SUMMARY Reconstructing the vortex wake of freely flying birds is challenging, but in the past few years, direct measurements of the wake circulation have become available for a number of species. Streamwise circulation has been measured at different positions along the span of the birds, but no measurements have been performed in the transverse plane. Recent findings from studies of bat wakes have pointed to the importance of transverse plane data for reconstructing the wake topology because important structures may be missed otherwise. We present results of high-speed DPIV measurements in the transverse plane behind freely flying blackcaps. We found novel wake structures previously not shown in birds, including wing root vortices of opposite as well as the same sign as the wing tip vortices. This suggests a more complex wake structure in birds than previously assumed and calls for more detailed studies of the flow over the wings and body, respectively. Based on measurements on birds with and without a tail we also tested hypotheses regarding the function of the tail during steady flight. We were unable to detect any differences in the wake pattern between birds with and without a tail. We conclude that the birds do not use their tail to exploit vortices shed at the wing root during the downstroke. Neither did we find support for the hypothesis that the tail should reduce the drag of the bird. The function of the tail during steady flight thus remains unclear and calls for further investigation in future studies.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the variation in DNA repair genes in adults with WHO grade II and III gliomas and their relationship to patient survival. We analysed a total of 1,458 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were selected to cover DNA repair genes, in 81 grade II and grade III gliomas samples, collected in Sweden and Denmark. The statistically significant genetic variants from the first dataset (P < 0.05) were taken forward for confirmation in a second dataset of 72 grade II and III gliomas from northern UK. In this dataset, eight gene variants mapping to five different DNA repair genes (ATM, NEIL1, NEIL2, ERCC6 and RPA4) which were associated with survival. Finally, these eight genetic variants were adjusted for treatment, malignancy grade, patient age and gender, leaving one variant, rs4253079, mapped to ERCC6, with a significant association to survival (OR 0.184, 95% CI 0.054-0.63, P = 0.007). We suggest a possible novel association between rs4253079 and survival in this group of patients with low-grade and anaplastic gliomas that needs confirmation in larger datasets.

Hovering insects are divided into two categories: ‘normal’ hoverers that move the wing symmetrically in a horizontal stroke plane, and those with an inclined stroke plane. Normal hoverers have been suggested to support their weight during both downstroke and upstroke, shedding vortex rings each half-stroke. Insects with an inclined stroke plane should, according to theory, produce flight forces only during downstroke, and only generate one set of vortices. The type of hovering is thus linked to the power required to hover. Previous efforts to characterize the wake of hovering insects have used low-resolution experimental techniques or simulated the flow using computational fluid dynamics, and so it remains to be determined whether insect wakes can be represented by any of the suggested models. Here, we used tomographic particle image velocimetry, with a horizontal measurement volume placed below the animals, to show that the wake shed by hovering hawkmoths is best described as a series of bilateral, stacked vortex ‘rings’. While the upstroke is aerodynamically active, despite an inclined stroke plane, it produces weaker vortices than the downstroke. In addition, compared with the near wake, the far wake lacks structure and is less concentrated. Both near and far wakes are clearly affected by vortex interactions, suggesting caution is required when interpreting wake topologies. We also estimated induced power (Pind) from downwash velocities in the wake. Standard models predicted a Pind more than double that from our wake measurements. Our results thus question some model assumptions and we propose a reevaluation of the model parameters.

Avian flapping strategies have the potential to revolutionize future drones as they may considerably improve agility, increase slow speed flight capability, and extend the aerodynamic performance. The study of live birds is time‐consuming, laborious, and, more importantly, limited to the flapping motion adopted by the animal. The latter makes systematic studies of alternative flapping strategies impossible, limiting our ability to test why birds select specific kinematics among infinite alternatives. Herein, a biohybrid robotic wing is described, partly built from real feathers, with more advanced kinematic capabilities than previous robotic wings and similar to those of a real bird. In a first case study, the robotic wing is used to systematically study the aerodynamic consequences of different upstroke kinematic strategies at different flight speeds and stroke plane angles. The results indicate that wing folding during upstroke not only favors thrust production, as expected, but also reduces force‐specific aerodynamic power, indicating a strong selection pressure on protobirds to evolve upstroke wing folding. It is also shown that thrust requirements likely dictate the wing's stroke tilting. Overall, the proposed biohybrid robotic flapper can be used to answer many open questions about avian flapping flights that are impossible to address by observing free‐flying birds.

No abstract