890 research outputs found
Complete genome sequence of Torque teno indri virus 1, a novel anellovirus in blood from a free-living lemur
ABSTRACT
We identified
Torque teno indri virus 1
(TTIV1), the first anellovirus in a free-living lemur (
Indri indri
). The complete circular 2,572-nucleotide (nt) TTIV1 genome is distantly related to torque teno sus virus. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses support TTIV1 as a putative member of a new genus within the
Anelloviridae
family.
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Structure and Response in the World Trade Network
We examine how the structure of the world trade network has been shaped by
globalization and recessions over the last 40 years. We show that by treating
the world trade network as an evolving system, theory predicts the trade
network is more sensitive to evolutionary shocks and recovers more slowly from
them now than it did 40 years ago, due to structural changes in the world trade
network induced by globalization. We also show that recession-induced change to
the world trade network leads to an \emph{increased} hierarchical structure of
the global trade network for a few years after the recession.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Renormalization of Drift and Diffusivity in Random Gradient Flows
We investigate the relationship between the effective diffusivity and
effective drift of a particle moving in a random medium. The velocity of the
particle combines a white noise diffusion process with a local drift term that
depends linearly on the gradient of a gaussian random field with homogeneous
statistics. The theoretical analysis is confirmed by numerical simulation. For
the purely isotropic case the simulation, which measures the effective drift
directly in a constant gradient background field, confirms the result
previously obtained theoretically, that the effective diffusivity and effective
drift are renormalized by the same factor from their local values. For this
isotropic case we provide an intuitive explanation, based on a {\it spatial}
average of local drift, for the renormalization of the effective drift
parameter relative to its local value. We also investigate situations in which
the isotropy is broken by the tensorial relationship of the local drift to the
gradient of the random field. We find that the numerical simulation confirms a
relatively simple renormalization group calculation for the effective
diffusivity and drift tensors.Comment: Latex 16 pages, 5 figures ep
Disclination Asymmetry in Two-Dimensional Nematic Liquid Crystals with Unequal Frank Constants
The behavior of a thin film of nematic liquid crystal with unequal Frank
constants is discussed. Distinct Frank constants are found to imply unequal
core energies for and disclinations. Even so, a topological
constraint is shown to ensure that the bulk densities of the two types of
disclinations are the same. For a system with free boundary conditions, such as
a liquid membrane, unequal core energies simply renormalize the Gaussian
rigidity and line tension.Comment: RevTex forma
Species-specific transmission of novel picornaviruses in lemurs
The roles of host genetics versus exposure and contact frequency in driving cross-species transmission remain the subject of debate. Here, we used a multitaxon lemur collection at the Saint Louis Zoo in the United States as a model to gain insight into viral transmission in a setting of high interspecies contact. Lemurs are a diverse and understudied group of primates that are highly endangered. The speciation of lemurs, which are endemic to the island of Madagascar, occurred in geographic isolation apart from that of continental African primates. Although evidence of endogenized viruses in lemur genomes exists, no exogenous viruses of lemurs have been described to date. Here we identified two novel picornaviruses in fecal specimens of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata). We found that the viruses were transmitted in a species-specific manner (lesavirus 1 was detected only in ring-tailed lemurs, while lesavirus 2 was detected only in black-and-white ruffed lemurs). Longitudinal sampling over a 1-year interval demonstrated ongoing infection in the collection. This was supported by evidence of viral clearance in some animals and new infections in previously uninfected animals, including a set of newly born triplets that acquired the infection. While the two virus strains were found to be cocirculating in a mixed-species exhibit of ring-tailed lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, and black lemurs, there was no evidence of cross-species transmission. This suggests that despite high-intensity contact, host species barriers can prevent cross-species transmissions of these viruses. IMPORTANCE Up to 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans today are the result of zoonotic transmission. However, a challenge in understanding transmission dynamics has been the limited models of cross-species transmission. Zoos provide a unique opportunity to explore parameters defining viral transmission. We demonstrated that ongoing virus transmission in a mixed lemur species exhibit was species specific. This suggests that despite high contact intensity, host species barriers contribute to protection from cross-species transmission of these viruses. While the combinations of species might differ, most zoological parks worldwide commonly feature mixed-species exhibits. Collectively, this report demonstrates a widely applicable approach toward understanding infectious disease transmission
Whole of degree curriculum design: Transitioning students in, through and out of higher education
Panel Discussio
Reactive Turbulent Flow in Low-Dimensional, Disordered Media
We analyze the reactions and
occurring in a model of turbulent flow in two dimensions. We find the reactant
concentrations at long times, using a field-theoretic renormalization group
analysis. We find a variety of interesting behavior, including, in the presence
of potential disorder, decay rates faster than that for well-mixed reactions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
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