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Starting from Jakob von Uexküll's theory of meaning, the article explores the semiotic functions of the spider's web, examining in depth its material characteristics and relationship to communication. This study reinterprets the biologist's concepts, highlighting the vibration of webs as a mode of interspecific communication. By inquiring into the physical composition of spider webs, the research proposes artistic performances that seek to extend material vibration by exploring subjective experience. Thus, a performance-based biosemiotic and materialist approach is proposed to recreate the umwelt of the spider, bridging the human and arachnid realms through minimalist constructions by focusing on vibrational communication processes. In conclusion, the intricate interplay between material manifestations and subjective interpretations in the spider's ecological niche will be outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants and termites are insect groups that make up most of the insect biomass in tropical ecosystems. Due to their social structure and abundance, they are some of the most bountiful prey available to other invertebrates such as spiders. However, ants and termites possess dangerous defense strategies, thus limiting their accessibility to general predators. Here, we report on an unexpected finding of a three-way predator-prey-kleptoparasite interaction in Madagascar among a termite Nasutitermes sp. (prey), a previously unknown theridiid spider Vigdisia praesidens gen. nov., sp. nov. (predator), and an ant Pheidole spinosa (kleptoparasite). Our field observations suggest that the spiders are able to detect a damaged termite nest from a distance to disperse onto it and prey on its residents. Kleptoparasitic ants also arrive on the scene to steal from the spiders their termite prey. Both the spider and the ant seem to possess some degree of behavioural prey specialisation for Nasutitermes termites. The here described ecological interaction warrants further study to better understand the exploitation of signals by such phylogenetically diverse arthropods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals exhibit a variety of strategies to avoid predation; spiders are no exception. We explored whether web-building spiders that differ in the architecture of their webs exhibit morphologies or behaviors suggestive of antipredator strategies that trade-off with the degree of protection offered by their webs. Spiders build webs of 3 types: the more protected tangles and sheet-and-tangles, which are three-dimensional (3D), and the more exposed orbs, which are two-dimensional (2D), both with or without a refuge. We hypothesize that spiders whose webs offer greater protection—a 3D architecture or a refuge—will be less likely to be armored or brightly colored when compared to spiders without these protections. We collected data on 446 spiders and their webs in 2 lowland tropical rainforest sites. We show that 2D web builders with no refuges tended to be brightly colored (background contrasting) and spiny (spiky), whereas those with refuges tended to blend against the background of their refuges. 3D web builders, on the other hand, were neither cryptic nor brightly colored nor armored but were more likely to drop out of the web upon simulated predator contact. These results support the hypothesis that web-building spiders tend to be protected either through the architecture of their webs or their morphology and behavior, suggesting a trade-off between different types of antipredator strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Nature has evolved a myriad of dedicate‐designed structures that assist in prey capture. Spiders employ their web structures for vibrational sensing and prey capture, analogous to a component of a neurosensory system. Here, we propose a spider web‐inspired sensor with integrated energy‐absorption and force perception capabilities by 3D printing. The conductive carbon black/TPU composite made from TPU granules and carbon black particles are employed for 3D printing. We analyze the underlying sensing mechanism of conductive CB/TPU composites stemming from the enhanced dispersion of the CB particles. Through 3D printing method, we are allowed to regulate the structure's form, filling density, arrangement, and printing path to tailor the static mechanical properties, initial resistance, and force sensitivity of the spider‐web inspired structure. The static mechanical model for single silk of the spider‐web inspired structure is constructed. We explore the energy absorption capability of spider‐web inspired structures with different structural parameters, and demonstrate its impact perceiving characteristics at different falling height. Additionally, we assembled a circuit to visually reflect the falling height of the impacting ball through the brightness of the LED light. This study provides insights to endowing structural materials with intelligent characteristics, contributing to their practical applications in the fields of biomedical, soft robotics, and artificial skin, etc. A spider web‐inspired sensor is 3D printed with CB/TPU composites. The sensor has integrated force perception and energy‐absorption capabilities. The sensitivity capabilities can be regulated by parameter design. The mechanical model of the bioinspired structure is constructed. Its impact perceiving characteristics are demonstrated by two applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuzzy matching techniques are the presently used methods in translating the words. Neural machine translation and statistical machine translation are the methods used in MT. In machine translator tool, the strategy employed for translation needs to handle large amount of datasets and therefore the performance in retrieving correct matching output can be affected. In order to improve the matching score of MT, the advanced techniques can be presented by modifying the existing fuzzy based translator and neural machine translator. The conventional process of modifying architectures and encoding schemes are tedious process. Similarly, the preprocessing of datasets also involves more time consumption and memory utilization. In this article, a new spider web based searching enhanced translation is presented to be employed with the neural machine translator. The proposed scheme enables deep searching of available dataset to detect the accurate matching result. In addition, the quality of translation is improved by presenting an optimal selection scheme for using the sentence matches in source augmentation. The matches retrieved using various matching scores are applied to an optimization algorithm. The source augmentation using optimal retrieved matches increases the translation quality. Further, the selection of optimal match combination helps to reduce time requirement, since it is not necessary to test all retrieved matches in finding target sentence. The performance of translation is validated by measuring the quality of translation using BLEU and METEOR scores. These two scores can be achieved for the TA‐EN language pairs in different configurations of about 92% and 86%, correspondingly. The results are evaluated and compared with other available NMT methods to validate the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warp-knitted spacer fabrics are a widely considerable material owing to its unique sandwich structure and superior performance, employed across diverse fields such as military, transportation, construction, and personal protection. However, they are inevitably subjected to impacts in practical applications. This work investigated the influence of surface layer structure on the impact resistance property of fabrics by drop weight tests. The damage tolerance of warp-knitted spacer fabrics was also studied through repeated impact experiments. To further improve the impact resistance property of the fabric, a simple sewing method was proposed in this work. Inspired by the spiderweb structure, a spiderweb shape was sewn on the fabric. The results demonstrated that hexagonal mesh as the impact surface provided better impact resistance for the fabric. As the number of impacts increases, the deformation of the fabric gradually intensifies, and the fabric is completely damaged during the fourth impact. The stitch can enhance its impact resistance, and the shape of the stitch had a significant influence on the impact resistance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of structures that can adapt spontaneously to achieve desired functions in complex environments is crucial for new unmanned countermeasures, such as prey capture or net-recovery. Conventional structural optimization methods based on a singular net–like configuration may lead to functional limitations and fail to achieve specific objectives. In this study, we utilized an evolutionary algorithm that incorporated mechanical features and biological corrections to construct spider threads with advanced properties capable of efficient and reliable trapping behavior in arbitrary boundary conditions. We employed distinct thread types in different components, which achieved distinguished stiffness and strength that could not be accomplished by a single kind of thread. By assembling prestress reinforcement threads, we developed an orb-web-like trap that demonstrated effective trapping performance in experiments. The adaptive evolutionary method could be applied to design intelligent intercepting devices suited to particular functions and extreme environments, with wide application prospects in net-recovery system of UAV. Structures that adapt spontaneously to perform desired functions in difficult environments are crucial for rising unmanned countermeasures. Conventional structural optimization methods based on a singular net–like configuration may lead to functional limitations and fail to achieve specific objectives. We used an evolutionary algorithm that combined mechanical features and biological corrections to create spider threads in arbitrary boundary circumstances in this work. The adaptive evolutionary method could be applied to design intelligent intercepting devices suited to particular functions and extreme environments, with wide application prospects in net-recovery system of UAV. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, spider webs have received significant attention due to their exceptional mechanical properties, including strength, toughness, elasticity, and robustness. Among these spider webs, the orb web is a prevalent type. An orb web's main framework consists of radial and spiral threads, with elastic and sticky threads used to capture prey. This paper proposes a bionic orb web model to investigate the energy-absorbing properties of a bionic spider web structure. The model considers structural parameters such as radial line length, radial line cross-sectional diameter, number of spiral lines, spiral spacing, and spiral cross-sectional diameter. These parameters are evaluated to assess the energy absorption capability of the bionic spider web structure. Simulation results reveal that the impact of the radial line length and spiral cross-sectional diameter on the energy absorption of the spider web is more significant compared to the radial line cross-sectional diameter, the number of spiral lines, and spiral spacing. Specifically, within a radial line length range of 60–80 mm, the total absorbed energy of a spider web is inversely proportional to the radial line length of the web. Moreover, the number of spiral lines and spiral spacing of the spider web, when within the range of 6–10 turns and 4–5.5 mm, respectively, are proportional to the total energy absorbed. A regression equation is derived to predict the optimal combination of structural parameters for maximum energy absorption. The optimal parameters are determined as follows: radial line length of 63.48 mm, radial line cross-sectional diameter of 0.46 mm, ten spiral lines, spiral spacing of 5.39 mm, and spiral cross-sectional diameter of 0.48 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Subtle morphological traits, such as leaf litter curling, may have unexpected legacy effects on ecosystems. We tested the hypotheses that litter curling is influenced by plant species, hybridization and genotype, and has extended consequences for associated organisms and soil processes. Methods: A novel litter curling index (LCI) was used to characterize the curling of leaf litter from 11 plant species (including shrubs, trees and a forb) in natural field sites and of two Populus species (P. fremontii James, P. angustifolia S. Watson), their F1 hybrids and replicated P. angustifolia genotypes from a common garden. Surveys of dominant, litter-dwelling spiders (Agelenidae), and a soil drying experiment, were used to test the potential extended ecological consequences of litter curling. Results: Five results emerged. (1) LCI ranged 15-fold among plant species in natural sites. (2) LCI nearly doubled from P. fremontii to P. angustifolia, while average LCI for F1 hybrids was intermediate (although not statistically different from P. fremontii). (3) LCI exhibited broad-sense heritability (H2 = 0.42) among P. angustifolia genotypes. (4) Abundance of spider webs was positively associated with increasing litter curl across the Populus hybrid system (R2 = 0.35). (5) After 57 days of drying, flat litter contained 1.4 times higher moisture than curled litter, which translated to wetter soil beneath flat litter. Conclusion: Litter curling has a genetic basis, which has legacy effects on other trophic levels and soil moisture dynamics that may shape the ecology and evolution of complex communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many animals use self-built structures (extended phenotypes) to enhance body functions, such as thermoregulation, prey capture or defence. Yet, it is unclear whether the evolution of animal constructions supplements or substitutes body functions—with disparate feedbacks on trait evolution. Here, using brown spiders (Araneae: marronoid clade), we explored if the evolutionary loss and gain of silken webs as extended prey capture devices correlates with alterations in traits known to play an important role in predatory strikes—locomotor performance (sprint speed) and leg spination (expression of capture spines on front legs). We found that in this group high locomotor performance, with running speeds of over 100 body lengths per second, evolved repeatedly—both in web-building and cursorial spiders. There was no correlation with running speed, and leg spination only poorly correlated, relative to the use of extended phenotypes, indicating that web use does not reduce selective pressures on body functions involved in prey capture and defence per se. Consequently, extended prey capture devices serve as supplements rather than substitutions to body traits and may only be beneficial in conjunction with certain life-history traits, possibly explaining the rare evolution and repeated loss of trapping strategies in predatory animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin gold nanowires (AuNWs) play an important role in wearable devices, biological detection, and other fields. However, their applications in transparent conduction are limited due to high junction resistance caused by the oleyamine (OAm) ligand and structural instability caused by Rayleigh instability. A treatment method has been proposed to eliminate these two defects via a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) atmosphere and heat treatment. The nanowires are subjected to heat treatment in a hydrogen sulfide atmosphere, which induces the nanowires to fracture into gold particles (AuNPs) and evolve into a stable spider-web-like structure. As a result, the conductivity of the treated film is significantly improved, reaching 65 Ω/sq at 120 °C, 50 min, and 1000 ppm of H2S. The electrical properties of the film can be maintained for more than one month. This method suggests a promising approach to ultrathin AuNWs for excellent improvement of electronic conduction and stability, which can be used in wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduced species alter established trophic interactions and molecular analysis can resolve changes in community structure and associated foraging links. Joro spiders (Trichonephila clavata) were recently introduced to the United States and their range is rapidly expanding across the east coast. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples, prey remains from webs, and dissected guts to compare diet composition of female Joro spiders in the southeastern United States. We amplified DNA from three material types using arthropod-targeted COI primers and sequenced with IIlumina MiSeq. Prey remains from webs had the highest diversity, richness, as well as the highest proportion of prey reads relative to Joro spider reads. Recovery of prey reads from fecal samples and dissected gut content was low and both were overwhelmed by Joro spider DNA. Although fecal samples and gut content had high proportions of Joro spider reads, fecal samples had higher prey diversity and richness. Moreover, we detected prey DNA from fecal samples several days after capture from the field, which reveals initial gut retention time estimates for fecal samples collected from web-building spiders. Combined, our results offer a first glimpse at the complexity of trophic associations for an introduced web-building spider and identify a viable material, prey remains from webs, as a source of prey DNA for estimates of biodiversity associated with web-building spiders.

Abstract Pressures on limited resources of water and energy in agriculture forced researchers to look for alternative approaches towards the solutions integrating the resources. Since the development of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus concept, several methods including indicator approaches have been developed and are in use to analyze their linkages. The aims of the study have been to determine and compare the performances of sugarcane producing irrigation schemes and technologies in Awash Basin of Ethiopia. Water applied, input energy used and productivity of eleven irrigation schemes found in Wonji, Metehara and Kessem sugar factories have been used and the performances of each scheme were evaluated. Based on statistical analyses, irrigation schemes were grouped into gravity surface, pump surface and pump sprinklers. After normalizing the original data through min–max, performance scores were determined based on equal weight and entropy methods. Categorical assessments revealed that gravity surface schemes had the highest total input energy use and energy productivity scores while pump sprinkler schemes were better on the water applied, relative irrigation supply and water productivity indicators. However, regarding composite performance indicators or WEF nexus indices, pump surface schemes scored the highest followed by gravity surface schemes while sprinklers were the least. The study proved the emphasis of the sugar factories of the basin for crop productivity with the expenses of energy and water utilizations. Hence, improvements in water management of gravity surface schemes and energy utilization of sprinkler schemes were recommended as key solutions for balanced resource use as well as the overall sustainability of the sector.

Spider-web-inspired hierarchical clustering network is an emerging research topic in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), benefitting from the particular characteristics in invulnerability. It is of great practical significance to achieve a proper parameter combination for optimizing network clustering and cluster head (CH) selection. However, there is no feasible solution to determine these parameters to lessen the energy consumption of resource-limited spider-web-inspired WSNs. Meanwhile, the existing protocols cannot adequately balance the total network energy dissipation and the network performance due to insufficient consideration of invulnerability. In this paper, a novel multi-objective optimization approach of parameter combination (MOOAPC) is proposed to solve the predicament, including the number of layers L, number of interval rounds for CH re-election m, grade communication radius within a cluster Gcr, number of sectors Z, and total number of nodes N. Specifically, the statistical methods, consisting of normality test, homogeneity of variance test, and ANOVA, are used to clarify the effect of different parameters on the network performance. Moreover, the logistic regression algorithm is applied to establish the optimization objective functions of invulnerability and average residual energy with the impact degree as the basis for setting the parameter constraints, and then, NSGA-II algorithm is adopted to acquire the optimal parameter combination. We discovered that the parameter combination (L = 6, m = 20, Gcr = 4, Z = 4, and N = 1100) was appropriate to prolong the network lifetime. In the case of reaching the threshold of death rate of nodes, the number of death rounds of MOOAPC was 670, which was 10.56%, 4.36% and 6.35% higher than that of LEACH, HEED and EEUC, respectively. Compared with LEACH, HEED, and EEUC, MOOAPC demonstrated significant performance advantages in invulnerability and average residual energy, 42.06% and 17.99% higher on average. Based on these results, the proposed method can be utilized to increase the capability of spider-web-inspired WSNs against deterioration of quality of service and energy constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the morphology and material composition of spider capture silk, we report a one-dimensional (1D) bead-chain phononic lattice (BCPL) that is lightweight and possesses tunable bandgaps. Among the mechanical parameters of the stress-free structure, we demonstrate that the width and midfrequency of the bandgaps depend mainly on the shear modulus and the mass density of the beads, while the axial pre-stretching exhibits a flexible and appreciable bandgap tunability. Based on this, mimicking the local morphology of the orb-web, we subsequently propose a two-dimensional (2D) BCPL with the 1D BCPL as components. Numerical simulations verify its wave filtering and directional transmission capabilities, which are regulated by tensile deformation. This work is expected to shed some light on the design and development of lightweight tunable elastic wave modulation devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, spider webs have received significant attention due to their exceptional mechanical properties, including strength, toughness, elasticity, and robustness. Among these spider webs, the orb web is a prevalent type. An orb web’s main framework consists of radial and spiral threads, with elastic and sticky threads used to capture prey. This paper proposes a bionic orb web model to investigate the energy-absorbing properties of a bionic spider web structure. The model considers structural parameters such as radial line length, radial line cross-sectional diameter, number of spiral lines, spiral spacing, and spiral cross-sectional diameter. These parameters are evaluated to assess the energy absorption capability of the bionic spider web structure. Simulation results reveal that the impact of the radial line length and spiral cross-sectional diameter on the energy absorption of the spider web is more significant compared to the radial line cross-sectional diameter, the number of spiral lines, and spiral spacing. Specifically, within a radial line length range of 60–80 mm, the total absorbed energy of a spider web is inversely proportional to the radial line length of the web. Moreover, the number of spiral lines and spiral spacing of the spider web, when within the range of 6–10 turns and 4–5.5 mm, respectively, are proportional to the total energy absorbed. A regression equation is derived to predict the optimal combination of structural parameters for maximum energy absorption. The optimal parameters are determined as follows: radial line length of 63.48 mm, radial line cross-sectional diameter of 0.46 mm, ten spiral lines, spiral spacing of 5.39 mm, and spiral cross-sectional diameter of 0.48 mm.

Extended phenotypes engineered by animals can potentially improve safety and/or foraging. Whether the well-known trade-off between safety and foraging applies for extended phenotypes, and if so, how it is resolved has not been determined. Spiders build elaborate silk structures that serve as traps for their insect prey and often attach silken retreats (nests) to their capture webs. These extended phenotypes of spiders are made of silk that is considered costly since it is made of protein. Using the Indian social spider, Stegodyphus sarasinorum, we examined how simple proximal factors, like colony hunger state and group size, shape trade-offs in collectively built extended phenotypes that offer shelter and food. We found that well-fed colonies showed greater investment in retreat silk than starved colonies. However, the two groups did not differ in their investment in capture webs. Hence, our findings validate the starvation-risk taking hypothesis in an extended phenotypic paradigm by showing that hungry colonies trade-off retreat size for capture web, irrespective of group size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressures on limited resources of water and energy in agriculture forced researchers to look for alternative approaches towards the solutions integrating the resources. Since the development of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus concept, several methods including indicator approaches have been developed and are in use to analyze their linkages. The aims of the study have been to determine and compare the performances of sugarcane producing irrigation schemes and technologies in Awash Basin of Ethiopia. Water applied, input energy used and productivity of eleven irrigation schemes found in Wonji, Metehara and Kessem sugar factories have been used and the performances of each scheme were evaluated. Based on statistical analyses, irrigation schemes were grouped into gravity surface, pump surface and pump sprinklers. After normalizing the original data through min–max, performance scores were determined based on equal weight and entropy methods. Categorical assessments revealed that gravity surface schemes had the highest total input energy use and energy productivity scores while pump sprinkler schemes were better on the water applied, relative irrigation supply and water productivity indicators. However, regarding composite performance indicators or WEF nexus indices, pump surface schemes scored the highest followed by gravity surface schemes while sprinklers were the least. The study proved the emphasis of the sugar factories of the basin for crop productivity with the expenses of energy and water utilizations. Hence, improvements in water management of gravity surface schemes and energy utilization of sprinkler schemes were recommended as key solutions for balanced resource use as well as the overall sustainability of the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

The web amount and quality of web-weaving of two spider species, Agelena labyrinthica (Clerck, 1757) and Holocnemus pluchei (Scopoli, 1763), were determined depending on the temperature and the amount of food consumed. Two different experiments were set up in the study. In the first one, the spiders were raised at different temperatures (20-25 °C and 25-30 °C) under laboratory conditions and they were fed with 10 Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) each time. In the second one, the spiders were fed with 7-10 insects caught from their natural habitats, at 20-25 °C and 25-30 °C. According to this, the difference in the amounts of food consumed by spiders fed with D. melanogaster at 25-30 °C was statistically significant (p < 0.05), and it was observed that these spiders (well-fed spiders) weave more frequently and regularly. On the other hand, the webs of A. labyrinthica and H. pluchei fed at lower temperatures with D. melanogaster were sparse and scarce. As a result, it was determined that the amount and quality of the cobwebs produced by both species of spiders depend on the number of nutrients and high-temperature values (25-30 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing is a fundamental sense of many animals, including all mammals, birds, some reptiles, amphibians, fish, and arthropods. The auditory organs of these animals are extremely diverse in anatomy after hundreds of millions of years of evolution, yet all are made up of cellular tissue and are morphologically part of the bodies of animals. Here, we show that hearing in the orb-weaving spider Larinioides sclopetarius is not constrained by the organism's body but is extended through outsourcing hearing to its extended phenotype, the proteinaceous, self-manufactured orb web. We find that the wispy, wheel-shaped orb web acts as a hyperacute acoustic antenna to capture the sound-induced air particle movements that approach the maximum physical efficiency better than the acoustic responsivity of all previously known eardrums. By sensing the motion of web threads, the spider remotely detects and localizes the source of an incoming airborne acoustic wave, such as those emitted by approaching prey or predators. By outsourcing its acoustic sensors to its web, the spider is released from body size constraints and permits the araneid spider to increase its sound-sensitive surface area enormously, up to 10,000 times greater than the spider itself. The spider also enables the flexibility to functionally adjust and regularly regenerate its external "eardrum" according to its needs. The outsourcing and supersizing of auditory function in spiders provides unique features for studying extended and regenerative sensing and designing novel acoustic flow detectors for precise fluid dynamic measurement and manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the research was to determine the effect of using the spider web learning model on the improvement of learning achievement in basic mathematics for children with mental disabilities in a Kindergarten in Central Java. The research uses an experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design, in which a group of subjects is treated for a certain period and the effect of treatment is measured from the difference between the initial measurement (pretest) and the final measurement (posttest). The research subjects were all children in group B with a total of five students. Data collection techniques using tests. Data analysis used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test analysis technique. The result of the research is that the Z account value is -2.027 with Asymp. Sign (2-tailed) 0.043 at a significant level (α) 0.05 or 5%. For this reason, it can be concluded that the use of the spider web learning model affects increasing learning achievement.

Introduction: Recanalized thrombus (RCT) of coronary arteries is frequently unrecognized in interventional cardiology practice. Intravascular imaging conclusively establishes its diagnosis, which otherwise is often misdiagnosed as fresh thrombus, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or severe calcification based on angiography, alone. We hereby report our experience of 10 RCT patients, who had the intravascular imaging-guided diagnosis, followed by the successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: It was a retrospective analysis of 10 patients, who had angiographic haziness of the target lesion during PCI, which were found to be RCT on intravascular imaging. Either optical coherence tomography (OCT) or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was performed to characterize RCT in 9 and 1 patient, respectively.Results: The mean age was 53 ± 13.1 years, comprising 9 men and 1 woman. Six patients had acute coronary syndrome, while four had chronic stable angina. Coronary angiography revealed ≥ 70% angiographic stenosis, with intracoronary haziness/filling defects which were linear, spiral or braided in appearance. OCT findings in 9 patients include signal-rich, high backscattered septa dividing the lumen into multiple small cavities communicating with each other, giving a "Swiss cheese" or "honeycomb" appearance. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings in one patient showed multiple cavities filled with blood speckling consistent with recanalized thrombus. All patients underwent successful PCI with image-guided optimization.Conclusion: With the increasing use of intravascular imaging during PCI, RCT is frequently identified. OCT remains the investigation of choice to differentiate it from other similar entities on angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic tea farms promote biodiversity and perform important ecological functions that benefit the environment and supply safe and secure products to consumers. The study of organic farming requires field study to identify and collect species on site. I proposed the use of aerial photography obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to identify tea farms that provided a habitat for spiders. In this study, two locations were selected in tea farms near the town of Wazuka, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Aerial photographs were taken after confirming conditions on the ground were right for maximum contrast because the spider webs appearing white when the right atmospheric conditions highlight fine water droplets adhering to the strands in the webs. This occurs when the temperature and humidity combine in such a way as to cause moisture to condense from the atmosphere, also known as the dew point. When this occurs, the webs appear white in daylight and are easily identified by visual orthomosaic images obtained from the UAV. The spatial distribution of spider webs varied as a function of farming method used in different sections of the farms. The results of the visual analysis showed that the density of spider webs correlates with the type of farming method. Sections in which organic farming methods were practiced showed the highest density of webs, followed by sections of conventional farming (extensive cultivation), and lastly, sections using conventional farming methods had the lowest density of webs. The density was easily estimated from orthomosaic images constructed from aerial photographs and demonstrated that organic tea farms can be distinguished from farms employing conventional farming methods based on this criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heuristic algorithms are often used to find solutions to real complex world problems. In this paper, the Social Spider Algorithm (SSA) and Social Spider Optimization (SSO) which are heuristic algorithms created upon spider behaviors are considered. Performances of both algorithms are compared with each other from six different items. These are; fitness values of spider population which are obtained in different dimensions, number of candidate solution obtained in each iteration, the best value of candidate solutions obtained in each iteration, the worst value of candidate solutions obtained in each iteration, average fitness value of candidate solutions obtained in each iteration and running time of each iteration. Obtained results of SSA and SSO are applied to the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Various unimodal, multimodal, and hybrid standard benchmark functions are studied to compare each other with the performance of SSO and SSA. Using these benchmark functions, performances of SSO and SSA are compared with well-known evolutionary and recently developed methods in the literature. Obtained results show that both heuristic algorithms have advantages to another from different aspects. Also, according to other algorithms have good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tympanic membrane (TM) is vulnerable to a variety of middle ear diseases. In some cases, reconstruction or repair of the TM is essential for recovering the hearing. Although there are many kinds of materials and therapeutics for TM reconstruction, tissue engineering of the TM is still in its initial steps of advancement. Treatment of damaged TM is usually carried out by otology-related techniques such as myringoplasty and tympanoplasty. Most of the novel tympanoplasty methods employ artificial grafts made of biomaterials and polymers for scaffolds. One biomaterial candidate for design and fabrication of synthetic grafts is spider silk, which has excellent mechanical and acoustic characteristics. On the other hand, the structural function of the spider web is also one of the potential inspirations for designing tissue-engineered grafts on micro-scale explorations. In this study, a bio-inspired design and analysis of silky TM grafts are carried out employing finite element modeling and vibro-acoustic investigation. A comparative and statistical analysis is also performed with experimentally validated data to check the suitability of the materials and design. The numerical study shows that the proposed bio-inspired models are appropriate for TM graft design and fabrication. The effects of inspired architecture and materials on obtaining an optimum design for TM grafts are put into evidence via a parametric study, and pertinent conclusions are outlined.

The COVID-19 infection causes a severe form of viral pneumonia in a proportion of the infected patients. Over the last 1 year, a lot of typical and atypical radiological changes in COVID pneumonia have been documented. These radiological appearances can help in the diagnosis of COVID infection even before genetic test results are available. While some of these signs are nonspecific and found in a lot of other infections, there are a few signs that have been newly described specifically during the current pandemic. Here, we present such a rare sign in a patient from Eastern India.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased urbanisation is leading to littering of the environment. However, some animals may adapt to live in such altered habitats. The aim of this study was to assess whether discarded containers can serve as a suitable microhabitat for spiders. The study was conducted in 10 woodland areas in the city of Wrocław, Poland. In September 2018, a total of 939 containers were collected, of which 33.5% contained evidence of spiders having resided therein: webs, dead or living spiders, exuviae or cocoons. A total of 22 species and several other taxa that could not be recognised so accurately were detected. The most common of these belonged to Linyphiidae and Theridiidae. Juveniles (N = 103) dominated over adults (N = 58), and females (N = 34) were more numerous than males (N = 24). In 15 containers, interspecies pairs were found. Among ecological guilds, sheet web spiders dominated (60%) followed by space web spiders (24%), ground hunters (9%), ambush hunters (3%), specialists (3%), and other hunters (2%). Spiders were significantly more often found in colourless (38.3%) and green (35.5%) than in brown bottles (25.2%). They were also more numerous in glass bottles for sweet drinks (50.0%) than in beer bottles (28.0%), and slightly more frequent than in glass vodka bottles (33.3%). Our study showed that discarded containers are fully exploitable microhabitats for spiders and are used by these animals for at least three different purposes: hunting, hiding and breeding, however the effect on their fitness remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles has gained attention due to its simple process of synthesis and varied applications. Scientists have tried its synthesis from a wide range of materials, but there is lack of reports that can use the metabolites of insects. Here in this study, we have used the spider silk protein which is considered as complete waste collected from household and field sources and processed to synthesize silver nanoparticles which were subsequently analyzed using different analytical tools like SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. The spider silk protein-mediated synthesized nanoparticle (SP-AgNPs) showed a sharp peak at 420 nm when analyzed spectrophotometrically giving an indication of successful synthesis of AgNP. The synthesized nanoparticle ranges from 10 to 40 nm and were of varied shapes. The synthesized SP-AgNPs showed remarkable antibacterial activity. The MIC values against B. subtilis and E. coli were recorded 45 and 40 μg/mL respectively. Further to know the mechanisms of antibacterial activity protein leakage and conductivity measurement were conducted. The synthesized nanoparticle also showed excellent antibiofilm activity with inhibition percentages of 74 % and 68 % for E. coli and B. subtilis respectively at MIC concentration of the treatment. Finally, the synthesized nanoparticles was applied as mosquito larvicidal agent against Culex sp. and the difference between LC 50 and LD 90 value was recorded as statistically significant (p < 0.0267) during 24 h of incubation. Therefore, it can be said that spider-web could be an excellent biological reducing and capping agent for heavy metal nanoparticle synthesis that can minimize the ailments caused by mosquitoes and pathogenic microorganisms. • Synthesis of spider silk protein-mediated silver nanoparticles (SP-AgNPs) • SP-AgNPs showed excellent antibacterial and antibiofilm activity. • Antibacterial mechanism with DNA damage is studied. • SP-AgNPs showed remarkable larvicidal activity against Culex sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

The choice of an optimal solution among various available technological and material undertakings often becomes a problem of the engineering community. A multi-criteria technical and economic analysis is used in order to facilitate decision making. The objective of this article is to present biplot methods and radar charts as a possibility of graphic presentation of research results by obtaining an optimal solution on the example of an analysis of technological and material undertakings of acoustic screens. The research consisted in identifying technological and material solutions of the selected acoustic screens, and then defining features (criteria) and cases (technological and material solutions). The results were presented in radar charts and biplot-type graphs. The methodology consisted in generating a data matrix, which is then processed, decomposed and finally scaled. The calculations were carried out in the Statistica programme. The carried-out analysis showed that the spider web and biplot methods differ from each other. The biplot graph more precisely describes the solutions, and it presents the correlations between variables and cases.

Many organisms secrete structural materials from their bodies to enhance protection, foraging or signalling. The function of such secretion products can be further extended by their assembly into complex structures, so-called extended phenotypes, such as shells, nests and biofilms. Understanding the variation in the efficacy of such assembly processes could help to explain why extended phenotypes are common on some lineages and rare in others. Here, I comparatively studied the assembly of sticky silk fibres into thread anchorages by the innate 'printing' behaviour in 92 species of spiders from 45 families, representing the so-far largest comparative study of construction-related motion patterns. I found a global evolutionary trend towards a faster production of silk thread anchorages, in both web builders and hunting spiders. The slowest producers of silk anchors belong to a clade with an ancestral configuration of respiratory organs, suggesting that a major constraint to the evolution of spinning speed is the efficiency of oxygen uptake. Motion patterns were found to contain a high phylogenetic signal, but did not correlate with spinning speeds. These results help to explain the variation in diversity and ecological success among the spider fauna and showcase the value of comparative kinematics in biodiversity studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiders capture prey by applying sticky coating substances to the spiral line of their orb webs. The main constituents of these sticky substances are glycoproteins and salts. This sticky substance is an intelligent material. Salt plays a key role regarding the properties of the sticky substance. Spiders typically weave a new orb webs by recycling used orb webs, and salts, typically salts of the alkali metals sodium and potassium, were therefore assumed to be recycled in this process. Here, we fed cesium (Cs) carbonate (which is an alkali metal salt) to spiders (Araneus ventricosus) to test this hypothesis. After feeding, we mapped the sticky substance in the spiders' orb web using an in‐house time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometer with high lateral resolution. The results showed that Cs ion was ingested and integrated into the sticky substance, and it showed properties similar to those of sodium ion and potassium ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The new findings exhibit for the first time the nonlinear dynamic phenomena of spider web systems subject to large amplitude precursors stemming from extreme winds, large deformation, material imperfections, hostile climatic conditions and so on. This study enables new discoveries and insights by enhancing large deformable finite elements with energy method. The novel insights can be used (not limited to) as a reference for the analysis, design, inspection and maintenance of structural membranes, netting cables (or cable-like structures such as rail overhead conductors), tensegrity structures, soft tissues and soft matter, and other bio-inspired structures. Spider silk, as a natural material, shows exceptional performance in its properties. The combination of the superior properties of spider silk and the geometry of spider structures make the spider web very resilient. A spider web structure can be considered as a cable-like structure with inappreciable torsional, bending and shear rigidities. An investigation emphasising on natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes with and without the consideration of geometric nonlinearity is presented in this paper. This study is the world's first discovery of large amplitude free vibration behaviours of spider web structures. Large deformable finite element 3D models of spider web structures have been developed and validated. By using the energy method, the variational model of the spider web structures have been established to further extend the finite element model, consisting of the strain energy due to axial deformation, kinetic energy due to the spider web movement and the virtual work caused by the self-weight per unit unstretched length. The emphasis of this study is placed on the linear and geometric nonlinear behaviour of the spider web structures considering different structural patterns and material properties. To determine the large-amplitude free vibrational behaviours, a series of pretension load is applied to the first step in Abaqus to initiate the nonlinear strain-displacement relationships enabling a precursor to free vibrations. The parametric studies stemming from structural patterns (the number of radial and capture threads), elastic modulus, density, and inertia moment have been highlighted. The insight will help engineers and scientists to adapt the concept of spider webs, their geometric properties, and damage patterns for the design of any structural membranes, preventing any failure from dynamic resonances and nonlinear phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that physical interactions between biological and environmental surfaces may constrain ecological niche spaces. However, the mechanistic understanding of niche formation is frequently limited by the lack of information on the function and variation of these interactions. Here, we hypothesised that two closely related species of orb-web spiders have evolved different adhesion performance of web attachment (i.e. piriform silk) facilitating the occupation of contrasting microhabitats: plants versus rocks. Contrary to our prediction, we found that piriform silk adhesion was equally affected by surface chemistry in both species, with maximal adhesion on surfaces with high surface polarity and an average adhesion loss of 70–75% on low polar surfaces. Spiders did not respond to adhesion losses by increasing the anchor size, despite the repeated failure to attach their web to low polar surfaces. In a natural setting, poor adhesion on low polar surfaces may be mitigated by behavioural means, like the preference to place anchors on corrugated surface features such as leaf edges, or the spinning of multiple anchorages and formation of a bundled anchor line. Thus, microhabitat choice for web-building spiders may be governed by structural properties rather than surface chemistry. These results suggest that the repeatedly demonstrated effects of surface chemistry on bio-adhesion may be ecologically less important than assumed and that the role of behaviour in the evolution of bio-adhesion performance has been underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stealing prey items from other animals entails obvious benefits for the thief. However, this so-called kleptoparasitic behavior can also involve costs including injury or even death, especially when stealing from a potential predator. Here, we examined how kleptoparasitic hover wasps (Parischnogaster sp.) that steal prey items out of spider webs handle the risk of falling prey to their hosts. We tested the wasps' ability to evade different webs under natural and experimental conditions and whether webs are perceived visually. Further, we tested whether wasps learn about web position and are able to avoid them in future trajectories as well as how quick wasps escape from webs once entangled. Additionally, we recorded the attack time for different spider species towards prey items placed into their webs, to estimate the risk of being attacked when entangled. Our results provide strong support for visual web perception by wasps facilitating the successful evasion of webs in flight trajectories, learning capability, and quick escape from webs once entangled. At the same time, the results, together with our observations in the field, suggest a specialization of kleptoparasitizing spider webs with overall lower risk of predation. Significance statement: Stealing prey from other predators often entails significant risk of injury and death. Yet, most research on such kleptoparasitism focused on the benefits to the kleptoparasite or the cost to the host, thereby overlooking an important component to explain the evolution and maintenance of kleptoparasitism. Here, we examine the potential costs for hover wasps when stealing prey from spider webs and test how wasps reduce the potential risks of this kleptoparasitic foraging behavior. While often described from casual observations, kleptoparasitism in hover wasps is so far unstudied. We show that kleptoparasitism from spider webs is associated with costs for hover wasps, but that visual detection of webs, avoidance learning, and rapid escape behavior mitigate those costs. Our study hints at hover wasps targeting certain host species where their mitigating strategies are most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is monitored mainly in urban or industrial areas, even if it is known that in rural ones, low emission can significantly worsen air quality. Hence, cheap and easily accessible methods of monitoring are needed. Recently, spider webs biomonitoring is getting popular, however, there is no information about its comparison with active methods. In this study, PTEs accumulated on spider webs were compared with results from continuous particulate monitor (CPM). Generally, higher potentially toxic elements concentrations were noted in spider web, with exception in the case of Zn. Zn may be present rather in smaller fractions, hence it needs more time for accumulation on spider web while it is easily collected by CPM. Higher concentrations of other elements on spider webs may result from formation of aggregates which could not be reported in PM10 sampling (CPM). What is more, the order of the most and the least accumulated elements were similar and the percentage share of studied elements was coherent in most cases, proving that this new tool prospers to become commonly used in biomonitoring. Additionally, to identify possible sources of pollution air backward trajectories and trajectory frequencies for Kotórz were prepared based on the HYSPLIT model.

The polysphinctine wasp Zatypota anomala (Holmgren, 1860), a koinobiont ecto-parasitoid of spiders in the family Dictynidae, was recorded in Italy for the first time. Populations of both the wasp and its host, Dictyna pusilla Thorell, 1856, its host preference and the interaction between the parasitoid and the spider were documented in the field and by laboratory observations.

The rapid increase of the number of motor vehicles, especially motorcycles, makes serious problem caused by the pollution from gas emission of fossil fuel combustion. The problems related to human health and the erosion on ozone layer is credited to its gas emission. Several dangerous and toxic gasses such as Hydrocarbon (HC), Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), and Lead (Pb) are emitted during IC engine operation. To manage those dangerous gasses, catalytic converter which converts the gasses into more eco-friendly CO2H2O and N2 may be employed. In this research, a specially designed catalytic converter made from brass (CuZn) wire in the form of spider web pattern was fitted into exhaust system of a standard motorcycle. The performance of the converter for several engine rotation speeds was examined by measuring CO and HC of exhaust by using Gas Analyzer. By comparing the exhaust of a standard exhaust system and modified exhaust system (fitted with converter), it can be concluded that the converter was able to decrease the exhaust emission gas. For HC content, the percentage of decrease was as much as 36,88 % for converter fitted exhaust system compared to 61.12% for standard one. For CO content, the decrease percentage was 19.90% compared to 80.10% for standard one.

Orb webs absorb the impact energy of prey and transmit vibratory information to the spider with minimal structural damage. The structural properties of the web and the arrangement of threads within the web affect transmission time during the prey impact. The objective of the present study is to determine damping, stiffness, and transmissibility of healthy and damaged spider webs. Experimental results show that stiffness and transmissibility diminish from the inner to outer spiral threads and gradient variation in the structural properties of spiral threads enhances signal transmission capability toward the centre regardless of the position of prey impact within the healthy web. Spiral threads exhibit excellent prey retention properties due to their stretching capability. Kinetic energy produced by prey is absorbed in the threads, which help the spider to analyse the prey retention properties and also determine the response time. The minor damage (up to 25%) does not alter the basic characteristics of the web due to self-adjustment of tension within the web. Damping, natural frequency, stiffness and transmissibility decrease with the increase in the percentage of damaged web. The present study addresses the structural sustainability of the spider web irrespective of minor damages and also provides guidance in designing the structures under impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In animals, behavioural responses may play an important role in determining population persistence in the face of environmental changes. Body size is a key trait central to many life‐history traits and behaviours. Correlations with body size may constrain behavioural variation in response to environmental changes, especially when size itself is influenced by environmental conditions.Urbanization is an important human‐induced rapid environmental change that imposes multiple selection pressures on both body size and (size‐constrained) behaviour. How these combine to shape behavioural responses of urban‐dwelling species is unclear.Using web building, an easily quantifiable behaviour linked to body size and the garden spider Araneus diadematus as a model, we evaluated direct behavioural responses to urbanization and body size constraints across a network of 63 selected populations differing in urbanization intensity. We additionally studied urbanization at two spatial scales to account for some environmental pressures varying across scales and to obtain first qualitative insights about the role of plasticity and genetic selection.Spiders were smaller in highly urbanized sites (local scale only), in line with expectations based on reduced prey biomass availability and the Urban Heat Island effect. Web surface and mesh width decreased with urbanization at the local scale, while web surface also increased with urbanization at the landscape scale. The latter two responses are expected to compensate, at least in part, for reduced prey biomass availability in cities. The use of multivariate mixed modelling reveals that although web traits and body size are correlated within populations, behavioural responses to urbanization do not appear to be constrained by size: there is no evidence of size–web correlations among populations or among landscapes, and web traits appear independent from each other.Our results demonstrate that responses in size‐dependent behaviours may be decoupled from size changes, thereby allowing fitness maximization in novel environments. The spatial scale at which traits respond suggests contributions of both genetic adaptation (for web investment) and plasticity (for mesh width). Although fecundity decreased with local‐scale urbanization, A. diadematus abundances were similar across urbanization gradients; behavioural responses thus appear overall successful at the population level. The authors show that the common cross spider Araneus diadematus changes its web‐building behaviour to adapt to city life, specifically to smaller prey in cities. These changes are not linked to body size, even though spiders are smaller in cities; behavioural flexibility may be key for success in urban habitats (spider silhouette by Brigit Lang, made available under CC‐BY 3.0 licence for phylopic.org). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Microscopy characterization of Linothele megatheloides spider webs and silk fibers. • Novel approach to produce the hydrophobic webs from electrospun fibers. • Biomimetic bundles of spider silk fibers with electrospun wrinkled PVDF fibers. • Similar contact angle for water and roughness on spider webs and electrospun fibers. • Just geometry approach, no chemical modification, to create hydrophobic surfaces. Abstract In this study, we showed a simple approach to biomimic the wetting properties of spider webs, which can be mainly attributed to the geometry of fibers. We created biomimetic fibers using electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with a wrinkled surface similar to the morphology of spider silk bundles produced by Linothele megatheloides. Without any chemical modification and copying the silk bundles geometry, we successfully translated the similar hydrophobic properties to an electrospun network of fibers. The novelty of this approach lays in obtaining similar macroscale roughness parameters, responsible here for wetting contact angles, due to the substitution of spider silk bundles with individual wrinkled electrospun fibers. The presented methods open new creative solutions for manufacturing anti-wetting surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an edited version of the catalog essay for Magdalena Abakanowicz at the Muzeum Narodowyn w Kraków (National Museum), Poland, June 19-August 29, 2010, I open with a discussion of The Round Abakan (1967), the symbolic center of the National Museum exhibition. The viewer can put his/her whole body into "penetrating" the work. The exhibition, like the artist's other presentations to date—as a whole work in itself, an allegorical construction—is a "Gesamkunstwerk" of sorts. Unlike the modern museum, which establishes a symbolic order, Abakanowicz prompts us to co-establish one. Abakanowicz invites the viewer to dialogue. To negotiate. Her art turns out to disperse the modern frameworks it is normally presented in. Tangled up in the museum like a spider web, her work simultaneously represents and conceals the form it finds itself in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]