科技奖——“孵蛋机器”

设计师将这件作品比喻成一个孕育生命的机器。像鸡蛋一样的外形最适合孕育生命，生命成长所需要的养分通过与“蛋体”连接的金线来传输，生命的生长情况可以通过一个透明的小窗来观察。     

Hydrogenation of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene over Cu–Pd/SiO2 catalysts prepared by electroless deposition

Electroless deposition has been used to prepare Cu–Pd/SiO₂ bimetallic catalysts wherein initial Cu coverages are limited only to the pre-existing Pd surface. Cu loading on the Pd surface can be systematically varied by modification of deposition kinetic parameters. In this case deposition time was used as the kinetic variable for the preparation of a series of Cu–Pd catalysts. These materials have been characterized using atomic absorption, CO chemisorption, and FT-IR (adsorption of CO), and then evaluated for the hydrogenation of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene, a functionalized olefin having many potential reaction pathways. Catalyst performance and characterization results suggest that Cu is not distributed in a monodisperse manner on the Pd surface, indicating the existence of autocatalytic deposition of Cu on Cu sites. The FT-IR results suggest that although CO adsorption on all sites is suppressed by Cu addition, initial Cu deposition occurs more readily on certain sites. The bimetallic Cu–Pd sites that are formed exhibit unusually high activity for EpB conversion and formation of unsaturated alcohols and aldehydes. This bimetallic effect on catalyst activity and selectivity is best explained, not by the existence of either ligand or ensemble effects, but rather by the bifunctional nature of the Cu–Pd sites present on the surface of these catalysts.     

Clinical determination of tissue optical properties by endoscopic spatially resolved reflectometry

A noninvasive method to measure the optical properties of a diffusing and absorbing medium is described. Based on the spatially resolved measurement of diffuse reflectance at the sample surface, this method is particularly suitable for investigating the in vivo optical properties of biological tissues endoscopically in a clinical context. The sensitivity of the measurement is discussed, and two optical probes for two different clinical applications are presented. Preliminary measurements are performed on a nonbiological medium, which illustrate the possibilities of the proposed method. Finally, we report on in vivo measurements of the optical properties of the human esophageal wall at 630 nm.     

Acoustic emission from the initiation of plastic deformation of Polyethylenes during tensile tests

The acoustic emission (AE) technique has been used in the aim to detect and to observe the initiation of plasticity and damage of several Polyethylenes (PE) during tensile tests. The detection of acoustic signals originating from the deformation of the material is challenging since PE samples strongly attenuate ultrasonic waves. A weak acoustic activity has been recorded during the tests. The use of two types of PE specimens and two methodologies based on the elimination and the discrimination of spurious sources has shown that most of the AE signals truly originate from the plastic deformation of materials. We also observed that the acoustic activity increases with strain rate. Besides, some AE signals are located along the specimen length during tensile tests at high strain rate. The acoustic activity increases strongly with the crystallinity. Micro-cavities, formed before the yield point of PE samples with high crystallinity in particular, likely initiate the release of acoustic energy. In addition, some signals are collected on PE samples, which do not exhibit a formation of cavitation. Hence, the shearing of crystallites and/or the fragmentation of crystalline lamellae may also be a source of the release of acoustic energies.     

A syndrome of molybdenosis, copper deficiency, and type 2 diabetes in the moose population of south-west Sweden

Since the mid-1980s, a 'mysterious' disease has been afflicting the moose (Alces alces L.) population of south-western Sweden. Molybdenosis combined with secondary copper deficiency syndrome has been suggested as the cause of the clinical signs and of necropsy findings, supported by trace element analysis. Copper deficiency has long been associated with disturbed carbohydrate metabolism and also with oxidative stress. When testing the oxidative stress hypothesis, we found increased concentrations of the glycoxidation products pentosidine and carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), both in plasma proteins and in renal tissue, when compared with control values. The concentration of glycated lysine (furosine), a marker of hyperglycaemia, was also increased. These data, together with elevated insulin levels in affected moose, strongly suggest that they are suffering from an environmentally-induced, non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.     

Nonparametric regression on the hyper-sphere with uniform design

This paper deals with the estimation of a function f defined on the sphere \mathbbS^d\mathbb{S}^{d} of ℝ ^d+1 from a sample of noisy observation points. We introduce an estimation procedure based on wavelet-like functions on the sphere called needlets and study two estimators f ^⊛ and f^\bigstarf^{\bigstar} respectively made adaptive through the use of a stochastic and deterministic needlet-shrinkage method. We show hereafter that these estimators are nearly optimal in the minimax framework, explain why f ^⊛ outperforms f^\bigstarf^{\bigstar}, and run finite-sample simulations with f ^⊛ to demonstrate that our estimation procedure is easy to implement and fares well in practice. We are motivated by applications in geophysical and atmospheric sciences.     

Identification of equivalent topography in an open channel flow using Lagrangian data assimilation

We present a Lagrangian data assimilation experiment in an open channel flow above a broad-crested weir. The observations consist of trajectories of particles transported by the flow and extracted from a video film, in addition to classical water level measurements. However, the presence of vertical recirculations on both sides of the weir actually conducts to the identification of an equivalent topography corresponding to the lower limit of a surface jet. In addition, results on the identification of the Manning coefficient may allow to detect the presence of bottom recirculations.     

Direct and crossover effects of prosocial and antisocial coping behaviors.

The relationship of antisocial and prosocial coping behaviors to individual and relationship well-being was prospectively examined in a sample of fire-emergency workers (FEWs) and their marital or romantic partners (69 couples). Results of hierarchical multiple regression equations indicated that FEW's antisocial coping was related to higher levels of depressive symptoms. Prosocial coping was related to decreased anger expression and increased relationship adjustment. Partners' prosocial coping was a significant predictor of FEW's reports of better relationship adjustment. For partners, prosocial coping was positively related to their relationship adjustment. FEW coping was unrelated to partners' outcome. Results for the FEWs support the notion that coping has direct and crossover effects. Moreover, results indicate that prosocial and antisocial coping behaviors have differential effects on well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation de l'impact de l'urbanisation sur la réalimentation des nappes d'eau souterraines au nord-est de Paris (France)

The plateau of Romainville which spreads over the district of Belleville in Paris (France) to the town of Fontenay-sous-Bois has a surface area of about 12?km² and constitutes a geological and hydrogeological unit because at its base there exists an almost impervious formation, known as the "Glaises Vertes" (green clays of the Sannoisien stage). Above this formation, two water tables exist in two formations: the "Marno-calcaire de Brie" (siliceous limestone) and the "Sables de Fontainebleau" (sand). These two formations are separated by a clay layer: the "Marnes à Huîtres" (marl). In the past (before significant urban development), both waters flowed out naturally from the top of the Glaises Vertes on the edges of the area. Today, most of the springs are directed to the sewer network. Because they are close to Paris, these springs have been harnessed very early, through a very difuse and developed network of drains called "pierrées" and aqueducts. The different archives that have been used for this study provide much information regarding these springs, and the flow rate in particular. The first information available dates from the Middle Ages. This type of water supply was strategically important for Paris for at least six centuries (from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries). Having defined the different methods of harnessing the underground water this study shows the evolution of the flow rate through over 50 measurements. These date from the Middle Ages to today. The figures relating to the nineteenth century are surprisingly precise The data have been compared to the rainfall figures where these were available. In 1998 the flow rates were computed over a period of 9?months from the only remaining spring that is in use. A study of the piezometry has also been carried out in the town of Les Lilas which is a part of the plateau of Romainville. The information is compared with a piezometric map of 1882 known as the Map Delesse, drawn up before significant urban development occurred. Comparisons of the data available show that there has been no significant decrease in the specific yields of the springs during the twentieth century, although the catchment area has been totally urbanised with up to a 90% impermeability. Analysis of the piezometric values of 1882 and 1998 leads to the same conclusion. It is considered that, apart from the remaining rain which infiltrates to the water table, there must be another supply that compensates for the loss in catchment capacity. The compensation could be attributed to leaks in different underground networks such as the drinking water supply, the sewer network and the rainfall runoff network. The extensive use of water in public areas for cleaning roads and for irrigation purposes is also likely to contribute to the water table flow rate. The compensating flow of water is assessed at 1.7 to 2?l?s^–1?km^–2 (i.e. 1.7 to 2?10^–3?m³?s^–1?km^–2), i.e. about 80% of the total flow of the aquifer.