A novel mechanism for jumping in the indian ant<Emphasis Type="Italic">Harpegnathos saltator</Emphasis> (Jerdon) (Formicidae,Ponerinae)

The Indian antHarpegnathos saltator may be unique among insects in using its jumping capacity not only as an escape mechanism but also as a normal means of locomotion, and for catching its prey in flight. High-speed cinematography used to analyse the various phases of the jump suggests thatHarpegnathos employs a novel jumping mechanism to mediate these behaviours: namely the synchronous activation of its middle and hindlegs. Electrophysiological recordings from muscles or nerves in pairs of middle and hindlegs show remarkably synchronous activity during fictive jumping, supporting the synchronous activation hypothesis.Harpegnathos is not the only ant to jump, and a cladistic analysis suggests that jumping behaviour evolved independently three times during ant evolutionary history.     

Sex pheromone of the pine sawflyDiprion pini (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae): Chemical identification,synthesis and biological activity

The main component of the sex pheromone secretion of femaleDiprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) from insects collected both in Finland and in France has been identified as athreo-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol (8 ng per female) stereoisomer by GC-MS and synthesis. The secretion also contains lower and higher homologues in small amounts (1–4% of the main component). Combined gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection showed activity in both natural and esterified extracts (acetates and propionates); the esters of the main component gave the largest responses. The acetates and propionates of the eight stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol were synthesized from enantiomerically highly enriched (>99% ee) building blocks. The stereochemistry of the main component was established to be (2S,3R,7R)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol by GC analysis of the natural material. It was purified by liquid chromatography prior to the GC analysis of both its pentafluorobenzoates and its isopropylcarbamates on a non-chiral polar column (ECD) and a chiral column (NPD), respectively. Field tests demonstrated that both the acetate and propionate of the main component (100 g of each applied on cotton roll dispensers) were active in attracting males, with or without the presence of several of the minor compounds. Experiments with smaller amounts of the acetate and the propionate (1 g in France and 50 g in Finland) demonstrated that the propionate was more active than the acetate, and that it also caught more males than a blend of the two compounds.     

还原论思维方式的终结

“还原”一词有多重含义,通常被区分为以下三个层次：本体论还原,方法论还原和理论还原,在我看来,本体论还原不过是唯物论二,一个基本命题,而方法论还原也仅仅是分析方法,没有会么新意,实际,还原论者真正关头的是理还原,而这又被证明是失败的。因此,我主张科学在未来世纪的进步取决于人们摆脱还原思维方式的程度。     

小波变换及其在图像编码中的应用

小波分析是目前许多学科共同关心的一个前沿领域。本文首先付里叶变换和窗口付里叶变换的局限性,从时域、频局部化的角度对小波理论作了简介,其次综述了小波在图像编码中的应用。     

铸造合金优化配料原理与计算机软件开发

应用计算机进行优化配料,不仅可以免除人工配料烦琐的计算过程,同时可以降低原材料成本,保证产品质量,提高企业经济效益。为此开发了计算机优化配料软件,论述了它的基本原理和功能,并介绍了该软件应用实例。     

一种使用非线性循环数列解决堆栈问题的算法

提出了一种使用非线性循环数列解决堆栈问题的算法,对研究栈的性质和求解栈的输出序列具有一定的实用价值。     

High-precision timing of the Quaternary standard samples with thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) U-series method

Two national stalagmite standard (GBW04412, GBW04413) and one international coral standard (RKM_4) have been determined by using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) method. The values of ( 234 U/ 238 U) act , ( 230 Th/ 234 U) act and age are all consistent in error range with the standard values obtained by using α spectrometry.     

Chronology of environmental events over East Asia during the past 130 ka

In the transitional region between the Loess Plateau and deserts, 4 sections located respectively at Yuling, Hengshan, Dingbian and Huining of China are studied. The high-resolution paleoclimatic records obtained show that environmental events on varying time scales have happened over East Asia. These events are dated with the time scales established using the recently-developed approach of Automatic Orbital Tuning. This leads to the establishment of the chronology of the environmental events.     

Identification and classification of subspecies of Asian cultivated rice and their hybrids

Having reviewed the major classification systems proposed by various scholars across the world, it is found thatindica andjaponica underO. sativa L. are two major directions thoroughly differentiated from the Asian cultivated rice, forming the framework of the classification structure. A system withindica andjaponica as the only two subspecies is therefore reiterated. There are various ways to determine the indica-japonica identity of hybrid rice, but the “combined morphological trait index” (CMT index) method is more efficient and easier to handle, although the isozyme analysis, molecular marker analysis and grain quality assay methods are also feasible.