Two independent temporal-spatial clusters of hospital-onset Rhizopus infections were evaluated using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that isolates within each cluster were unrelated despite epidemiological suspicion of outbreaks. The ITS1 region alone was insufficient for accurate analysis. WGS has utility for rapid rule-out of suspected nosocomial Rhizopus outbreaks.

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of adiposity-based chronic disease (ABCD) and its association with anthropometric indices in the Mexican population. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 514 adults seen at a clinical research unit. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology/AACE/ACE criteria were used to diagnose ABCD by first identifying subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and those with BMI of 23–24·9 kg/m2 and waist circumference ≥ 80 cm in women or ≥ 90 cm in men. The presence of metabolic and clinical complications associated with adiposity, such as factors related to metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia and arterial hypertension, were subsequently evaluated. Anthropometric indices related to cardiometabolic risk factors were then determined. The results showed the prevalence of ABCD was 87·4 % in total, 91·5 % in men and 86 % in women. The prevalence of ABCD stage 0 was 2·4 %, stage 1 was 33·7 % and stage 2 was 51·3 %. The prevalence of obesity according to BMI was 57·6 %. The waist/hip circumference index (prevalence ratio (PR) = 7·57; 95 % CI 1·52, 37·5) and the conicity index (PR = 3·46; 95 % CI 1·34, 8·93) were better predictors of ABCD, while appendicular skeletal mass % and skeletal muscle mass % decreased the risk of developing ABCD (PR = 0·93; 95 % CI 0·90, 0·96; and PR = 0·95; 95 % CI 0·93, 0·98). In conclusion, the prevalence of ABCD in our study was 87·4 %. This prevalence increased with age. It is important to emphasise that one out of two subjects had severe obesity-related complications (ABCD stage 2).

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are considered markers of insulin resistance (IR) in subjects with obesity. In this study, we evaluated whether the presence of the SNP of the branched-chain aminotransferase 2 (BCAT2) gene can modify the effect of a dietary intervention (DI) on the plasma concentration of BCAA in subjects with obesity and IR. A prospective cohort study of adult subjects with obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR ≥ 2·5) no diagnosed chronic disease, underwent a DI with an energy restriction of 3140 kJ/d and nutritional education for 1 month. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, blood pressure, resting energy expenditure, oral glucose tolerance test results, serum biochemical parameters and the plasma amino acid profile were evaluated before and after the DI. SNP were assessed by the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. A total of eighty-two subjects were included, and fifteen subjects with a BCAT2 SNP had a greater reduction in leucine, isoleucine, valine and the sum of BCAA. Those subjects also had a greater reduction in skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, total body water, blood pressure, muscle strength and biochemical parameters after 1 month of the DI and adjusting for age and sex. This study demonstrated that the presence of the BCAT2 SNP promotes a greater reduction in plasma BCAA concentration after adjusting for age and sex, in subjects with obesity and IR after a 1-month energy-restricted DI.

Clearfield™ (CL) rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a weedy rice (Oryza spp.; synonym = red rice) control tool that has been used in Brazil since 2003. This system includes the use of an imidazolinone (IMI)-tolerant cultivar and the application of IMI herbicides. In this review article, Brazilian weed scientists evaluate the challenges and lessons learned over 18 yr of CL use. CL system benefits include selective weedy rice control, better crop establishment during the most advantageous period of the year, and more efficient fertilizer use. In Rio Grande do Sul state, the CL system, in conjunction with other improvements, has contributed to rice grain yield gains from 5,500 kg ha−1 before 2002 to around 8,400 kg ha−1 currently. In contrast, the main problem that has arisen over this period is the rapid evolution of IMI-resistant weedy rice, caused by gene flow from CL rice cultivars. The off-label use (rate and continuous use) of IMI herbicides has contributed to the evolution of resistance in Echinochloa spp. and other weeds. IMI herbicide carryover has also affected susceptible crops grown after CL rice. Crop rotation with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is increasing, ensuring system sustainability. The importance of minimum tillage has also become apparent. Such cultivation includes applying nonselective herbicides before sowing or just before crop emergence (at the spiking stage to eliminate as much weedy rice as possible and other weeds at an early growth stage). It also includes the use of certified seeds free of weedy rice, following label instructions for IMI herbicides, applying the herbicide PRE followed by POST, and complementary weedy rice management practices, such as roguing of surviving weedy rice plants.

We report the nearly complete mitochondrial genome of Rhabdosynochus viridisi – the first for this genus – achieved by combining shotgun sequencing of genomic and cDNA libraries prepared using low-input protocols. This integration of genomic information leads us to correct the annotation of the gene features. The mitochondrial genome consists of 13,863 bp. Annotation resulted in the identification of 12 protein-encoding genes, 22 tRNA genes and two rRNA genes. Three non-coding regions, delimited by three tRNAs, were found between the genes nad5 and cox3. A phylogenetic analysis grouped R. viridisi with three other species of diplectanid monogeneans for which mitochondrial genomes are available.

Weedy rice (WR) (Oryza spp.) is the most troublesome weed infesting rice paddies in Brazil. Several changes have occurred in this region regarding crop management, especially WR control based on the Clearfield® (CL) rice production system launched in 2003. This survey’s objective was to evaluate the WR infestation status by assessing the producers’ perception and the management practices used in southern Brazil after 18 yr of CL use in Brazil. Rice consultants and extension agents distributed a questionnaire to 213 producers in the Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC) states in the 2018 to 2019 growing season. In RS, most farms are larger than 150 ha, and farmers have adopted the CL system for more than 2 yr and use minimal or conventional tillage, permanent flooding, clomazone PRE tank-mixed with glyphosate at the rice spiking stage, and crop rotation with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] or pasture. In SC, rice farms are small, averaging from 20 to 30 ha, farmers predominantly plant pre-germinated rice and do not rotate rice with other crops, and roguing is practiced. Comparing both states, the CL system is used in 99.5% and 69.3% of the total surveyed rice areas in RS and SC, respectively. Imidazolinone-resistant WR is present in 68.4% and 26.6% of rice farms in RS and SC, respectively. Rice cultivation in Brazil is currently coexisting with WR with minimal integration of control methods. However, integrated practices can control this weed and are fundamental to the sustainability of systems based on herbicide-resistant rice cultivars.

We report the bivariate $\rm HI$ - and $\rm H_{2}$ -stellar mass distributions of local galaxies in addition of an inventory of galaxy mass functions, MFs, for $\rm HI$ , $\rm H_{2}$ , cold gas, and baryonic mass, separately into early- and late-type galaxies. The MFs are determined using the $\rm HI$ and $\rm H_{2}$ conditional distributions and the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF). For the conditional distributions we use the results from the compilation presented in Calette et al. [(2018) RMxAA, 54, 443.]. For determining the GSMF from $M_{*}\sim3\times10^{7}$ to $3\times10^{12}\ \text{M}_{\odot}$ , we combine two spectroscopic samples from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at the redshift range $0.0033<z<0.2$ . We find that the low-mass end slope of the GSMF, after correcting from surface brightness incompleteness, is $\alpha\approx-1.4$ , consistent with previous determinations. The obtained $\rm HI\,$ MFs agree with radio blind surveys. Similarly, the $\rm H_{2}\,$ MFs are consistent with CO follow-up optically-selected samples. We estimate the impact of systematics due to mass-to-light ratios and find that our MFs are robust against systematic errors. We deconvolve our MFs from random errors to obtain the intrinsic MFs. Using the MFs, we calculate cosmic density parameters of all the baryonic components. Baryons locked inside galaxies represent 5.4% of the universal baryon content, while $\sim\! 96\%$ of the $\rm HI$ and $\rm H_{2}$ mass inside galaxies reside in late-type morphologies. Our results imply cosmic depletion times of $\rm H_{2}$ and total neutral H in late-type galaxies of $\sim\!1.3$ and 7.2 Gyr, respectively, which shows that late type galaxies are on average inefficient in converting $\rm H_{2}$ into stars and in transforming $\rm HI$ gas into $\rm H_{2}$ . Our results provide a fully self-consistent empirical description of galaxy demographics in terms of the bivariate gas–stellar mass distribution and their projections, the MFs. This description is ideal to compare and/or to constrain galaxy formation models.

Helminthological studies may contribute with valuable information on host biology and conservation. Herein, we provide new data on helminths infecting the lizard Norops fuscoauratus, testing one of the factors considered most important in parasitic ecology: host size. We analysed 25 specimens of N. fuscoauratus from three highland marshes in the Brazilian semi-arid. Eight taxa of helminths belonging to Nematoda, Trematoda and Acanthocephala were found. Physaloptera sp. showed the higher prevalence (40%), with a mean intensity of infection of 3.3 ± 1.46 (1–16) and mean abundance 1.32 ± 0.65 (0–16). Norops fuscoauratus represents four new host records for the helminths Cyrtosomum sp., Pharyngodon travassosi, Strongyloides sp. and Centrorhynchus sp. There is no relationship of host body size (P = 0.79) and mass (P = 0.50) with parasite richness. In addition, the present study contributes to the knowledge of the parasitic fauna of N. fuscoauratus and the Neotropical region.

The TaqIA polymorphism linked to the DRD2 gene has been associated with alcoholism. The aim of this work is to study attention and inhibitory control as per the continuous performance test and the stop task in a sample of 50 Spanish male alcoholic patients split into two groups according to the presence of the TaqIA1 allele in their genotype. Our results show that alcoholics carrying the TaqIA1 allele present lower sustained attention and less inhibitory control than those patients without such allele.

This paper describes initial experimental results from an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation-pulsed atom probe microscope. Femtosecond-pulsed coherent EUV radiation of 29.6 nm wavelength (41.85 eV photon energy), obtained through high harmonic generation in an Ar-filled hollow capillary waveguide, successfully triggered controlled field ion emission from the apex of amorphous SiO2 specimens. The calculated composition is stoichiometric within the error of the measurement and effectively invariant of the specimen base temperature in the range of 25 K to 150 K. Photon energies available in the EUV band are significantly higher than those currently used in the state-of-the-art near-ultraviolet laser-pulsed atom probe, which enables the possibility of additional ionization and desorption pathways. Pulsed coherent EUV light is a new and potential alternative to near-ultraviolet radiation for atom probe tomography.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been classified as one of the most attractive nanotechnologies, thanks to their potential or already implemented applications; therefore, biological methods for their synthesis have been widely investigated. This study explores the synthesis of AuNPs using the extract of Anemopsis californica, and determinates the effect of the solvent used (water, methanol, and isopropanol) to obtain the AuNPs. Biogenic nanoparticles were analysed through UV-Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HRTEM, and SAED). Significant differences in polydispersity and morphology of AuNPs among the different methods used were found; the aqueous extract and the extract based on methanol formed nanotriangles and polyhedral nanoparticles; the shape of the nanoparticles is predominantly polyhedral when isopropanol is used as the solvent. The as obtained nanoparticles were placed on glass slides to perform Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) experiments, an amplification of the methylene blue Raman signal was observed when triangular nanoparticles cover the biogenic SERS substrate.