. It is found that a new ENSO event has already occurred in 2002 and been detected by the interannual LOD. It is shown by the wavelet analysis that the component with a period of about 4-6 years and the quasi-biennial component are out of phase during 2001-2002, which consequently suggests that the new ENSO event cannot be a strong one.