Characterization of Domeless receptors and the role of Bd Domeless3 in anti-symbiont-like virus defense in Bactrocera dorsalis

The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription(JAK/STAT)signaling pathway play a pivotal role in innate immunity.Among invertebrates,Domeless receptors serve as the key upstream regulators of this pathway.In our study on Bactrocera dorsalis,we identified three cytokine receptors:BdDomeless1,BdDomeless2,and BdDomeless3.Each receptor encompasses five fibronectin-type-III-like(FN III)extracellular domains and a transmembrane domain.Furthermore,these receptors exhibit the increased responsiveness to diverse pathogenic challenges.Notably,only BdDomeless3 is upregulated during symbiont-like viral infections.Moreover,silencing BdDomeless3 enhanced the infectivity of Bactrocera dorsalis cripavirus(BdCV)and B.dorsalis picorna-like virus(BdPLV),underscoring BdDomeless3’s crucial role in antiviral defense of B.dorsalis.Following the suppression of Domeless3 expression,six antimicrobial peptide genes displayed decreased expression,potentially correlating with the rise in viral infectivity.To our knowledge,this is the first study identifying cytokine receptors associated with the JAK/STAT pathway in tephritid flies,shedding light on the immune mechanisms of B.dorsalis.

Neuropeptide signaling systems are involved in regulating thermal tolerance in the oriental fruit fly

Neuropeptides and their receptors are involved in the regulation and coordination of various physiological processes in insects.Although various neuropeptides have been identified previously,the corresponding receptors remain unknown in the oriental fruit fly,Bactrocera dorsalis,an important agricultural insect pest.It is also unclear whether neuropeptide signaling systems are involved in regulating the thermal tolerance of this notorious pest.Here,we systematically identified 44 putative neuropeptide receptor genes which encode 66 protein sequences,and analyzed the spatio-temporal expression patterns of the neuropeptide ligands and their receptor genes in B.dorsalis.We also analyzed changes in their transcript accumulation in two thermo-tolerant populations(heat and cold)of B.dorsalis.The results showed that numerous neuropeptides and receptors participate in responding to thermal stresses during acclimation.In particular,the expression of short neuropeptide F(sNPF)was up-regulated in the heat-tolerant population of B.dorsalis.Moreover,proteomic data showed that sNPF was up-regulated in both thermo-tolerant populations of B.dorsalis.The functional verification based on CRISPR/Cas9 demonstrated that sNPF is involved in regulating the tolerance to thermal stresses.The results of this study enrich our knowledge on the function of neuropeptide sNPF in insects.Moreover,this study demonstrated the role of neuropeptide signaling systems in thermal adaptation,contributing to a better understanding of the rapid invasiveness of B.dorsalis around the world.

Effect of leading-edge tubercles on the flow over low-aspect-ratio wings at low Reynolds number

Two-dimensional time-resolved particle image velocimetry(TR-PIV)and stereographic particle image velocimetry(SPIV)techniques were used to investigate the effect of leading-edge tubercles on the flow over low-aspect-ratio wing models.The angle of attack is fixed at 10°,and the Reynolds number based on chord length is 5.8×10^(3).It is shown that the leading-edge tubercles can effectively mitigate flow separation in the model and also reduce the contribution of wake vortex to the fluctuating energy of flow.Counter-rotating vortex pairs(CVPs)initiated from the peak of leading-edge tubercles can promote nearby momentum exchange,enhance mixing of the flow and increase the energy contained in the boundary layer,which results in resisting the larger adverse pressure gradient.Therefore,it is concluded that CVPs play an important role in mitigating the flow separation for wings with leading-edge tubercles.

Xenobiotics and loss of tolerance in primary biliary cholangitis

Data from genome wide association studies and geoepidemiological studies established that a com-bination of genetic predisposition and environmental stimulation is required for the loss of tolerance in primary biliary cholangitis(PBC).The serologic hallmark of PBC are the presence of high titer anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies(AMA)that recognize the lipoyl domain of the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E2(PDC--E2)subunit.Extensive efforts have been directed to investigate the molecular basis of AMA.Recently,experimental data has pointed to the thesis that the breaking of tolerance to PDC--E2 is a pivotal event in the initial etiology of PBC,including environmental xenobiotics including those commonly found in cos-metics and food additives,suggesting that chemical modification of the PDC--E2 epitope may render its vulnerable to become a neo-antigen and trigger an immune response in genetically susceptible hosts.Here,we will discuss the natural history,genetics and immunobiology of PBC and structural constraints of PDC--E2 in AMA recognition which makes it vulnerable to chemical modification.

Numerical simulation of Gurney flap on SFYT15thick airfoil

A two-dimensional steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equation was solved to investigate the effects of a Gurney flap on SFYT15 thick airfoil aerodynamic performance. This airfoil was designed for flight vehicle operating at 20 km altitude with freestream velocity of 25 m/s, The chord length （C） is 5 m and the Reynolds number based on chord length is Re = 7.76 × 10^5. Gurney flaps with the heights ranging from 0.25%C to 3%C were investigated. The shear stress transport （SST） k-ω turbulence model was used to simulate the flow structure around the airfoil. It is showed that Gurney flap can enhance not only the prestall lift but also lift-to-drag ratio in a certain range of angles of attack. Specially, at cruise angle of attack （ω = 3°）, Gurney flap with 0.5%C height can increase lift-to-drag ratio by 2.7%, and lift coefficient by 12.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the surface pressure distribution, streamlines and trailing-edge flow structure around the airfoil are illustrated, which are helpful to understand the mechanisms of Gurney flap on airfoil aerodynamic performance. Moreover, it is found that the increase of airfoil drag with Gurney flap can be attributed to the increase of pressure drag between the windward and the leeward sides of Gurney flat itself.

Numerical investigation of flow over a two-dimensional square cylinder with a synthetic jet generated by a bi-frequency signal

The flow around a square cylinder with a synthetic jet positioned at the rear surface is numerically investigated with the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes(URANS)method.Instead of the typical sinusoidal wave,a bi-frequency signal is adopted to generate the synthetic jet.The bi-frequency signal consists of a basic sinusoidal wave and a high-frequency wave.Cases with various amplitudes of the high-frequency component are simulated.It is found that synthetic jets actuated by bi-frequency signals can realize better drag reduction with lower energy consumption when appropriate parameter sets are applied.A new quantity,i.e.,the actuation efficiency Ae,is used to evaluate the controlling efficiency.The actuation efficiency Ae reaches its maximum of 0.2668 when the amplitude of the superposed high-frequency signal is 7.5%of the basic signal.The vortex structures and frequency characteristics are subsequently analyzed to investigate the mechanism of the optimization of the bi-frequency signal.When the synthetic jet is actuated by a single-frequency signal with a characteristic velocity of 0.112 m/s,the wake is asymmetrical.The alternative deflection of vortex pairs and the peak at half of the excitation frequency in the power spectral density(PSD)function are detected.In the bi-frequency cases with the same characteristic velocity,the wake gradually turns to be symmetrical with the increase in the amplitude of the high-frequency component.Meanwhile,the deflection of the vortex pairs and the peak at half of the excitation frequency gradually disappear as well.

Differentially expressed genes identified by microarray analysis following oxymatrine treatment of hepatic stellate cell

AIM: To investigate the effects of oxymatrine on the gene expression profile of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) and provide novel insights into the mechanism of oxymatrine against hepatic fibrosis. Methods: HSC was isolated from normal SD by in situ perfusion of collagenase and pronase and density Nycodenz gradient centrifugation. MTT colorimetry was used to study the effect of oxymatrine on the proliferation of HSC. Total RNA and mRNA of quiescent HSC, culture-activated HSC and oxymatrine treated HSC were extracted. Effect of oxymatrine on HSC gene expression profile was detected by oligonucleotide microarray analysis with Affymetrix gene chip rat U230A. Differentially expressed genes were annotated with Gene Ontology (GO) and analyzed with Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Results: Oxymatrine could inhibit the proliferation of HSC in a dose-dependent manner. A total of 4641 differentially expressed genes were identified by cDNA chip between activated and quiescent HSC, among which 2702 genes were upregulated, and 1939 genes were down-regulated in activated HSC. cDNA microarray uncovered downregulation of 56 genes in response to oxymatrine, the representative genes including alpha 2 type I procollagen, alpha-1 type I collagen, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, interleukin 1 beta, early growth response 1, chemokine ligand 2, chemokine ligand 1, CTGF, TGFβ1. The most enriched GO terms included response to wounding, inflammatory response, cell migration, cell motility, wound healing, TGFβ receptor signaling pathway. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that oxymatrine affected the ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine recaptor interaction, TGFβ signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway. There were 37 genes upregulated significantly following oxymatrine treatment. The most enriched GO terms included oxidation reduction, negative regulation of lipoprotein oxidation, regulation of lipoprotein oxidation, steroid metabolic process, regulation of lipase activity. Six genes were confirmed with QPCR, consistent with microarray. Conclusion: The mechanism of oxymatrine in inhibiting liver fibrogenesis is associated with multi-genes and multi-pathways regulation.

Plasma Virtual Actuators for Flow Control

Dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are all-electric devices with no moving parts. They are made of a simple construction, consisting only of a pair of electrodes sandwiching a dielectric sheet. When AC voltage is applied, air surrounding the upper electrode is ionized, which is attracted towards the charged dielectric surface to form a wall jet. Control of flow over land and air vehicles as well as rotational machinery can be carried out using this jet flow on demand. Here we review recent developments in plasma virtual actuators for flow control that can replace conventional actuators for better aerodynamic performance.

On the theoretical basis of linguistics and modem cultural studies

Language study is closely related to the ecological literature and cultural studies. The predicament of modern ecological literature and cultural theory is that there no linguistic theory to rely on. Biolinguistics emphasize the two-way interaction between language and environment, regard language as the intermediate link between nature and culture. It combines the ＂environment＂ of language with nature and social psychology. Thus this theory studies beyond such one-way determinism of traditional linguistics as ＂the world constructed language＂ or ＂language of the construction of the world,＂ concerning the relationship between language and the world. It also goes beyond the dualism of ＂naturatness＂ of language and ＂agreement＂ of the issue to become the real eco-dialectical linguistic theory with rich ＂argument＂ . This theory can help people better understand the relationship between text and the world, nature and culture, natural ecology and social spiritual ecology. Therefore it is a basic theory of modern literature, cultural studies, as well as one of the most leading and challenging issue for the study of ecological poetic and culture abroad.

Body color plasticity of Diaphorina citri reflects a response to environmental stress

Body color polyphenism is common in Diaphorina citri.Previous studies compared physiological characteristics in D.citri,but the ecological and biological significance of its body color polyphenism remains poorly understood.We studied the ecological and molecular effects of stressors related to body color in D.citri.Crowding or low temperature induced a high proportion of gray morphs,which had smaller bodies,lower body weight,and greater susceptibility to the insecticide dinotefuran.We performed transcriptomic and metabolomics analysis of 2 color morphs in D.citri.Gene expression dynamics revealed that the differentially expressed genes were predominantly involved in energy metabolism,including fatty acid metabolism,amino acid metabolism,and carbohydrate metabolism.Among these genes,plexin,glycosidase,phospholipase,take out,trypsin,and triacylglycerol lipase were differentially expressed in 2 color morphs,and 6 hsps(3 hsp70,hsp83,hsp90,hsp68)were upregulated in gray morphs.The metabolome data showed that blue morphs exhibited a higher abundance of fatty acid and amino acid,whereas the content of carbohydrates was elevated in gray morphs.This study partly explains the body color polyphenism of D.citri and provides insights into the molecular changes of stress response of D.citri.

Effect of drag reducing riblet surface on coherent structure in turbulent boundary layer

The characteristics of turbulent boundary layer over streamwise aligned drag reducing riblet surface under zero-pressure gradient are investigated using particle image velocimetry. The formation and distribution of large-scale coherent structures and their effect on momentum partition are analyzed using two-point correlation and probability density function. Compared with smooth surface, the streamwise riblets reduce the friction velocity and Reynolds stress in the turbulent boundary layer, indicating the drag reduction effect. Strong correlation has been found between the occurrence of hairpin vortices and the momentum distribution. The number and streamwise length scale of hairpin vortices decrease over streamwise riblet surface. The correlation between number of uniform momentum zones and Reynolds number remains the same as smooth surface.

Experimental and numerical investigation of threedimensional vortex structures of a pitching airfoil at a transitional Reynolds number

This research examines the vortex behaviors and aerodynamic forces in dynamic stall phenomena at a transitional Reynolds number(Re=90000)using experimental and numerical approaches.Periodic sinusoidal pitching motion at two different reduced frequencies is used to achieve the dynamic stall of a NACA 0012 airfoil.Several leading edge vortices form and detach in the dynamic stall stage.The flow then quickly transitions to a full separation zone in the stall stage when the angle of attack starts to decrease.There is discrepancy between the phaseaveraged and instantaneous flow field in that the small flow structures increased with angle of attack,which is a characteristic of the flow field at the transitional Reynolds number.The interaction between the streamwise vortices in the three-dimensional numerical results and the leading edge vortex are the main contribution to the turbulent flow.In addition,the leading edge vortex that supplies vortex lift is more stable at higher reduced frequency,which decreases the lift fluctuation in the dynamic stall stage.The leading edge vortex at higher reduced frequency is strong enough to stabilize the flow,even when the airfoil is in the down-stroke phase.

Adsorption and desorption of herbicide monosulfuron-ester in Chinese soils

Monosulfuron-ester is a new,low rate,sulfonylurea herbicide that is being promoted for annual broadleaf and gramineal weed control;however,there is a lack of published information on its behavior in soils.The adsorption and desorption of monosulfuronester by seven type soils were measured using a batch equilibrium technique.The results showed that the Freundlich equation fitted its adsorption and desorption well,and the Freundlich constant values （K f-ads ） ranged from 0.88 to 5.66.Adsorption isotherms were nonlinear with 1/n f-ads values 1.Soil pH,organic matter （OM）,and clay content were the main factors influencing its adsorption and desorption.Adsorption and desorption were negatively correlated with pH 4.0–8.0 while positively correlated with OM and clay content.The adsorption of monosulfuron-ester was mainly a physical process,because its free energy （？G） in seven soils was less than 40 kJ/mol.Monosulfuron-ester adsorption by three soils increased with increasing CaCl 2 concentration using CaCl 2 as a background electrolyte.Monosulfuron-ester desorption was hysteretic in all tested soils.

Effects of wing flexibility on aerodynamic performance of an aircraft model

The low-speed wind tunnel experiment is carried out on a simplified aircraft model to explore the influence of wing flexibility on the aircraft aerodynamic performance.The investigation involves the measurements of force,membrane deformation and velocity field at Reynolds number of 5.4×10^(4)-1.1×10^(5).In the lift curves,two peaks are observed.The first peak,corresponding to the stall,is sensitive to the wing flexibility much more than the second peak,which nearly keeps constant.For the optimal case,in comparison with the rigid wing model,the delayed stall of nearly5°is achieved,and the relative lift increment is about 90%.It is revealed that the lift enhanced region corresponds to the larger deformation and stronger vibration,which leads to stronger flow mixing near the flexible wing surface.Thereby,the leading-edge separation is suppressed,and the aerodynamic performance is improved significantly.Furthermore,the effects of sweep angle and Reynolds number on the aerodynamic characteristics of flexible wing are also presented.

Transonic buffet control research with two types of shock control bump based on RAE2822 airfoil

Current research shows that the traditional shock control bump（SCB） can weaken the intensity of shock and better the transonic buffet performance. The author finds that when SCB is placed downstream of the shock, it can decrease the adverse pressure gradient. This may prevent the shock foot separation bubble to merge with the trailing edge separation and finally improve the buffet performance. Based on RAE2822 airfoil, two types of SCB are designed according to the two different mechanisms. By using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes（RANS） and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes（URANS） methods to analyze the properties of RAE2822 airfoil with and without SCB, the results show that the downstream SCB can better the buffet performance under a wide range of freestream Mach number and the steady aerodynamics characteristic is similar to that of RAE2822 airfoil. The traditional SCB can only weaken the intensity of the shock under the design condition. Under the off-design conditions, the SCB does not do much to or even worsen the buffet performance. Indeed, the use of backward bump can flatten the leeward side of the airfoil, and this is similar to the mechanism that supercritical airfoil can weaken the recompression of shock wave.

Individual influence of pitching and plunging motions on flow structures over an airfoil during dynamic stall

The individual influence of pitching and plunging motions on flow structures is studied experimentally by changing the phase lag between the geometrical angle of attack and the plunging angle of attack.Five phase lags are chosen as the experimental parameters,while the Strouhal number,the reduced frequency and the Reynolds number are fixed.During the motion of the airfoil,the leading edge vortex,the reattached vortex and the secondary vortex are observed in the flow field.The leading edge vortex is found to be the main flow structure through the proper orthogonal decomposition.The increase of phase lag results in the increase of the leading edge velocity,which strongly influences the leading edge shear layer and the leading edge vortex.The plunging motion contributes to the development of the leading edge shear layer,while the pitching motion is the key reason for instability of the leading edge shear layer.It is also found that a certain increase of phase lag,around 34.15°in this research,can increase the airfoil lift.

Numerical investigation of efficient synthetic jets generated by multiple-frequency actuating signals

The synthetic jets generated by multiple-frequency actuating signals composed of a basic sinusoidal wave and a superposed high-frequency signal is investigated by two-dimensional simulation in the present study.The effect of the frequency and amplitude of the high-frequency signal on the synthetic jet in the quiescent flow is investigated in detail with stroke length ratio L and Reynolds number Re_(U0)kept as constant.It is found that,with the high-frequency signal superposed,the vortex pairs induced by the synthetic jets are strengthened and accelerated.The distance that the vortex pairs can propagate downstream is also elongated.The entrainment of the synthetic jets is thus enhanced as well.The optimal design is reached when the frequency ratio,defined as the ratio between the superposed signal frequency and the basic signal frequency,is fixed at f^(+)=2.At this optimal frequency ratio,the jet entrainment increases monotonously with the amplitude of the high-frequency signal.

Electromagnetic scattering characteristics of coaxial helicopter based on dynamic transformation method

With the development of coaxial rotors and high-speed helicopters, the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of coaxial helicopters have gradually become a research hotspot. In order to deal with the Radar Cross-Section(RCS) of high-speed rotating rotors or coaxial main rotors, a Dynamic Scattering Method(DSM) based on dynamic process simulation and grid coordinate transformation is presented. Instantaneous electromagnetic scattering from rotors and helicopters is solved using Physical Optics(PO) and Physical Theory of Diffraction(PTD). Important factors are analyzed and discussed in detail, including individual rotor rotation, azimuth, elevation angle,fuselage, pitch angle, and roll angle. The results show that the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of rotor-type components are dynamic and periodic. The dynamic RCS period of a single rotor is related to the dynamic RCS period of the coaxial main rotor. Choosing different observation angles and attitude angles has a great impact on the static and dynamic RCS of the helicopter.The presented DSM is effective and efficient to analyze and determine the dynamic electromagnetic scattering characteristics of conventional helicopters or coaxial helicopters.

The effect of leading-edge sweep angle asymmetry on lateral aerodynamics

Based on the results of force measurement experiment in a low speed wind tunnel, the effect of asymmetrical leading-edge sweep angle on aerodynamic load was investigated with the common-swift’s wing model. The wing model was divided into three segments, i.e., arm wing, hand wingin and hand wingout, and the roll moment produced by the variation of asymmetrical change of wing segment’s leading-edge sweep angle was analyzed.

Flow-structure interaction of an inverted flag in a water tunnel

Herein, the dynamics and flow fields of an inverted flag are studied using hydrogen bubble flow visualization and particle image velocimetry technologies at different height-to-length ratios and flow velocities in a water tunnel. Results show that the heightto-length ratio of the inverted flag at which the critical flow velocity remains nearly constant is approximately 1.4. Moreover, a nonperiodic flapping phenomenon is observed under various height-to-length ratios. This phenomenon may be attributed to the existence of multiple equilibrium solutions to the self-excited vibration system, thus engendering chaos in the system comprising an inverted flag and surrounding fluid. Other indications that the system has entered chaos include multiple frequencies, nonoverlapping phase diagram, and positive Lyapunov exponent. Further discussion of the flow fields around the inverted flag reveals that the large-amplitude oscillation is due to the flow separation, while the flapping instability is a static divergence instability. In the large flapping mode, the starting leading-edge vortex(LEV) is wrapped by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities,which are arranged at almost uniform spacing along a circular path. In addition, the variation in position, circulation, and radius of the starting LEV are discussed in detail.