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Carmen D Zorrilla,1 Fiorella Reyes Báez,1 Karolyn González Colón,2 Jessica Ibarra,2 Iris García,2 Ana M Mosquera2 1Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico; 2Maternal Infant Studies Center (CEMI), Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico Abstract: The reduction in the mother-to-infant transmission of HIV has been among the early successes of care and treatment of women living with HIV. Prenatal HIV counseling and testing, the availability of diverse antiretroviral therapies, elective cesarean section, and the use of formula milk have significantly reduced the mother-to-infant transmission in the USA and Europe. We are presenting two cases of seroconversion during pregnancy, identified during labor and delivery, of women who received risk reduction counseling and serial HIV testing during pregnancy. Because there are no guidelines for (or easy access to) the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in pregnancy, they were offered other strategies for prevention including risk reduction counseling, condoms, and serial HIV testing. These cases support the use of PrEP during pregnancy. Both infants were negative and the women are currently receiving long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy. One of them recently delivered another infant. After these two women seroconverted, we decided to offer PrEP to all pregnant women presenting for care who report having an HIV positive partner. During the period 2012–2014, we treated ten HIV negative pregnant women who were partners of HIV positive men. Since 2015, we have seen 20 pregnant women in HIV discordant relationships. Of those, seven received PrEP. No seroconversions have been observed among the pregnant women on PrEP. Although small numbers, seroconversion during pregnancy was observed in two of 13 (15%) of the pregnant women in HIV-discordant relationships seen in our clinic, excluding those treated with PrEP. Given the safety data and experience with tenofovir and emtricitabine among pregnant women living with HIV, we believe PrEP should be offered in pregnancy and that guidelines should reflect this option as an additional strategy to reduce risks during pregnancy and to further reduce infant HIV transmission risk. Keywords: PrEP, pregnancy, HIV, HIV seroconversion

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) spirochetes are neglected pathogens in Mexico, and human infection is frequently misdiagnosed because of nonspecific symptoms (1). Borrelia turicatae infection is associated with irregular fevers, vomiting, [...]

Burkholderia cenocepacia TAtl-371 was isolated from the rhizosphere of a tomato plant growing in Atlatlahucan, Morelos, Mexico. This strain exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum against bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Here, we report and describe the improved, high-quality permanent draft genome of B. cenocepacia TAtl-371, which was sequenced using a combination of PacBio RS and PacBio RS II sequencing methods. The 7,496,106 bp genome of the TAtl-371 strain is arranged in three scaffolds, contains 6722 protein-coding genes, and 99 RNA only-encoding genes. Genome analysis revealed genes related to biosynthesis of antimicrobials such as non-ribosomal peptides, siderophores, chitinases, and bacteriocins. Moreover, analysis of bacterial growth on different carbon and nitrogen sources shows that the strain retains its antimicrobial ability.

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) comprises a group of 24 species, many of which are opportunistic pathogens of immunocompromised patients and also are widely distributed in agricultural soils. Several Bcc strains synthesize strain-specific antagonistic compounds. In this study, the broad killing activity of B. cenocepacia TAtl-371, a Bcc strain isolated from the tomato rhizosphere, was characterized. This strain exhibits a remarkable antagonism against bacteria, yeast and fungi including other Bcc strains, multidrug-resistant human pathogens and plant pathogens. Genome analysis of strain TAtl-371 revealed several genes involved in the production of antagonistic compounds: siderophores, bacteriocins and hydrolytic enzymes. In pursuit of these activities, we observed growth inhibition of Candida glabrata and Paraburkholderia phenazinium that was dependent on the iron concentration in the medium, suggesting the involvement of siderophores. This strain also produces a previously described lectin-like bacteriocin (LlpA88) and here this was shown to inhibit only Bcc strains but no other bacteria. Moreover, a compound with an m/z 391.2845 with antagonistic activity against Tatumella terrea SHS 2008T was isolated from the TAtl-371 culture supernatant. This strain also contains a phage-tail-like bacteriocin (tailocin) and two chitinases, but the activity of these compounds was not detected. Nevertheless, the previous activities are not responsible for the whole antimicrobial spectrum of TAtl-371 seen on agar plates, suggesting the presence of other compounds yet to be found. In summary, we observed a diversified antimicrobial activity for strain TAtl-371 and believe it supports the biotechnological potential of this Bcc strain as a source of new antimicrobials.

The US and Mexico share a common history in many areas, including language and culture. They face ecological changes due to the increased frequency and severity of droughts and rising energy demands; trends that entail economic costs for both nations and major implications for human wellbeing. We describe an ongoing effort by the Environment Working Group (EWG), created by The University of California's UC-Mexico initiative in 2015, to promote binational research, teaching, and outreach collaborations on the implications of climate change for Mexico and California. We synthesize current knowledge about the most pressing issues related to climate change in the US-Mexico border region and provide examples of cross-border discoveries and research initiatives, highlighting the need to move forward in six broad rubrics. This and similar binational cooperation efforts can lead to improved living standards, generate a collaborative mindset among participating universities, and create an international network to address urgent sustainability challenges affecting both countries.

Shared research infrastructure that is globally distributed and widely accessible has been a hallmark of the networking community. We present a vision for a future mid-scale distributed research infrastructure aimed at enabling new types of discoveries. The “lessons learned” from constructing and operating the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) infrastructure are the basis for our attempt to project future concepts and solutions. Our aim is to engage the community to contribute new ideas and to inform funding agencies about future research directions.

Cupriavidus alkaliphilus ASC-732(T) was isolated from the rhizosphere of agave plant growing in alkaline soils in San Carlos, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The species is able to grow in the presence of arsenic, zinc, and copper. The genome sequence of strain ASC-732(T) is 6,125,055 bp with 5,586 genes and an average G+C content of 67.81%.

Driven by the emergence of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), the solution of increasingly large and intricate numerical problems has become feasible. Yet, the integration of GPUs into Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes still presents a significant challenge. This study undertakes an evaluation of the computational performance of GPUs for CFD applications. Two Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA)-based implementations within the Open Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) environment were employed for the numerical solution of a 3D Kaplan turbine draft tube workbench. A series of tests were conducted to assess the fixed-size grid problem speedup in accordance with Amdahl's Law. Additionally, tests were performed to identify the optimal configuration utilizing various linear solvers, preconditioners, and smoothers, along with an analysis of memory usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]