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This article investigates the effects of long-term bilingualism on the production of filled pauses (FPs; e.g., "uh," "um," "eh," "em") in the speech of Afrikaans-Spanish bilinguals from Patagonia, Argentina. The instrumental analysis draws from a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews obtained from three speaker groups: L1-Afrikaans/L2-Spanish bilinguals; L1-Spanish-comparison speakers, also from Patagonia; and L1-Afrikaans-comparison speakers from South Africa. In the data analysis, we examined relative FP usage (categorical outcomes), as well as phonetic measures of vowel quality and segmental duration (continuous outcomes). The results allude to multiple patterns of cross-language influence (e.g., L1-to-L2 influence, L2-to-L1 influence, bidirectional influence), which depend on the phonetic measure explored. Overall, the findings suggest that the patterns of cross-language phonetic influence observed in the L2 learning of traditionally understood lexical items likewise hold in the L2 learning of hesitation markers such as FPs.

Field strains of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a global pest of corn, have evolved practical resistance to transgenic corn-producing the Bt protein Cry1F in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States. Considering the rapid invasion of FAW and the worldwide adoption of Bt crops for its control, it is important to understand the genetic basis of resistance to Cry1F in resistant strains of FAW from different regions of the world. This information is essential for developing new transgenic Bt crops and designing appropriate strategies for resistance management for FAW in Bt crops. Thus, the objective of this work was to determine whether Brazilian strains of FAW from different geographic origins share the same locus of resistance to Cry1F. We conducted interstrain complementation tests for allelism among three resistant strains. The survival of F 1 progenies from crosses among FAW-resistant strains in purified Cry1F protein or Cry1F-corn was similar to that observed for the parental strains. Our results suggest that mutations conferring resistance to Cry1F Bt protein in three strains of FAW are present in a single locus. Results from this study provide information for developing effective strategies for Bt resistance management, which is the main limitation for sustainable use of Bt technology against this pest. • Genetic basis of Cry1F-resistance in three Brazilian fall armyworm (FAW) strains is described. • Mutations in a single locus confer the Cry1F-resistance in all three insect strains. • Results from this study matter to Bt resistance management in FAW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adolescence is a key risk period for tuberculosis disease and its adverse outcomes. This group commonly develops infectious forms of tuberculosis and has a wider range of social contacts outside the household. There are few specific data on the behavior of tuberculosis disease in this population., Methods: A total of 292 patients 10-19 years of age with tuberculosis between January 2016 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed in the Department of Phthisiology of the Children's Hospital "Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez" of Buenos Aires, Argentina., Results: The median patient age was 14 years (interquartile range 12-16). Most patients were previously healthy, and 55% were unaware of the source of the infection. However, 75% sought medical advice owing to the presence of symptoms, with hemoptysis and weight loss being most frequent in those older than 15 years. Lung imaging findings consistent with severe disease were significantly associated with an age of >15 years. Respiratory cultures were positive in 62% of the samples obtained. Half of the patients required hospitalization, while 45% showed extrapulmonary involvement. Evolution was as follows: 74% recovered from the illness, 13% were lost to follow-up, 11% were referred to a less complex facility, 1% experienced treatment failure, and 3 (1%) patients died. Pulmonary cavities and positive bacilloscopy were associated with the presence of pulmonary sequelae at the end of treatment., Conclusions: Tuberculosis in adolescents, particularly in those >15 years of age, may present characteristics similar to those of adults, with a higher frequency of severe pulmonary disease leading to pulmonary sequelae., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)