瑞士人的“入侵”——沃克艺术中心，明尼苏达州，明尼阿波利斯市——狄杨博物馆，加利福尼亚州，旧金山市

今年，普里茨克奖获得者，瑞士建筑设计师赫尔佐格和德梅隆强强联手的博物馆设计登陆美国，明尼阿波利斯市的沃克艺术中心扩建后在四月份正式开放。这是他们在美国的第二个设计项目，却是他们在这儿的第一个公共建筑项目。旧金山的金门公园里十月份开放的狄杨博物馆代表着他们首个大型博物馆设计。     

ANTENNAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES OF GRAPEVINE MOTH <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lobesia botrana</Emphasis> FEMALES TO VOLATILES FROM GRAPEVINE

Grapevine moth Lobesia botrana is the economically most important insect of grapevine Vitis vinifera in Europe. Flower buds, flowers, and green berries of Chardonnay grapevine are known to attract L. botrana for oviposition. The volatile compounds collected from these phenological stages were studied by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry, and the antennal response of L. botrana females to these headspace collections was recorded by gas chromatography—electroantennography. The compounds found in all phenological stages, which consistently elicited a strong antennal response, were pentadecane, nonanal, and -farnesene. In a wind tunnel, gravid L. botrana females flew upwind to green grapes, as well as to headspace collections from these berries released by a piezoelectric sprayer release device. However, no females landed at the source of headspace volatiles, possibly due to inappropriate concentrations or biased ratios of compounds in the headspace extracts.     

Effect of Straw Application on Rice Yields and Nutrient Availability on an Alkaline and a pH-neutral Soil in a Sahelian Irrigation Scheme

Like elsewhere in the Sahel, actual rice yields (3–5 t ha⁻¹) are far below yield potential (±8 t ha⁻¹) in an irrigation scheme in central southern Mauritania. Earlier studies showed that yields are especially low on alkaline soils due to N and P deficiency. We investigated the potential of rice straw application as a mean to improve yields and fertilizer efficiency on an alkaline soil (pH 8.2) and a pH-neutral soil (pH 6.2). Application of 5 t straw ha⁻¹ increased yields by 1.1 t ha⁻¹ on average, independent of soil type and fertilizer dose. Contrary to our study, similar studies in Asia showed little short-term effects of straw on yield and N uptake. Straw application improved N availability, but not P availability. The improved N availability was attributed to N mineralized from the straw, from increased mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) with a low C:N ratio (< 7.2) and from increased mineral fertilizer N (urea) recovery efficiency. We deduced that improved N fertilizer recovery upon straw application was due to reduced nitrification–denitrification losses. On the alkaline soil, volatilization was important, but that process seemed unaffected by straw application. We hypothesize that the positive effects of straw application at our study site are due to low soil C content (< 43 g kg⁻¹) and low C:N ratio compared to most lowland rice soils in Asia.     

The influence of passivation and electropolishing on the performance of medical grade stainless steels in static and fatigue loading

The effects of surface passivation and electropolishing on the mechanical performance of a group of biomedical grade stainless steels have been investigated. Surface roughness measurements showed that the treatments had a significant effect on the final surface finish. However, static mechanical testing demonstrated no difference in static mechanical properties, regardless of surface treatment. High cycle fatigue testing was carried out at a frequency of 120 Hz with a load ratio of R = 0.1, in both air and a simulated in vivo wet corrosive environment. 316LVM (cold worked) proved superior to 316L (annealed) in fatigue performance, in both dry and wet environments. The fatigue performance of both materials did depend on the surface treatment, with electropolishing resulting in better performance than passivation. The fatigue performance of both materials was significantly better in the dry environment in comparison to the wet environment. The dry-to-wet deterioration in fatigue performance was somewhat dependent on the surface treatment for the 316L material but almost independent of surface treatment for the 316LVM material. Significant surface pitting and damage was evident for 316L during fatigue in the wet environment, whereas almost no pitting and damage was observed for 316LVM.     

Transparallel mind: classical computing with quantum power

Inspired by the extraordinary computing power promised by quantum computers, the quantum mind hypothesis postulated that quantum mechanical phenomena are the source of neuronal synchronization, which, in turn, might underlie consciousness. Here, I present an alternative inspired by a classical computing method with quantum power. This method relies on special distributed representations called hyperstrings. Hyperstrings are superpositions of up to an exponential number of strings, which—by a single-processor classical computer—can be evaluated in a transparallel fashion, that is, simultaneously as if only one string were concerned. Building on a neurally plausible model of human visual perceptual organization, in which hyperstrings are formal counterparts of transient neural assemblies, I postulate that synchronization in such assemblies is a manifestation of transparallel information processing. This accounts for the high combinatorial capacity and speed of human visual perceptual organization and strengthens ideas that self-organizing cognitive architecture bridges the gap between neurons and consciousness.     

Interlaminar Tests for Marine Applications. Evaluation of the Influence of Peel Plies and Fabrication Delays

This paper presents results from a study of the influence of surface preparation on the mechanical performance of overlaminated polyester composites. Panels of 16 woven glass plies have been prepared in two halves by hand lay-up. After the first 8 plies were laminated the surface was either protected by a peel ply or left in air. The overlamination of the second half of the composite thickness was completed after different periods and interlaminar shear, flexure and mode I fracture specimens were tested. The results enabled the influence of the delay and the surface condition to be related to mechanical performance. Surfaces protected with peel plies show very low G_Ic propagation energy release rates. Results are compared to those from continuous lamination of the 16 ply composite. Interlaminar fracture tests are shown to be much more sensitive to overlamination conditions than the traditional short beam shear test. Results are interpreted in terms of fracture surface features.     

Discovery and Development of Chemical Attractants Used to Trap Pestiferous Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Chemical attractants for trapping temperate social wasps have been discovered during the screening of chemicals as attractants for flies, the study of pentatomid bug pheromones, and the testing of volatiles of fermented sweet baits. Wasp attraction to these chemicals seems to be related to either food-finding or prey-finding behavior. Of these attractive chemicals, commercial lures marketed in North America for trapping wasps generally contain heptyl butyrate, or the combination of acetic acid and 2-methyl-1-butanol. Heptyl butyrate is a very good attractant for two major pest wasp species in North America and minor wasp pests in the Vespula rufa species group. The combination of acetic acid with isobutanol attracted nearly all North American pest species of social wasps, including yellowjackets (Vespula and Dolichovespula), a hornet (Vespa crabro), and several paper wasps (Polistes spp.). The testing of wasp chemical attractants in different geographic areas demonstrated responses of many wasp taxa and showed a broad potential scope for the marketing of trap lures. Comparisons of compounds structurally similar to isobutanol revealed similar activity with 2-methyl-1-butanol, which is now used commercially because of a vapor pressure that is more favorable than isobutanol for formulations and dispensers. Doses and concentrations needed for good wasp catches were determined for heptyl butyrate, acetic acid, isobutanol, and 2-methyl-1-butanol, either formulated in water or dispensed from a controlled release device. Trap designs were developed based on consumer considerations; visual appeal, ease and safety of use, and low environmental impact. The resultant lures and traps are marketed in numerous physical and on-line retail outlets throughout the United States and southern Canada.