Lift and power requirements of hovering flight inDrosophila virilis

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (16) ◽  
pp. 2413-2427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mao Sun ◽  
Jian Tang

SUMMARYThe lift and power requirements for hovering flight in Drosophila virilis were studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics. The Navier-Stokes equations were solved numerically. The solution provided the flow velocity and pressure fields, from which the unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments were obtained. The inertial torques due to the acceleration of the wing mass were computed analytically. On the basis of the aerodynamic forces and moments and the inertial torques, the lift and power requirements for hovering flight were obtained.For the fruit fly Drosophila virilis in hovering flight (with symmetrical rotation), a midstroke angle of attack of approximately 37°was needed for the mean lift to balance the insect weight, which agreed with observations. The mean drag on the wings over an up- or downstroke was approximately 1.27 times the mean lift or insect weight (i.e. the wings of this tiny insect must overcome a drag that is approximately 27 % larger than its weight to produce a lift equal to its weight). The body-mass-specific power was 28.7 W kg-1, the muscle-mass-specific power was 95.7 W kg-1 and the muscle efficiency was 17 %.With advanced rotation, larger lift was produced than with symmetrical rotation, but it was more energy-demanding, i.e. the power required per unit lift was much larger. With delayed rotation, much less lift was produced than with symmetrical rotation at almost the same power expenditure; again, the power required per unit lift was much larger. On the basis of the calculated results for power expenditure, symmetrical rotation should be used for balanced, long-duration flight and advanced rotation and delayed rotation should be used for flight control and manoeuvring. This agrees with observations.

2017 ◽  
Vol 828 ◽  
pp. 395-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Moriche ◽  
O. Flores ◽  
M. García-Villalba

The influence that the kinematics of pitching and heaving 2D airfoils has on the aerodynamic forces is investigated using direct numerical simulations and a force decomposition algorithm. Large-amplitude motions are considered (of the order of one chord), with moderate Reynolds numbers and reduced frequencies of order $O(1)$, varying the mean pitch angle and the phase shift between the pitching and heaving motions. Our results show that the surface vorticity contribution (viscous effect) to the aerodynamic force is negligible compared with the contributions from the body motion (fluid inertia) and the vorticity within the flow (circulation). For the range of parameters considered here, the latter tends to be instantaneously oriented in the direction normal to the chord of the airfoil. Based on the results discussed in this paper, a reduced-order model for the instantaneous aerodynamic force is proposed, taking advantage of the force decomposition and the chord-normal orientation of the contribution from vorticity within the flow to the total aerodynamic force. The predictions of the proposed model are compared with those of a similar model from the literature, showing a noticeable improvement in the prediction of the mean thrust, and a smaller improvement in the prediction of the mean lift and the instantaneous force coefficients.


1999 ◽  
Vol 354 (1385) ◽  
pp. 903-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Dickinson

Flies display a sophisticated suite of aerial behaviours that require rapid sensory–motor processing. Like all insects, flight control in flies is mediated in part by motion–sensitive visual interneurons that project to steering motor circuitry within the thorax. Flies, however, possess a unique flight control equilibrium sense that is encoded by mechanoreceptors at the base of the halteres, small dumb–bell–shaped organs derived through evolutionary transformation of the hind wings. To study the input of the haltere system onto the flight control system, I constructed a mechanically oscillating flight arena consisting of a cylindrical array of light–emitting diodes that generated the moving image of a 30° vertical stripe. The arena provided closed–loop visual feedback to elicit fixation behaviour, an orientation response in which flies maintain the position of the stripe in the front portion of their visual field by actively adjusting their wing kinematics. While flies orientate towards the stripe, the entire arena was swung back and forth while an optoelectronic device recorded the compensatory changes in wing stroke amplitude and frequency. In order to reduce the background changes in stroke kinematics resulting from the animal's closed–loop visual fixation behaviour, the responses to eight identical mechanical rotations were averaged in each trial. The results indicate that flies possess a robust equilibrium reflex in which angular rotations of the body elicit compensatory changes in both the amplitude and stroke frequency of the wings. The results of uni– and bilateral ablation experiments demonstrate that the halteres are required for these stability reflexes. The results also confirm that halteres encode angular velocity of the body by detecting the Coriolis forces that result from the linear motion of the haltere within the rotating frame of reference of the fly's thorax. By rotating the flight arena at different orientations, it was possible to construct a complete directional tuning map of the haltere–mediated reflexes. The directional tuning of the reflex is quite linear such that the kinematic responses vary as simple trigonometric functions of stimulus orientation. The reflexes function primarily to stabilize pitch and yaw within the horizontal plane.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9517
Author(s):  
Buchen Wu ◽  
Geng Xue ◽  
Jie Feng ◽  
Shujin Laima

To investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of a twin-box girder in turbulent incoming flow, we carried out wind tunnel tests, including two aerodynamic interferences: leading body-height grid, and leading circular cylinder. In this study, the pressure distribution and the mean and fluctuating aerodynamic forces with the two interferences are compared with bare deck in detail to investigate the relationship between aerodynamic characteristics and the incoming flow characteristics (including Reynolds number and turbulence intensity). The experimental results reveal that, owing to the body-height flow characteristics around the deck interfered with by the body-height grid, the disturbed aerodynamic characteristics of the twin-box girder differ considerably from those of the bare twin-box girder. At the upstream girder, due to the vortex emerging from the body-height grid breaking the separation bubble, pressure plateaus in the upper and lower surface are eliminated. In addition, the turbulence generated by the body-height grid reduces the Reynolds number sensitivity of the twin-box girder. At a relatively high Reynolds number, the fluctuating forces are mainly dominated by turbulence intensity, and the time-averaged forces show almost no change under high turbulence intensity. At a low Reynolds number, the time-averaged forces change significantly with the turbulence intensity. Moreover, at a low Reynolds number, the wake of the leading cylinder effectively forces the boundary layer to transition to turbulence, which reduces the Reynolds number sensitivity of the mean aerodynamic forces and breaks the separation bubbles. Additionally, the fluctuating drag force and the fluctuating lift force are insensitive to the diameter and the spacing ratio.


2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (23) ◽  
pp. 3669-3677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dudley ◽  
York Winter

SUMMARYExisting estimates of flight energetics in glossophagine flower bats, the heaviest hovering vertebrate taxon, suggest disproportionately high expenditure of mechanical power. We determined wingbeat kinematics and mechanical power expenditure for one of the largest flower bats(Leptonycteris curasoae Martinez and Villa) during hovering flight in normodense and hypodense gas mixtures. Additional experiments examined the effects of supplemental oxygen availability on maximum flight performance. Bats failed to sustain hovering flight at normoxic air densities averaging 63%that of normodense air. Kinematic responses to hypodense aerodynamic challenge involved increases in wing positional angles and in total stroke amplitude;wingbeat frequency was unchanged. At near-failure air densities, total power expenditure assuming perfect elastic energy storage was 17-42% greater than that for hovering in normodense air, depending on the assumed value for the profile drag coefficient. Assuming a flight muscle ratio of 26%, the associated muscle-mass-specific power output at the point of near-failure varied between 90.8 W kg-1 (profile drag coefficient of 0.02) to 175.6 W kg-1 (profile drag coefficient of 0.2). Hyperoxia did not enhance hovering performance in hypodense air, and, with the exception of a small increase (10%) in stroke plane angle, yielded no significant change in any of the kinematic parameters studied. Revised energetic estimates suggest that mechanical power expenditure of hovering glossophagines is comparable with that in slow forward flight.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 496-501
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Ahmadi-Motamayel ◽  
Parisa Falsafi ◽  
Hamidreza Abolsamadi ◽  
Mohammad T. Goodarzi ◽  
Jalal Poorolajal

Background: Cigarette smoke free radicals can cause cellular damage and different diseases. All the body fluids have antioxidants which protect against free radicals. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary total antioxidant capacity and peroxidase, uric acid and malondialdehyde levels in smokers and a nonsmoking control group. Methods: Unstimulated saliva was collected from 510 males. A total of 259 subjects were current smokers and 251 were non-smokers. The levels of salivary total antioxidant capacity, uric acid, peroxidase and malondialdehyde were measured using standard procedures. Data were analyzed with t test and ANOVA. Results: The smokers were younger and dental hygiene index was higher than healthy nonsmoking controls. The mean total antioxidant capacity in smokers and nonsmokers was 0.13±0.07 and 0.21±011, respectively (P=0.001). Smokers had significantly lower peroxidase and uric acid levels than healthy controls. In addition, the mean malondialdehyde levels in the smokers and nonsmokers were 4.55 ±2.61 and 2.79 ±2.21, respectively (P=0.001). Conclusion: Cigarette smoke produces free radical and oxidative stress, causing many side effects. Salivary antioxidant levels decreased and malondialdehyde levels increased in smokers, indicating the high oxidative stress among smokers compared to nonsmokers. Cigarette smoke had deleterious effects on main salivary antioxidants levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
K K Hadiya ◽  
A J Dhami ◽  
D V Chaudhari ◽  
P M Lunagariya

This study was initiated on 24 prepubertal Holstein x Kankrej crossbred heifers of nearly identical age (7-9 months) and body weight (130-140 kg) at University farm to evaluate the effect of high plane of nutrition on blood biochemical and minerals profile and the age at puberty. Twelve heifers were managed under routine farm feeding (control) and the rest 12 under ideal optimum feeding regime (treatment) that included extra 1 kg concentrate, 30 g min mix and ad-lib dry fodder. The body weight and ovarian ultrasonography together with blood sampling was carried out at monthly interval from 10 to 18 months of age to study the ovarian dynamics and blood biochemical changes. High plane of nutrition to growing heifers was beneficial in reducing the age of onset of puberty (by 2-3 months) compared to routine farm fed group. The mean plasma total protein and cholesterol concentrations showed a rising trend with significant variations from 10 to 16 months of age, where it got mostly stabilized indicating adult profile. The activity of enzymes GOT and GPT also rose gradually and significantly from 10 months till 14-15 months of age, and thereafter it remained more or less static till 18 months of age. The levels of both these enzymes were higher, with lower protein and cholesterol, in control than the treatment group from 15-16 months of age onwards. The mean plasma levels of both calcium and phosphorus increased gradually and significantly with advancing age till 16-17 months of age, with little higher values in supplemented than a control group. The plasma levels of zinc, iron, copper, and cobalt also showed rising trend with significant differences between 10th and 12th-14th months of age, and from 15th to 18th months of age the levels were statistically the same in all the groups with slightly higher values in the treatment group.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Ali Abdel Fattah ◽  
Abdel Hay Rashad Elasy ◽  
Ahmed Helmy Hoseini ◽  
Tarek Abdel Rahman Abdel Hafez

Abstract Background Repair of a perforated tympanic membrane (myringoplasty) can facilitate normal middle ear function, resist infection, and help re-establish normal hearing. Autogenous graft materials are the most popular graft materials used in myringoplasty because of their easy acceptability by the body. This study is conducted to compare between temporalis fascia graft and fascia lata graft in myringoplasty for patients with tubo-tympanic dry perforation. Results A total of 60 patients with persistent dry tympanic membrane perforation were included in our study during the period from January 2018 to May 2020. Patients underwent myringoplasty with temporalis fascia (30 patients as group A) or fascia lata (30 patients as group B). Patients were scheduled for follow-up visits concerning graft status, ear discharge, and audiograms. The mean postoperative air-bone gap in group A was 17.5 ± 4 after 1 month and 8.6 ± 6.9 after 3 months, while in group B, the mean postoperative air-bone gap was 17.6 ± 4.9 after 1 month and 9.4 ± 7.5 after 3 months. There was 90% success in graft uptake in group A, while there was 80% success in group B. Conclusion Using temporalis fascia is still the best and most trustworthy technique of myringoplasty compared to fascia lata graft. However, fascia lata can be a good alternative to temporalis fascia especially in cases of revision myringoplasty, ears having large perforation, or near-total perforation where the chances of residual perforation are high because of the limited margin of remnant tympanic membrane overlapping the graft.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3771
Author(s):  
Alexey Kashevnik ◽  
Walaa Othman ◽  
Igor Ryabchikov ◽  
Nikolay Shilov

Meditation practice is mental health training. It helps people to reduce stress and suppress negative thoughts. In this paper, we propose a camera-based meditation evaluation system, that helps meditators to improve their performance. We rely on two main criteria to measure the focus: the breathing characteristics (respiratory rate, breathing rhythmicity and stability), and the body movement. We introduce a contactless sensor to measure the respiratory rate based on a smartphone camera by detecting the chest keypoint at each frame, using an optical flow based algorithm to calculate the displacement between frames, filtering and de-noising the chest movement signal, and calculating the number of real peaks in this signal. We also present an approach to detecting the movement of different body parts (head, thorax, shoulders, elbows, wrists, stomach and knees). We have collected a non-annotated dataset for meditation practice videos consists of ninety videos and the annotated dataset consists of eight videos. The non-annotated dataset was categorized into beginner and professional meditators and was used for the development of the algorithm and for tuning the parameters. The annotated dataset was used for evaluation and showed that human activity during meditation practice could be correctly estimated by the presented approach and that the mean absolute error for the respiratory rate is around 1.75 BPM, which can be considered tolerable for the meditation application.


In August, 1903, I published a paper in the ‘Journal of Pathology’(1) in which I demonstrated a method experimentally producing uncompensated hear disease in an animal, which was compatible with life. This method consisted in diminishing the size of the pericardial sac by stitches, so that the diastolic filling of the heart was impeded. The main symptoms of this condition were dropsy and diminution in the amount of urine excreted. As the immediate result of this interference with the action of the heart, there occurred a rise of pressure throughout the whole systemic venous system extending as far back as the capillaries, and a fall of the mean arterial blood-pressure. Further, I found that the pressure in all the veins fell to the normal limit again within the space of about one hour, and that subsequently when dropsy was being produced, the vanous pressure in all parts of the body was normal, and the arterial pressure had almost recovered itself.


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