The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of immunocastration and ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) supplementation on growth performance and carcass traits of male pigs slaughtered 21 days after the second immunization. Sixty-four pigs (Landrace × Large White, initial body weight 103.05 ± 0.67 kg) were individually tagged and randomly assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design, con...

Soil microbiomes are critical for ecosystem functioning, yet the global influences of climate and agricultural practices on their diversity and structure remain incompletely characterized. Here we analyzed 1921 soil samples from 33 countries worldwide across diverse biomes to assess how climate gradients and agricultural inputs, including pesticides and fertilizers, shape prokaryotic and fungal communities. We found that micro...

Once regarded primarily as a healthcare‐associated pathogen, Clostridioides difficile has increasingly been reported as a cause of community‐acquired infection, raising questions about the contribution of animal and environmental reservoirs to persistence and transmission. Ribotype 033 (RT033) is predominantly associated with animal and environmental reservoirs, yet key traits underlying its ecology are poorly defined. Here we...

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by significant clinical and genetic heterogeneity, with approximately 40% of cases linked to hereditary genetic mutations, including MAPT , GRN , and C9ORF72 . Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of cellular processes related to neurodegeneration and as potential biomarkers for FTD. However, their relevance in presymptomatic stag...

Bees are essential for ecosystem functioning, pollinating many wild and crop plant species. Predicting which species are most vulnerable to global changes, and how their loss may impact ecosystems and human well-being, is critical. Comprehensive information on bee response and effect traits is fundamental to these assessments. However, the Raunkiærian shortfall—insufficient trait data—remains significant for bees, particularly...

Understanding circular economy (CE) practices in companies is still limited, with a call for more empirical studies to clarify micro-level actions involved in CE and equip practitioners and decision-makers with more insights and information to facilitate the shift of organisations and societies towards a CE. The goal is to evaluate the micro-level CE factors, within EMAS and ISO 14001 Portuguese companies, to understand their...

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unparalleled political, economic, and social ramifications, exacerbating global food insecurity (FI). To understand the overall impact of the pandemic and how different socio-economic groups were affected, we assessed prevalence and severity of FI in a sample of 18,997 households across seven countries in South America. We employed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale developed by the FAO. Our r...

South America is a large continent with a wide diversity of weather and climate features, including tropical, subtropical and extratropical regimes interacting within a complex landscape. Simulations by global climate models, as well as their downscaling through regional circulation models or statistical methods, are important tools, particularly when assessing the impacts of climate change in the continent. This work evaluate...