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1. Special IMM Groups

   https://doi.org/10.1112/blms.12571  

   Groves, Daniel; Manning, Jason Fox (April 2022, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society)

   Italiano–Martelli–Migliorini recently constructed hyperbolic groups which have non-hyperbolic subgroups of finite type. Using a closely related construction, Llosa Isenrich–Martelli–Py constructed hyperbolic groups with subgroups of type F3 but not F4. We observe that these hyperbolic groups can be chosen to be special in the sense of Haglund–Wise. 

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2. Special cubulation of strict hyperbolization

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00222-024-01241-9  

   Lafont, Jean-François; Ruffoni, Lorenzo (June 2024, Inventiones mathematicae)

   Abstract We prove that the Gromov hyperbolic groups obtained by the strict hyperbolization procedure of Charney and Davis are virtually compact special, hence linear and residually finite. Our strategy consists in constructing an action of a hyperbolized group on a certain dual$$\operatorname {CAT}(0)$$ $CAT\left(0\right)$cubical complex. As a result, all the common applications of strict hyperbolization are shown to provide manifolds with virtually compact special fundamental group. In particular, we obtain examples of closed negatively curved Riemannian manifolds whose fundamental groups are linear and virtually algebraically fiber. 

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3. Special Issue: Architectured Materials Mechanics

   https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4044680  

   Siegmund, Thomas; Barthelat, Francois (November 2019, Journal of Applied Mechanics)
4. Virtual special issue “Biomimetic Polymers”

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2019.109370  

   Bruns, Nico; Scheibel, Thomas (January 2020, European Polymer Journal)

   null (Ed.)
5. Special Prey, Special Glue: NMR Spectroscopy on Aggregate Glue Components of Moth-Specialist Spiders, Cyrtarachninae

   https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9050256  

   VanDyck, Max W; Long, John H; Baker, Richard H; Hayashi, Cheryl Y; Diaz, Candido (May 2024, Biomimetics)

   Orb-weaver spiders produce upwards of seven different types of silk, each with unique material properties. We focus on the adhesive within orb-weaving spider webs, aggregate glue silk. These droplets are composed of three main components: water, glycoproteins, and a wide range of low molecular mass compounds (LMMCs). These LMMCs are known to play a crucial role in maintaining the material properties of the glycoproteins, aid in water absorption from the environment, and increase surface adhesion. Orb-weavers within the Cyrtarachninae subfamily are moth specialists and have evolved glue droplets with novel material properties. This study investigated the biochemical composition and diversity of the LMMCs present in the aggregate glue of eight moth-specialist species and compared them with five generalist orb-weavers using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We hypothesized that the novel drying ability of moth-specialist glue was accompanied by novel LMMCs and lower overall percentages by silk weight of LMMCs. We measured no difference in LMMC weight by the type of prey specialization, but observed novel compositions in the glue of all eight moth-catching species. Further, we quantified the presence of a previously reported but unidentified compound that appears in the glue of all moth specialists. These silks can provide insight into the functions of bioadhesives and inform our own synthetic adhesives. 

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