The work in this paper introduces finite mixture models that can be used to simultaneously cluster the rows and columns of two-mode ordinal categorical response data, such as those resulting from Likert scale responses. We use the popular proportional odds parameterisation and propose models which provide insights into major patterns in the data. Model-fitting is performed using the EM algorithm, and a fuzzy allocation of rows and columns to corresponding clusters is obtained. The clustering ability of the models is evaluated in a simulation study and demonstrated using two real data sets.

This study aimed to identify meal and snack patterns and assess their association with sleep timing in schoolchildren. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in 2018/2019 with 1333 schoolchildren aged 7–14 years from public and private schools in Florianópolis, Brazil. Previous-day dietary intake data for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack were collected using a validated online questionnaire. Sleep timing was measured by the midpoint of sleep and classified as quartiles (very early, early, late and very late). Latent class analysis was performed to identify meal and snack patterns, and multinomial logistic regression was used to assess associations. Students with very late sleep timing were less likely to consume the ‘coffee with milk, bread and cheese’ breakfast pattern compared with very early group. Also, the former were more likely to consume the ‘mixed’ breakfast pattern (healthy and unhealthy foods) compared with very early students. The latter were more likely to eat the ‘Brazilian traditional, processed meat, egg and fish’ lunch pattern to the late students and less likely to consume the ‘pasta and cheese’ lunch pattern compared with the students with later sleep timing. Students with later sleep timing were more likely to eat ultra-processed food at mid-afternoon snacks compared with early group. The study findings suggest that morning preference appears to promote healthier breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack patterns, whereas later sleep timing may pose challenges in maintaining healthy patterns at these meals/snacks.

Clay minerals are suitable matrices to anchor organic molecules such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) so that their bioactivity is maintained, enabling the formation of new materials with potential for new applications in biotechnology. The objective of the present study was to develop a nanostructured film where the properties of palygorskite (Plg) were combined at the molecular level with Dermaseptin 01 (DRS 01), in which the clay mineral also served as a substrate for the immobilization of this peptide. The films were prepared using the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. Crude palygorskite without purification (Plg IN) was subjected to physical and chemical procedures to increase its adsorptive properties. The structure, chemical composition, and morphology of Plg were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). LbL films were adsorbed onto ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) and characterized electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-Visible spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). For the ITO/DRS 01 and ITO/Plg/DRS 01 films, an oxidation process at +0.77 V was observed, confirming that the DRS 01 maintained its electroactive behavior and intrinsic properties. The results also showed that Plg served as excellent support for the immobilization of DRS 01, increasing its concentration and availability in the film form. This work reported immobilizing the DRS 01 peptide with Plg for the first time in an ultrathin film with bioactive properties. Thus, the film developed can be explored for applications such as biosensor devices and antimicrobial coating materials as well as other biotechnological applications.

Monte Perdido Glacier, located in the central Pyrenees, is one of the southernmost glaciers in Europe. Due to climate change, this glacier is suffering an accelerated mass loss, especially in the last decades. If the current trends persist, this glacier is expected to disappear in the next 50 years. As part of the efforts of the scientific community to increase the knowledge about this glacier, this research presents the first microstructural characterization of the Monte Perdido Glacier, focused on a high-impurity concentration segment that belongs to an ice core drilled in 2017. The results reveal the ice has a layering defined by air bubbles and non-soluble impurities. The bubble-defined layering exhibits features of both a primary (sedimentary) and a secondary (strain-induced) origin. We found a clear inverse correspondence between the particle concentration and the grains' size and roundness index. A preliminary micro-Raman characterization of the particles shows the occurrence of atacamite, anatase (likely related to ancient mining activities in the vicinity of the glacier) and quartz. The latter could be an indicator of mineral dust, probably suggesting the arrival of dust-laden air masses from the north of the African continent.

The excitement about the application of mindfulness meditation in mental health settings has led to the proliferation of a literature pervaded by a lack of conceptual and methodological self-criticism. In this article we raise two major concerns. First, we consider the range of individual differences within the experience of meditation; although some people may benefit from its practice, others will not be affected in any substantive way, and a number of individuals may suffer moderate to serious adverse effects. Second, we address the insufficient or inconclusive evidence for its benefits, particularly when mindfulness-based interventions are compared with other activities or treatments. We end with suggestions on how to improve the quality of research into mindfulness interventions and outline key issues for clinicians considering referring patients for these interventions.

We suggest an alternative explanation for the emergence of Big Gods that places less emphasis on the role of cognitive tendencies and selection of prosocial cultural variants. Instead, we argue that the fundamental motivation to reduce uncertainty and increase long-term predictability provides a better account for the rise of Big moralizing Gods in a complex and heavily regulated social environment.

In this study we examined the epibiont assemblage on shells of the living limpet Patella aspera. Limpets were collected at two sites at each of the nine islands of the Azores, totalling 707 individuals examined. Shells were measured and all the epibiota identified to the lowest taxonomic resolution possible. 190 taxa were recorded, of which 97% were algae, including 17 new records for the Azores. Only five shells were devoid of fouling organisms. The assemblage was dominated by a few algal taxa, whereas the majority of species occurred on less than 10% of the shells. A significant and positive relationship was generally found between basibiont size (shell length) and epibiota richness. The strength (slope) of the relationship, however, varied between islands and sites. These results suggest that a range of processes operating at multiple spatial scales influenced epibiont assemblages. Many features identified in these assemblages resemble, in many ways, those examined in island biogeography, suggesting that basibionts may be considered as ‘islands’ and may provide a suitable model system to test ecological hypotheses about ecosystems that are not so amenable to experimentation.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara and Taenia solium and risk factors for infection with these parasites were explored in a long-term rural settlement in São Paulo state, Brazil. An ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxocara IgG and IgE and anti-T. solium cysticerci was standardized using Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES) obtained from the cultured second-stage larvae of T. canis and by vesicular fluid antigen from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci (VF). For cysticercosis, the reactive ELISA samples were assayed by Western blot using 18 kDa and 14 kDa proteins purified from VF. Out of 182 subjects, 25 (13·7%) presented anti-Toxocara IgG and a positive correlation between total IgE and the reactive index of specific anti-TES IgE (P=0·0265) was found amongst the subjects found seropositive for anti-Toxocara IgG. In these individuals 38·0% showed ocular manifestations. The frequency of anti-T. solium cysticerci confirmed by Western blot was 0·6%. Seropositivity for Toxocara was correlated with low educational levels and the owning of dogs. Embryonated eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 43·3% of the analysed areas.

The BFS method for alloys is applied to the study of Co growth on Cu(111). The parameterization of the Co-Cu system is obtained from first-principles calculations, and tested against known experimental features for low coverage Co deposition on Cu(100) and Cu(111). Atomistic simulations are performed to investigate the behavior of Co on Cu(111) as a function of coverage.