Genetic diversity, infection prevalence, and possible transmission routes of Bartonella spp. in vampire bats

Bartonella spp. are globally distributed bacteria that cause endocarditis in humans and domestic animals. Recent work has suggested bats as zoonotic reservoirs of some human Bartonella infections; however, the ecological and spatiotemporal patterns of infection in bats remain largely unknown. Here we studied the genetic diversity, prevalence of infection across seasons and years, individual risk factors, and possible transmission routes of Bartonella in populations of common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in Peru and Belize, for which high infection prevalence has previously been reported. Phylogenetic analysis of the gltA gene for a subset of PCR-positive blood samples revealed sequences that were related to Bartonella described from vampire bats from Mexico, other Neotropical bat species, and streblid bat flies. Sequences associated with vampire bats clustered significantly by country but commonly spanned Central and South America, implying limited spatial structure. Stable and nonzero Bartonella prevalence between years supported endemic transmission in all sites. The odds of Bartonella infection for individual bats was unrelated to the intensity of bat flies ectoparasitism, but nearly all infected bats were infested, which precluded conclusive assessment of support for vector-borne transmission. While metagenomic sequencing found no strong evidence of Bartonella DNA in pooled bat saliva and fecal samples, we detected PCR positivity in individual saliva and feces, suggesting the potential for bacterial transmission through both direct contact (i.e., biting) and environmental (i.e., fecal) exposures. Further investigating the relative contributions of direct contact, environmental, and vector-borne transmission for bat Bartonella is an important next step to predict infection dynamics within bats and the risks of human and livestock exposures

Enriched functor categories for functor calculus

In this paper we present background results in enriched category theory and enriched model category theory necessary for developing model categories of enriched functors suitable for doing functor calculus

QT-RR HYSTERESIS IS CAUSED BY DIFFERENTIAL AUTONOMIC STATES DURING EXERCISE AND RECOVERY

QT-RR hysteresis is characterized by longer QT intervals at a given RR interval while heart rates are increasing during exercise and shorter QT intervals at the same RR interval while heart rates are decreasing during recovery. It has been attributed to a lagging QT response to different directional changes in RR interval during exercise and recovery. Twenty control subjects (8 males, age 51 ± 6 yr), 16 subjects with type 2 diabetes (12 males, age 56 ± 8 yr), 71 subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (≥50%) (51 males, age 59 ± 12 yr), and 17 CAD subjects with depressed LVEF (<50%) (13 males, age 57 ± 10 yr) underwent two 16-min exercise tests followed by recovery. In session 2, parasympathetic blockade with atropine (0.04 mg/kg) was achieved at end exercise. QT-RR hysteresis was quantified as: 1) the area bounded by the QT-RR relationships for exercise and recovery in the range of the minimum RR interval at peak exercise to the minimum RR interval + 100 ms and 2) the difference in QT interval duration between exercise and recovery at the minimum RR interval achieved during peak exercise plus 50 ms (ΔQT). The effect of parasympathetic blockade was assessed by substituting the QT-RR relationship after parasympathetic blockade. QT-RR hysteresis was positive in all groups at baseline and reversed by parasympathetic blockade (P < 0.01). We conclude that QT-RR hysteresis is not caused by different directional changes in RR interval during exercise and recovery. Instead, it is predominantly mediated by differential autonomic nervous system effects as the heart rate increases during exercise vs. as it decreases during recovery

Group actions on Segal operads

We give a Quillen equivalence between model structures for simplicial operads, described via the theory of operads, and Segal operads, thought of as certain reduced dendroidal spaces. We then extend this result to give an Quillen equivalence between the model structures for simplicial operads equipped with a group action and the corresponding Segal operads.Comment: Revised version. Accepted to Isr J Mat

Correlated ab-initio calculations for ground-state properties of II-VI semiconductors

Correlated ab-initio ground-state calculations, using relativistic energy-consistent pseudopotentials, are performed for six II-VI semiconductors. Valence ($ns,np$) correlations are evaluated using the coupled cluster approach with single and double excitations. An incremental scheme is applied based on correlation contributions of localized bond orbitals and of pairs and triples of such bonds. In view of the high polarity of the bonds in II-VI compounds, we examine both, ionic and covalent embedding schemes for the calculation of individual bond increments. Also, a partitioning of the correlation energy according to local ionic increments is tested. Core-valence ($nsp,(n-1)d$) correlation effects are taken into account via a core-polarization potential. Combining the results at the correlated level with corresponding Hartree-Fock data we recover about 94% of the experimental cohesive energies; lattice constants are accurate to \sim 1%; bulk moduli are on average 10% too large compared with experiment.Comment: 10 pages, twocolumn, RevTex, 3 figures, accepted Phys. Rev.

Cohesive energies of cubic III-V semiconductors

Cohesive energies for twelve cubic III-V semiconductors with zincblende structure have been determined using an ab-initio scheme. Correlation contributions, in particular, have been evaluated using the coupled-cluster approach with single and double excitations (CCSD). This was done by means of increments obtained for localized bond orbitals and for pairs and triples of such bonds. Combining these results with corresponding Hartree-Fock data, we recover about 92 \% of the experimental cohesive energies.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, late

The homotopy theory of simplicial props

The category of (colored) props is an enhancement of the category of colored operads, and thus of the category of small categories. In this paper, the second in a series on "higher props," we show that the category of all small colored simplicial props admits a cofibrantly generated model category structure. With this model structure, the forgetful functor from props to operads is a right Quillen functor.Comment: Final version, to appear in Israel J. Mat

Towers and fibered products of model categories

Given a left Quillen presheaf of localized model structures, we study the homotopy limit model structure on the associated category of sections. We focus specifically on towers and fibered products of model categories. As applications we consider Postnikov towers of model categories, chromatic towers of spectra and Bousfield arithmetic squares of spectra. For spectral model categories, we show that the homotopy fiber of a stable left Bousfield localization is a stable right Bousfield localization