Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Min Wang, Jingmai K. O'Connor, Tao Zhao, Yanhong Pan, Xiaoting Zheng, Xiaoli Wang, Zhonghe Zhou
Summary: Enantiornithes, the most successful group of Mesozoic birds, may have evolved their extravagant tail plumage through sexual selection, resembling those in neornithines. The contrasting tail morphotypes between Enantiornithes and early Ornithuromorpha suggest unique pressures from sexual and natural selections. Early avialans repeatedly evolved extravagant structures, showcasing the importance of sexual selection in shaping feathered dinosaurs' plumage early in their evolutionary history.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Per Henningsson
Summary: This study used a budgerigar as a model to investigate the costs of flying through narrow gaps. It was found that flying through small gaps resulted in reduced flight speed, increased wingbeat frequency, and ultimately increased energy consumption for the bird, highlighting the potential multiple costs associated with navigating obstacles in flight.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Yo-Ping Huang, Haobijam Basanta
Summary: A transfer learning-based method using Inception-ResNet-v2 was developed to detect and classify bird species endemic to Taiwan, achieving high accuracy in bird species classification and detection among different object categories. The model demonstrated precision, recall, and F1-score exceeding 98% in classifying bird species endemic to Taiwan.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diederik Strubbe, Laura Jimenez, A. Marcia Barbosa, Amy J. S. Davis, Luc Lens, Carsten Rahbek
Summary: This study demonstrates that mechanistic models based on functional traits can accurately identify areas at risk of invasion by non-native birds in Europe. Predicting potential invasive distribution ranges has significant uncertainties, but using ecophysiological mechanistic models can determine the true extent of the geographical area at risk. Mechanistic predictions, which can identify tolerable climates outside of species' current niches, are valuable for informing policy and management strategies to prevent the escalating impacts of invasive species.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Joseph E. J. Cooper, Kate E. Plummer, Gavin M. Siriwardena
Summary: If urban environments are designed to be biodiversity-friendly from the beginning, they can benefit wildlife communities, improve residents' well-being, and reduce costs by minimizing the need for compensatory land. Urban planners can use predictive tools based on species-habitat models to design productive green infrastructure efficiently. By integrating digitized plans with digital maps, we predicted bird abundance and diversity for nine housing developments in England and Wales, comparing different scenarios with alterations to greenspace, woodland, and housing configuration. The results showed that biodiversity predictions for actual plans were lower than at least one scenario per development, emphasizing the importance of considering the biophysical context for maximizing bird diversity. We believe this framework can provide a cost-effective and data-driven approach to support green infrastructure planning, especially in jurisdictions where biodiversity considerations are mandatory.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Carlos Lozano, Jorge Ponsin
Summary: The Green's function approach of Giles and Pierce is used to construct lift and drag based analytic adjoint solutions for the incompressible Euler equations in two dimensions. The drag-based solution is smooth throughout the flow domain, while the lift-based solution exhibits singularity at rear stagnation points and sharp trailing edges due to the Kutta condition. This singularity propagates to the entire dividing streamline upstream of the rear singularity through the sensitivity of the Kutta condition to changes in stagnation pressure.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gianmarco Ducci, Gennaro Vitucci, Philippe Chatelain, Renaud Ronsse
Summary: This paper investigates the relationship between energetic performance and stability in flapping flight of migratory birds, and finds that long range flights require specific tail configurations to maintain stability, based on model predictions and field observations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Paz Beniamini, Pawan Kumar, Xiangcheng Ma, Eliot Quataert
Summary: This study introduces three methods for exploring the hydrogen reionization epoch using fast radio bursts (FRBs) and argues for the existence of FRBs at high redshift (z). The methods include determining the maximum dispersion measure (DMmax), measuring the redshifts of FRBs, and reflecting the reionization history in the number of FRBs per unit DM. These methods provide useful information about the reionization epoch without requiring extensive prior knowledge.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Goksel Keskin, Seyhun Durmus, Muharrem Karakaya, Melih Cemal Kushan
Summary: The study focuses on designing and manufacturing a long-lasting mini UAV by mimicking bird flight performance, reaching a theoretical Glide ratio of 27.5 but a practical ratio of about 25. Unmanned glider design can have practical implications in UAVs, especially during standby periods in the air.
AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING AND AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Quynh M. Nguyen, Anand U. Oza, Joanna Abouezzi, Guanhua Sun, Stephen Childress, Christina Frederick, Leif Ristroph
Summary: This study demonstrates flow rectification, valveless pumping, or AC-to-DC conversion in macroscale fluidic networks inspired by the unique anatomy of bird lungs. Experiments show that higher frequencies and amplitudes of imposed oscillations generate disproportionately stronger circulation, which can be controlled through network topology and junction connectivity. Visualizations reveal that flow separation and vortex shedding serve as the valving function of directing current with appropriate timing in the oscillation cycle.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Sagar Shrestha, Xiao Fu, Mingyi Hong
Summary: The spectrum cartography technique constructs RF maps in multiple domains from limited measurements, but faces challenges in completion. Model-based techniques rely on handcrafted priors which may not capture the complexity of wireless environments. To overcome these challenges, deep neural networks are used to model individual emitter radio maps, alleviating the learning and generalization challenges. A two-stage SC method and an iterative optimization algorithm are proposed using these models. Theoretical properties under this framework, such as recoverability and noise robustness, are characterized. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SIGNAL PROCESSING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Janusz Cwiklak, Ewelina Kobialka, Artur Gos
Summary: The article discusses the experimental and numerical studies conducted on bird models during impacts with rigid and deformable targets. The aim of these studies is to validate bird models for numerical simulations of bird impact against aircraft windshields and other aircraft parts, thereby enhancing air transportation safety.
Article
Mechanics
Yu-Hsiang Lai, Sheng-Kai Chang, Bluest Lan, Kuan-Lun Hsu, Jing-Tang Yang
Summary: The optimal hindwing kinematics of a damselfly have been revealed, providing important insights for the design of bio-inspired micro-aerial vehicles.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Bryan Nicholas Chua, Wei Mei Guo, Han Teng Wong, Dave Siak-Wei Ow, Pooi Leng Ho, Winston Koh, Ann Koay, Fong Tian Wong
Summary: With concerns over sugar's health impact, researchers used protein language models to design new brazzein variants with improved thermostability and sweetness. This innovative approach led to the identification of unexpected mutations, expanding possibilities for protein engineering. The study also developed a simplified procedure for expressing and analyzing the brazzein mutants, utilizing a safe bacterium for purification and taste receptor assays for sweetness evaluation. The research successfully demonstrated the potential of computational design in producing a more heat-resistant and potentially more palatable brazzein variant, V23.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Igor Kavrakov, Allan McRobie, Guido Morgenthal
Summary: This paper presents a machine learning-based model to replicate the wind forces acting on structures. The model, constructed using Gaussian Process-Nonlinear Finite Impulse Response (GP-NFIR), can predict the nonlinear self-excited forces and flutter velocity of structures. The paper demonstrates the predictive ability of the model by verifying it with an analytical solution for a flat plate and applying it to a bridge deck based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) data.
JOURNAL OF WIND ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL AERODYNAMICS
(2022)
