Cosmic dust and our origins

The small solid particles in the space between the stars provide the surfaces for the production of many simple and complex molecules. Processes involving the effects of ultraviolet irradiation of the thin (hundredth micron) mantles are shown to produce a wide range of molecules and ions also seen in comets. Some of the more complex ones inferred from laboratory experiments are expected to play an important role in the origin of life. An outline of the chemical evolution of interstellar dust as observed and as studied in the laboratory is presented. Observations of comets are shown to provide substantial evidence for their being fluffy aggregates of interstellar dust as it was in the protosolar nebula, i.e. the interstellar cloud which collapsed to form the solar system. The theory that comets may have brought the progenitors of life to the earth is summarized.     

A MODEL OF TROPICAL MARINE RESERVE‐FISHERY LINKAGES

ABSTRACT. The excessive and unsustainable exploitation of our marine resources has led to the promotion of marine reserves as a fisheries management tool. Marine reserves, areas in which fishing is restricted or prohibited, can offer opportunities for the recovery of exploited stock and fishery enhancement. In this paper we examine the contribution of fully protected tropical marine reserves to fishery enhancement by modeling marine reserve‐fishery linkages. The consequences of reserve establishment on the long‐run equilibrium fish biomass and fishery catch levels are evaluated. In contrast to earlier models this study highlights the roles of both adult (and juvenile) fish migration and larval dispersal between the reserve and fishing grounds by employing a spawner‐recruit model. Uniform larval dispersal, uniform larval retention and complete larval retention combined with zero, moderate and high fish migration scenarios are analyzed in turn. The numerical simulations are based on Mombasa Marine National Park, Kenya, a fully protected coral reef marine reserve comprising approximately 30% of former fishing grounds. Simulation results suggest that the establishment of a fully protected marine reserve will always lead to an increase in total fish biomass. If the fishery is moderately to heavily exploited, total fishery catch will be greater with the reserve in all scenarios of fish and larval movement. If the fishery faces low levels of exploitation, catches can be optimized without a reserve but with controlled fishing effort. With high fish migration from the reserve, catches are optimized with the reserve. The optimal area of the marine reserve depends on the exploitation rate in the neighboring fishing grounds. For example, if exploitation is maintained at 40%, the ‘optimal’ reserve size would be 10%. If the rate increases to 50%, then the reserve needs to be 30% of the management area in order to maximize catches. However, even in lower exploitation fisheries (below 40%), a small reserve (up to 20%) provides significantly higher gains in fish biomass than losses in catch. Marine reserves are a valuable fisheries management tool. To achieve maximum fishery benefits they should be complemented by fishing effort controls.     

贝塞尔-高斯脉冲光束在色散介质中的时间和光谱特性

 对等衍射长度贝塞尔-高斯脉冲光束在色散介质中的时间和光谱特性作了研究，结果表明，通过选择适当的空间参数，贝塞尔-高斯脉冲光束沿轴上传输时，脉冲宽度不变。传输距离小于无衍射长度时，随衍射角增加，功率谱形状未变，脉冲波形保持不变；传输距离大于无衍射长度时，随衍射角增加，光谱由蓝移变为红移，脉冲展宽。     

Lower Bounds from State Space Relaxations for Concave Cost Network Flow Problems

In this paper we obtain Lower Bounds (LBs) to concave cost network flow problems. The LBs are derived from state space relaxations of a dynamic programming formulation, which involve the use of non-injective mapping functions guaranteing a reduction on the cardinality of the state space. The general state space relaxation procedure is extended to address problems involving transitions that go across several stages, as is the case of network flow problems. Applications for these LBs include: estimation of the quality of heuristic solutions; local search methods that use information of the LB solution structure to find initial solutions to restart the search (Fontes et al., 2003, Networks, 41, 221–228); and branch-and-bound (BB) methods having as a bounding procedure a modified version of the LB algorithm developed here, (see Fontes et al., 2005a). These LBs are iteratively improved by penalizing, in a Lagrangian fashion, customers not exactly satisfied or by performing state space modifications. Both the penalties and the state space are updated by using the subgradient method. Additional constraints are developed to improve further the LBs by reducing the searchable space. The computational results provided show that very good bounds can be obtained for concave cost network flow problems, particularly for fixed-charge problems.     

颜色视觉匹配中明度阈值的评价

为了对颜色视觉匹配中的明度阈值特性进行评价,采用在阴极射线管显示器上获得的颜色刺激,在5个不同明度的中性色背景下,标准刺激的明度L*从5到95以5个CIELAB单位为变化步长,共对19个不同明度的中性标准颜色进行视觉匹配实验。通过对实验结果的处理和分析,验证了关于颜色刺激视觉辨别明度阈值与背景明度之间相关性的韦伯法则和crispening效应,同时利用颜色视觉匹配数据对基于CIELAB的相关色差公式进行了评价和比较,CIEDE2000具有最好的明度差预测性能,CMC次之,CIELAB和CIE94最差。     

高折射率椭圆芯布拉格光纤的偏振特性

应用带完全匹配层边界条件的全矢量有限元方法,分析了高折射率椭圆芯布拉格光纤的偏振特性,详细讨论了光纤结构参量对模式双折射度以及群速度走离的影响,结果发现:高折射率椭圆芯布拉格光纤的模式双折射度可达10-2量级,比传统保偏光纤至少高出一个量级,并且表现出不同于传统保偏光纤的群速度走离特性;在保持较高双折射度的同时,通过合理的结构设计,可在一定的波长处灵活地获得较大的群速度走离或零走离特性,具有重要的潜在应用价值;最后,简要分析了低折射率区域的折射率变化对偏振特性的影响;研究结果有助于设计高性能的微结构保偏光纤。     

Ground-state properties of LiV2O4 and Li1-xZnx(V1-yTiy)2O4

We present susceptibility, microwave resistivity, NMR and heat-capacity results for Li_1-xZn_x(V_1-yTi_y)₂O₄ with 0 ? x ? 0.3 and 0 ? y ? 0.3. For all doping levels the susceptibility curves can be fitted with a Curie-Weiss law. The paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperatures remain negative with an average value close to that of the pure compound Θ≈ - 36 K. Spin-glass anomalies are observed in the susceptibility, heat-capacity and NMR measurements for both type of dopants. From the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate we found critical-dynamic behavior in the Zn doped compounds at the freezing temperatures. For the Ti-doped samples two successive freezing transitions into disordered low-temperature states can be detected. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity for Zn-doped compounds does not resemble that of canonical spin glasses and only a small fraction of the total vanadium entropy is frozen at the spin-glass transitions. For pure LiV₂O₄ the spin-glass transition is completely suppressed. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity for LiV₂O₄ can be described using a nuclear Schottky contribution and the non-Fermi liquid model, appropriate for a system close to a spin-glass quantum critical point. Finally an ( x / y , T )-phase diagram for the low-doping regime is presented. Received 16 March 2001 and Received in final form 30 October 2001     

Time delay as a key to apoptosis induction in the p53 network

A feedback mechanism that involves the proteins p53 and mdm2, induces cell death as a controlled response to severe DNA damage. A minimal model for this mechanism demonstrates that the response may be dynamic and connected with the time needed to translate the mdm2 protein. The response takes place if the dissociation constant k between p53 and mdm2 varies from its normal value. Although it is widely believed that it is an increase in k that triggers the response, we show that the experimental behaviour is better described by a decrease in the dissociation constant. The response is quite robust upon changes in the parameters of the system, as required by any control mechanism, except for few weak points, which could be connected with the onset of cancer. Received 8 May 2002 / Received in final form 9 July 2002 Published online 17 September 2002     

ω-meson photoproduction on nucleons in the near-threshold region

The European Physical Journal A - The ω-meson photoproduction, γ + p→p + ω, is studied in the framework of a model, containing π-meson exchange in t-channel and...