The aeroelastic response of lightweight low-speed aircraft with slender wings under extreme flow turbulence intensity is not well-understood. Experiments on a commmercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a 3-meter wingspan and aspect ratio of 13.6 were performed in a large open-return wind tunnel with extreme flow turbulence intensity of T∞≈10%. The structural dynamics of the wing in the bending mode and the flow beneath the wing to capture the effect of aileron deflection was measured using laser displacement sensors and tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. The unsteady lift produced by the wing was also measured using a high-capacity load cell at an angle of attack, α of 2 degrees for three freestream velocities U∞ of 13.4 m/s, 17.9 m/s, and 26.8 m/s representing the UAV’s stall through cruise speed. It was found that high flow turbulence intensity with large integral length scales relative to the wing chord plays a dominant role in the large unsteady lift and wing displacements measured. The power spectral density (PSD) of wing structural vibration shows that flow shedding from the wing and the integral length scales have a significant impact on the overall power inherent in the bending vibration of the wing. Computation of vorticity iso-surfaces in the flow measurement volume surrounding the aileron reveal a striking observation; aileron deflection, δa of 10∘becomes less effective in producing additional spanwise vorticity, which is proportional to circulation and lift, at U∞ of 26.8 m/s because the freestream already has elevated levels of vorticity. A paradigm shift in design is suggested for light aircraft structures with slender wings operating in highly turbulent flow, which is to employ multiple control surfaces in order to respond to this flow and mitigate large bending or torsion displacements and the probability of structural failure.

Phylogenetics is a powerful tool for understanding the evolutionary history of organisms and for informing conservation and management of species. Among the strepsirrhine primates, the slender lorises are a threatened genus of small, nocturnal animals confined to India and Sri Lanka. The grey slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus) is divided into several subspecies based on the morphological and geographical variation but not supported by molecular data. We investigated the genetic basis of taxonomic and biogeographic variation as well as the phylogenetic divergence of two subspecies of the grey slender loris in southern India: the Mysore slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus ssp. lydekkerianus) and the Malabar slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus ssp. malabaricus). We sequenced and assembled the whole mitochondrial genomes of three representative individuals from their distribution in southern India and compared them with publicly available mitogenomes of other lorises. We found that the two Indian subspecies vary by 2.09% in the COX1 and CYTB gene regions and form distinct monophyletic clades that diverged about 1.049 million years ago. Our results support the morphological classification of these two subspecies in southern India and have implications for their conservation and management in captivity and in the wild.

This study aimed to isolate, identify enteric bacterial species from the migratory seagulls migrated to Libyan cost and to assess the antibiotic resistance of these bacteria. A total of 50 fecal samples were collected from slender-billed gulls in January, 2023 at Farwa Island near the city of Zwara. Bacteria were isolated by conventional culturing method, identified by using the Enterosystem 18R, and antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted on the isolated bacteria. Only 32 of 46 bacteria were identified using biochemical tests. These identified bacteria belong to six species of Enterobacteriacae namely Citrobacter freundii, Pantoea agglomerans, E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia liquifaciens, and Proteus mirabilis, with percentages of (17) 53.125%, (10) 31.25%, (2) 6.25%, (1) 3.125%, (1) 3.125%, and (1) 3.125%, respectively. All isolated bacterial species in this study were 100% sensitive to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. The highest resistance rate was observed against the antibiotic cefoxitin. The results indicated that C. freundii was the most antibiotic-resistant bacterial species isolated in this study. In conclusion, slender-billed gulls carry multi-drug resistant bacteria. The study recommends implementation of a national program to survey antibiotic-resistant bacteria and expanding scientific research on migratory birds.