强光照和黑暗条件下刺参体壁的基因表达差异

参对光照变化非常敏感，研究刺参对光照的分子响应非常重要。本研究应用RNA测序获取了刺参暴露于强光（“强光”）、正常光照（“对照”）和完全黑暗（“黑暗”）环境下体壁的基因表达谱情况，通过“对照”与“黑暗”，“对照”与“强光”和“黑暗”与“强光”的比较，在|log₂ ratio|≥1和FDR≤0.001的标准下分别发现了1161、113和1705个差异表达基因（DEGs）。基因本体分析表明，“cellular process”和“binding”在“生物过程”和“分子功能”类别中的DEGs富集最多，而“cell”和“cell part”在“细胞组分”类别中的DEGs富集最多。将DEGs与Kyoto Encyclopedia基因和基因组数据库上的于214、41和229条通路进行比对，发现了51、2和57条通路分别显著富集。本研究发现的光特异性DEGs可作为深入研究刺参对光照变化的生化适应机制的重要目标基因。     

基于灯光数据的京津冀城市多标度异速分析

城镇体系的时空演化是一个复杂的动力学过程,具有无尺度性,其特征可以采用异速标度指数定量描述。论文以京津冀为例,基于1992—2013年夜间灯光数据的校正结果,提取城镇夜间灯光信息,采用多标度异速分析方法,分析京津冀城镇体系的相对发展特征及其空间分异格局。研究发现：①京津冀大城市的增长空间局限日益显著。虽然大城市如京津唐的绝对发展水平高,但接近环境承载量的极限,22 a间增长快速的是大城市交接地带的小城市(如三河、迁安、廊坊等)。②相对增长速度快的城市从东北到西南呈现带状分布——政府选择发展的“雄安新区”就在这个轴带上。由此可以得出两个结论：其一,京津冀城市演化的趋势相对均衡化,空间结构异质性逐步减弱,整个城镇体系的发展趋于相对平衡状态;其二,大、小城市“两极”贯通或许是增强城镇体系功能的有效途径。京津冀的空间格局优化不能仅仅考虑主要的、规模大的中心城市,而应该基于等级结构协调整个城镇网络体系。     

光照强度和光色对番红砗磲(Tridacna crocea)氨氮、活性磷酸盐及氧代谢的影响

采用室内实验生态学方法,以水体中氨氮、活性磷酸盐和溶氧变化为指标研究了光照强度和光色对番红砗磲代谢的影响。结果表明:(1)在0—10000lx光照时,番红砗磲排氨量逐渐减少,在光照12000lx时转为吸收海水中氨氮,并在16000lx时达到最高[1.89μg/(ind·h)];在2000lx光照条件下,番红砗磲可吸收海水中活性磷酸盐并释放氧气。其活性磷酸盐吸收量随光照强度增强而增加,在16000lx时达到最高峰。在实验光照范围内,番红砗磲产氧率随光照强度的增强逐渐增加。上述结果显示番红砗磲最佳光照强度约为16000lx。(2)当番红砗磲自黑暗转移至各光照组后,其氨氮、活性磷酸盐吸收率均随时间逐渐降低,而产氧率则逐渐升高。(3)光色显著影响番红砗磲合成代谢,蓝光最佳,红光次之,白光最差。     

Radio Sources and Scintillation

A review is given of the interplay between studies of compact radio sources and the scattering and scintillations that occur as the signals travel through the irregular refractive index of the interstellar and interplanetary plasmas. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

CCD Polarimetric Imaging Of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

Polarimetric observations of the light scattered by dust have been carried out at Pic-du-Midi Observatory with the 2 m telescope in June and September–October 1996, and at Haute-Provence Observatory with the 0.80 m telescope in April 1997. They cover a total number of 11 nights and a large (6.9°–47.7°) phase angle range. The spatial resolution allows to underline structures in the coma, as well in the brightness images as in the polarization maps, with a correlation between the regions of bright structures and the regions of higher polarization. A clear difference appears between the sunward and antisunward side, with higher polarization on the antisunward side. The phase angle coverage allows us to obtain a polarimetric phase curve for the whole coma and to compare it with other cometary phase curves. The degree of polarization is higher for Hale-Bopp than for the comets previously observed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The first World Atlas of the artificial night sky brightness

We present the first World Atlas of the zenith artificial night sky brightness at sea level. Based on radiance-calibrated high-resolution DMSP satellite data and on accurate modelling of light propagation in the atmosphere, it provides a nearly global picture of how mankind is proceeding to envelop itself in a luminous fog. Comparing the Atlas with the United States Department of Energy (DOE) population density data base, we determined the fraction of population who are living under a sky of given brightness. About two-thirds of the World population and 99 per cent of the population in the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and European Union live in areas where the night sky is above the threshold set for polluted status. Assuming average eye functionality, about one-fifth of the World population, more than two-thirds of the United States population and more than one half of the European Union population have already lost naked eye visibility of the Milky Way. Finally, about one-tenth of the World population, more than 40 per cent of the United States population and one sixth of the European Union population no longer view the heavens with the eye adapted to night vision, because of the sky brightness.     

Scattered light models of the dust shell around HD 179821

The dust shell around the evolved star HD 179821 has been detected in scattered light in near-IR imaging polarimetry observations. Here, we subtract the contribution of the unpolarized stellar light to obtain an intrinsic linear polarization of between 30 and 40 per cent in the shell that seems to increase with radial offset from the star. The J - and K -band data are modelled using a scattering code to determine the shell parameters and dust properties. We find that the observations are well described by a spherically-symmetric distribution of dust with an r ⁻² density law, indicating that when mass-loss was occurring, the mass-loss rate was constant. The models predict that the detached nature of a spherically-symmetric, optically-thin dust shell, with a distinct inner boundary, will only be apparent in polarized flux. This is in accordance with the observations of this and other optically-thin circumstellar shells, such as IRAS 17436+5003. By fitting the shell brightness we derive an optical depth to the star that is consistent with V -band observations and that, assuming a distance of 6 kpc, gives an inner-shell radius of     , a dust number density of     at r _in and a dust mass of     . We have explored axisymmetric shell models but conclude that any deviations from spherical symmetry in the shell must be slight, with an equator-to-pole density contrast of less than 2:1. We have not been able to fit simultaneously the high linear polarizations and the small     colour excess of the shell and we attribute this to the unusual scattering properties of the dust. We suggest that the dust grains around HD 179821 either are highly elongated or consist of aggregates of smaller particles.     

关于非球形粒子光散射的T-矩阵数值计算方法的研究

首先介绍了无规取向轴对称非球形粒子光散射的T－矩阵数值方法。然后，进一步研究了T－矩阵计算的收敛问题，提出了一种新的关于无规取向无吸收非线形散射物体的物理收敛方法，我们研究了椭球粒子的收敛问题，结果表明我们的数值方法和T－矩阵计算程序是有效的， 收敛精度与粒子的尺度和形状有很强的依赖性，在一定的条件下，我们的物理收敛速度优于NASA Mishchenko的数学收敛速序。