Long-distance Flights Research Articles

On the founder effect in COVID-19 outbreaks: how many infected travelers may have started them all?

How many incoming travelers (I0 at time 0, equivalent to the ‘founders’ in evolutionary genetics) infected with SARS-CoV-2 who visit or return to a region could have started the epidemic of that region? I0 would be informative about the initiation and progression of epidemics. To obtain I0, we analyze the genetic divergence among viral populations of different regions. By applying the ‘individual-output’ model of genetic drift to the SARS-CoV-2 diversities, we obtain I0 < 10, which could have been achieved by one infected traveler in a long-distance flight. The conclusion is robust regardless of the source population, the continuation of inputs (It for t > 0) or the fitness of the variants. With such a tiny trickle of human movement igniting many outbreaks, the crucial stage of repressing an epidemic in any region should, therefore, be the very first sign of local contagion when positive cases first become identifiable. The implications of the highly ‘portable’ epidemics, including their early evolution prior to any outbreak, are explored in the companion study (Ruan et al., personal communication).

Flight training in a migratory bird drives metabolic gene expression in the flight muscle but not liver, and dietary fat quality influences select genes.

Training and diet are hypothesized to directly stimulate key molecular pathways that mediate animal performance, and flight training, dietary fats, and dietary antioxidants are likely important in modulating molecular metabolism in migratory birds. This study experimentally investigated how long-distance flight training, as well as diet composition, affected the expression of key metabolic genes in the pectoralis muscle and the liver of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris, n = 95). Starlings were fed diets composed of either a high or low polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA; 18:2n-6) and supplemented with or without a water-soluble antioxidant, and one-half of these birds were flight trained in a wind-tunnel while the rest were untrained. We measured the expression of 7 (liver) or 10 (pectoralis) key metabolic genes in flight-trained and untrained birds. Fifty percent of genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism and fat utilization were upregulated by flight training in the pectoralis (P < 0.05), whereas flight training increased the expression of only one gene responsible for fatty acid hydrolysis [lipoprotein lipase (LPL)] in the liver (P = 0.04). Dietary PUFA influenced the gene expression of LPL and fat transporter fatty acid translocase (CD36) in the pectoralis and one metabolic transcription factor [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α (PPARα)] in the liver, whereas dietary antioxidants had no effect on the metabolic genes measured in this study. Flight training initiated a simpler causal network between PPARγ coactivators, PPARs, and metabolic genes involved in mitochondrial metabolism and fat storage in the pectoralis. Molecular metabolism is modulated by flight training and dietary fat quality in a migratory songbird, indicating that these environmental factors will affect the migratory performance of birds in the wild.

Soviet transarctic flights in the late 1920s and their role in the geographical development of the Arctic regions of Siberia

The role of aviation in the development of the Arctic became evident in the late 1930s. The long-distance flights of V. Chkalov, V. Molokov, M. Gromov and other pilots not only symbolized Soviet heroism, but also contributed to the exploration and development of Arctic spaces by the Soviet Union. However, the achievements of those who made the way to the North for our aviators in 1920s are in the shadow of their successes.This article analyzes the materials of first transarctic flights - their routes, organization, technical and financial support, and the work of flight crews, both in terms of the achieved results and in the political aspect. The analysis of the goals and achievements of the USSR Osoaviahim Northern Air Expedition in 1927 and the Transarctic Expedition in 1928 is based on the materials of St. Petersburg Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation and other materials. The authors highlight the contribution made by these expeditions into the exploration of Eastern Siberia and the Arctic Ocean and into the development of the regional transport infrastructure. The authors dwell on the work of various departments and the researchers in the field of the national aeronautics in the organization of the expedition. The conclusion is drawn on the importance of scientific and commercial interest in the development of polar aviation in the 1920s and early 1930s.

장거리 비행시 객실승무원의 지각된 피로도에 영향을 끼치는 휴식제약요인에 대한 고찰

본 연구는 장거리 비행 시 객실승무원의 지각된 피로도에 영향을 끼치는 휴식제약요인을 연구하였다. 선행연구를 바탕으로 휴식제약 요인들이 지각된 피로에 영향을 미치고, 지각된 피로가 비정상적 상황과 어떠한 영향 관계가 있는지 살펴보고자 하였다. 휴식제약요인의 선행연구를 통하여 시간적 제약요인(휴식시간 부족), 공간적 제약요인(벙커의 부재, 불결함, 폐쇄공포), 활동성 제약요인(유니폼의 활동성), 심리적 제약요인(Seniority), 업무적 제약요인(감정노동, 업무 스트레스)에 대해 5개의 구성 개념을 선정하였다. 5개의 구성개념이 지각된 피로도에 미치는 영향을 바탕으로 비정상적 상황에 대한 조절 효과를 검증하는 연구모형을 설정하였다. 본 연구는 장거리 비행을 가는 대형항공사 객실승무원 300명을 대상으로 온라인 설문조사를 시행하였으며, 총 300부의 설문지를 배부하였다. 설문 응답 결과, 불성실한 답변 69부를 제외하고 유효한 231부의 설문지를 분석에 이용하였다. 분석결과, 선행변수 중 공간적 제약요인은 비정상적 상황에 유의한 영향의 영향을 미치지 못했다. 반면에 시간적 제약요인, 활동성 제약요인, 심리적 제약요인, 업무적 제약요인은 비정상적 상황에 유의한 영향을 미친다는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 이러한 연구결과를 바탕으로 이론적, 실무적 시사점 및 향후 연구 방향에 대해 논의하였다.

Contrasting migratory journeys and changes in hippocampal astrocyte morphology in shorebirds.

Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) migration to the Southern Hemisphere includes a 5-day non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean, whereas semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) migration, to the same area, is largely over land, with stopovers for feeding and rest. We compared the number and 3D morphology of hippocampal astrocytes of Ch.semipalmatus before and after autumnal migration with those of C.pusilla to test the hypothesis that the contrasting migratory flights of these species could differentially shape hippocampal astrocyte number and morphology. We captured individuals from both species in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) and in the coastal region of Bragança (Brazil) and processed their brains for selective GFAP immunolabeling of astrocytes. Hierarchical cluster analysis of astrocyte morphological features distinguished two families of morphological phenotypes, named type I and type II, which were differentially affected after migratory flights. Stereological counts of hippocampal astrocytes demonstrated that the number of astrocytes decreased significantly in C.pusilla, but did not change in Ch.semipalmatus. In addition, C.pusilla and Ch.semipalmatus hippocampal astrocyte morphological features were differentially affected after autumnal migration. We evaluated whether astrocyte morphometric variables were influenced by phylogenetic differences between C.pusilla and Ch.semipalmatus, using phylogenetically independent contrast approach, and phylogenetic trees generated by nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Our findings suggest that phylogenetic differences do not explain the results and that contrasting long-distance migratory flights shape plasticity of type I and type II astrocytes in different ways, which may imply distinct physiological roles for these cells.

Changes in hippocampal astrocyte morphology of Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) during the wintering period at the mangroves of Amazon River estuary

Astrocytes are essential for lipid neuronal metabolism in long-distance uninterrupted migratory flights, when glucose is not available as the main source of energy. We previously demonstrated in Calidris pusilla that after uninterrupted 5 days transatlantic flight, astrocytes shrink and reduce its number in the hippocampal formation. Here we shifted our attention to the wintering period and tested the hypothesis that hippocampal astrocyte morphology of A interpres will change as the wintering period progresses towards the premigration window. To that end we used Arenaria interpres, which also crosses the Atlantic Ocean and reaches the mangroves of the Amazon River estuary for wintering. Birds were captured in September/October (closer to the arrival in the coast of Bragança, Para, Brazil for wintering) and in April/May (closer to the departure towards the breeding sites) and had their brains processed for selective GFAP-astrocyte immunolabeling. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the immunostained astrocytes were performed and morphological classification was done based on hierarchical cluster and discriminant analysis of multimodal morphometric features. We found two morphological phenotypes of astrocytes in the newcomers which differentially increased its morphological complexities as wintering period progresses towards the pre-migration window. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the long-distance non-stop flight and wintering period differentially affected the two astrocytes morphotypes, suggesting distinct physiological roles for these cells. We suggest that morphological changes during the wintering period, may be part of the adaptive plasticity of the local hippocampal circuits of A. interpres in preparation for the long journey back to their breeding sites in the north hemisphere.

Daily Movements of Non-Breeding Yellow-Billed Pintails (Anas georgica) in Central Chile

Between January-August 2017, the movements of 18 individual Yellow-billed Pintail (Anas georgica) were studied after capture at the Carampangue wetland in Central Chile and equipped with GPS transmitters. The goal was to describe the movements of the species in terms of the distance travelled at different times of the day. Approximately 80% of all movements detected within 6-h time intervals were shorter than 1 km (median = 0.35 km). A total of 36 (0.3%) flights of more than 50 km (max dispersal = 317 km) were recorded, performed by 10 of the individuals. The distribution of flights of different distances varied significantly during the day, with short movements (0-1 km) occurring more frequently than expected during daylight, flights 1-50 km of distance being significantly more frequent during twilight, and long distance (> 50 km) flights concentrated during the night. There was no evidence of birds preferentially selecting clear-sky nights for long-distance flights.

Image-Only Real-Time Incremental UAV Image Mosaic for Multi-Strip Flight

Limited by aircraft flight altitude and camera parameters, it is necessary to obtain wide-angle panoramas quickly by stitching aerial images, which is helpful in rapid disaster investigation, recovery after earthquakes, and aerial reconnaissance. However, most existing stitching algorithms do not simultaneously meet practical real-time, robustness, and accuracy requirements, especially in the case of a long-distance multistrip flight. In this paper, we propose a novel image-only real-time UAV image mosaic framework for long-distance multistrip flights that does not require any auxiliary information, such as GPS or GCPs. The framework has a complete structure, mainly consisting of the three tasks of automatic initialization, current frame tracking, and real-time mosaic generation. The stitching plane is determined in the initialization process, the homography transformation of the current image is estimated in the tracking task, and the image is mapped to the stitching plane to generate and update the panorama in the real-time mosaic process. The core idea is that, in the tracking task, we introduce and develop a keyframe insertion strategy to generate a keyframe list and, on this basis, design a homography matrix estimation based on a local optimization strategy to reduce the accumulated error when continuously stitching image sequences collected online by UAVs and to realize real-time, effective UAV image mosaic construction. In addition, this framework has good scalability, which is not limited to a specific algorithm. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, we carry out a large number of experiments on the AirSim simulation platform and present an exhaustive evaluation in some sequences from a popular dataset. Qualitative and quantitative experimental results in simulation and real environments demonstrate that our algorithm can obtain an effective and robust mosaic image in real-time. Through strategy comparison experiments, it is proven that the keyframe insertion strategy and the local optimization strategy both improve the stitching performance. Compared with five state-of-art image stitching approaches, the mosaic effect of the proposed method is comparable or better. In terms of algorithm speed, its performance is superior to them. Additionally, experiments of illumination change and feature replacement in the framework verify the good adaptability and scalability of the algorithm.

The role of lifestyle, quality of life preferences and geographical context in personal air travel

From labels to carbon offsets, various interventions to reduce emissions from air travel have been discussed. If implemented, their effects have been negligible. This is exacerbated by ever-increasing numbers of air travellers. This paper argues that patterns of air travel behaviour are extremely diverse and that empirical findings for predictors are very mixed. Research also points to promising multi-dimensional constructs, which might explain the diverse patterns of air travel. This paper has three aims: (1) investigate the explanatory power of multi-dimensional factors, namely quality of life preferences, lifestyles and geographical context; (2) in addition to norms, values and perceived behavioural control; (3) all in relation to diverse travel patterns, flyers/non-flyers, for short/middle- and long-distance personal air travel. We control for socio-demographic factors. We estimate zero-inflated Poisson regression models, utilising data from 4235 Swiss participants collected in 2017. For short/middle-distance personal air travel, lifestyle, geographical context, personal norms, values, age and income are significant predictors. In contrast, long-distance personal air travel is explained by quality of life preferences and gender. These different explanatory patterns for short/middle- vs. long-distance flights highlight the need to differentiate interventions and trigger points to govern air travel behaviour.

AIR FREIGHT TRANSPORT IN POLAND

Air transport is currently one of the major branches of transport both in the national – and global – economies. It is one of the fastest, most expensive, but at the same time also most effective types of transportation. It plays a fundamental role in the global economy, particularly in the transcontinental carriage of goods and passengers. Its availability and quality constitute a powerful driving force for a country’s development. Air freight transport, both in Poland and worldwide, is seen mostly from the angle of long-distance passenger flights. Given that, one often tends to forget the role of this transport branch in the case of freight transport. Air cargo transport is a booming branch with great development potential. The development of air freight is the key for gaining a competitive advantage by Polish enterprises. This, however, is related to considerable experience and knowledge on the part of both the carrier and the owner of goods with regards to the technical capacities of a given aircraft, maintenance costs, and rule awareness. The objective of the paper is to present the volumes of air cargo shipments in Poland and to identify the hazards and obstacles to its development. The study authors endeavour to analyse air freight transport in Poland. To this end, details will be presented regarding air cargo transport at Polish airports based on the Civil Aviation Authority (ULC) and Central Statistical Office (GUS) data and air market reports.

International tuberculosis contact-tracing notifications in Germany: analysis of national data from 2010 to 2018 and implications for efficiency

BackgroundInternational contact-tracing (CT) following exposure during long-distance air travel is resource-intensive, whereas evidence for risk of tuberculosis (TB) transmission during international travel is weak. In this study, we systematically analyzed the information from international requests for CT received at the national level in Germany in order to evaluate the continued utility of the current approach and to identify areas for improvement.MethodsAn anonymized archive of international CT notifications received by the Robert Koch Institute between 2010 and 2018 was searched for key parameters for data collection. A total of 31 parameters, such as characteristics of TB patients and their identified contacts, were extracted from each CT notification and collated into a dataset. Descriptive data analysis and trend analyses were performed to identify key characteristics of CT notifications, patients, and contacts over the years.Results192 CT notifications, each corresponding to a single TB index case, were included in the study, increasing from 12 in 2010 to 41 in 2018. The majority of notifications (N = 130, 67.7%) concerned international air travel, followed by private contact (N = 39, 20.3%) and work exposure (N = 16, 8.3%). 159 (82.8%) patients had sputum smear results available, of which 147 (92.5%) were positive. Of 119 (62.0%) patients with drug susceptibility testing results, most (N = 92, 77.3%) had pan-sensitive TB, followed by 15 (12.6%) with multi-drug resistant TB. 115 (59.9%) patients had information on infectiousness, of whom 99 (86.1%) were considered infectious during the exposure period. 7 (5.3%) patients travelled on long-distance flights despite a prior diagnosis of active TB. Of the 771 contact persons, 34 (4.4%) could not be reached for CT measures due to lack of contact information.ConclusionThe high variability in completeness of information contained within the international CT requests emphasizes the need for international standards for reporting of CT information. With the large proportion of TB patients reported to have travelled while being infectious in our study, we feel that raising awareness among patients and health professionals to detect TB early and prevent international long-distance travel during the infectious disease phase should be a cornerstone strategy to safeguard against possible transmission during international travel.

Роль врача в дальнем космическом полете

Роль врача в дальнем космическом полете

Colin James Pennycuick (1933–2019)

Colin James Pennycuick (1933–2019)

Nociception testing during fixed-wing ambulance flights. An interventional pilot study on the effects of flight-related environmental changes on the nociception of healthy volunteers.

BackgroundThe effects of environmental changes on the somato-sensory system during long-distance air ambulance flights need to be further investigated. Changes in nociceptive capacity are conceivable in light of previous studies performed under related environmental settings. We used standardized somato-sensory testing to investigate nociception in healthy volunteers during air-ambulance flights.MethodsTwenty-five healthy individuals were submitted to a test compilation analogous to the quantitative sensory testing battery–performed during actual air-ambulance flights. Measurements were paired around the major changes of external factors during take-off/climb and descent/landing. Bland-Altman-Plots were calculated to identify possible systemic effects.ResultsBland-Altman-analyses suggest that the thresholds of stimulus detection and pain as well as above-threshold pain along critical waypoints of travel are not subject to systemic effects but instead demonstrate random variations.ConclusionsWe provide a novel description of a real-life experimental setup and demonstrate the general feasibility of performing somato-sensory testing during ambulance flights. No systematic effects on the nociception of healthy individuals were apparent from our data. Our findings open up the possibility of future investigations into potential effects of ambulance flights on patients suffering acute or chronic pain.

Linking Small-Scale Flight Manoeuvers and Density Profiles to the Vertical Movement of Insects in the Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer

Huge numbers of insects migrate over considerable distances in the stably-stratified night-time atmosphere with great consequences for ecological processes, biodiversity, ecosystem services and pest management. We used a combination of meteorological radar and lidar instrumentation at a site in Oklahoma, USA, to take a new look at the general assistance migrants receive from both vertical and horizontal airstreams during their long-distance flights. Movement in the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) presents very different challenges for migrants compared to those prevailing in the daytime convective boundary layer, but we found that Lagrangian stochastic modelling is effective at predicting flight manoeuvers in both cases. A key feature for insect transport in the NBL is the frequent formation of a thin layer of fast-moving air – the low-level jet. Modelling suggests that insects can react rapidly to counteract vertical air movements and this mechanism explains how migrants are retained in the jet for long periods (e.g. overnight, and perhaps for several hours early in the morning). This results in movements over much longer distances than are likely in convective conditions, and is particularly significant for the reintroduction of pests to northern regions where they are seasonally absent due to low winter temperatures.

Prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility and virulence factors of Enterococcus species in racing pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica)

BackgroundThis study was aimed to investigate the intestinal microbiota in racing pigeons with regard to Enterococcus species distribution, virulence factors and antibiotic susceptibility. Three methods (API, Multiplex sodA-PCR, 16S rRNA sequencing) were compared for Enterococcus species identification. Cloacal samples from 179 apparently healthy pigeons of 13 different flocks were tested.ResultsMultiplex sodA-PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed almost perfect agreement in Enterococcus species identification. Isolates were identified as Enterococcus columbae (34.5%), Enterococcus hirae (20.7%), Enterococcus faecalis (11.7%), Enterococcus faecium (11.7%), Enterococcus gallinarum (9%), Enterococcus mundtii (4.8%), Enterococcus casseliflavus (3.4%), Enterococcus cecorum (2.1%), Enterococcus durans (2.1%). More Enterococcus species were found after the race season than before. The study showed differences between Enterococcus species in relation to 68.8% (22/32) biochemical parameters. Six out of seven virulence genes were detected: gelE (43.5%), asa1 (42.1%), efaA (30.3%), ace (30.3%), cylA (27.6%), and esp (9%). None of the isolates harboured hyl gene. Overall 15.2% of Enterococcus isolates produced gelatinase, but 66.7% gelE genes were silent. Enterococcus faecalis showed the most often efaA, ace and gelatinase activity than other enterococcal species. Nearly all isolates (93.1%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The most frequent resistance was to enrofloxacin (80%), doxycycline with teicoplanin (73.1%), erythromycin (49.7%). The study revealed significant differences between some enterococcal species in the antibiotic susceptibility to different antibiotics. Enterococcus columbae and E. cecorum showed significantly more frequent resistance to chloramphenicol than other enterococci. The presence of VRE (19.3%), HLGR (2.8%) and no LRE were found. Overall 30.3% of isolates were positive for vancomycin resistance genes, where vanC1 (E. gallinarum), vanC2-C3 (E. hirae, E. casseliflavus), vanB (E. columbae) predominated.ConclusionsWe conclude, that intestinal microbiota in racing pigeons is composed by 9 different Enterococcus species. Given that racing pigeons are kept in close contact with humans and backyard animals, combined with their long-distance flight abilities, they can serve as potential source of virulent and antibiotic resistant Enterococcus spp. in the environment.

The Aerodynamics and Power Requirements of Forward Flapping Flight in the Mango Stem Borer Beetle (Batocera rufomaculata).

The need for long dispersal flights can drive selection for behavioral, physiological, and biomechanical mechanisms to reduce the energy spent flying. However, some energy loss during the transfer of momentum from the wing to the fluid is inevitable, and inherent to the fluid-wing interaction. Here, we analyzed these losses during the forward flight of the mango stem borer (Batocera rufomaculata). This relatively large beetle can disperse substantial distances in search of new host trees, and laboratory experiments have demonstrated continuous tethered flights that can last for up to an hour. We flew the beetles tethered in a wind tunnel and used high-speed videography to estimate the aerodynamic power from their flapping kinematics and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to evaluate drag and kinetic energy from their unsteady wakes. To account for tethering effects, we measured the forces applied by the beetles on the tether arm holding them in place. The drag of the flying beetle over the flapping cycle, estimated from the flow fields in the unsteady wake, showed good agreement with direct measurement of mean horizontal force. Both measurements showed that total drag during flight is ∼5-fold higher than the parasite drag on the body. The aerodynamic power estimated from both the motion of the wings, using a quasi-steady blade-element model, and the kinetic energy in the wake, gave mean values of flight-muscle mass-specific power of 87 and 65 W kg muscle-1, respectively. A comparison of the two values suggests that ∼25% of the energy is lost within the fluid due to turbulence and heat. The muscle mass-specific power found here is low relative to the maximal power output reported for insect flight muscles. This can be attributed to reduce weight support during tethered flight or to operation at submaximal output that may ensure a supply of metabolic substrates to the flight muscles, thus delaying their fatigue during long-distance flights.

11,000 miles!

11,000 miles! Victoria Avery Lainie Anderson . Long Flight Home. South Australia: Wakefield Press. 2019. 357 pp. n.p. ISBN 978-1-74305-663-9 The story is based on the true story of the 1919 England-to-Australia contest to celebrate who could be the first to make the long-distance flight. The flight was significant in finding use for aircraft technology for activities outside of war efforts, as well as pushing the limits of aircraft design for the time. The main character, Wally, is one of the crew who makes this journey. Much of Wally's story seems to occur because of happenstance. At the outset of the story, he finds the love of his life, Helena, after witnessing the egging of her house during a walk. He meets Helena and her family after offering to help clean up the mess. After Wally falls in love with Helena and impulsively asks her to marry him, his plans are altered after being persuaded to enlist in the war efforts and sent abroad. His acumen with mechanics translates well to working on the latest technology of aircraft during the war, a skill needed after the war as well. Much as when he is persuaded to enlist in the war, he becomes caught up in his friends' enthusiasm and chooses to enter a contest to fly with them from England to Australia. Through the contest, the book explores themes of cooperation and perseverance. The author could have chosen to write from the perspective of the heroic pilot of the Vickers Vimy aircraft, Ross Smith, or even his brother, Keith Smith, the navigator. Instead, she cleverly chose to tell the story through the eyes of one of the mechanics. Telling the story through the point of view of a mechanic highlights how many people participate in the making of heroic ventures—people who remain largely out of the spotlight. Without Benny and Wally, the plane would not have completed the eleven-thousand-mile journey. Furthermore, without the help of those who made sure the fuel supply was available at the checkpoints or helped the Vickers Vimy out of tight spots, the journey would not have been completed at all. For example, when the necessary runway was muddied to the point of being impossible to use, the locals came out to offer their assistance. "As the sun rose they arrived in their hundreds," "generously offering sheets [End Page 141] of bamboo matting they'd stripped from the walls of their own homes" (283). The journey was perilous at that time, and only one other crew made it the complete distance. By arranging the story through the perspective of Wally, we are taken to the back of the plane, behind the scenes, to see the structures that need to be in place to support such heroes as Ross Smith. Although the back of the book highlights the sustaining relationship between Helena and Wally despite distance and time, the relationships built between Wally and his war friends feel more fully developed. Helena makes a brief appearance at the outset of the novel, and we see her again through her letters; but she sometimes feels more symbol, a modern Penelope, than fully realized figure. Even when she breaks off the engagement with Wally, she remains a part of the symbol of home for him, tied up with his memories of the Australian landscape and a hope for a peaceful future. His respect and appreciation for Ross Smith, whom he meets during his time in North Africa, is as powerful as his connection to Helena. Nevertheless, it is partly because of his devotion to this superior officer, Ross Smith, that he decides to postpone his journey home. The story is organized into three parts: Wally's time during the First World War; his time setting up for the contest; and the journey from England to Australia. Although there is tension in the second section, scenes detailing Wally and his friends as they struggle to enter the contest and find a plane, the section is a slow point in an otherwise actionpacked book. Anderson shines best when her characters fight against the odds of environmental forces. Struggling against...

Radiofrequency identification (RFID) reveals long-distance flight and homing abilities of the stingless bee Melipona fasciculata

Determining bee flight capacity is crucial for developing management strategies for bee conservation and/or crop pollination and purposes. In this study, we determined the flight distance of the stingless bee Melipona fasciculata using the radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology. For this, we conducted two translocation experiments using workers equipped with RFID microsensors: (1) release of bees at seven distances between 100 and 3000 m from experimental colonies in Belém, Brazil, and (2) at six distances between 1500 and 10,000 m at Carajás National Forest Reserve. Return rates of workers were negatively correlated to release distance, with typical flight distances of 2 km, but a maximum homing distance of 10 km. Use of RFID tags revealed how past experiments may have greatly underestimated homing abilities of stingless bees.

Seasonal Migration Patterns of Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Across the Bohai Strait in Northern China.

The Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), is a notorious polyphagous insect pest in China and other regions of East Asia. The long-distance flight behavior of the ACB moths, however, is not well understood, especially in the field conditions. In this study, nightly monitoring data for multiple years (2003-2017) on the long-distance flight of adults crossing the Bohai Strait in northern China, showed that a large number of the adults frequently flew across the Bohai Strait from May to September with the peak migrations usually occurred, followed in order by September, June, July, and May, and the number of southward migrants was larger than that of northward migrants. From May to September in 2010, 2011, and 2017, a subsample of trapped ACB females was dissected (879 individuals in 2010, 197 individuals in 2011, and 247 individuals in 2017), and the results showed that the sex ratio of the trapped ACB moths was unbiased each month from May to September. While the proportion of mated females in northward populations (May to July = 92.85 ± 4.86%) was significantly higher than that in southward population (August and September = 74.53 ± 8.55%) . The seasonal pattern in the proportion of sexually mature females was similar to the above proportion of mated females. We conclude that the ACBs have a strong propensity and ability for long-distance migration, although local dispersal is generally considered to be the primary movement of the ACB. These findings may be helpful to improve the forecasting systems and the pest management schemes for the ACBs.