Characterization and expression analysis of Paralichthys olivaceus voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) gene in response to virus infection

Voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC, also known as mitochondrial porin) is acknowledged to play an important role in stress-induced mammalian apoptosis. In this study, Paralichthys olivaceus VDAC (PoVDAC) gene was identified as a virally induced gene from Scophthalmus Maximus Rhabdovirus (SMRV)-infected flounder embryonic cells (FEC). The full length of PoVDAC cDNA is 1380 bp with an open reading frame of 852 bp encoding a 283 amino acid protein. The deduced PoVDAC contains one alpha-helix, 13 transmembrane beta-strands and one eukaryotic mitochondrial porin signature motif. Constitutive expression of PoVDAC was confirmed in all tested tissues by real-time PCR. Further expression analysis revealed PoVDAC mRNA was upregulated by viral infection. We prepared fish antiserum against recombinant VDAC proteins and detected the PoVDAC in heart lysates from flounder as a 32 kDa band on western blot. Overexpression of PoVDAC in fish cells induced apoptosis. Immunofluoresence localization indicated that the significant distribution changes of PoVDAC have occurred in virus-induced apoptotic cells. This is the first report on the inductive expression of VDAC by viral infection, suggesting that PoVDAC might be mediated flounder antiviral immune response through induction of apoptosis. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ion-channel sensing of ferricyanide anion based on a supported bilayer lipid membrane

Ferricyanide anion has usually been used as a marker of ion-channel sensors. In this work we first found that ferricyanide, itself, can act as a stimulus to regulate the permeability of sBLM prepared from didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (a kind of synthetic lipid) on a GC electrode. We used cyclic voltammetry and a.c. impedance to investigate this phenomenon. The interaction between sBLM and ferricyanide concerns time. Furthermore, we developed a sensor for ferricyanide anion. The ion-channel sensor is highly sensitive. It can detect ferricyanide concentration as low as 5 muM.

Pressure Drop of Bubbly Two-Phase Flow in a Square Channel at Reduced Gravity

A new set of experimental pressure drop data, collected aboard the Russian IL-76MDK, is reported for bubbly airwater two-phase flow in a square channel with a cross-sectional area of 12x 12mm(2). The present data are compared to several frequently used empirical models, e.g. homogeneous model, Lockhart-Martinelli-Chisholm correlation and Friedel's model. It is shown that the predictions of the models mentioned above are generally not satisfied. A new homogeneous model is developed based on the analysis of the characteristics of bubbly two-phase flow at reduced gravity. It is tested with the present data and other data collected by other researchers in circular pipes. Some questions related to the present model are also discussed. (C) 2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burst Detection in Turbulent Channel Flows Based on Large Eddy Simulation Databases

Reliable turbulent channel flow databases at several Reynolds numbers have been established by large eddy simulation (LES), with two of them validated by comparing with typical direct numerical simulation (DNS) results. Furthermore, the statistics, such as velocity profile, turbulent intensities and shear stress, were obtained as well as the temporal and spatial structure of turbulent bursts. Based on the LES databases available, the conditional sampling methods are used to detect the structures of burst events. A method to deterimine the grouping parameter from the probability distribution function (pdf) curve of the time separation between ejection events is proposed to avoid the errors in detected results. And thus, the dependence of average burst period on thresholds is considerably weakened. Meanwhile, the average burst-to-bed area ratios are detected. It is found that the Reynolds number exhibits little effect on the burst period and burst-to-bed area ratio.

Diffusive Wave Solutions for Open Channel Flows with Uniform and Concentrated Lateral Inflow

The diffusive wave equation with inhomogeneous terms representing hydraulics with uniform or concentrated lateral inflow intoa river is theoretically investigated in the current paper. All the solutions have been systematically expressed in a unified form interms of response function or so called K-function. The integration of K-function obtained by using Laplace transform becomesS-function, which is examined in detail to improve the understanding of flood routing characters. The backwater effects usuallyresulting in the discharge reductions and water surface elevations upstream due to both the downstream boundary and lateral infloware analyzed. With a pulse discharge in upstream boundary inflow, downstream boundary outflow and lateral inflow respectively,hydrographs of a channel are routed by using the S-functions. Moreover, the comparisons of hydrographs in infinite, semi-infiniteand finite channels are pursued to exhibit the different backwater effects due to a concentrated lateral inflow for various channeltypes.

Numerical Investigation On Detonation Cell Evolution In A Channel With Area-Changing Cross Section

The two-dimensional cellular detonation propagating in a channel with area-changing cross section was numerically simulated with the dispersion-controlled dissipative scheme and a detailed chemical reaction model. Effects of the flow expansion and compression on the cellular detonation cell were investigated to illustrate the mechanism of the transverse wave development and the cellular detonation cell evolution. By examining gas composition variations behind the leading shock, the chemical reaction rate, the reaction zone length, and thermodynamic parameters, two kinds of the abnormal detonation waves were identified. To explore their development mechanism, chemical reactions, reflected shocks and rarefaction waves were discussed, which interact with each other and affect the cellular detonation in different ways.

Numerical Study Of Heat Transfer Mechanism In Turbulent Supercritical Co2 Channel Flow

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of supercritical CO2 turbulent channel flow has been performed to investigate the heat transfer mechanism of supercritical fluid. In the present DNS, full compressible Navier-Stokes equations and Peng-Robison state equation are solved. Due to effects of the mean density variation in the wall normal direction, mean velocity in the cooling region becomes high compared with that in the heating region. The mean width between high-and low-speed streaks near the wall decreases in the cooling region, which means that turbulence in the cooling region is enhanced and lots of fine scale eddies are created due to the local high Reynolds number effects. From the turbulent kinetic energy budget, it is found that compressibility effects related with pressure fluctuation and dilatation of velocity fluctuation can be ignored even for supercritical condition. However, the effect of density fluctuation on turbulent kinetic energy cannot be ignored. In the cooling region, low kinematic viscosity and high thermal conductivity in the low speed streaks modify fine scale structure and turbulent transport of temperature, which results in high Nusselt number in the cooling condition of the supercritical CO2.

Sidewall flow stability in the MHD channel flows

The velocity distribution between two sidewalls is; M-shaped for the MHD channel flows with rectangular cross section and thin conducting walls in a strong transverse magnetic field. Assume that the dimensionless numbers R(m) much less than 1, M, N much greater than 1, and sigma

Assessment of bursting detection methods with LES database of turbulent channel flows

Validated by comparison with DNS, numerical database of turbulent channel flows is yielded by Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Three conventional techniques: uv quadrant 2, VITA and mu-level techniques for detecting turbulent bursts are applied to the identification of turbulent bursts. With a grouping parameter introduced by Bogard & Tiedemann (1986) or Luchik & Tiederman (1987), multiple ejections detected by these techniques which originate from a single burst can be grouped into a single-burst event. The results are compared with experimental results, showing that all techniques yield reasonable average burst period. However, uv quadrant 2 and mu-level are found to be superior to VITA in having large threshold-independent range.

Diffusive waves in a channel with concentrated lateral inflow

In the current paper an analytical solution for diffusive wave equation with the concentrate-distributed lateral inflow is yielded. Finite-difference numerical method is also employed to validate this model. The backwater effects drawn from lateral inflow on the mainstream are examined finally.

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Mechanism in Turbulent Supercritical CO2 Channel Flow

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of supercritical CO2 turbulent channel flow has been performed to investigate the heat transfer mechanism of supercritical fluid. In the present DNS, full compressible Navier-Stokes equations and Peng-Robison state equation are solved. Due to effects of the mean density variation in the wall normal direction, mean velocity in the cooling region becomes high compared with that in the heating region. The mean width between high-and low-speed streaks near the wall decreases in the cooling region, which means that turbulence in the cooling region is enhanced and lots of fine scale eddies are created due to the local high Reynolds number effects. From the turbulent kinetic energy budget, it is found that compressibility effects related with pressure fluctuation and dilatation of velocity fluctuation can be ignored even for supercritical condition. However, the effect of density fluctuation on turbulent kinetic energy cannot be ignored. In the cooling region, low kinematic viscosity and high thermal conductivity in the low speed streaks modify fine scale structure and turbulent transport of temperature, which results in high Nusselt number in the cooling condition of the supercritical CO2.

DNS and LES of turbulent channel flow with hydrophobic surface

Hydrophobic surface benefits for drag reduction. Min and Kim[1] do the first Direct Numerical Simulation on drag reduction in turbulent channel flow. And Fukagata and Kasagi[2] make some theoretical analysis based on Dean[3]'s formula and some observations in the DNS results. Using their theory, they conclude that drag reduction is possible in large Reynolds number. Both Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) are performed in our research. How the LES behaving in the turbulent channel flow with hydrophobic surface is examined. Original Smagorinsky model and its Dynamical model are used in LES. The slip velocities predicted by LES using Dynamical model are in good agreement with DNS as shown in the Figure. Although the percentage of drag reduction predicted by LES shows some discrepancies, it is in the error limit for industrial flow. First order and second order moments of LES are also examined and compared with DNS's results. The first-order moments is calculated well by LES. But there are some discrepancies of second-order moments between LES and DNS. [GRAPHICS]

The ionic exclusion-enrichment in a hybrid micro-/nano-channel

An ionic exclusion-enrichment phenomenon has been found at the ends of a nano-channel when electric-driven fluid passes through a micro-/nano-hybrid channel [1-3]. In our experiments, the hybrid channels are fabricated with two poly-dimethysiloxane (PDMS) monoliths microchannels (100um X20um X 9mm) and a nanoporous polycarbonate nuclear track-etched (PCTE) membrane (with 50nm pores). The flows are driven under different electrical potential and the test liquids with different PH values are used. The ion depletion in the source channel is observed by the MicroPIV system. In addition, the numerical simulations about ionic exclusion-enrichment in the hybrid channel are carried out. Some results are as followed:

Photon-photon scattering in a plasma channel

The Heisenberg-Euler correction due to photon-photon scattering, a still unverified quantum electrodynamics effect, on electromagnetic wave interaction inside a plasma channel is investigated theoretically. From a signal laser beam in the relativistic overdense plasma channel, photon-photon scattering can produce a detectable output beam of different frequency and polarization. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Long lifetime plasma channel in air generated by multiple femtosecond laser pulses and an external electrical field

The lifetime of a plasma channel produced by self-guiding intense femtosecond laser pulses in air is largely prolonged by adding a high voltage electrical field in the plasma and by introducing a series of femtosecond laser pulses. An optimal lifetime value is realized through adjusting the delay among these laser pulses. The lifetime of a plasma channel is greatly enhanced to 350 ns by using four sequential intense 100fs( FWHM) laser pulses with an external electrical field of about 350kV/m, which proves the feasibility of prolonging the lifetime of plasma by adding an external electrical field and employing multiple laser pulses. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.