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A major challenge to Darwinian evolution is explaining 'rudimentary' organs. This is particularly relevant to birds: rudimentary wings occur in fossils, as well as in developing, molting, and flight-impaired birds. Evidence shows that young birds flap small wings to improve locomotion and transition to flight. Although small wings also occur in adults, their potential role in locomotion is rarely considered. Here we describe the prevalence of rudimentary wings in extant birds, and how wings wax and wane on many timescales. This waxing and waning is integral to the avian clade and offers a rich arena for exploring links between form, function, performance, behavior, ecology, and evolution. Although our understanding is nascent, birds clearly show that rudimentary structures can enhance performance and survival. A major challenge to Darwinian evolution is to explain 'rudimentary' organs. This dilemma is especially relevant to birds: rudimentary wings occur in fossils, as well as in developing, molting, and flight-impaired birds. Many studies show that immature birds flap their small, incipient wings to improve locomotion as they acquire flight capacity. Although similarly small wings occur in secondarily or temporarily flight-impaired birds, their role in locomotion has not been well studied. Integrating studies on these different groups of birds demonstrates that rudimentary wings are ubiquitous across the avian clade, and that wings wax and wane on multiple timescales. Rudimentary wings improve locomotion and enhance survival during this process. Although our understanding is still in its infancy, rudimentary structures may play important roles in many animal groups, both extant and long extinct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poultry processing establishments use antimicrobial aids on broiler parts to minimize Campylobacter contamination. A silver-stabilized hydrogen peroxide (SHP) product was assessed for use as an antimicrobial processing aid. In a series of experiments, wing segments with skin were inoculated with 103 to 107 cells of Campylobacter coli, followed by treatment with SHP at 15,000 or 30,000 mg/L, peroxyacetic acid (PAA) at 300 or 3,000 mg/L (parts per million), or water. Each treatment was applied by either dip or spray. Rinsates from each wing segment were analyzed for direct counts and prevalence of Campylobacter. Treatment with SHP or PAA significantly reduced Campylobacter levels compared with water controls by up to 2.22 log CFU/mL. At high inoculum levels (106 to 107), SHP and PAA applied by dip had up to 1.27 log CFU/mL further reductions of Campylobacter levels compared with spray-treated wing segments. Additionally, wing drumettes were observed to retain higher levels and prevalence of Campylobacter recovery compared with wing flats at a low inoculation level (103). The results indicated that there was no carryover effect of SHP (same day versus 24 h) and dip treatment with SHP or PAA decreased Campylobacter recovery on broiler chicken wing segments compared with a water control. Although a 2-log reduction was modest, SHP had similar efficacy as the commonly used processing aid PAA. SHP shows potential for further investigation as an antimicrobial processing aid for use on poultry parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wings are one of the most important structures in the evolution of insects and winged insects are widely accepted as being monophyletic. In Ephemeroptera, wing structure and shape is important for interpreting taxonomic relationships. Morphological variation in wing shape of 14 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of South African Teloganodidae mayfly was examined using landmark-based geometric morphometric methods and molecular phylogenetics to determine evolutionary shape change and allometry. Fore and hind wing shape data were tested for phylogenetic structure using an independently derived molecular phylogeny, which were then mapped into PCA shape space. The effect of evolutionary allometry as a factor contributing to shape change was examined and quantified. Significant phylogenetic signal was found in fore and hind wing shape, and evolutionary allometry was found to have a significant effect on fore wing but not hind wing shape variation. In the fore wing, evolutionary allometry was removed to explore the non-allometric component of shape variation and discuss possible implications on flight performance. The principal findings of this research show that the relationships between wing shape and size are complex and taxon-specific. We have revealed that evolutionary size changes have a considerable effect on the evolutionary shape changes of Teloganodidae fore wings, however this does not account for all the variation in shape. An increased fore wing size is associated with a broader wing base and narrower, raked wing apex, promoting less-energetically demanding flight, possibly with a higher range of speeds. The smaller species have a relatively narrow wing base and increased wing area at the apex, suggesting a slower flight with more agility, which is more energetically costly. The non-allometric variation involves similar, but less distinct shape changes compared to the allometric component, indicating that other processes must also contribute to the same features of evolutionary shape variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Chemoreceptor genes, which can be involved in Drosophila perception of gram-negative bacteria were shown. • Type of taste cues, which induced grooming reflex at wing chemoreceptors were demonstrated. • Type of taste cues, which can be related with the perception of gram-negative bacteria were demonstrated. • Grooming reflex and physiological perception indicate the fundamental characters of wing chemoreceptors. Abstract In flies, grooming serves several purposes, including protection against pathogens and parasites. Previously, we found Escherichia coli or lipopolysaccharides (LPS) can induce grooming behavior via activation of contact chemoreceptors on Drosophila wing. This suggested that specific taste receptors may contribute to this detection. In this study, we examined the perception of commercially available LPS on Drosophila wing chemoreceptors in grooming reflex. Behavioral tests conducted with bitter, sweet and salty gustation such as caffeine, sucrose and salt, using flies carrying a defect in one of their taste receptors related to the detection of bitter molecules (Gr66a, Gr33a), sugars (Gr5a, Gr64f), or salt (IR76b). LPS and tastants of each category were applied to wing sensilla of these taste defectflies and to wild-type Canton Special (CS) flies. Our results indicate that the grooming reflex induced by LPS requires a wide range of gustatory genes, and the inactivation of any of tested genes expressing cells causes a significant reduction of the behavior. This suggests that, while the grooming reflex is strongly regulated by cues perceived as aversive, other sapid cues traditionally related to sweet and salty tastes are also contributing to this behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the emergence of the Ceratitis capitata imago, the pale and folded wings are expanded and sclerotized to acquire the definitive form and to stabilize the cuticle. The wings of this fly show a specific pattern of brownish and black spots. Black spots are pigmented by melanin, whereas there was scarce information about the development of the brownish spots. N-beta-alanydopamine (NBAD) is the main tanning precursor in C. capitata body cuticle, and we hypothesized that it may be responsible for the colouration of the brownish spots. We determined the topology and timing of NBAD synthesis and deposition to attain the species-specific colouration pattern. We demonstrated that during the first hours the colour of the brownish spots was principally determined by the tanning of the hairs. Haemolymph circulation through the veins is required to tan the wings. We confirmed that soon after wing spreading, most of the wing epidermal cells disappeared. Thus, the tanning of the brown spots was accomplished when the wing lamina was devoid of cells. NBAD synthase (NBAD-S; Ebony protein in D. melanogaster ) activity in wings was detected in pharate adults and lasted several days after the emergence, even after the end of the tanning process. This observation is in contrast to epidermal NBAD-S activity in the body, where it was nearly undetectable 48 h post emergence. Our results indicate that NBAD-S was exported and deposited into the extracellular matrix of the brown spot areas before cell death and that tanning occurs through gradual export of NBAD precursors (dopamine and b-alanine) from veins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of the radiation released at incidents, such as nuclear accidents or radiological terrorist events is of major importance for the prediction of health effects following such an incident. The luminescence properties of several materials are studied in order to assess their potential use as dosimeters in such cases. However, the protocols followed for such purposes are mainly those initially developed for dating. Multiple-aliquot protocols are mainly based on the Thermoluminescence response of the dosimeter used and require the availability of abundant material, while homogeneity of the luminescent substance in the entire sample is also a prerequisite in order to prepare similar aliquots. To account for the above drawbacks, several single -aliquot protocols have been suggested based on Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), which however involve steps of heating the sample up to 300 °C, and as a result they can only be used for heat-resistant materials. In the present work, a novel single aliquot regenerative-dose protocol suitable for heat-sensitive materials exhibiting sensitization (called SARHS) for the estimation of the equivalent dose with OSL is proposed. The protocol eliminates any sensitization effects without encompassing any heating of the sample. Validation of the SARHS protocol was accomplished with three different heat-sensitive materials which exhibit sensitivity changes with the repeated use of the same sample (sensitization), i.e., dragonfly wings, a commercial solid drug (Daktarin) and chicken bones, in which the natural equivalent dose could be successfully recovered with negligible error even when fading, after exposure to irradiation, of the natural OSL signal was taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a new rough fuzzy Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge System (WINGS). • We integrate the WINGS with the Interpretative Structural Modeling Method (ISM). • Rough and fuzzy judgments are used to deal with uncertainties in untested ASSCM. • We reveal interrelationship by direction, intensity and strength of dependencies. • We present a case study to evaluate the elements impacting ASSCM. Environmental deterioration, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict had brought chronic and dramatic impacts on agricultural supply chain around the world, resulting in high inflation rates and unavoidable costs. In order to reduce the adverse impacts and achieve sustainability in agricultural supply chain, it's necessary to scientifically explore composite indicators interlinked with agricultural sustainable supply chain management (ASSCM). The current study developed an integrated rough-fuzzy WINGS-ISM method to reveal the hierarchal and causal structure of indicators. It is found that environmental legislation, regulation, licensing, and government subsidies are the main drivers of ASSCM. Specifically, the government can guide the sustainable development of ASSCM by regulating the business environment. The financial support needs to be enlarged to optimize the structure in science and technology of ASSCM. Moreover, corporates and organizations are highly motivated by the increasing awareness of social responsibility and sustainability consciousness to improve the economic performance and achieve the ASSCM goals. A comparative analysis is proposed to illustrate the practicality and reliability of the results obtained from the proposed method, which can be utilized as a reference in ASSCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of the radiation released during nuclear accidents or radiological terrorist events is imperative for the prediction of health effects following such an exposure. In addition, in several cases there is a need to identify the prior presence of radioactive materials at buildings or sites (nuclear forensics). To this direction, several materials have been the research object of numerous studies the last decade in an attempt to identify potentially new retrospective/accidental/forensic dosimeters. However, the studies targeting biological materials are limited and their majority is mainly focused on the luminescence behavior of human biological material. Consequently, the use of such materials in retrospective dosimetry presumes the exposure of humans in the radiation field. The present work constitutes the first attempt to seek non-human biological materials, which can be found in nature in abundance or in/on other living organisms. To this end, the present work investigates the basic optically stimulated luminescence behavior of insect wings , which exhibit several advantages compared to other materials. Insects are ubiquitous, have a short life expectancy and exhibit a low decomposition rate after their death. Findings of the present study are encouraging towards the potential use of insects' wings at retrospective/accidental/forensic dosimetry, since they exhibit linear OSL response over a wide dose range and imperceptible loss of signal several days after their irradiation when they are kept in dark. On the other hand, the calculated lower detection limit is not low enough to allow their use as emergency dosimeters when individuals are exposed to non-lethal doses. In addition, wings exhibit strong optical fading when they are exposed to daylight and thus special care should be taken during the sampling procedure in order to use the wings as accidental/forensic dosimeters, by seeking (dead) insects in dark places, such as behind furniture, equipment or in air-shafts. Finally, a new single aliquot measurement protocol is also successfully tested on the wings for the dose estimation, while further work is in progress to validate it on other (heat-sensitive) materials as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nutrition throughout the life cycle can affect measures of adult size. • The larval diet matters most to measures of adult size. • For body weight, the adult diet can mitigate the effects of poor larval diet. • Adult diet contributes little to variation in leg and wing size. • Larval diet matters for all size traits, while adult diet affects mostly body weight. Adult body size is determined by the quality and quantity of nutrients available to animals. In insects, nutrition affects adult size primarily during the nymphal or larval stages. However, measures of adult size like body weight are likely to also change with adult nutrition. In this study, we sought to explore the roles of nutrition throughout the life cycle on adult body weight and the size of two appendages, the wing and the femur, in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We manipulated nutrition in two ways: by varying the protein to carbohydrate content of the diet, called macronutrient restriction, and by changing the caloric density of the diet, termed caloric restriction. We employed a fully factorial design to manipulate both the larval and adult diets for both diet types. We found that manipulating the larval diet had greater impacts on all measures of adult size. Further, macronutrient restriction was more detrimental to adult size than caloric restriction. For adult body weight, a rich adult diet mitigated the negative effects of poor larval nutrition for both types of diets. In contrast, small wing and femur size caused by poor larval diet could not be increased with the adult diet. Taken together, these results suggest that appendage size is fixed by the larval diet, while those related to body composition remain sensitive to adult diet. Further, our studies provide a foundation for understanding how the nutritional environment of juveniles affects how adults respond to diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Enhancing heat transfer surface are used in many engineering applications such as heat exchanger, air conditioning, chemical reactor and refrigeration systems, hence many techniques have been investigated on enhancement of heat transfer rate and decrease the size and cost of the involving equipment especially in heat exchangers. One of the most important techniques used are passive heat transfer technique. These techniques when adopted in Heat exchanger proved that the overall thermal performance improved significantly. This paper reviews experimental and numerical works taken by researchers on this technique since 2004 such as twisted tape, wire coil, swirl flow generator,… etc. to enhance the thermal efficiency in heat exchangers and useful to designers implementing passive augmentation techniques in heat exchange. The authors found that variously developed twisted tape inserts are popular researched and used to strengthen the heat transfer efficiency for heat exchangers. The other techniques used for specific work environments are studied in this paper. Twisted tape inserts perform better in laminar flow than turbulent flow. However, the other several passive techniques such as ribs, conical nozzle, and conical ring, etc. are generally more efficient in the turbulent flow than in the laminar flow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The shape of wings can be a good predictor of adaptations to different selective pressures and the value of wing features in taxonomy and phylogeny has long been recognized. In our investigation of the hind wing evolution of dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) we use geometric morphometrics combined with a cladistic approach. The variations of entire hind wings and of three specific regions of 80 dung beetle species were investigated using 19 landmarks and outline data. Extensive evidence indicates that the wing as a whole and the three separate regions were under different selective pressures. The detailed evolutionary patterns of the three regions and the reconstruction of the ancestral forms were computed by mapping the geometric morphometrics data onto a tree based on a cladistic character analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we consider the application of interpolation-based focusing for wideband array processing and direction finding using wavefield interpolation matrices. The focusing approach exploits the wideband characteristic of the signals for coherent subspace processing, achieving improved performance and reduced computational complexity. We investigate the use of wavefield modeling-based frequency transformations of the array manifold, which are data independent and do not require any initial direction of arrival (DOA) estimates. We apply these transformations to the array wideband data, constructing a virtual wavefield-interpolated narrowband-generated subspace (WINGS), on which any narrowband adaptive beamforming scheme may be implemented. WINGS transformations are also shown to be optimal for frequency-invariant beamforming (FIB). We treat the important issue of robust WINGS processing, i.e. reducing the transformation''s sensitivity to errors in the array manifold, such as sensor gain, phase and location errors. We develop two novel robust forms of the WINGS transformations designed to ensure robustness by controlling the noise gain of the transformation, and study their performance numerically. Finally, we demonstrate via simulation the effectiveness of WINGS processing for minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamforming. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: What, exactly, is the relation between statements about future contingents and statements concerning the spacelike? This question may be answered by transferring Thomasonian supervaluations for future tense statements to statements about the spacelike past, present and future, endorsing present contingents and past contingents. For this task, a language is described semantically which contains (frame-relative versions of) the usual quantifier-like tense operators, operators for (frame-relative) “somewhere”/“everywhere”, the operators “for every reference frame”/“for some reference frame” and three different “necessity” operators with their “possibility” counterparts. Technically, special attention is paid to interaction laws between the different kinds of operators. The “necessity” operators differ in the area on which alternatives must coincide in order to count as accessible. Supervaluations are discussed for past light-cone coincidence. Metaphysically, this approach points towards a distinction between two kinds of determinateness which were undistinguishable pre-relativistically: deictic determinateness (past light-cone) and narrative determinateness (frame-relative present-plus-past). An indeterministic solution to the problem of the “wings” is proposed which, without accepting a frame-independent spatially extended present, solves the problem of “massive coincidence” by carefully analysing the famous tunnel example as a story of decisions and by distinguishing between “whether” and “that”-clauses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Energy efficiency and emission reduction in construction industry has been concerned in the world. Green building become the focus of academic research in recent years. To fundamentally realize the green development of construction industry, it is necessary to systematically analyze the influencing factors of green building development. On the basis of science and technology investment, industrial size, industry potentiality, and policy incentives, this paper introduced the green financial supportive factor and established a multi-layer green building influencing factors index system. Radial basis function neural network is adopted to improve the Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge System (WINGS) model, namely RBF-WINGS model, and direct strength-influence matrix is determined. This method objectively analyzed the weights of the green building development influencing factors. The result indicates that science and technology input is the fundamental influencing factor, while industrial size and green financial support are the main influencing factors for the development of green building. This study provides theoretical evidence for the development of green buildings in China and offers decision-making reference for government departments. • Green finance factors are introduced in the green building influencing factors index system. • The analysis is conducted using WINGS algorithm by adopting the RBF neural network. • Green building development is mainly influenced by investment in science and technology. • Green financial support can boost the development of green building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]