Ermeloite is a new aluminium phosphate mineral from Galicia, Spain, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the third formally recognised mineral discovered in Galicia since morenosite and cervantite in the 19th Century. The name and symbol (Erm) were approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA2021–017a) in recognition of the geographical location where it was found. The mineral occurs as a light blue to white fine aggregate over quartz and microcline associated with wardite. Crystals of ~0.04 mm are transparent and have a waxy lustre. The simplified empirical formula determined using electron microprobe analysis is Al1.02P0.95F0.06O3.88⋅1.06 H2O, which is near to the ideal formula Al(PO4)⋅H2O. The mineral is an alteration product within a phosphate pegmatite. Ermeloite is the second phosphate isostructural with the sulfates of the kieserite group. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that ermeloite crystallises in the monoclinic C2/c space group with cell parameters a = 6.5371(4) Å, b = 7.5670(5) Å, c = 7.1146(5) Å, β = 115.335(2)°, V = 318.08(4) Å3 and Z = 4 at room temperature. Comparative analysis of the crystallographic data, with isostructural phosphates, revealed an interesting behaviour for these compounds.

This study seeks to determine the impact of remittances and nonlabor income on the duration of unemployment, and therefore on the hysteresis phenomenon in Colombia for the period between January 2010 and January 2021. The long-term unemployment rate in Colombia (LAPU) is calculated, and a vector autoregressive (VAR) model is subsequently estimated to evaluate the impact of remittances and nonlabor income on the LAPU. The results suggest that the increase in nonlabor income significantly affected LAPU in Colombia in the period analyzed. The growth of remittances instead turned out to positively and significantly impact LAPU only during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This suggests that remittances have become a fundamental income in times of crisis that allow for financing the search for work for a longer period of time, thus increasing the duration of unemployment and generating a hysteresis effect.

The nutritional status is a determinant of the immune response that promotes a cellular homeostasis. In particular, adequate selenium levels lead to a better antioxidant and immune response. The aim of this work is to assess whether blood selenium levels, at time of SARS-CoV-2 infection, have an impact on the development and severity of COVID-19. A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative and descriptive studies using MeSH terms, selenium and COVID-19 was performed. We searched bibliographic databases up to 17 July 2022 in PubMed and ScienceDirect. Studies that reported data on blood selenium levels were considered. A total of 629 articles were examined by abstract and title, of which 595 abstracts were read, of which 38 were included in the systematic review and 11 in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was conducted to mean difference (MD) with a 95 % confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity was tested by I2 with random factors with a MD between selenium levels, mortality, morbidity and healthy subjects with a P-value of 0⋅05. Selenium levels were higher in healthy people compared to those in patients with COVID-19 disease (six studies, random effects MD: test for overall effect Z = 3⋅28 (P = 0⋅001), 97 % CI 28⋅36 (11⋅41–45⋅31), P < 0⋅00001), but without difference when compared with the degree of severity in mild, moderate or severe cases. In conclusion, the patients with active SARS-CoV-2 infection had lower selenium levels than the healthy population. More studies are needed to evaluate its impact on clinical severity through randomised clinical trials.

In this work, we focus on the period-luminosity relation (PLR) of δ Sct stars, in which mode excitation and selection mechanisms are still poorly constrained, and whose structure and oscillations are affected by rotation. We review the PLRs in the recent literature, and add a new inference from a large sample of δ Sct. We highlight the difficulty in identifying the fundamental mode and show that rotation-induced surface effects can impact the measured luminosities, explaining the broadening of the PLR. We derive a tight relation between the low-order large separation and the fundamental radial mode frequency (F0) that holds for rotating stars, thus paving the way towards mode identification. We show that the PLRs we obtain for different samples are compatible with each other and with the recent literature, and with most observed δ Sct stars when taking rotation effects into account. We also find that the highest-amplitude peak in the frequency spectrum corresponds to the fundamental modein most δ Sct, thus shedding some light on their elusive mode selection mechanism.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This project will design, develop and pilot-test a Spanish-mobile application for breast cancer patients. It is intended that patients will improve treatment adherence, have a personal information storage system for their follow-up healthcare and can have greater control in the processes of diagnosis, treatment, education, and recovery. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In the first phase, a team of undergraduate engineering students was recruited to work on the areas of: Front End, Database Development, Security Protocols, and Integration. Team Venus will provide the cancer-related content. In the second phase, the engineering team will identify bugs, usability, satisfaction, and workability of the application among a pilot convenience sample of 20 participants from four cancer clinics and the community. The inclusion criteria are being > 21 years old and having a cell phone. The exclusion criterion is not knowing how/being able to use a mobile application. Participants will complete a questionnaire on sociodemographic data, mobile phone and application use, efficacy, usability, and security. Univariate and bivariate statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The researchers are defining specific visual and content features they would like the application to have. They are also searching and collecting reliable information about cancer from primary sources to incorporate into the tools available to the application’s users. In addition, they have also begun to identify potential cancer treatment facilities and medical personnel to assist in the recruitment of patients for pilot-testing the application. The researchers have divided them into geographical areas in Puerto Rico and each Team Venus member will approach and orient patients and medical personnel about the project. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: It is intended that patients will improve treatment adherence, have a storage system for their follow-up healthcare and greater control in their processes of diagnosis, treatment, education, and recovery. Future goals include use of the database feature by researchers and expanding the testing of the application with a larger patient-base.

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are one of the most threatened and poorly protected ecosystems in the Americas. Although there are international efforts for the restoration of TDF, how stress factors such as herbivory or water limitation due to changes in precipitation, impact the regeneration dynamics of these forests is poorly understood. Specifically, how seedlings of key tree species for TDF restoration cope with current abiotic pressures such as the intensification of climatic events, and biotic factors like herbivory, is not yet fully understood. Here, we compared seedling performance, and allocation of biomass, and water to roots vs. shoots for three legume, and one non-legume TDF tree species, as a response to water limitation and herbivory in an 8-month greenhouse experiment. Contrary to our expectations, we found that the non-legume species, G. ulmifolia, had the best performance compared to legumes, while N-fixing and non-fixing legumes showed similar performance. Based on our findings, we suggest the use of G. ulmifolia in TDF restoration projects due to its high performance despite abiotic and biotic stress factors, its allocation of biomass and water to belowground structures. We also recommend the use of N-fixing legume species owing to their ability to fix nitrogen, which guarantees an N input to the soil, important in the first stages of succession. However, the legume species used in this experiment do not appear to resist the abiotic and biotic stressors studied. Thus, more studies exploring the response of dry forest plant species to stress factors are key for informing and assuring more effective TDF restoration efforts.

El estudio de las atribuciones de pobreza y riqueza ha tenido un rol central en la literatura sobre la justificación de las desigualdades sociales. La investigación en esta área ha explorado en qué medida se usan razones individualistas versus estructuralistas para explicar por qué ciertas personas logran posiciones más precarias o aventajadas que el resto. En esa línea, este artículo busca dar cuenta de cómo cambian en el tiempo estas razones, en el contexto de una sociedad que ha tenido grandes transformaciones estructurales en las últimas décadas, donde además se mantiene una alta desigualdad de ingresos, como es el caso de la sociedad chilena. Tomando dos encuestas con representatividad nacional de los años 1996 y 2015, los resultados indican en un primer nivel descriptivo que han aumentado las atribuciones individualistas sobre el origen de la pobreza y la riqueza —tales como la falta de esfuerzo y la iniciativa personal— y que han bajado las razones de carácter estructural —como el desempleo o las políticas económicas—. No obstante, a través de un análisis de clases latentes (LCA), se ofrece una segunda aproximación más matizada a este fenómeno, mostrando que la baja de atribuciones estructurales se asocia al aumento de personas que atribuyen tanto razones individualistas como estructurales a la pobreza y riqueza, predominando una combinación de ambas a la hora de significar estos hechos. Estos cambios en los patrones de atribución se discuten en el marco de las transformaciones económicas y culturales de la sociedad chilena.

Este trabajo está centrado en el estudio de una de las primeras formas de manejo ganadero de la época colonial en la Banda Oriental. Aborda específicamente el análisis de un conjunto de corrales de palmas ubicados en el sureste del Uruguay, en la frontera con Brasil. Está basado en un enfoque interdisciplinar en el que se combinó el trabajo con la población local, el análisis historiográfico, la prospección remota y sobre el terreno, el análisis morfométrico de la totalidad de los corrales y las palmas que los componen, y el análisis fisicoquímico del sedimento (análisis de fosfatos y partículas biosilíceas). El artículo propone que estas estructuras son uno de los cerramientos ganaderos más antiguos (siglos diecisiete y dieciocho) de la Banda Oriental, vinculados a formas indígenas de manejo vegetal y animal que se fueron reajustando durante la colonización europea de este sector fronterizo del Cono Sur de América.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) offers negligible NOx and SOx emissions as well as reductions in CO2 compared with other liquid hydrocarbons. LNG is a significant player in the global energy mix, with a projection of 40% increase in demand for the next two decades. It is anticipated that the expected rise in demand will cause the fleet of LNG carriers (LNGC) to expand. This work concentrates on steam-powered LNGC, which accounted for 47% of the LNGC fleet in 2018. It performs an empirical analysis of continuous monitoring data that provide high levels of accuracy and transparency. The analysis is done on data collected from 40 LNGCs for over a year to estimate the fleet's operational profile, fuel mix and energy performance. The findings of this work are relevant for bottom-up analysis and simulation models that depend on technical assumptions, but also for emission studies such as the upcoming Fourth International Maritime Organization Greenhouse Gases study.

Pulses such as peas, beans or lentils are one of the most complete foods at the nutritional level; however, they are one of the most often neglected foods in the diets of university students. Entrance to university translates into a major lifestyle change for many young people, and the habits acquired or cemented at this time will remain into adulthood. The objective of this study is to analyse the association between personal/sociodemographic factors, dietary intake of other food groups and the consumption of pulses in first-year university students. This cross-sectional study is part of the UniHcos project, a multicentre study of multipurpose prospective cohorts in eleven Spanish universities. Data from 9862 university students were collected through an online self-questionnaire completed by all students who met the selection criteria and agreed to participate in the project during the 2011–2018 academic years. Of students, 75·8 % presented an inadequate (≤2 times/week) consumption of pulses. Living outside the family home in either a student residence (OR 0·76; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·84) or rental (OR 0·81; 95 % CI 0·70, 0·95) decreased the compliance with recommendations on the consumption of pulses. Low consumption of pulses is seemingly not restricted to a specific profile or dietary pattern among university students, and no specific focus group for intervention can be identified. Policies promoting the consumption of pulses among the university population as a whole are necessary to increase compliance rates with the dietary recommendations.

As apex predators, sharks are known to play an important role in marine food webs. Detailed information on their diet and trophic level is however needed to make clear inferences about their role in the ecosystem. A total of 335 stomachs of smooth hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna zygaena, were obtained from commercial fishing vessels operating in the Ecuadorian Pacific between January and December 2004. A total of 53 prey items were found in the stomachs. According to the Index of Relative Importance (%IRI), cephalopods were the main prey (Dosidicus gigas, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, Ancistrocheirus lesueurii and Lolliguncula [Loliolopsis] diomedeae). Sphyrna zygaena was thus confirmed to be a teutophagous species. The estimated trophic level of S. zygaena was between 4.6 and 5.1 (mean ± SD: 4.7 ± 0.16; males: 4.7; females: 4.8). Levin's index (BA) was low (overall: 0.07; males: 0.08; females: 0.09), indicating a narrow trophic niche. We found that sharks <150 cm in total length consumed prey of coastal origin, whereas sharks ≥150 cm foraged in oceanic waters and near the continental shelf. The analyses indicate that S. zygaena is a specialized predator consuming mainly squids.

Over the last few decades the number of radiocarbon dates available for West Central Africa has increased substantially, even though it is still meagre compared with other areas of the continent. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the Iron Age of this area we present and analyze a total of 22 radiocarbon dates obtained from sites from the island of Corisco (Equatorial Guinea). By comparing them with those from Equatorial Guinea, southern Cameroon, and coastal Gabon and Congo we intend to clarify the picture of the West Central African Iron Age and propose a more accurate archaeological sequence.

Twelve accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from the shell-matrix site of Canímar Abajo (Matanzas, Cuba) are reported. Eleven were obtained directly from human bone collagen in burials and one was obtained from charcoal recovered from a burial context. The site stratigraphy presents two episodes of burial activity separated by a shell midden layer. The AMS dates fall into two compact clusters that correlate remarkably well with the stratigraphy. The older burial dates to between 1380–800 cal BC (2σ) and the younger one to between cal AD 360–950 (2σ). The AMS dates are compared to eight conventional 14C dates previously obtained on shell and charcoal. One of the conventional dates on charcoal (5480–5380 cal BC; 2σ) has been reported as the oldest 14C date in the Caribbean region; its context and reliability are clarified. The suite of AMS dates provides one of the most reliable chronometric dating of a cultural context during this timeframe in Cuba. The correlation of 14C and stratigraphy establishes a solid chronology for investigating the important economic and ritual features of Canímar Abajo.

Bovine babesiosis caused by the tick-transmitted haemoprotozoans Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina and Babesia divergens commonly results in substantial cattle morbidity and mortality in vast world areas. Although existing live vaccines confer protection, they have considerable disadvantages. Therefore, particularly in countries where large numbers of cattle are at risk, important research is directed towards improved vaccination strategies. Here a comprehensive overview of currently used live vaccines and of the status quo of experimental vaccine trials is presented. In addition, pertinent research fields potentially contributing to the development of novel non-live and/or live vaccines are discussed, including parasite antigens involved in host cell invasion and in pathogen-tick interactions, as well as the protective immunity against infection. The mining of available parasite genomes is continuously enlarging the array of potential vaccine candidates and, additionally, the recent development of a transfection tool for Babesia can significantly contribute to vaccine design. However, the complication and high cost of vaccination trials hinder Babesia vaccine research, and have so far seriously limited the systematic examination of antigen candidates and prevented an in-depth testing of formulations using different immunomodulators and antigen delivery systems.

Milk κ-casein-derived bovine glycomacropeptide (GMP) exerts immunomodulatory effects. It exhibits intestinal anti-inflammatory activity in chemically induced models of colitis. However, to validate its clinical usefulness as a nutraceutical, it is important to assess its effects in a model with a closer pathophysiological connection with human inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, in the present study, we used the lymphocyte-transfer model of colitis in mice and compared the effects of GMP in this model with those obtained in the dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) model. GMP (15 mg/d) resulted in higher body-weight gain and a reduction of the colonic damage score and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in Rag1 − / − mice with colitis induced by the transfer of naïve T cells. The colonic and ileal weight:length ratio was decreased by approximately 25 %, albeit non-significantly. GMP treatment reduced the percentage of CD4+ interferon (IFN)-γ+ cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN). The basal production of IL-6 by MLN obtained from the GMP-treated mice ex vivo was augmented. However, concanavalin A-evoked production was similar. The colonic expression of regenerating islet-derived protein 3γ, S100A8, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 and IL-1β was unaffected by GMP, while that of TNF-α and especially IFN-γ was paradoxically increased. In the DSS model, GMP also reduced the activity of colonic MPO, but it failed to alter weight gain or intestinal weight:length ratio. GMP augmented the production of IL-10 by MLN cells and was neutral towards other cytokines, except exhibiting a trend towards increasing the production of IL-6. The lower effect was attributed to the lack of the effect of GMP on epithelial cells. In conclusion, GMP exerts intestinal anti-inflammatory effects in lymphocyte-driven colitis.

We study the theoretical properties of the regular spacings found in the oscillation spectra of δ Scuti stars. A linear relation between the large separation and the mean density is predicted to be found in the low-frequency domain (i.e. radial orders spanning from 1 to 8, approximately) of the main-sequence δ Scuti stars' oscillation spectrum. This implies an independent direct measure of the average density of δ Scuti stars, analogous to that of the Sun, and places tight constraints on the mode identification and hence on the stellar internal structure and dynamics, and allows a determination the radii of planets orbiting around δ Scuti stars with unprecedented precision. This opens the way for studying the evolution of regular patterns in pulsating stars, and its relation to stellar structure and evolution.

Three 10-mm-long miniscrews commonly employed in orthodontic treatment were compared in four different situations involving diverse thicknesses of cortical bone. The finite element method (FEM) was used in the study, in which a force of 250 g was applied in two directions: perpendicular and parallel to the bone surface. As the parameter under study was the thickness of cortical bone, simulations were performed in four different bone loss situations: 2.5, 2, 1.5 and 1 mm. Our aim was also to quantify the stresses and displacements generated when applying a force of 250 g perpendicular and parallel to the bone surface under the same skeletal conditions. The results reveal similar performance in the three analysed samples, with increased stresses and displacements in the surrounding bone in relation to similar variations in the thickness of cortical bone.