Pyrolisis of phosphorylated molecules and survivability limits during the atmospheric passage in earth-like planets

There is evidence that space energy sources could give place to the appearance of phosphorylated nucleosides outside of Earth. These compounds may have been delivered mainly by interplanetary dust particles due to the lower temperatures experienced during atmospheric deceleration and impacts to the terrestrial surface. In this report, we communicate the results of pyrolytic studies to simulate atmospheric survivability of adenosine-5′-diphosphates (ADP) (and adenosine-5′-monophosphate, adenosine and adenine as degradation products) at temperatures <500°C and at various time intervals. Our results revealed that phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated nucleosides transported by IDPs having sizes of 10⁻⁶- could resist temperatures up to 500°C generated during atmospheric entry. However, atmospheric passage should not exceed a time due to the thermal lability of these molecules. Because of the high half-life showed by ADP in the presence of meteoritic powder, it is thought that extraterrestrial delivery of very complex biomolecules is more suitable under such protected conditions. These data indicate that the formation of a Fe²⁺- and/or Ca²⁺-complex could increase the stability of the molecules in the presence of meteoritic matter. Therefore, if the synthesis of nucleosides, nucleotides or oligonucleotides could take place in icy bodies, then micron-sized dust could have contributed significantly to the availability of phosphorylated nucleosides in the early Earth or in extrasolar early Earth-like planets, and thereby could have allowed the arising of an early biological activity.     

Use of probiotic bacteria to improve growth and survivability of farmed New Zealand abalone (Haliotis iris)

The effects of two probiotic feeds containing two and three bacterial isolates were evaluated on the growth performance of New Zealand abalone (Haliotis iris). Probiotic bacteria were isolated from the guts of healthy adult abalone. The isolates were screened qualitatively and quantitatively according to their ability to hydrolyse nutrients (i.e. proteins, starch and alginate), produce acid and resist bile salts. Based on the screening results, we developed a multi-strain conglomerate of 2- and 3- probiotic bacterial strains that were supplemented into a commercial abalone feed to use in our experiments. The 2-probiotic conglomerate consisted of Exiguobacterium JHEb1 and Vibrio JH1, and the 3-probiotic conglomerate consisted of Exiguobacterium JHEb1, Vibrio JH1 and Enterococcus JHLDc. The probiotic feeding trial involved abalone juveniles (20–30 mm in maximum shell length). Both probiotic feeds significantly improved abalone growth compared to that of the unsupplemented feed. The 3-probiotic supplemented feed produced a significant shell length increase of 20.9%, a wet weight gain of 19.8% and a five-fold reduction in mortality compared to the controls. The 2-probiotic supplemented feed resulted in significant increases in shell length (15.4%) and reduced mortality (five-fold), but not in weight gain, compared to controls.     

“丝路”海运网络的脆弱性及风险控制研究

为研究海上丝绸之路集装箱海运网络的脆弱性,对沿线集装箱港口及挂靠航线进行了统计,构建了海上丝绸之路集装箱海运网络,以随机攻击和蓄意攻击两种方式分别对网络的平均度、孤立节点比例、聚类系数、平均路径长度、网络效率和最大连通子图相对大小等反映网络连通性特征值的变化进行了研究。结果表明“丝路”海运网络在受到随机攻击时较为“强壮”,在受到蓄意攻击时相对脆弱。经进一步挖掘,揭示了蓄意攻击下网络开始崩溃和完全崩溃的临界点,并据此指出了需重点保护的枢纽干线港;结合地理特征,分析了“丝路”中主要海上通道通航受阻时网络连通性的变化,发现马六甲海峡、台湾海峡、曼德海峡及苏伊士运河对网络的脆弱性影响最为显著。为进行风险评价,分析了“丝路”网络脆弱性形成因素和抗毁性机制,并提出了相应的抗毁性评价方法,经计算得出南亚为“丝路”网络中抗毁性最薄弱的区域。最后,结合地缘风险分析,提出了相应的对策和建议。本研究对于认清“丝路”海运网络的脆弱性及风险控制方法,保障其互联互通,具有重要的理论意义和应用价值。