The evaluation of cystatin protein vaccines based on the stress response of ticks triggered by low-temperature and toxin stress in Haemaphysalis doenitzi.

Background: Ticks, which are obligate blood-feeding parasites, transmit a wide range of pathogens during their hematophagic process. Certain enzymes and macromolecules play a crucial role in inhibition of several tick physiological processes, including digestion and reproduction. In the present study, genes encoding type 2 cystatin were cloned and characterized from Haemaphysalis doenitzi, and the potential role of cystatin in tick control was further assessed.

Morphological environment survey and hydrodynamic modeling of a large bifurcation-confluence complex in Yangtze River, China.

Since the establishment of the world-class Three Gorges Dam (TGD) across the Yangtze River, China, the downstream reach has experienced a long-term adjustment with regard to the river morphology and hydrodynamics, imposing a profound impact on the environmental conditions of human living and aquatic ecosystem. This study presents an investigation on the river channel morphological characteristics and hydrodynamic environment of a large bifurcation-confluence complex downstream of the TGD through detailed field survey and numerical modeling. Results show that the main stem, before being bifurcated into two sub-channels (the North Channel and the South Channel), experiences a meander, leading to the severe bed scouring near the outer bank (pools) resulted from a high flow mass flux and bed shear stress.