In this letter, we advocate recognizing the genus Fusarium as the sole name for a group that includes virtually all Fusarium species of importance in plant pathology, mycotoxicology, medicine, and basic research. This phylogenetically guided circumscription will free scientists from any obligation to use other genus names, including teleomorphs, for species nested within this clade, and preserve the application of the name Fusarium in the way it has been used for almost a century. Due to recent changes in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, this is an urgent matter that requires community attention. The alternative is to break the longstanding concept of Fusarium into nine or more genera, and remove important taxa such as those in the F. solani species complex from the genus, a move we believe is unnecessary. Here we present taxonomic and nomenclatural proposals that will preserve established research connections and facilitate communication within and between research communities, and at the same time support strong scientific principles and good taxonomic practice.

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Measures of heart rate variability (HRV) are widely used to assess autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. The signal from which they are derived requires accurate determination of the interval between successive heartbeats; it can be recorded via electrocardiography (ECG), which is both non-invasive and widely available. However, methodological problems inherent in the recording and analysis of ECG traces have motivated a search for alternatives. Photoplethysmography (PPG) constitutes another means of determining the timing of cardiac cycles via continuous monitoring of changes in blood volume in a portion of the peripheral microvasculature. This technique measures pulse waveforms, which in some instances may prove a practical basis for HRV analysis. We investigated the feasibility of using earlobe PPG to analyse HRV by applying the same analytic process to PPG and ECG recordings made simultaneously. Comparison of 5-minute recordings demonstrated a very high degree of correlation in the temporal and frequency domains and in nonlinear dynamic analyses between HRV measures derived from PPG and ECG. Our results confirm that PPG provides accurate interpulse intervals from which HRV measures can be accurately derived in healthy subjects under ideal conditions, suggesting this technique may prove a practical alternative to ECG for HRV analysis. This finding is of particular relevance to the care of patients suffering from peripheral hyperkinesia or tremor, which make fingertip PPG recording impractical, and following clinical interventions known to introduce electrical artefacts into the electrocardiogram.