Natural Enemies of Cranberry Fruitworm, \u3ci\u3eAcrobasis Vaccinii\u3c/i\u3e, (Lepidoptera: Pyraudae) in Michigan Highbush Blueberries

A two-year study was conducted in Michigan highbush blueberries to determine the complex of parasitoids attacking cranberry fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii. Eight parasitoid species and one fungal pathogen were collected. Parasitism of collected hosts ranged from 6.6% to 28.1%. The more common larval parasitoid encountered was Campoletis patsuiketorum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). The more common parasitoid recovered from fruitworm hibernacula was Villa lateralis (Diptera: Bombyliidae). This study documented six unreported natural enemies of cranberry fruitworm, including C. patsuiketorum; V. lateralis; Diadegma compressum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae); Compsilura concinnata (Diptera: Tachinidae); Memorilla pyste (Diptera: Tachinidae); an undescribed Microtypus species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); and a fungal pathogen, Paecilomyces near farinosus. This is the first known host association for the undescribed Microtypus species, and increases the known parasitoid complex of cranberry fruitworm to 17 species

Loneliness and psychotic-like experiences in middle-aged and older adults:The mediating role of selective attention to threat and external attribution biases

ObjectivesLoneliness has been associated with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in the general population, but the mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. Theoretical models, corroborated by empirical findings, signify the key role of biased cognition in both loneliness and psychosis. This study tested whether two cognitive biases – Selective Attention to Threat (ATB) and External Attribution Bias (EAB) – account for the association between loneliness and PLEs.MethodA convenience sample (n = 357) of middle-aged and older adults (aged 40+) was recruited online from the UK population. The parallel mediation model with two the aforementioned cognitive biases as mediators was tested.ResultsA mediation effect between loneliness and PLEs via ATB (ab1 = 0.441, 95% CI = [0.264, 0.646]) and EAB (ab2 = 0.354, 95% CI [0.124, 0.627] was established. This model remained significant after controlling for the current symptoms of anxiety and depression.ConclusionGreater loneliness was associated with a higher rate of PLEs in the sample of middle-aged and older adults. This association was fully explained by ATB and EAB, independent of the current symptoms of anxiety and depression

Work and power in Australia : a study of power in work relationships.

The alienation theme is now so large in the sociological literature that it has become an acceptable descriptive category for some condition of life in contemporary industrial society

Assessment of vapour chamber heat spreader implementation for avionic module thermal management

Thermal management of aircraft heat loads is quickly becoming a limiting factor of vehicle performance and reliability. This paper details improvements in forced-convection cooled avionic module heat removal efficiency with the implementation of two-phase high thermal conductivity Vapour Chamber Heat Spreaders (VCHS). A bespoke test rig provides experimental thermal comparisons of an aluminium and embedded VCHS avionic heat exchanger. The experimental results validate a numerical thermal resistance network, which is utilised to simulate more representative avionic chassis geometries. The VCHS dramatically reduces thermal variation in circuit card and avionic heat exchanger exhaust temperatures. Increased isothermalisation of the heat exchanger greatly increases effective heat transfer area in comparison to a traditional aluminium chassis. The VCHS acts as a very effective thermal buffer between the avionic circuit cards and coolant airflow, allowing a more predictable avionic thermal behaviour irrespective of circuit card architecture. The improved heat rejection capability allows either a substantial increase in avionic growth capacity (increased power output for a fixed exhaust temperature) or a substantial reduction in mass flow rate (reduced demand on vehicle thermal management system). An avionic growth capacity of up to 58% is achieved with representative thermal loading conditions

Experimental assessment of vapour chamber heat spreader implementation in avionic cooling

Avionic thermal management is quickly becoming the limiting factor of aircraft performance and reliability, particularly prevalent with ageing airframes. While the increasing power density of avionic components requires a greater heat removal capacity for a given geometric module size, supplementary generation of cooling airflow is detrimental to engine and aircraft performance. This paper looks at improving the heat removal efficiency of forced convection cooled avionic modules by reducing the thermal resistance between the avionic component and module heat exchanger. The implementation of two-phase high thermal conductivity materials, such as Vapour Chamber Heat Spreaders (VCHS), embedded within the avionic module chassis act to improve heat exchanger isothermalisation, improving the effective heat transfer area. A bespoke test rig has been manufactured to experimentally compare a pure aluminium and embedded VCHS avionic chassis for heat removal capability. When considering a single circuit card, a direct mass flow rate reduction of between 22% and 65% is achieved with embedded VCHS over a pure aluminium chassis. Base plate isothermalisation is improved by 9%, generating a reduction in component temperature of 8% to 12%. As the number of heat sources increase, the performance improvements decrease. When testing with three circuit cards mass flow rate savings are reduced to between 14% and 26%. The concluding performance characteristic of the embedded VCHS avionic base plate is the insensitivity to the way thermal energy is coupled to it. Across all testing, the localised heat removal was never further than 3.5% from the averaged plate performance

A study into refrigeration cycle working fluids using an air cycle machine environmental control system

This study is the experimental analysis of a fast-jet military aircraft Environmental Control System (ECS) to the variation in Absolute Humidity (AH) of bleed air working fluid. A genuine fast-jet ECS operates within a ground test facility. The thermodynamic performance of the ECS is evaluated with two main metrics, Coefficient of Performance (CoP, a first law efficiency) and cooling capacity (function of exhaust temperature and mass flow rate). The ECS features Low Pressure Water Extraction (LPWE) with the use of a coalescing sock and centrifuge; the operation, efficiency and performance of this component are discussed in depth. The ECS inlet conditions (temperature, pressure and humidity) are typical of flight and atmospheric envelopes of the donor aircraft for all testing. A linear relationship is witnessed between increasing AH and decreasing CoP, while the cooling capacity of the system exhibits a step change in performance based on induced phase change at the Cold Air Unit (CAU) turbine. The lack of visibility regarding working fluid phase change with traditional first law efficiency measures highlights the often misleading nature of this commonly used performance metric. While phase change is a fundamental requirement for water extraction, it is found to be thermodynamically expensive to system capability as the ECS has no mechanism to recover the energy released during the formation of condensate. This is typical of several complex system dynamics and thermodynamic trade-offs not apparent with dry working fluid. A number of time-dependent transient effects of water extractor coalescing sock blockage have been measured and discussed. The most extreme of these is the complete icing of this component causing a degradation in system performance and finally triggering the LPWE pressure release valve; replication of a typical operational problem. The difficulties of accurately modelling these behaviours is discussed and demonstrated to validate the experimental methodology utilised in this paper. It is concluded that an improved system performance is attainable through the accurate control of condensate generation and separation in the high pressure region of the CAU

Evaluating environmental control system thermal response to degraded operating conditions

This paper documents an investigation into the performance and thermal efficiency of an air-cycle Environmental Control System (ECS) artificially injected with common operational failure modes. A two-wheel bootstrap system is taken from an in-service military fast-jet and installed in a bespoke Ground Test Facility (GTF) at the ECS Research Facility, Loughborough University, UK. The failure modes investigated are bleed air blockages in the intercooler and in the low-pressure water extractor, as well as positional inaccuracy in cycle bypass control valves. The full range of degradation in each fault is considered, allowing the quantification of overall system performance degradation. The performance of the system is found to be insensitive to moderate bleed air blockages (up to 80% by pipe cross-section area), whilst blockages at low pressure are more detrimental to cycle performance than blockages at high pressure. The cycle and/or control system will self-regulate around most degrading-type faults. This particular system is most sensitive to a failure at one bypass valve, where the hardware allows partial redundancy of the valve but the control system does not

Development of a full scale experimental and simulation tool for environmental control system optimisation and fault detection

This paper documents the installation of a fast jet military aircraft Environmental Control System (ECS) ground test facility. The system used in this case is a bleed-air driven two-wheel bootstrap cycle with low pressure water extraction. The facility allows the ECS to be run at conditions similar to those in the aircraft during ground operation. Data from the rig is presented and used to validate a 1-D thermodynamic model. The relationships between aircraft altitude and speed against ECS Coefficient of Performance and system heat rejection are presented, seamlessly utilising both experimental and modelled data. Furthermore, a scenario depicting a ram air blockage in the secondary heat exchanger demonstrates the system’s ability to mask faults. The physical system is used for component-level analysis, whilst the model extends this to system-level. General attributes of the system operation are discussed

In silico interrogation of the miRNAome of infected haematopoietic cells to predict processes important for human cytomegalovirus latent infection

Abstract Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) latency in CD34+ progenitor cells is the outcome of a complex and continued interaction of virus and host that is initiated during very early stages of infection and reflects pro and anti-viral activity. We hypothesized that a key event during early infection could involve changes to host miRNAs, allowing for rapid modulation of the host proteome. Here, we identify 72 significantly upregulated miRNAs, and 3 that were downregulated by 6hpi of infection of CD34+ cells which were then subject to multiple in silico analyses to identify potential genes and pathways important for viral infection. The analyses focused on the upregulated miRNAs and were used to predict potential gene hubs or common mRNA targets of multiple miRNAs. Constitutive deletion of one target, the transcriptional regulator JDP2, resulted in a defect in latent infection of myeloid cells; interestingly, transient knockdown in differentiated dendritic cells resulted in increased viral lytic IE gene expression, arguing for subtle differences in the role of JDP2 during latency establishment and reactivation of HCMV. Finally, in silico predictions identified clusters of genes with related functions (such as calcium signaling, ubiquitination and chromatin modification), suggesting potential importance in latency and reactivation. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that viral IE gene expression is sensitive to calcium channel inhibition in reactivating dendritic cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate HCMV alters the miRNAome rapidly upon infection and that in silico interrogation of these changes reveals new insight into mechanisms controlling viral gene expression during HCMV latency and, intriguingly, reactivation