The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is equipped with two peripheral olfactory organs, antenna and maxillary palp. The antenna is involved in finding food, oviposition sites and mates. However, the functional significance of the maxillary palp remained unknown. Here, we screened the olfactory sensory neurons of the maxillary palp (MP-OSNs) using a large number of natural odor extracts to identify novel ligands for each MP-OSN type. We found that each type is the sole or the primary detector for a specific compound, and detects these compounds with high sensitivity. We next dissected the contribution of MP-OSNs to behaviors evoked by their key ligands and found that MP-OSNs mediate short- and long-range attraction. Furthermore, the organization, detection and olfactory receptor (Or) genes of MP-OSNs are conserved in the agricultural pest D. suzukii. The novel short and long-range attractants could potentially be used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs of this pest species.

Divergent populations across different environments are exposed to critical sensory information related to locating a host or mate, as well as avoiding predators and pathogens. These sensory signals generate evolutionary changes in neuroanatomy and behavior; however, few studies have investigated patterns of neural architecture that occur between sensory systems, or that occur within large groups of closely-related organisms. Here we examine 62 species within the genus Drosophila and describe an inverse resource allocation between vision and olfaction, which we consistently observe at the periphery, within the brain, as well as during larval development. This sensory variation was noted across the entire genus and appears to represent repeated, independent evolutionary events, where one sensory modality is consistently selected for at the expense of the other. Moreover, we provide evidence of a developmental genetic constraint through the sharing of a single larval structure, the eye-antennal imaginal disc. In addition, we examine the ecological implications of visual or olfactory bias, including the potential impact on host-navigation and courtship.

common fixed points of general-type contraction mappings mappings for approximating common flxed points of three mappings satisfying general contraction type conditions is introduced and its strong convergence is proved in uniformly convex Banach

common fixed points of general-type contraction mappings mappings for approximating common flxed points of three mappings satisfying general contraction type conditions is introduced and its strong convergence is proved in uniformly convex Banach

Straight nanowires fabricated from single-layer porous anodic alumina (PAA) templates are known to be mechanically weak. To provide additional support, nanowires can be fabricated on multilayered PAA templates. In this work, Cu and Ni nanowires were fabricated from single-, double-, and three-layer PAA templates using pulse electrochemical deposition (PECD). The templates were made by anodizing Al-1 wt% Si and Al-0.5 wt% Cu thin films under different conditions. The morphologies of the PAA templates and fabricated nanowires were examined with scanning electron microscopy. The length of the nanowires was 3 µm, while the diameters ranged from 50 to 70 nm. The nanowires fabricated from a double-layered template (Al-0.5 wt% Cu/Al-1 wt% Si) were mechanically stronger with larger surface areas than those fabricated from an anodized Al-1 wt% Si template. The nanowires formed within the …

Thin films (~ 150 nm) of amorphous As30Te70−xGax (where x = 0, 1, 3, 6, and 10 at%) are prepared through thermal evaporation of As30Te70−xGax bulk samples on glass substrates. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals the amorphous nature of the as-prepared As30Te70−xGax thin films. The influence of Ga content on the As30Te70−xGax thin films’ linear and nonlinear optical properties is determined based on the optical reflectance and transmittance spectra. The estimated (direct or indirect) optical bandgap decreases with an increase in Ga content up to 3 at% and then increases, whereas the Urbach energy exhibits an opposite trend. The linear and nonlinear refractive indices, extension coefficient, optical conductivity, electrical conductivity and nonlinear susceptibility, optical density, inter-band transition strength, etc., are found to be significantly influenced by Ga content and the energy of incident waves. The As30Te67Ga3 composition can be considered as a puzzling compound as most of the investigated parameters in As30Te70−xGax alloys demonstrate opposite behaviors around that composition. Moreover, the optical surface resistance and thermal emission of As30Te70−xGax thin films are estimated from the investigated optical parameters and it was found that they are dependent on Ga content. The obtained results enhanced basic understanding and showed that the As–Te–Ga system qualifies for various optoelectronic applications.

In the present study, hybrid organic–inorganic composites were fabricated from epoxy–TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate, Si(OC2H5)4) with various ratios (0–10 wt%) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing nanofillers by the sol–gel method. The effect of the MWCNTs ratios on the structural, optical and mechanical characteristics and the thermal conductivity of the epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites is investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the pure epoxy-TEOS is amorphous, while epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites are crystalline with an orthorhombic crystal structure that has an average crystallite size of 3.9 ± 0.15 nm. In addition, thermal stability and thermal conductivity were improved by adding TEOS and MWCNTs, whereas the exothermic peak temperature decreases compared with pure epoxy-TEOS. Similarly, the hardness Shore-D and tensile strength reach the optimum value at 4 wt% MWCNTs content. The significant improvement in the mechanical and thermal properties of the prepared composites could be attributed to the synergistic effect of MWCNTs and epoxy–TEOS which was emphasized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Moreover, epoxy-TEOS sample has high optical transmittance (T) within the visible region, but the composites samples are transparent at λ  800 nm and have a lower value of T. The indirect optical band gap decreases from 3.59 to 2.91 eV with an increase in MWCNTs fractions from 0 to 10 wt%, respectively. However, the glass transition reflects the onset of decomposition temperatures was also considerably increased. The acquired outcomes such as a large increase in thermal conductivity and tensile stress coupled with reduced T make the composites readily applicable for a variety of applications.

In the present study, hybrid organic–inorganic composites were fabricated from epoxy–TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate, Si(OC2H5)4) with various ratios (0–10 wt%) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing nanofillers by the sol–gel method. The effect of the MWCNTs ratios on the structural, optical and mechanical characteristics and the thermal conductivity of the epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites is investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the pure epoxy-TEOS is amorphous, while epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites are crystalline with an orthorhombic crystal structure that has an average crystallite size of 3.9 ± 0.15 nm. In addition, thermal stability and thermal conductivity were improved by adding TEOS and MWCNTs, whereas the exothermic peak temperature decreases compared with pure epoxy-TEOS. Similarly, the hardness Shore-D and tensile strength reach the optimum value at 4 wt% MWCNTs content. The significant improvement in the mechanical and thermal properties of the prepared composites could be attributed to the synergistic effect of MWCNTs and epoxy–TEOS which was emphasized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Moreover, epoxy-TEOS sample has high optical transmittance (T) within the visible region, but the composites samples are transparent at λ  800 nm and have a lower value of T. The indirect optical band gap decreases from 3.59 to 2.91 eV with an increase in MWCNTs fractions from 0 to 10 wt%, respectively. However, the glass transition reflects the onset of decomposition temperatures was also considerably increased. The acquired outcomes such as a large increase in thermal conductivity and tensile stress coupled with reduced T make the composites readily applicable for a variety of applications.

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Determining paleomagnetic field intensity (paleointensity: PI) for lavas with high reliability and low measurement uncertainty is still difficult to achieve. Some of the factors on which the PI used methods depends are the non-ideal physical and magnetic characteristics of lava sample, grain size, cooling rate effect and thermal stability. Xitle volcano (SW Mexico City) is a good example to illustrate and discuss this problem because several previous PI studies that were carried out on its evolved flow units, have commonly resulted in different mean values with large dispersions. Indeed, 211 published PI data obtained by use of Thellier and microwave experiments gave a mean of 64. 1 μT with a standard deviation of 11. 0 μT. After a careful evaluation, we found that only 134 of these data can be considered reliable, as they meet a set of selection criteria designed in this study. These evaluated data gave an average mean …