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Bats are parasitized by numerous lineages of arthropods, of which bat flies (Diptera, Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are the most conspicuous. Bat flies themselves can be parasitized by Laboulbeniales, fungal biotrophs of arthropods. This is known as hyperparasitism, a severely understudied phenomenon. Three genera of Laboulbeniales occur on bat flies: Arthrorhynchus on Nycteribiidae, Gloeandromyces and Nycteromyces on Streblidae. In this review we introduce the parasitic partners in this tripartite system and discuss their diversity, ecology, and specificity patterns, alongside some important life history traits. Furthermore, we cover recent advances in the study of the associations between bat flies and Laboulbeniales, which were neglected for decades. Among the most immediate needs for further studies are detailed tripartite field surveys. The vermin only teaze and pinch Their foes superior by an inch So, naturalists observe, a flea Has smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em, And so proceed ad infinitum. Jonathan Swift (On Poetry: A Rhapsody, 1733).

Multi-color Stochastic Rotation Dynamics (SRDmc) has been introduced by Inoue et al. as a particle based simulation method to study the flow of emulsion droplets in non-wetting microchannels. In this work, we extend the multi-color method to also account for different wetting conditions. This is achieved by assigning the color information not only to fluid particles but also to virtual wall particles that are required to enforce proper no-slip boundary conditions. To extend the scope of the original SRDmc algorithm to e.g. immiscible two-phase flow with viscosity contrast we implement an angular momentum conserving scheme (SRDmc+). We perform extensive benchmark simulations to show that a mono-phase SRDmc fluid exhibits bulk properties identical to a standard SRD fluid and that SRDmc fluids are applicable to a wide range of immiscible two-phase flows. To quantify the adhesion of a SRDmc+ fluid in contact to the walls we measure the apparent contact angle from sessile droplets in mechanical equilibrium. For a further verification of our wettability implementation we compare the dewetting of a liquid film from a wetting stripe to experimental and numerical studies of interfacial morphologies on chemically structured surfaces., Comment: preprint submitted to Journal of Computational Physics

Deforestation and the conversion of forests to agricultural areas lead to habitat loss and often create highly fragmented landscapes. Permeability and quality of the surrounding matrix determine the connectivity of remaining forest remnants. For mobile species, such as bats, the matrix is not necessarily an entirely insurmountable obstacle. We studied the effects of fragmentation on New-World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae), a highly diverse keystone taxon in the Neotropics. Bats were assessed in two highly fragmented systems varying in matrix quality: Forested islands surrounded by the water (I) and forest fragments embedded in a matrix of small-scale agriculture (A) together with a continuous forest as control (C). In total, we recorded over 2 years 5176 captures. Observed species richness was highest in continuous forest. Fragmentation reduced in both fragmented landscapes the bat diversity and led to characteristic changes in the bat assemblage, with gleaning animalivorous phyllostomids being most affected. The responses of bats to fragmentation were found to be not only guild - but also species-specific within the guild, a fact easily overlooked or misinterpreted when focussing solely on diversity indices or the response of bat guilds alone. Forest remnants can support a relatively speciose bat fauna, due to the heterogeneity of the inter-fragment matrix. On forested islands, however, isolation processes lead to a decline in bat diversity, resulting in strongly impoverished bat assemblages favouring highly mobile species and habitat generalists. Conservation of the full local bat community of phyllostomids, including the vulnerable gleaning animalivorous phyllostomids, however, requires the protection of old-growth forests.

The impact, caused by a construction of a dam site on the Birs river close to Basel (Switzerland), on the evolution of a gypsum-karst aquifer in the vicinity of the hydraulic building, is studied. Several sinkholes provoked subsidence of the dam and the highway nearby. Extensive technical measures had to be conducted in order to prevent further karstification. The numerous geophysical and geological field studies executed in the area, together with a 3D hydrogeological model of the aquifer, provide a very detailed information about the boundary conditions, and the local properties determining the karstification. In this work, we present a 2D karst evolution model of the aquifer in the vicinity of the dam structure. In contrast to older studies, this time the focus of the research is not the basic processes governing the karst evolution, but modeling the temporal development of the real aquifer. Using the large amount of information about the location, we demonstrate that a detailed knowledge of the local properties of the rock (hydraulic conductivity, solubility) is of crucial importance when modeling real aquifers. From a wide range of possible evolution scenarios, we deduce a warning that solutional features, such as sinkholes, can develop far away from the hydraulic structure and endanger facilities at the surface. Our model is able to reproduce and successfully explain the main geological features revealed by field studies. We suggest a workflow to combine the data from field observations, groundwater modeling, and karst evolution modeling and to study the karstification of real aquifers. We propose a scenario for the evolution of the aquifer and a reasonable range for the values of the basic parameters governing the karstification.

We present a three-dimensional model describing the evolution of a gypsum karst aquifer along the Birs river near Basel in Switzerland. Here, a small dam-site was built in 1890 to generate hydro-electric power. After subsidence of a nearby highway, geophysical and geological field studies have been carried out and a detailed hydrogeological model has been developed. These observations identified a karstified weathered zone as the reason for the subsidence. To prevent any further damage, remedial construction measures have been carried out. We employ our numerical model KARSTAQUIFER, which simulates the temporal evolution of a karst system by dissolution, increasing the porosity in the aquifer. We used results from geological and geophysical investigations as a priori information for implementing the initial boundary conditions into our three-dimensional numerical model. Our model accounts for topography, precipitation and geology and especially for the anisotropy of the local bedrock. It can successfully reproduce the weathered zone in its current horizontal and vertical extent. We cm also simulate the possible evolution of the aquifer following a remedial construction phase. Therefore, taken together with the geophysical and geological observations and the groundwater model, our three-dimensional karst aquifer evolution model enhances the understanding of the development of this heterogeneous karst aquifer system. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Hydrogeologie der Nordwestschweiz, Grundwasser

Summary Dam-sites and reservoirs located above soluble rock are often damaged by increased leakage through the sub-surface within the life-time of the structure. The high hydraulic gradients driving the water through the fracture and fissure system of the bedrock have a strong impact on the aquifer evolution. The increased permeability, if not prevented, leads to an imminent danger of high leakage rates (breakthrough) as well. As a result, the structural safety of the dam-site itself is at risk. Past experience has shown that this may have large environmental and economical consequences. For a better understanding of the evolution of karst aquifer systems in the vicinity of dam-sites, a three-dimensional conceptual model is presented. We show the evolution of the karst aquifer for simple three-dimensional dam-site setups. Keeping the symmetry and simplicity of the models we can relate our results to the two- and one-dimensional scenarios presented in the past. Implementing a statistical fracture network and topographic information to this basic setup we show that these complex three-dimensional properties of the real aquifers, have a significant influence on the karstification, and cannot always be addressed by two -and one-dimensional models.

We have developed a numerical model able to describe the karstification of aquifers in fractured rocks containing soluble (limestone or gypsum) and insoluble layers. When water is flowing along fractures crossing the soluble layers, it is able to dissolve the material there, to increase the aperture width of the conduit, and consequently to increase the local hydraulic conductivity. Depending on the thickness and the distribution of these layers, the dissolution can be active only for limited periods, or during the whole evolution time. Fractures located in insoluble layers do not change at all. We are interested in the integral effect of these local processes and study four simplified scenarios of karstification along a prominent wide conduit crossing a fractured limestone block. We keep the initial and the boundary conditions the same for all scenarios and vary only in the amount and the distribution of the soluble material. We demonstrate that aquifers in 100% limestone, without any insoluble layers, develop along areas with high hydraulic conductivities and high hydraulic gradients, creating channel like pathways. On the other hand aquifers containing soluble layers with limited thickness develop faster and exhibit diffuse patterns determined by the chemical properties of the rock. The second part of the paper is a step towards modeling of real karst systems. We present the evolution of an aquifer located in the vicinity of a large hydraulic structure. All initial and boundary conditions, except the amount and the distribution of the soluble rock, remain the same for all scenarios. As a material example for the bedrock, we chose Gipskeuper from an aquifer along the Birs river in Switzerland. This rock consists of soluble gypsum layers and insoluble clays and marls, with typical layer thickness in the range of millimeters to centimeters. The basic processes discussed in the first part of the paper remain valid. We demonstrate that large insoluble zones can impair the karstification process and even completely block it, while areas with thin soluble layers can provide a preferential pathway and decrease the evolution times considerably. Finally we show that the evolution of the leakage rates and the head distribution within the aquifer can sometimes reveal misleading information about the stage of karstification and the safeness of the dam. Our model can be used not only to study simplified geological settings and basic processes, but also to address some of the complications arising when modeling real aquifers.

Summary We have developed the program package KARSTAQUIFER, which simulates flow and transport in a three-dimensional transient karst aquifer consisting of fractures and matrix elements. The fractures can be enlarged by chemical dissolution of calcite, increasing the secondary permeability of the karst aquifer. Boundary conditions for our model setup are guided by published benchmark models for karst aquifer evolution in two dimensions (length and width), with a 100 m high hydraulic head difference across the model domain responsible for relatively fast evolution of the aquifer. We are interested in the effect of the third dimension on the evolution of the karst aquifer, especially the effect of matrix flow, with a matrix defined either as porous medium or as fine fracture system, or both. We first discuss our model results using a pseudo-3D setup to be able to directly compare results to the 2D benchmark scenarios published. We then discuss real-3D models with a prominent fault located in the central part of the aquifer, connecting input and output regions. Finally, we replace the prominent fault with a statistical fracture diameter distribution. Our results compare well with existing 2D scenarios, and the additional third dimension offers new insights into the evolution of karst aquifers. Especially the role of matrix flow under fixed-head boundary conditions in their early phases can be studied in more detail.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause cervical cancer and are associated with the development of non-melanoma skin cancer. A suitable animal model for papillomavirus-associated skin carcinogenesis is the infection of domestic rabbits with the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV). As the immortalizing activity of CRPV genes in the natural target cells remains unknown, we investigated the properties of CRPV E6 and E7 in rabbit keratinocytes (RK) and their influence on the cell cycle. Interestingly, CRPV E7 immortalized RK after a cellular crisis but showed no such activity in human keratinocytes. Co-expressed CRPV E6 prevented cellular crisis. The HPV16 or CRPV E7 protein reduced rabbit pRb levels thereby causing rabbit p19ARF induction and accumulation of p53 without affecting cellular proliferation. Both CRPV E6 proteins failed to degrade rabbit p53 in vitro or to bind E6AP; however, p53 was still inducible by mitomycin C. In summary, CRPV E7 immortalizes rabbit keratinocytes in a species-specific manner and E6 contributes to immortalization without directly affecting p53.

An new approach in the field of process control programming is the usage of graphical objects. This new conception tries to concentrate on the process itself and not on special languages used by different PCU's. The main idea is that pictures nowadays used only for process supervision are used at programming time. The problem itself is solved by dividing it in small function units. Every unit has a graphical equivalent associated to it. These objects are now used for programming. A synthesis phase delivers the final control program in the desired PCU language.