Cosmic Ray-driven Bioenergetics for Life in Molecular Clouds

According to models such as panspermia or the Nebula-Relay hypothesis,the ancestors of life on Earth once lived in molecular clouds.Then what are the energy source and bioenergetics for such lifeforms?A new bioenergetic mechanism powered by cosmic ray ionization of hydrogen molecules is proposed and its relation with the origin of chemiosmosis is also discussed in this paper.Based on this mechanism,the Last Universal Common Ancestor may be a type of lifeform that utilizes hydrogen molecules as donors of electron transport chains.

Application of Fluid Inclusions in the Study of Natural Gas Geology in Ordos Basin

The new recently demonstrated reserves of oil and gas in the Ordos basin are found at the top of petroliferous basins in China. Gas pools discovered in recent years in the Permian system have become the main natural gas resource in the basin. Therefore, synthetic research on fluid inclusions should be done in order to ascertain the pool-forming stage, the maturity of organic matters and the properties of Paleo-fluids. The main types of fluid inclusions in the Permian system in the basin include brine inclusions, carbon dioxide inclusions and organic inclusions. Homogenization temperatures （HT） of brine inclusions can be divided into four intervals： 66-83 ℃, 86-108 ℃, 112-138 ℃ and 142-153℃. The fluid inclusions in the interval of 112-138 ℃ are much more than that of other intervals, indicating that the second stage of hydrocarbon migration associated with the third temperature interval is the most important stage of gas pool formations. The fluid inclusion has extensive applications in the study of gas geology, not only in ascertaining the formation stage of gas pools, but also in estimating the maturity of organic matter and restoring Paleo-fluids. The result of testing the HT of brine inclusions shows that there are two stages of gas pool formations in the Permian system occurring ＋150 Ma and ±100 Ma. The maturity of organic matter is moderate to high, a conclusion based on the color of fluid inclusions （radiated by fluorescence）. The high salinity of Paleo-fluids of the NaCI-H2O and CaCl2-H2O systems shows good preservation conditions of the Paleo-fluids. Two stages of reservoir filling, high maturity of organic matter and good preservation conditions are factors favorable for the formation and preservation of large-scale gas pools in the Permian system in the Ordos basin.

Sponge Effect on Coal Mine Methane Separation Based on Clathrate Hydrate Method

The findings were presented from laboratory investigations on the hydrate formation and dissociation processes employed to recover methane from coal mine gas.The separation process of coal mine methane(CMM) was carried out at 273.15K under 4.00 MPa.The key process variables of gas formation rate,gas volume stored in hydrate and separation concentration were closely investigated in twelve THF-SDS-sponge-gas systems to verify the sponge effect in these hydrate-based separation processes.The gas volume stored in hydrate is calculated based on the measured gas pressure.The CH4 mole fraction in hydrate phase is measured by gas chromatography to confirm the separation efficiency.Through close examination of the overall results,it was clearly verified that sponges with volumes of 40,60 and 80 cm 3 significantly increase gas hydrate formation rate and the gas volume stored in hydrate,and have little effect on the CH4 mole fraction in hydrate phase.The present study provides references for the application of the kinetic effect of porous sponge media in hydrate-based technology.This will contribute to CMM utilization and to benefit for local and global environment.

Antifi brotic effects of green tea on in vitro and in vivo models of liver fibrosis

AIM: To examine the protective effect of green tea extract (GT) on hepatic fi brosis in vitro and in vivo in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced rats.METHODS: HSC-T6, a rat hepatic stellate cell line, was used as an in vitro assay system. Cell proliferation, collagen content, and type 1 collagen expression were examined in activated HSC-T6 cells. Collagen was determined by estimating the hydroxyproline content. In rats with DMN-induced hepatic fi brosis, serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase concentrations, liver hydroxyproline and lipid peroxides were determined. Pathologic changes were examined by hematoxylin & eosin staining.RESULTS: GT administration prevented the development of hepatic fibrosis in the rat model of DMN-induced liver fi brosis. These results were confi rmed both by liver histology and by quantitative measurement of hepatic hydroxyproline content, a marker of liver collagen deposition. Accordingly, inhibition of proliferation, reduced collagen deposition, and type 1 collagen expression were observed in activated HSC-T6 cells following GT treatment. These results imply that GT reduced the proliferation of activated HSC and down regulated the collagen content and expression of collagen type 1, thereby ameliorating hepatic fibrosis.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that greentea administration can effectively improve liver fibrosis caused by DMN, and may be used as a therapeutic option and preventive measure against hepatic f ibrosis.

Dynamical Behavior of Core ^3He Nuclear Reaction-Diffusion Systems and Sun＇s Gravitational Field

The coupling of the sun's gravitational field with processes of diffusion and convection exerts a significant influence on the dynamical behavior of the core 3He nuclear reaction-diffusion system. Stability analyses of the system are made in this paper by using the theory of nonequilibrium dynamics. It is showed that, in the nuclear reaction regions extending from the center to about 0.38 times of the radius of the sun, the gravitational field enables the core 3He nuclear reaction-diffusion system to become unstable and, after the instability, new states to appear in the system have characteristic of time oscillation. This may change the production rates of both 7Be and 8B neutrinos.

Two New Solutions of Non-constant-α Force-Free Magnetic Field

Two new solutions for non-constant-α force-free magnetic field are found analytically. Implications of the results to astrophysical solar plasmas as well tokamak plasmas are discussed.

Development of a Zebrafish Model for Rapid Drug Screening against Alzheimer＇s Disease

Alzheimer＇s disease, the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, is a complex neurodegenerative disorder which leads to a progressive decline in cognitive functions. A rapid screening model is highly demanded for identification and evaluation of novel anti-Alzheimer＇s disease drugs from a large numbers of compounds. Until now, numerous studies utilized zebrafish model for drug discovery. Since aluminum can induce a similar biological activity in zebrafish as in Alzheimer patients, in this study, we developed a novel animal model using 3 to 5 day post-fertilization larval zebrafish by optimizing the doses and duration of aluminum chloride exposure. Six anti-Alzheimer＇s disease drugs with a variety of mechanisms were tested to validate the newly developed zebrafish model. Importantly, Rivastigmine, ThT, Flurbiprofen and AM-117 could increase the value of Dyskinesia Recovery Rate by 53.4-64%, 169.4-200%, 54.5-96% and 70.9-121%, respectively. Rivastigmine, Memantine, ThT, Flurbiprofen, Rosiglitazone and AM-117 improved the value of Response Efficiency by 86.6-175.1%, 28.2-66.6%, 127.2-236.5%, 118.3-323.7%, 26.6-140.8% and 70.2-161.4%, respectively. Our results suggest that the zebrafish model developed in this study could be a useful tool for high throughput screening of potential novel anti-Alzheimer＇s disease leading compounds targeting acetylcholinesterase, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor, γ-secretase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γand amyloid-β.

质量四极矩场中的轨道进动效应

用参量化后牛顿 (PPN)方法计算了质量四极矩对于试验物体轨道进动的影响 。

Laboratory study of astrophysical collisionless shock at SG-Ⅱ laser facility

Astrophysical collisionless shocks are amazing phenomena in space and astrophysical plasmas, where supersonic flows generate electromagnetic fields through instabilities and particles can be accelerated to high energy cosmic rays. Until now, understanding these micro-processes is still a challenge despite rich astrophysical observation data have been obtained. Laboratory astrophysics, a new route to study the astrophysics, allows us to investigate them at similar extreme physical conditions in laboratory. Here we will review the recent progress of the collisionless shock experiments performed at SG-II laser facility in China. The evolution of the electrostatic shocks and Weibel-type/filamentation instabilities are observed. Inspired by the configurations of the counter-streaming plasma flows, we also carry out a novel plasma collider to generate energetic neutrons relevant to the astrophysical nuclear reactions.

Natural products and their derivatives as G-quadruplex binding ligands

G-quadruplexes comprise a class of secondary structures that are formed in guanine-rich sequences in eukaryotic genomes and play a crucial role in the regulation of many biological events.G-quadruplexes have become targets for anticancer drugs with high selectivity vs.duplex DNA and low cytotoxicity against normal cells.Natural products and their derivatives display polymorphism,structural complexity,and potent activity.It is,therefore,reasonable to seek ligands targeting G-quadruplexes from natural products.Recently,many successful examples have been reported,showing ligands with excellent anticancer activities.In this review,we summarized the development of research on natural products and derivatives that target G-quadruplex structures in an effort to guide future studies.