火星探險

Curiosity Finds Evidence of Mars Crust Contributing to Atmosphere

Processes in Mars' surface material can explain why particular xenon (Xe) and krypton (Kr) isotopes are more abundant in the Martian atmosphere than expected, as measured by NASA's Curiosity rover. Cosmic rays striking barium (Ba) or bromine (Br) atoms can alter isotopic ratios of xenon and krypton.

NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence that chemistry in the surface material on Mars contributed dynamically to the makeup of its atmosphere over time. It's another clue that the history of the Red Planet's atmosphere is more complex and interesting than a simple legacy of loss.

The findings come from the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, instrument suite, which studied the gases xenon and krypton in Mars' atmosphere. The two gases can be used as tracers to help scientists investigate the evolution and erosion of the Martian atmosphere. A lot of information about xenon and krypton in Mars' atmosphere came from analyses of Martian meteorites and measurements made by the Viking mission.

"What we found is that earlier studies of xenon and krypton only told part of the story," said Pamela Conrad, lead author of the report and SAM's deputy principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "SAM is now giving us the first complete in situ benchmark against which to compare meteorite measurements."

Of particular interest to scientists are the ratios of certain isotopes - or chemical variants - of xenon and krypton. The SAM team ran a series of first-of-a-kind experiments to measure all the isotopes of xenon and krypton in the Martian atmosphere. The experiments are described in a paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

The team's method is called static mass spectrometry, and it's good for detecting gases or isotopes that are present only in trace amounts. Although static mass spectrometry isn't a new technique, its use on the surface of another planet is something only SAM has done.

Overall, the analysis agreed with earlier studies, but some isotope ratios were a bit different than expected. When working on an explanation for those subtle but important differences, the researchers realized that neutrons might have gotten transferred from one chemical element to another within the surface material on Mars. The process is called neutron capture, and it would explain why a few selected isotopes were more abundant than previously thought possible.

In particular, it looks as if some of the barium surrendered neutrons that got picked up by xenon to produce higher-than-expected levels of the isotopes xenon-124 and 126. Likewise, bromine might have surrendered some of its neutrons to produce unusual levels of krypton-80 and krypton-82.

These isotopes could have been released into the atmosphere by impacts on the surface and by gas escaping from the regolith, which is the soil and broken rocks of the surface.

"SAM's measurements provide evidence of a really interesting process in which the rock and unconsolidated material at the planet's surface have contributed to the xenon and krypton isotopic composition of the atmosphere in a dynamic way," said Conrad.

The atmospheres of Earth and Mars exhibit very different patterns of xenon and krypton isotopes, particularly for xenon-129. Mars has much more of it in the atmosphere than does Earth.

"The unique capability to measure in situ the six and nine different isotopes of krypton and xenon allows scientists to delve into the complex interactions between the Martian atmosphere and crust," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Discovering these interactions through time allows us to gain a greater understanding of planetary evolution."

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to determine if life was possible on Mars and study major changes in Martian environmental conditions. NASA studies Mars to learn more about our own planet, and in preparation for future human missions to Mars. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

資料來源:

http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1935

What: Mars

When: 09.29.2016

Who  :  NASA

Why  :NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project is using Curiosity to determine if life was possible on Mars and study major changes in Martian environmental conditions. 

How  :

NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence that chemistry in the surface material on Mars contributed dynamically to the makeup of its atmosphere over time.

keyword:
1.Mars:火星
2.Curiosity:好奇心
3.chemistry:化學
4.material:材料
5.atmosphere:大氣層

AlphaGo勝棋王

AlphaGo Games

by Fan Hui, 2p

Through continued development, AlphaGo has created a unique and extremely powerful approach to the game of Go. To articulate its innovations as fully as possible, I enlisted the help of world champions Gu Li 9p and Zhou Ruiyang 9p. Together, we conducted an exhaustive analysis of the five games between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol, and of three games AlphaGo played against itself shortly before the match. We found its ideas both exciting and inspiring, and it became clear to us that AlphaGo represents not only a scientific and technological advancement, but also a milestone in human understanding of Go. Unconstrained by human biases, and free to experiment with radical new approaches, AlphaGo has demonstrated great open-mindedness and invigorated the game with creative new strategies. Of course, no one strategy can guarantee a player’s success, but learning from these games is sure to have a positive, enlightening impact on one’s Go strength and style.

You may note that some games are shown with Black's first stone in the lower left. Although this is not the traditional orientation, this commentary presents many of AlphaGo's own analyses, so we thought it would be interesting also to give a sense of AlphaGo's perspective. The following games are presented exactly as they were entered into AlphaGo, so the reader will experience the self-play games the same way they were created, and the five-game match just as Aja Huang did when sitting across from Lee Sedol.

The variations presented herein are very complex, so I suggest you play them out yourself while reading to better understand these fascinating games.

來源:https://deepmind.com/research/alphago/alphago-games-english/

What:  AlphaGo

When: Monday, 5 September 2016

Who  : AlphaGo

Why  :To articulate its innovations as fully as possible,

How  :Conducted an exhaustive analysis of the five games between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol, and of three games AlphaGo played against itself shortly before the match.
keyword:
1.development:發展
2.innovations:創新
3.scientific:科學
4.champions:冠軍
5.game:遊戲

茲卡病毒

First Zika Birth Defect Reported in Puerto Rico

by ASSOCIATED PRESS

Puerto Rico on Friday reported its first case of a baby born with microcephaly as a result of a Zika infection, raising concerns because officials said the medical condition wasn't identified until the mother was nearly eight months pregnant.

The baby was born in the past two weeks with severe brain defects as well as hearing and vision problems and remains hospitalized, according to Health Secretary Ana Rius.

She said authorities are investigating why the microcephaly case was identified so late although the mother had Zika symptoms between her second and third month of pregnancy. She added that the mother did not receive continuous prenatal care until late in her second trimester.

Rius declined to provide any other details, except to say that the case occurred in the capital of San Juan. She also stressed that all pregnant women should demand to be tested for Zika in their first, second and third trimesters.

Puerto Rico has a Zika epidemic with nearly 31,500 cases reported, including more than 2,400 in pregnant women. A total of 233 people have been hospitalized and six deaths have been reported, four of them linked to Zika and other medical conditions and the remaining two to a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome known to be caused by Zika and other infections.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects a surge of babies born with severe deformities in Puerto Rico in upcoming months. A recent study estimates that up to 10,300 pregnant women on the island could be infected with Zika and that between 100 to 270 babies could be born with microcephaly.

"It's definitely very serious," said Dr. Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, the CDC's deputy incident manager for Zika response. "It represents an enormous challenge from not only a family perspective ... (but) the emotional burden, the financial burden.""It's definitely very serious," said Dr. Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, the CDC's deputy incident manager for Zika response. "It represents an enormous challenge from not only a family perspective ... (but) the emotional burden, the financial burden."

"It's definitely very serious," said Dr. Francisco Alvarado-Ramy, the CDC's deputy incident manager for Zika response. "It represents an enormous challenge from not only a family perspective ... (but) the emotional burden, the financial burden."

He said in a telephone interview that there will likely be more cases in which microcephaly will not be identified until late in the pregnancy because up to 15 percent of women in Puerto Rico don't seek prenatal care in the first trimester for various reasons, including socioeconomic ones.

Rius said she's aware of least five other pregnant women in Puerto Rico whose fetuses have microcephaly. They are expected to give birth between November and January.

The epidemic hits at a time when Puerto Rico is mired in amid a deep economic crisis that officials say has depleted government funds. The island has been seeking more federal funds to help fight the weekly increase in cases that has hit the tourism industry hard.

The baby born with microcephaly will be referred to public health clinics, where the child will receive medical care up to age 3, Rius said.

"If it survives, it will be referred to other childhood programs," she said.

來源:http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/first-zika-birth-defect-reported-puerto-rico-n675326

What:  ZIKA VIRUS

When:  2016

Who  :  Pregnant women in Puerto Rico

Why  : Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
where: Puerto Rico
How  :not even

Keywords：
1.Zika Virus:茲卡病毒
2.microcephaly:小頭症
3.symptoms:症狀
4.pregnant women:孕婦
5.paralyzing:麻痺
6.syndrome:綜合症
7.Prevention:預防
8.deformities:畸形
9.enormous:巨大
10.epidemic:疫情

2015年代表字

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is… an emoji

As 2015 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and see which words have been significant throughout the past twelve months, and to announce the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year. Without further ado, we can reveal that the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2015 is…Face With Tears of Joy

For the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a pictograph, officially called the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji.

An emoji is a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication. The term is a loanword from Japanese and comes from e ‘picture’ + moji ‘letter, character’. It was used in English-language Japanese publications as early as 1997 but remained rare outside of Japanese contexts until 2011, when Apple launched iOS 5 with emoji support. Emoji is not to be confused with emoticon, a facial expression composed of keyboard characters — such as ;) — rather than a stylized image.

Why was an emoji chosen?

Emojis (the plural can be either emoji or emojis) have been around since the late 1990s, but this year saw their use, and use of the word emoji, increase hugely. According to data from the Oxford Dictionaries New Monitor Corpus, usage of the word emoji more than tripled in 2015 over the previous year.

Face with Tears of Joy’ was the most used emoji globally in 2015, according to research carried out bySwiftKey, the makers of a smart keyboard app and emoji keyboard. SwiftKey identified that ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ made up 20% of all the emojis used in the United Kingdom in 2015, and 17% of those in the United States, a sharp rise from 4% and 9% respectively in 2014.

Emojis have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers. Earlier this year Unicode 8 introduced more diverse emoji, including individuals with various skin tones as well as long-requested symbols such as the mosque, the cricket bat, and the taco. Politicians have solicited emoji answers; works of literature have been ‘translated’; emojis have become part of social campaigns.

The Word of the Year shortlist:

·                     ad blocker, noun: a piece of software designed to prevent advertisements from appearing on a web page.

·                     Brexit, noun: A term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, from British + exit.

·                     Dark Web, noun: the part of the World Wide Web that is only accessible by means of special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable

·                     on fleek, noun: extremely good, attractive, or stylish

·                     lumbersexual, noun: a young urban man who cultivates an appearance and style of dress (typified by a beard and check shirt) suggestive of a rugged outdoor lifestyle

·                     refugee, noun: A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

·                     sharing economy, noun: An economic system in which assets or services are shared between private individuals, either for free or for a fee, typically by means of the Internet.

·                     they (singular), pronoun: Used to refer to a person of unspecified sex.

A version of this article originally appeared on the OxfordWords blog.

·                                 POSTED IN:

·                                 DICTIONARIES & LEXICOGRAPHY

·                                 EDITOR'S PICKS

·                                 LANGUAGE

·                                 WORD OF THE YEAR

來源: http://blog.oup.com/2015/11/oxford-dictionaries-word-of-the-year-2015-emoji-face-tears-joy/

What:  The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year

When:  2015

Who  :  The Oxford Dictionaries

Why  :Emoji is not to be confused with emoticon, a facial expression composed of keyboard characters 

How:not even

Keywords：
1. emoji:表情符號
2.digital:數字
3. loanword:借詞
4.publications:出版物
5.stylized:程式化
6.emoticon:表情
7.expression:表達
8.keyboard:鍵盤
9.introduced:介紹
10.individuals:個人