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This is the electronic supplemental material for Kelly et al. (2023) "Repeated evolution of extreme locomotor performance independent of changes in extended phenotype use in spiders". EcoEvoRxivhttps://doi.org/10.32942/X2BP44 S1. List of specimens used in the phylogenomic study including collection information, voucher location and the number of loci captured (csv). S2. List of specimens used in the comparative and phylogenetic study including collection information, raw and calculated morphometric data (csv). S3. Code, input and output files of the kinematic analysis (R project). S4. Code, input and output files of the phylogenetic comparative analysis (R project) S5. UCE alignments and subsamples used for phylogenetic inference. (currently still under embargo) S6. ML and BI phylogenetic trees with bootstrap values and the HPD of divergence time estimates. S7. Description of the foraging ecology and web structure of the studied species including the reasoning for the coding of ecological traits.

Örümcekler, omurgasız hayvanlar içinde karasal hayata en iyi şekilde uyum sağlamış gruplardan birisidir ve dünya üzerinde yaklaşık 48.000 tür ile temsil edilmektedir. Her ne kadar bütün örümcekler ağ örmeseler de örümceklerin ağları tam anlamıyla bir sanat eseridir. Örümceklerin ağ örmesindeki başlıca sebep avlanmaktır. Doğadaki bazı örümcek türleri ağlara bağımlı olarak yaşarken bazıları ağlara bağımlı olmayarak yaşamlarını sürdürürler. Temel taksonomik özellikler genellikle değişmeden kalmasına rağmen, bazı örümceklerin ağ örme aygıtları adaptif varyasyonlara uğrayabilirler. Bu çalışmada, oldukça dikkat çekici ağ örücü bir örümcek olan Argiope bruennichi‘nin (Scopoli, 1772) ağ yapısı ve ağ örü aygıtının yapısal organizasyonu, taramalı elektron mikroskobu (SEM) kullanılarak incelenmiştir. A. bruennichi‘nin ağ yapısı, örü memeleri özellikle posterior örü memeleri ve spigotların düzenlenmesi gösterilmiş ve elde edilen veriler literatür ışığında tartışılmıştır.

Summmary Quantitative behavior analyses of spider movements — large and small — reveal repeated action sequences that define stages of web building.

Synopsis Spider web anchors are attachment structures composed of the bi-phasic glue-fiber secretion from the piriform silk glands. The mechanical performance of the anchors strongly correlates with the structural assembly of the silk lines, which makes spider silk anchors an ideal system to study the biomechanical function of extended phenotypes and its evolution. It was proposed that silk anchor function guided the evolution of spider web architectures, but its fine-structural variation and whether its evolution was rather determined by changes of the shape of the spinneret tip or in the innate spinning choreography remained unresolved. Here, we comparatively studied the micro-structure of silk anchors across the spider tree of life, and set it in relation to spinneret morphology, spinning behavior and the ecology of the spider. We identified a number of apomorphies in the structure of silk anchors that may positively affect anchor function: (1) bundled dragline, (2) dragline envelope, and (3) dragline suspension (“bridge”). All these characters were apomorphic and evolved repeatedly in multiple lineages, supporting the notion that they are adaptive. The occurrence of these structural features can be explained with changes in the shape and mobility of the spinneret tip, the spinning behavior, or both. Spinneret shapes generally varied less than their fine-tuned movements, indicating that changes in construction behavior play a more important role in the evolution of silk anchor assembly. However, the morphology of the spinning apparatus is also a major constraint to the evolution of the spinning choreography. These results highlight the changes in behavior as the proximate and in morphology as the ultimate causes of extended phenotype evolution. Further, this research provides a roadmap for future bioprospecting research to design high-performance instant line anchors.

Multiparameter integrated sensors are required for the next generation of flexible wearable electronics. However, mutual interference between detected signals is a technical bottleneck for a flexible tactile sensor to realize pressure-strain monitoring simultaneously and sensitively. Herein, a flexible dual-parameter pressure-strain sensor based on the three-dimensional (3D) tubular graphene sponge (TGS) and spider web-like stretchable electrodes is designed and fabricated. As the pressure-sensitive module, the unique 3D-TGS with an uninterrupted network of tubular graphene and high graphitic degree demonstrates great robust compressibility, supporting compression to ∼20% without shape collapse. The spider web-like stretchable electrodes as the strain-sensitive module are fabricated by a spray-embedded process based on the hierarchical multiscale hybrid nanocomposite of Ag nanowires (NWs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with an optimal mass ratio. By comparing the output signals of spider web-like flexible electrodes, the magnitude and direction of the applied force can be effectively monitored simultaneously. Moreover, the potential applications of the flexible dual-parameter pressure-strain device in human-machine interaction are also explored, showing great promise in artificial intelligence and wearable systems.

Issues of fossil fuel and plastic pollution are shifting public demand toward biopolymer-based textiles. For instance, silk, which has been traditionally used during at least 5 milleniums in China, is re-emerging in research and industry with the development of high-tech spinning methods. Various arthropods, e.g. insects and arachnids, produce silky proteinic fiber of unique properties such as resistance, elasticity, stickiness and toughness, that show huge potential for biomaterial applications. Compared to synthetic analogs, silk presents advantages of low density, degradability and versatility. Electrospinning allows the creation of nonwoven mats whose pore size and structure show unprecedented characteristics at the nanometric scale, versus classical weaving methods or modern techniques such as melt blowing. Electrospinning has recently allowed to produce silk scaffolds, with applications in regenerative medicine, drug delivery, depollution and filtration. Here we review silk production by the spinning apparatus of the silkworm Bombyx mori and the spiders Aranea diadematus and Nephila Clavipes. We present the biotechnological procedures to get silk proteins, and the preparation of a spinning dope for electrospinning. We discuss silk’s mechanical properties in mats obtained from pure polymer dope and multi-composites. This review highlights the similarity between two very different yarn spinning techniques: biological and electrospinning processes.

Burst strength is a significant property that determines all other properties of structures to perform under induced internal pressure. In this study, the burst strength of a spider web-formed fabric structure is experimentally investigated. The spider web form orientation is prepared using Embroidery machine. A spider web develops a self-stressing nature, which offers its excellent inelasticity and provides a mechanism for competent and economical means to harmonize the local and global induced stresses in their structure. The obtained results are compared with published works on different effects of fiber architectures. The burst test result on spider web form indicated a spider web form's potential candidacy to utilize it as a future fiber orientation technique to form an enhanced composite reinforcement. However, fiber orientation influences the fiber-reinforced composite's mechanical properties. Fiber orientation via spider web form has not yet been used as a reinforcing engineering composite product. Hence, conducting rigors experimental work on spider web form reinforced composite structures can be taken as a significant step to fill the research gap.

It has been shown that the recombinant spidroins rS1/9 and rS2/12, which were developed by us previously, exhibit adhesive properties with respect to both inorganic and organic substrates. It is well known that the adhesive properties of mussel leg proteins are associated with the level of L-3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (DOPA), which is formed as a result of the post-translational modification of tyrosine residues by the tyrosinase enzyme. Therefore, we used recombinant tyrosinase for in vitro modification of tyrosine residues in the recombinant rS1/9 and rS2/12 spidroins to increase their adhesion capacity. The conversion of tyrosine residues into DOPA led to an increase in the adhesion properties of these proteins, which was demonstrated in experiments on gluing plates of polyvinyl chloride, aluminum, polylactic acid, and also tubular pork bones. The molecules of recombinant spidroins retained their inherent properties to form supramolecular structures, hydrogels (microgels), transparent films and 3D matrices. Interestingly, tyrosinase-modified proteins exhibited increased cohesion in experiments on bonding different materials in the presence of water. recombinant spidroins, modification, tyrosinase, DOPA, wetting, adhesion, cohesion The work was supported by a state assignment no. АААА-А20-120093090015-2.

The paper presents the rules for labeling meat and meat-containing canned foods and examples of their intentional violation. Photo materials from the sites of trading organizations and canned food manufacturers are shown that demonstrate marketing tricks misleading consumers. Explanations and comments to revealed violations in marks and inscriptions are given. The obligatory fulfillment of the requirements of the standard GOST 13534 “Meat and meat containing cans. Packing, marking and transportation” is emphasized with regard to introducing the index of the type of the enterprise’s economic activity, number of an enterprise and assortment number of canned foods into marks, which is a guarantee of finished product safety

The aim of this research is to reveal the metaphoric perceptions on the concept of “social skills” of preschool teachers. This study which has phenomenology design, one of the basic qualitative researches, was carried on 46 preschool teachers working in the provinces of Amasya, Corum, Ordu, Samsun, and Tokat. The forms given teachers which were written an expression like “Social skills are like ……. Because………” were used to collect data as “documents” in the study. Content analysis was used in data analysis. It was seen that the preschool teachers generated metaphors such as tree, water, play dough, dough, ball, dessert, traffic, lego, mirror, heartbeat, tumbler, grinder, plastic ball, puppet, Rubik’s cube, living model, cake, mixer, bicycle, octopus, clown, safety belt, bag, soil, spider web, and food regarding the concept of “social skills”. The metaphors produced are categorized as “social skills in terms of their contributions”, “social skills in terms of acquisition processes”, “social skills in terms of the characteristics they have” and “social skills in terms of their indispensability”. Accordingly, a total of 38 different metaphors collected in four categories have been identified. As a result, it has been revealed that preschool teachers have general view of social skills and suggestions were asserted to increase their knowledge, skills and experience from theory to practice.

Suppose G is a simple graph, $$\Gamma \le Aut(G)$$ and $$\alpha \in \Gamma $$ . Define $$\mu (G)=\sum _{u \in V(G), \alpha \in \Gamma } d(u,\alpha (u))$$ , $$\eta (G)=\sum _{u \in V(G), \alpha \in \Gamma } ( d(u,\alpha (u)))^2$$ , $$GP(G)= \frac{|V(G)|}{2|\Gamma |}\mu (G)$$ and $$GP^{(2)}(G) = \frac{1}{2}GP(G) + \frac{|V(G)|}{4|\Gamma |}\eta (G)$$ . The graph invariants GP(G) and $$GP^{(2)}(G)$$ are two recent measures for comparing symmetry of complex networks. The aim of this paper is to compute the symmetry of web and spider web graphs and then apply the structure of these groups to calculate the graph invariants GP(G) and $$GP^{(2)}(G)$$ . These numbers help us to judge on the complexity of these networks.

Spiders are nature's engineers that build lightweight and high-performance web architectures often several times their size and with very few supports; however, little is known about web mechanics and geometries throughout construction, especially for three-dimensional (3D) spider webs. In this work, we investigate the structure and mechanics for a Tidarren sisyphoides spider web at varying stages of construction. This is accomplished by imaging, modeling, and simulations throughout the web-building process to capture changes in the natural web geometry and the mechanical properties. We show that the foundation of the web geometry, strength, and functionality is created during the first 2 d of construction, after which the spider reinforces the existing network with limited expansion of the structure within the frame. A better understanding of the biological and mechanical performance of the 3D spider web under construction could inspire sustainable robust and resilient fiber networks, complex materials, structures, scaffolding, and self-assembly strategies for hierarchical structures and inspire additive manufacturing methods such as 3D printing as well as inspire artistic and architectural and engineering applications.

Studies of web evolution in spiders generally focus on the overall designs of webs in the field. As has been typical for dictynids and several other cribellate families with “irregular” webs, this study detected few discernable patterns in the field regarding the spatial organization of the highly variable, three-dimensional and largely aerial webs of the dictynid Dictyna meditata Gertsch, 1936. Nevertheless, there were three consistent sub-unit designs in the additions that spiders made to their webs in captivity, and in webs that they built from scratch in captivity: “silk ladders”, with a cribellum line that zig-zagged between a pair of approximately parallel non-sticky lines; “twig ladders”, with a cribellum line that zig-zagged between a non-sticky line and the substrate; and long non-sticky lines that each supported a long, slightly looped cribellum line. I suggest, using examples from dictynids and other families with long-lived, geometrically irregular webs, that this pattern of using consistent behavior patterns to add geometrically regular “modules”, is widespread and ancient, but has often been missed due to damage and additions to webs in the field, and to lack of direct behavioral observations. Recent attempts to link web evolution to studies of spider phylogeny could benefit from a change of emphasis, focusing on the additions that spiders make to their webs, rather than on the currently common but necessarily vague characterizations of overall web designs seen in the field.

Significant similarities exist between a spider web and wireless sensor network in terms of topology. Combining the unique advantages of the spider web in nature, such as invulnerability and robustness, with communication technology of a wireless sensor network presents high research value and broad development prospects. In this paper, a sort of a spiral artificial spider web based on 3D printing and its associated vibration testing device is proposed, which is used to study the transmission rule of vibration information of the spider web under given excitation conditions. It provides useful inspiration for establishment of an invulnerable communication rule of wireless sensor network. In order to investigate vibration transmission characteristics of the artificial spider web, vibration images are recorded and analyzed by a high-speed photography system, and vibration intensity is characterized by use of peak-to-peak value. Furthermore, vibration performance of the artificial spider web is studied under conditions of integrity and destruction, respectively. Our test observation reveals the vibration transmission rule of the unique structure of the spider web, providing a novel analysis method for improving invulnerability of the wireless sensor network.

Power amplification allows animals to produce movements that exceed the physiological limits of muscle power and speed, such as the mantis shrimp’s ultrafast predatory strike and the flea’s jump. However, all known examples of nonhuman, muscle-driven power amplification involve anatomical structures that store energy from a single cycle of muscular contraction. Here, we describe a nonhuman example of external power amplification using a constructed device: the web of the triangle-weaver spider, Hyptiotes cavatus , which uses energy stored in the silk threads to actively tangle prey from afar. Hyptiotes stretches its web by tightening a separate anchor line over multiple cycles of limb motion, and then releases its hold on the anchor line when insects strike the web. Both spider and web spring forward 2 to 3 cm with a peak acceleration of up to 772.85 m/s 2 so that up to four additional adhesive capture threads contact the prey while jerking caused by the spider’s sudden stop subsequently wraps silk around the prey from all directions. Using webs as external “tools” to store energy offers substantial mechanical advantages over internal tissue-based power amplification due to the ability of Hyptiotes to load the web over multiple cycles of muscular contraction and thus release more stored energy during prey capture than would be possible with muscle-driven anatomical elastic-energy systems. Elastic power amplification is an underappreciated component of silk’s function in webs and shows remarkable convergence to the fundamental mechanical advantages that led humans to engineer power-amplifying devices such as catapults and ballistae.

The integration of knowledge has become a central issue emerging among scholars in Indonesian Islamic universities. Some ideas have been proposed to make “bridge” between religious and secular knowledge, as we can see, for instance, in the thought of Kuntowijoyo on “prophetic social sciences”, M. Dawam Rahardjo on “decolonization of social sciences”, M. Amin Abdullah on “spider web of knowledge”, and Mulyadhi Kartanegara on “holistic reconstruction of knowledge”.The researches conducted so far have not touched the core problem in all these proposed ideas yet, namely the place of the Qur`an as a revelation in the integration of knowledge. In fact, the Qur`an constitutes a source of knowledge and, at the same time, an inspiring and guiding scripture, for Moslem’s beliefs, praactices, and thought. Therefore, neglecting the Qur`an in constructing Moslem’s thought on the integration of knowledge will make our understanding the issue artificial. The present article is aimed at studying the thought of Kuntowijoyo and M. Dawam Rahardjo by focusing the discussion on main points: firstly, on the place the Qur`an in the integration of knowledge (as inspiration,source of knowledge, or starting point in building theory) (and the present author will describe data as they are); secondly, intellectual and social background that play important role behind the ideasand modes of use of the Qur`an for intellectual enterprises (and the present author will go into deep analysis on factors or contexts in which the ideas formed); thirdly, the originality, strength, and weakness of the ideas (and the present author will examine the ideas in accordance with some standards).

The bioinspired nanocone-decorated three-dimensional fiber network (N3D) can be fabricated, where an original 3D web is designed, inspired by some newest research findings of spider web, and it is decorated with hydrophilic zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocones inspired by cactus spine. Multilevel high specific surface area exposure on fiber together with the hydrophilic decoration enables it to be more attractive to water molecules. These nanocones can capture fog droplet, generate coalesced droplet, and accordingly make droplet transport efficient because of Laplace pressure difference. Especially, a novel mechanism revealed that after the nanocone-decorated fiber was wetted, that is, a water film formed and immediately broke up into droplets, owing to the force relating to Rayleigh instability. Consequent lower retention surface realizes the formation of fast continuous water flow, rather than the traditional intermittent course. Thus, outstanding fog-harvesting efficiency was achieved on N3D, for example, probably reaching 865.1 kg/m

This study incorporated the social spider algorithm (SSA), which simulates the preying behaviors of a group of spiders, to explore energy-efficient train operations. In this SSA, the magnitude of the vibration signal transmitted by the prey on a simulated spider web was used to determine the location with the most abundant food, which was equivalent to the optimal solution for train acceleration. In addition, a random movement model was implemented in the SSA to facilitate its capability for both local and global search and thereby increase its probability in identifying the optimal solution. A railroad route in Taiwan was simulated to verify the feasibility of this approach; the simulated data were then compared with the measured data from the actual test. According to the measured data, the SSA can formulate feasible railroad energy conservation plans and can assist locomotive engineers in planning their train operations. The results of the SSA were also compared to those of the teaching–learning-based optimization, to validate the superiority of the SSA.

Orb web construction was originally thought to be highly stereotyped, but adaptive flexibility is now well established in several aspects. This study reviews published data on one behavioural cue and presents new data on flexibility in experimentally modified and control webs of Zosis geniculata and Uloborus diversus. By occasionally ignoring this cue temporarily, spiders gained access to otherwise inaccessible portions of their webs. I discuss three hypotheses concerning the mechanism that resulted in this flexibility. Several types of evidence argue against the hypothesis that the adjustments were pre-programmed: substantial variation in the contexts when adjustments occurred; substantial variation in details of the adjustments; and rarity of the contexts that require adjustments in nature. Lack of plausible links between behavioural decisions and payoffs from prey capture argue against a second, learning hypothesis. By elimination, this flexibility may require a third type of explanation that includes more elaborate cognitive processes.

Natural creatures have developed fascinating structures and properties through billions of years of evolution, which provide valuable sources of inspiration for the human being to prepare specific structural materials. The unique properties of creatures resulting from their special hierarchical structures have attracted increasing attention for the fabrication of biomimetic materials to realize various technological applications. As a simple and versatile strategy, the electrospinning technique holds great potential for fabricating biomimetic nanofibrous materials with large surface area, high porosity, and ease of surface functionalization. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in the design and fabrication of electrospun biomimetic nanofibrous materials inspired by natural creatures including lotus leaf, silver ragwort leaf, water strider leg, polar bear hair, spider web and honeycomb. In addition, the potential applications of the as-prepared electrospun biomimetic materials in self-cleaning, oil/water separation, air filtration, thermal insulation were systematically analyzed. Finally, we discussed the current challenges and future developments in the fabrication of electrospun biomimetic materials.

The geometric complexity and stereotypy of spider webs have long generated interest in their algorithmic origin. Like other examples of animal architecture, web construction is the result of several assembly phases that are driven by distinct behavioral stages coordinated to build a successful structure. Manual observations have revealed a range of sensory cues and movement patterns used during web construction, but methods to systematically quantify the dynamics of these sensorimotor patterns are lacking. Here, we apply an analytical pipeline to quantify web-making behavior of the orb-weaverUloborus diversus. Position tracking revealed stereotyped stages of construction that could occur in typical or atypical progressions across individuals. Using an unsupervised clustering approach, we identified general and stage-specific leg movements. A Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model revealed that stages of web-building are characterized by stereotyped sequences of actions largely shared across individuals, regardless of whether these stages progress in a typical or atypical fashion. Web stages could be predicted based on action-sequences alone, revealing that web-stages are a physical manifestation of underlying behavioral phases.HighlightsSpider centroid trajectories indicate stereotyped progression of web-building stages.Unsupervised movement clustering reveals a shared set of movements which correspond to previously defined behaviors that define web-making across individuals.Stages of web-building use both stage-specific and non-specific behaviors.Stereotyped and distinct action sequences are predictive of stages of web-building.

Sampling of environmental DNA (eDNA), coupled with state-of-the-art molecular detection approaches, can potentially overcome many limitations of traditional biodiversity monitoring. The concept of eDNA utilizes nucleic acids of organisms directly from the environment. Recent studies have detected a wide spectrum of prokaryotic and eukaryotic eDNA from a variety of environments, which are ancient or modern, terrestrial or aquatic. The numerous sources of eDNA promise to establish this approach as a tool for diverse scientific settings. Here, we propose and establish spider webs as a source of eDNA with far reaching implications. First, in a field study, we tracked specific arthropod targets from different type of spider webs. Second, we used high-throughput amplicon sequencing of taxonomic barcodes to investigate the utility of eDNA from spider webs for biodiversity monitoring of animals, fungi and bacteria. We show that even the smallest target organisms can be detected by their genetic remains on spider webs. We also demonstrate that eDNA from spider webs is useful in community compositions research in different domains of life, and argue that spider webs potentially offer highly detailed temporal and spatial information.

Pyriform silk is a critically important fiber in spider web construction. It functions in a glue-coated attachment disc to form junctions in spider webs, connecting the web to disparate materials. Despite the biological importance of this silk, both natural and recombinant pyriform silk have yet to be structurally or mechanically characterized. In this study, we demonstrate recombinant production of a 477 amino acid protein based on Argiope argentata pyriform silk. This pyriform silk protein shows α-helicity in both an aqueous buffer and in a fluorinated acid- and alcohol-based spinning dope. Wet-spinning produced fibers having no visible defects in surface or cross-sectional analysis, with mechanical behavior varying as a function of postspin stretching conditions and correlating to loss of α-helicity in the fibrous state. Multiple conditions gave rise to fibers that are both strong and extensible, contrasting with some other silks that are biased toward being strong or extensible. This behavior is strikingly similar to recombinant aciniform silk, despite distinct primary structuring and composition.

In this paper, review of the literature in the practice and method of nature-inspired design has been reported. Engineering design enhancement that has been achieved by natural phenomena mimicking and adapting it to develop new products is the designers’ initiative as cost-effective design methods. The use of spider web geometry practice and trends as a technique for orienting fiber to reinforce composite has been reviewed rigorously and reported in this paper. An Orb web possesses many unique features to be mimicked for engineering structures. Spider web develops a self-stressing nature, which offers its excellent inelasticity and provides webs a mechanism for competent and economical means for harmonizing the local and global induced stresses in the structure. These make a spider web a model of engineering material with exceptional properties of combining a unique strength and toughness, because the mechanical properties of the fiber-reinforced composites are intensely swayed by the fiber orientation. Spider web-oriented types of fiber orientation are not yet widely used for the engineered composite product except for some cable-stayed bridges load suspensions. Lastly, a significant research gap between engineering design cognition and natural phenomena are identified for forthcoming researchers and concluding remark on natural emulating design practice has been lightened.

Streak-breated honeyeater (Microptilotis reticulatus) is one of the endemic honeyeater birds from Meliphagidae family. Biological information on this species is very limited and poorly known. Field observation was carried out on the active nest found in 2 October 2013. In addition, investigation on social media (facebook) was carried out to examine the exploitation on this species. The results shows that the cup-shaped nest is 5.6 cm in diameter and 4.9 cm in depth, made by wood fibre, dry grass, glued by cotton fibre from plants and spider web on small branch. Nowadays M. reticulatus is trapped and traded without any regulation from management authority. As many as 651 individuals has been trapped and sold between 2016 and 2019.

The authors address topological radial states in a spider-web geometry with staggered hopping amplitudes. This system exhibits central edge states and has a mixed topological characterization that requires multiple weak topological invariants.

Gravity is very important for many organisms, including web-building spiders. Probably the best approach to study the relevance of gravity on organisms is to bring them to the International Space Station. Here, we describe the results of such an experiment where two juvenile Trichonephila clavipes (L.) (Araneae, Nephilidae) spiders were observed over a 2-month period in zero gravity and two control spiders under otherwise identical conditions on Earth. During that time, the spiders and their webs were photographed every 5 min. Under natural conditions, Trichonephila spiders build asymmetric webs with the hub near the upper edge of the web, and they always orient themselves downwards when sitting on the hub whilst waiting for prey. As these asymmetries are considered to be linked to gravity, we expected the spiders experiencing no gravity to build symmetric webs and to show a random orientation when sitting on the hub. We found that most, but not all, webs built in zero gravity were indeed quite symmetric. Closer analysis revealed that webs built when the lights were on were more asymmetric (with the hub near the lights) than webs built when the lights were off. In addition, spiders showed a random orientation when the lights were off but faced away from the lights when they were on. We conclude that in the absence of gravity, the direction of light can serve as an orientation guide for spiders during web building and when waiting for prey on the hub.

With increasing the energy costs and aiming for fossil-free Europe, cellular structures could provide a cost-effective tool for saving fuel consumption in aircraft. To achieve this goal, a cellular structure topology is a rapidly growing area of research facilitated by developments in additive layer manufacturing. These low-density structures are particularly promising for their aerospace applications. In this paper, four cellular structure topologies are developed to serve as a vibration damper in small electric aircraft motor, we have compared their performance with the original motor holder in the aircraft. This paper introduces the roadmap of scaffolding concept design and provides a novel concept in vibration damping. Based on the FEA simulation, aluminium 6061T spiderweb-inspired lattices (weight 0.3473 g and porosity 84%) have proven to have the lowest natural resonance and highest yield strength to weight ratio compared to other scaffolding concepts.

Due to the high-efficiency energy absorption and high-tension strength material properties of spider silk, many researchers have studied the mechanical properties and microstructure of the spider web. The concept of spider web structure has been recognized to be adopted for structural engineering aspect. The structure of spider web and its material properties have been studied for decades. However, the fundamental free vibration mode shapes and their corresponding frequencies have never been fully investigated. This study investigates the nonlinear characteristics in the large-amplitude free vibration of imperfect spider web structures using finite element analysis. The spider web applies the concept of elastic cables taking only axial deformation into account. The finite element models of a spider web considering geometric nonlinearities are employed. It should be noted that spider web could experience large deformation when the spider uses its silk to catch prey. This research aims at analyzing the linear and geometric nonlinear behaviour of imperfect spider web structure. Four different types of imperfect spider web: spiral imperfect spider web, radial imperfect spider web, central imperfect spider web, and circular rings imperfect spider web, are considered. It is found that pretension in spider silk plays a significant role in nonlinear vibration characteristics of the spider web. Moreover, the radial thread damaged tends to have a greater effect on structural free vibration of spider web in comparison with other imperfections. The outcome will help a structural engineer to adapt the concept of spider web, its properties, and damage patterns for any larger structures.

In soft robotics, bio-inspiration ranges from hard- to software. Orb web spiders provide excellent examples for both. Adapted sensors on their legs may use morphological computing to fine-tune feedback loops that supervise the handling and accurate placement of silk threads. The spider's webs embody the decision rules of a complex behaviour that relies on navigation and piloting laid down in silk by behaviour charting inherited rules. Analytical studies of real spiders allow the modelling of path-finding construction rules optimized in evolutionary algorithms. We propose that deconstructing spiders and unravelling webs may lead to adaptable robots able to invent and construct complex novel structures using relatively simple rules of thumb.

In cobweb rhinitis, it should be emphasized that during the last 10 years, there are an increasing number of the patients complaining of subjective feeling of the bilateral nasal stuffiness where, at the same time, all of them have been showing an unusual clinical picture within the nasal cavities, resembling very much the spider web (a cobweb). There haven’t been found any other possible mechanical obstructions like nasal polyps, septal deformities, or tumors. The cobweb in the nose is not an impressive finding and could be easily overlooked, especially in those colleagues who never have heard of this entity, or they simply do not believe in something like that. In all of the patients, there was one unusual clinical finding in the nose: almost transparent but still whitish, very delicate mucous filaments extending between the medial surfaces of the anterior thirds of the inferior turbinates on one side and septal mucosa of the corresponding region at the other side, resembling a cobweb. Once again, cobweb rhinitis is always located in the anterior third of the nasal cavity.

Atmospheric particulate matter has become a major issue in urban areas from both a health and an environmental perspective. In this context, biomonitoring methods are a potential complement to classical monitoring methods like impactor samplers, being spatially limited due to higher costs. Monitoring using spider webs is compared with the more common moss bag technique in this study, focusing on mass fractions and ratios of elements and the applicability for source identification. Spider webs and moss bags with Hypnum cupressiforme were sampled at the same 15 locations with different types of traffic in the city of Jena, Germany. In the samples, mass fractions of 35 elements, mainly trace metals, were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after aqua regia digestion. Significantly higher mass fractions in spider webs than in moss bags were found, even after a much shorter exposure period, and could not be ascribed completely to a diluting effect by the biological material in the samples. Different mechanisms of particle retention by the two materials are therefore assumed. More significant correlations between elements have been found for the spider web dataset. Those patterns allow for an identification of different sources of particulate matter (e.g. geogenic dust, brake wear), while correlations between elements in the moss bags show a rather general anthropogenic influence. Therefore, it is recommended to use spider webs for the short-term detection of local sources while moss bag biomonitoring is a good tool to show a broader, long-term anthropogenic influence.

A photonic crystal fiber (PCF) made up of a spider-web such as cladding and an octagonal core is proposed for sensing applications. Three widely used industrial liquids and/or by-products, namely, water, acetic acid, and glycerol, have been investigated using the full vector finite element method. Extremely high sensitivities of 99.5%, 99.7%, and 99.9% were achieved at 4.5 THz for water, acetic acid, and glycerol, respectively. In addition to the sensitivity, extremely low effective material losses of 0.0004138, 0.000306, and 0.000113 cm − 1 were achieved for water, acetic acid, and glycerol, respectively. Other parameters such as confinement loss, nonlinearity, and dispersion equally showed well-enhanced results compared to previous related works. The excellent sensing performance and ultralow confinement loss of this proposed PCF chemical-sensor make it a worthy candidate for use in many industrial sectors.

Scaffold-guided formation of neuronal-like networks, especially under electrical stimulation, can be an appealing avenue toward functional restoration of injured nervous systems. Here, 3D conductive scaffolds are fabricated based on printed microfiber constructs using near-field electrostatic printing (NFEP) and graphene oxide (GO) coating. Various microfiber patterns are obtained from poly(l-lactic acid-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) using NFEP and complexity is achieved via modulating the fiber overlay angles (45°, 60°, 75°, 90°), fiber diameters (15 to 148 µm), and fiber spatial organization (spider web and tubular structure). Upon coating GO onto PLCL microfibers via a layer-by-layer (L-b-L) assembly technique and in situ reduction into reduced GO (rGO), the obtained conductive scaffolds, with 25-50 layers of rGO, demonstrate superior conductivity (≈0.95 S cm-1 ) and capability of inducing neuronal-like network formation along the conductive microfibers under electrical stimulation (100-150 mV cm-1 ). Both electric field (0-150 mV cm-1 ) and microfiber diameter (17-150 µm) affect neurite outgrowth (PC-12 cells and primary mouse hippocampal neurons) and the formation of orientated neuronal-like networks. With further demonstration of such guidance to neuronal cells, these conductive scaffolds may see versatile applications in nerve regeneration and neural engineering.

Fangzhu, which has been lost for thousands of years, is an ancient device for water collection from air, its mechanism is unknown yet. Here we elucidate its possible surface-geometric and related physical properties by the oldest the Yin-Yang contradiction. In view of modern nanotechnology, we reveal that Fangzhu’s water-harvesting ability is obtained through a hydrophilic-hydrophobic hierarchy of the surface, mimicking spider web’s water collection, lotus or desert beetle’s water intake. The convex-concave hierarchy of Fangzhu’s textured surface enables it to have low wettability(high geometric potential) to attract water molecules from air through the nano-scale convex surface and transfer the attracted water along the concave surface to the collector. A mathematical model is established to reveal three main factors affecting its effectiveness, i.e., the air velocity, the surface temperature and surface structure. The lost technology can play an extremely important role in modern architecture, ocean engineering, transportation and others to catch water from air for everyday use.

The common ancestor of spiders likely used silk to line burrows or make simple webs, with specialized spinning organs and aerial webs originating with the evolution of the megadiverse “true spiders” (Araneomorphae). The base of the araneomorph tree also concentrates the greatest number of changes in respiratory structures, a character system whose evolution is still poorly understood, and that might be related to the evolution of silk glands. Emphasizing a dense sampling of multiple araneomorph lineages where tracheal systems likely originated, we gathered genomic-scale data and reconstructed a phylogeny of true spiders. This robust phylogenomic framework was used to conduct maximum likelihood and Bayesian character evolution analyses for respiratory systems, silk glands, and aerial webs, based on a combination of original and published data. Our results indicate that in true spiders, posterior book lungs were transformed into morphologically similar tracheal systems six times independently, after the evolution of novel silk gland systems and the origin of aerial webs. From these comparative data, we put forth a novel hypothesis that early-diverging web-building spiders were faced with new energetic demands for spinning, which prompted the evolution of similar tracheal systems via convergence; we also propose tests of predictions derived from this hypothesis.[Book lungs; discrete character evolution; respiratory systems; silk; spider web evolution; ultraconserved elements.]

The development of automation in construction is opening up a whole field of research on how to optimise movements and manoeuvres.

The introduction to The Fishing Net and the Spider Web lays out the argument for exploring the key role played by the Mediterranean in the formation of the Italian national identity. It begins by redefining Italy as an Empire State born of a violent process of territorialization that extracted the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from its centuries-long belonging to the “Mediterranean continent” to transform it into Italy’s “South.” The ensuing and never-ending process of “making Italians,” Fogu argues, has been marked by this original erasure as testified by the cultural formation and political mobilization of Mediterranean imaginaries that the author analyzes in seven chapters, from their formation in the late nineteenth century to the present.

Composites, both natural and synthetic, achieve novel functionality by combining two or more constituent materials. For example, the earliest adhesive silk in spider webs - cribellate silk - is composed of stiff axial fibers and coiled fibers surrounded by hundreds of sticky cribellate nanofibrils. Yet, little is known of how fiber types interact to enable capture of insect prey with cribellate silk. To understand the roles of each constituent fiber during prey capture, we compared the tensile performance of native-state and manipulated threads produced by the cribellate spider Psechrus clavis, and the adhesion of native threads along a smooth surface and hairy bee thorax. We found that the coiled fiber increases the work to fracture of the entire cribellate thread by up to 20-fold. We also found that the axial fiber breaks multiple times during deformation, an unexpected observation that indicates: (i) the axial fiber continues to contribute work even after breakage, and (ii) the cribellate nanofibrils may perform a previously unidentified role as a binder material that distributes forces throughout the thread. Work of adhesion increased on surfaces with more surface structures (hairy bee thorax) corresponding to increased deformation of the coiled fiber. Together, our observations highlight how the synergistic interactions among the constituents of this natural composite adhesive enhance functionality. These highly extensible threads may serve to expose additional cribellate nanofibrils to form attachment points with prey substrata while also immobilizing prey as they sink into the web due to gravity.

The extracellular space occupies approximately one-fifth of brain volume, molding a spider web of gaps filled with interstitial fluid and extracellular matrix where neurons and glial cells perform in concert. Yet, very little is known about the spatial organization and dynamics of the extracellular space, let alone its influence on brain function, owing to a lack of appropriate techniques (and a traditional bias toward the inside of cells, not the spaces in between). At the same time, it is clear that understanding fundamental brain functions, such as synaptic transmission, memory, sleep, and recovery from disease, calls for more focused research on the extracellular space of the brain. This review article highlights several key research areas, covering recent methodological and conceptual progress that illuminates this understudied, yet critically important, brain compartment, providing insights into the opportunities and challenges of this nascent field.

The “capuchinos” form a monophyletic group within the Neotropical seedeaters of the genus Sporophila and are typically smaller than the other congeners. Many of the 12 species of this group are endangered, but reproductive information is scarce for most of them. Here we present the descriptions of nests, eggs, nestlings, and nesting habitats for the Pearly-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila pileata). From 2012 to 2017 we found 83 nests constructed in herbaceous plants present in open marshlands, 15–73 cm above water or humid ground. Nests were deep cups built of grass stems, inflorescences, and rootlets, attached with spider web. Nests measured 59.3 ± 4.7 mm outside diameter, 50.7 ± 6.5 mm outside height, 41.6 ± 3.2 mm internal diameter, and 35.7 ± 3.3 mm internal depth. Eggs were oval with white, grayish, or greenish background color with black and brown spots mainly in the obtuse pole. They weighed 1.2 ± 0.1 g and measured 16.3 ± 0.8 per 12.2 ± 0.3 mm. Clutches consisted of 1–3 eggs. Our study sites...

This article asks: How do formerly incarcerated people navigate digital technologies? Using the metaphor of a spider web, I use 18 months of ethnographic observations of formerly incarcerated women of color to argue that formerly incarcerated people must contend with what I call— Carceral Web—the spatial intersection between carceral institutions and digital technologies. I identify two primary features of the Carceral Web: stickiness and entanglements. I characterize stickiness as the Internet’s ability to make carceral histories inescapable across time and physical space, making it impossible for formerly incarcerated people to shed their criminal histories. I characterize entanglements as the intersections of institutional carceral relationships that result from practices and norms of digital connectivity. I argue that the pervasive significance of digital connectivity to everyday life compels formerly incarcerated people to contend with the Carceral Web, but stickiness and entanglements make them susceptible to exploitation and reincarceration. I call the Carceral Web’s production of vulnerable subjects predation, which I characterize as a type of hidden sentence. I contend that despite having limited resources to navigate predation, formerly incarcerated people are tasked with co-opting the Carceral Web to build solidarity and training as a self-defense survival mechanism. Understanding the Spider of the Carceral Web as the convergence of corporations and state interests allows us to see how it feeds on the lives of formerly incarcerated people by consuming their marginalization and exclusion in the interests of racialized and gendered profit.

In an edited version of the catalog essay for Magdalena Abakanowicz at the Muzeum Narodowyn w Krakow (National Museum), Poland, June 19–August 29, 2010, I open with a discussion of The Round Abakan...