The absorption of high kinetic energy by a small amount of material depends not only on the quality of the material but also on the structural design of the elements involved. Using a rapid response microbalance, we measured the tensions of radial threads in webs of the garden cross spider, Araneus diadematus. We also measured the stress-strain characteristics of dry radius and wet spiral threads laid down by A, diadematus, as well as of the very different and dry spiral threads laid down by the hackled-band weaver, Uloborus walckenaerius.The radius threads of A. diadematus showed good extensibility (e = 39.4%), high tensile strength (s = 1153.8 MPa) and large hysteresis (56%) which indicates that they can function as shock absorbers and structural elements. Although fewer radii were built in the upper than in the lower half of the Araneus web, our method found no systematic difference between the average pretensions of individual radius threads in these two halves. However, pretension in the upper half of the web showed greater variation.Orb weavers employ two different mechanisms to increase the energy-absorbing capacity of their respective capture spirals. The sticky spiral of Araneus diadematus absorbed energy by large extensibility (about 475%) of the wetted thread which developed substantial force only after 100-20056 extension, and the entire thread failed suddenly. The hackled band of Uloborus walckenaerius had shorter extensibility (about 125%)' and it absorbed energy by friction of the fine hackled fibres, many of which needed to break in succession before a thread failed. o 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

We examined the effect of a spider's weight on silk parameters and material properties by studying the stress strain characteristics of radial fibres from Araneus diadematus made heavier by adding weight or 'centrifugation' in a carousel. Thus loaded, spiders produced thicker, stronger and stiffer threads. However, normalizing for diameter showed that the material properties of these thicker threads were in fact inferior: the increase in diameter was accompanied by a decrease in stiffness (Young's modulus). This suggests that this particular silk may not be a simple, homogeneous rod, as generally assumed.

The use of the nebulization catheter device provides a promising alternative for aerosol gene delivery to the mouse lung.

Background Competency frameworks outline the perceived knowledge, skills, attitudes, and other attributes required for professional practice. These frameworks have gained in popularity, in part for their ability to inform health professions education, assessment, professional mobility, and other activities. Previous research has highlighted inadequate reporting related to their development which may then jeopardize their defensibility and utility. Methods This study aimed to develop a set of minimum reporting criteria for developers and authors of competency frameworks in an effort to improve transparency, clarity, interpretability and appraisal of the developmental process, and its outputs. Following guidance from the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) Network, an expert panel was assembled, and a knowledge synthesis, a Delphi study, and workshops were conducted using individuals with experience developing competency frameworks, to identify and achieve consensus on the essential items for a competency framework development reporting guideline. Results An initial checklist was developed by the 35-member expert panel and the research team. Following the steps listed above, a final reporting guideline including 20 essential items across five sections (title and abstract; framework development; development process; testing; and funding/conflicts of interest) was developed. Conclusion The COmpeteNcy FramEwoRk Development in Health Professions (CONFERD-HP) reporting guideline permits a greater understanding of relevant terminology, core concepts, and key items to report for competency framework development in the health professions.

<p>Within the extensive periglacial belt of the dry Andean high mountain range (17°30’S to 35°S), the most visible expression of creeping mountain permafrost is the occurrence of rock glaciers, which have been studied systematically in the last decades (e.g. Schrott, 1996; Trombotto et al., 1999; Halla et al. 2021). Active, inactive and relict rock glaciers are included in regional and national inventories (e.g. IANIGLA-CONICET 2018), whereas the spatial distribution, internal structure and ice content within block- and talus slopes have not been explored. Thus, there is a lack of explanatory approaches and analytical data on their local and regional distribution patterns and formative controls, despite these landforms being widespread and characteristic elements in the Upper Agua Negra catchment (ca. 30°S 69°W, Province San Juan, Argentina) and covering more than 70 % of its area. We hypothesize that the permafrost bodies and the seasonally frozen active layer of these periglacial landforms store significant amounts of ice and contribute to runoff during summer months, rendering them important water reservoirs and decisive components of the water balance in the high-Andean desert landscape. Especially in light of global climate change, understanding the spatial distribution of potentially ice-rich permafrost landforms is imperative to assess available water resources, water quality and their evolution.</p> <p>A holistic inventory of key cryogenic landforms with focus on block- and talus slopes will be compiled for the Agua Negra catchment. Using field and remote sensing-based geomorphological mapping (based on e.g. 12 m resolution TanDEM-X and 1 m Pléiades data), published data and statistical modeling techniques, the spatial heterogeneity of cryospheric landforms and their formation controls will be analyzed. Our regional inventory will complement the existing “Inventario Nacional de Glaciares y Ambiente Periglacial” (IANIGLA-CONICET 2018) and will further provide the basis for a first assessment of the hydrological importance of these cryogenic landforms.</p> <p>Halla, C., Blöthe, J.H., Tapia Baldis, C., Trombotto Liaudat, D., Hilbich, C., Hauck, C., Schrott, L., 2021. Ice content and interannual water storage changes of an active rock glacier in the dry Andes of Argentina. The Cryosphere, 15, 1187-1213.</p> <p>IANIGLA-CONICET, Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Nación (2018). IANIGLA-Inventario Nacional de Glaciares y Ambiente Periglacial. Informe de la subcuenca del río Blanco. Cuenca del río San Juan, p. 62.</p> <p>Trombotto, D., Buk, E.,  Hernández, J., 1999. Rock glaciers in the Southern Central Andes (appr. 33° S.L.), Mendoza, Argentina: a review. Bamberger Geographische Schriften, Selbstverlag des Faches Geographie an der Universität Bamberg, Germany, 19, 145-173.</p> <p>Schrott, L., 1996. Some geomorphological-hydrological aspects of rock glaciers in the Andes (San Juan, Argentina). Zeitung für Geomorphologie, Supplementband 104, 161-173.</p>