We report that the decoration of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube (m-SWCNT) networks with cobalt(ii) oxide (CoO) can improve the electrical conductivity of the networks. To measure the electrical conductivity, we prepared m-SWCNT networks between the source and drain electrodes of field-effect transistors (FETs). Then, the amount of CoO nanoparticles (NPs) used for decoration was controll...

Properties of prey sensory systems are important factors shaping the design of signals generated by organisms exploiting them. In this study we assessed how prey sensory preference affected the exploiter signal design by investigating the evolutionary relationship and relative attractiveness of linear and cruciate form web decorations built by Argiope spiders. Because insects have an innate pre...

The mixed spin-1/2 and spin-1 Ising-Heisenberg ferromagnet on the decorated triangular lattice consisting of inter-connected diamonds is investigated within the framework of an exact decoration-iteration mapping transformation. It is shown that the diamond-like decoration by a couple of the Heisenberg spins gives rise to a diverse critical behaviour including reentrant phase transitions with tw...

Masquerading comes at various costs and benefits. The principal benefit being the avoidance of predators. The orb-web spider Cyclosa ginnaga has a silver body and adds a white discoid-shaped silk decoration to its web. The size, shape and colour of C. ginnaga's body resemble, when viewed by the human eye against its decoration, a bird dropping. We therefore hypothesized that their body colourat...

Although experimental studies have demonstrated the antipredatory advantages of camouflage and its associated costs, few studies have examined the evolution of camouflage in a phylogenetic context. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to examine evolutionary trade-offs associated with camouflage in the crab superfamily Majoidea. The majoids, or spider crabs, are known for their decoration be...

Avian nests are frequently concealed or camouflaged, but a number of species builds noticeable nests or use conspicuous materials for nest decoration. In most cases, nest decoration has a role in mate choice or provides thermoregulatory or antiparasitic benefits. In territorial species however, decorations may serve additional or complementary functions, such as extended phenotypic signaling of...

In this paper we discuss the geometric decoration of some Mycenaean artifacts, having a remarkable six-fold symmetry, probably suggested by the observation of the natural form of the honeycomb of beehives. In particular, we will discuss a decoration of a gold roundel, made by means of a compass, that looks like the Flower of Life of sacred geometry.

Phosphoethanolamine (PEA) decoration of lipid A produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been linked to bacterial resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides/proteins (CAMPs) and in vivo fitness during experimental infection. We now report that the lptA gene, which encodes the PEA transferase responsible for this decoration, is in an operon and that high-frequency mutation in a polynucleotide re...