V5579 Sgr was a fast nova discovered in 2008 April 18.784 UT. We present the optical spectroscopic observations of the nova observed from the Castanet Tolosan, SMARTS, and CTIO observatories spanning over 2008 April 23 to 2015 May 11. The spectra are dominated by hydrogen Balmer, Fe II, and O I lines with P-Cygni profiles in the early phase, typical of an Fe II class nova. The spectra show He I and He II lines along with forbidden lines from N, Ar, S, and O in the nebular phase. The nova showed a pronounced dust formation episode that began about 20 days after the outburst. The dust temperature and mass were estimated using the WISE data from spectral energy distribution (SED) fits. The PAH-like features are also seen in the nova ejecta in the mid-infrared Gemini spectra taken 522 d after the discovery. Analysis of the light curve indicates values of $t_2$ and $t_3$ about 9 and 13 days, respectively, placing the nova in the category of fast nova. The best-fit cloudy model of the early decline phase JHK spectra obtained on 2008 May 3 and the nebular optical spectrum obtained on 2011 June 2 shows a hot white dwarf source with $T_{BB}$ $\sim$ 2.6 $\times$ 10$^5$ K having a luminosity of 9.8 $\times$ 10$^{36}$ ergs s$^{-1}$. Our abundance analysis shows that the ejecta is significantly enhanced relative to solar, O/H = 32.2, C/H = 15.5, and N/H = 40.0 in the early decline phase and O/H = 5.8, He/H = 1.5, and N/H = 22.0 in the nebular phase.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Analyze how the Endowment HIREC ‘s Mentoring and Career Coach Model A productive mentoring relationship is essential to advance researchers into being independent and bring extramural funds. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Provide Hispanic researchers mentoring and career coaching to strengthen their pathway as researcher. The HiREC’s Career Coach and Mentoring Component (CCMC) is an innovated approach to support long-lasting research mentoring relationships in our institution. This approach was developed to advance research to eliminate health disparities, promote multidisciplinary translational research in a Minority Institution and sustain research infrastructure and services, career, and workforce development initiatives. Promising Faculty are target and early and mid-career investigators interested in pursuing a research career. To implement the CCMC with the Visiting Endowed Chair a HiREC Advisory Leadership Group in Mentoring will be established, with researchers from Puerto Rico, and US mainland. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Three Hispanic mid-career women from the School of Medicine and one from the School of Health Professions from the University of Puerto Rico received a HiREC Advanced Research Award of $50,000. The awardees achieved their goals; completed their research plan, research infrastructure needs, peer-reviewed publications, and submission of a competitive grant. They also provided successful perspectives on mentoring relationships in a Minority institution. Each one showed the mentor’s and mentee’s experiences as fundamental for their research advancements, productivity, leadership, and successful results. HiIREC’s mentoring component with the Visiting Endowed Chairs improves a healthy work environment and expands the research agenda for each awardee sustaining the institutional research culture. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: A productive mentoring relationship is essential to advance researchers into being independent and bring extramural funds. Four mentees received formal, long-term guidance and endowment funds for their research infrastructure requirements with successful outcomes. HiREC contributes to building up an institutional mentoring program.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and preliminary impact of a physiotherapy protocol for developing an individualized home-based physical activity program to increase physical activity (PA) levels in sedentary older adults with Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) living in Puerto Rico (PR). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This will be a pilot study with two phases. In phase 1, we will design a novel patient-centered home-based PA program protocol for adults ≥65 years with T2DM based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model. Its content validity will be assessed through focus groups with 10 experts and 10 older adults and analyzed using a directed content analysis. Phase 2 we will be program implementation using a one-group, repeated measures design with 12 adults ≥65 years with T2DM. PA levels will be assessed by recording active minutes with a Fitbit. Risk of falls, balance, strength, and physical function will be assessed through standardized tests validated for this population. Statistical analysis will include descriptive statistics, comparisons via chi-square/Fisher’s exact test, and non-parametric tests. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We expect to recruit a minimum of 12 participants and to administer the program for 12 weeks at a frequency of two visits per week. We anticipate that implementing and supervising the home-based PA protocol will be feasible as determined by recruitment and retention rates, patients’ satisfaction, and compliance with the program. We also expect that this protocol will increase physical activity levels, improve general strength, balance, physical function, and reduce the risk of falls in sedentary older adults with T2DM. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: As the third cause of death in PR, T2DM represents a public health challenge. An effective home-based PA program may decrease morbidity and mortality rates in older adults by increasing PA and functional health. This study will provide data for planning a randomized controlled trial to assess its effectiveness in the outcomes of interest.

Formation of authigenic trioctahedral Mg-rich smectite is common in evaporative lake sediments, but was not described previously in modern marine evaporative environments. This study documents formation of authigenic K-rich, Mg-smectite during very early diagenesis in the dominantly siliciclastic Salina Ometepec (Baja California), a large supratidal evaporative sabkha complex near the mouth of the Colorado River. Here, sediment pore waters are exceptionally Mg2+-rich relative to other marine evaporative environments due to suppressed sulfate reduction which limits production of carbonate alkalinity and, hence, carbonate (particularly dolomite) precipitation. Sediment cores were obtained along a five km transect seaward across the hypersaline mud flat to evaluate how these atypical geochemical conditions would affect the clay mineral compositions.

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) observations show that the smectite from the marine Inlet, near the sediment source, consists of grains of irregular shape that give selected area diffraction (SAED) patterns reflecting dominant turbostratic stacking. Analytical electron microscopy (AEM) analyses indicate that K+ is the dominant interlayer cation; the mean composition is approximately K0.7(Al3.3Fe(III)0.3Mg0.5)(Al0.5Si7.5)O20(OH)4. Such smectite is implied to be detrital in part because it is similar to smectite known to be deposited by the Colorado River.

Smectite from the hypersaline mud flat occurs as aggregates of small subhedral pseudohexagonal plate or lath-shaped crystals ≤250 nm in diameter, with thicknesses varying between three and ten layers. The SAED patterns reflect substantial turbostratic stacking, but with a greater frequency of interlayer coherency as compared with detrital smectite. Crystals from greater sediment depths are larger and more nearly euhedral. This smectite is dominantly trioctahedral, with mean composition approximately K0.7(Al0.7Fe(III)0.5Mg4.45)(Al1.2Si6.8)O20(OH)4 (saponitic). This smectite is inferred to be dominantly authigenic in origin.

The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and STEM/AEM data collectively imply that detrital aluminous dioctahedral smectite reacts to form authigenic Mg-rich trioctahedral smectite, driven in part by the high Mg2+/ Ca2+ ratio of pore waters. Such early-formed Mg-rich smectite may be the precursor for the trioctahedral mixed-layer smectite, corrensite, and chlorite assemblages found in ancient marine evaporative sequences. These results also add to the accumulating evidence that interlayer K+ in marine smectite is fixed during the earliest stages of marine diagenesis near the sediment water interface.

The adsorption mechanisms of divalent cations in zeolite nanopore channels can vary as a function of their pore dimensions. The nanopore inner-sphere enhancement (NISE) theory predicts that ions may dehydrate inside small nanopore channels in order to adsorb more closely to the mineral surface if the nanopore channel is sufficiently small. The results of an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy study of Mn and Cu adsorption on the zeolite minerals zeolite Y (large nanopores), ZSM-5 (intermediate nanopores), and mordenite (small nanopores) are presented. The Cu and Mn cations both adsorbed via an outer-sphere mechanism on zeolite Y based on the similarity between the adsorbed spectra and the aqueous spectra. Conversely, Mn and Cu adsorbed via an inner-sphere mechanism on mordenite based on spectrum asymmetry and peak broadening of the adsorbed spectra. However, Mn adsorbed via an outer-sphere mechanism on ZSM-5, whereas Cu adsorbed on ZSM-5 shows a high degree of surface interaction that indicates that it is adsorbed closer to the mineral surface. Evidence of dehydration and immobility was more readily evident in the spectrum of mordenite than in that of ZSM-5, indicating that Cu was not as close to the surface on ZSM-5 as it was when adsorbed on mordenite. Divalent Mn cations are strongly hydrated and are held strongly only in zeolites with small nanopore channels. Divalent Cu cations are also strongly hydrated, but can dehydrate more easily, presumably due to the Jahn-Teller effect, and are held strongly in zeolites with medium-sized nanopore channels or smaller.

Feeding by Critically Endangered forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis in rural plantations is a conservation issue in Gabon, but studies characterizing drivers of spatiotemporal patterns of human–elephant interactions remain sparse, hindering mitigation. In this study, we use GPS tracking data from two elephants to characterize temporal patterns of village visitation, and surveys of 101 local farmers across seven villages to determine local patterns of crop planting and harvesting and of human–elephant interactions. Local farmers' perceptions of elephant visitations and empirical data on such visits were positively correlated with local crop availability. However, considering the two elephants separately revealed that the correlations were driven by just one individual, with the second elephant showing weak links between crop availability and visitation, highlighting the challenges in reliably predicting human–wildlife interactions. The most popular local perceptions of the drivers of elephant visitation were the presence of crops (53% of responses) and logging (39%). The most popular proposed interventions were letting the government find a solution (32%), killing problem elephants (30%) and providing compensation for lost crops (22%). We discuss the potential feasibility and efficacy of the proposed solutions in the context of human–elephant interactions. Future research efforts should focus on collaring elephants in zones with high potential for negative human–elephant interaction and expanding perception surveys to villages with contrasting ecological contexts (e.g. with and without logging in their surrounding forests), as these could influence local perceptions of conflicts and conservation initiatives.

Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, better knowledge on the transmission of respiratory viral infections (RVI) including the contribution of asymptomatic infections encouraged most healthcare centers to implement universal masking. The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and improved immunization of the population call for the infection and prevention control community to revisit the masking strategy in healthcare. In this narrative review, we consider factors for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers, addressing compliance with the mask policy, local epidemiology, the level of protection provided by medical face masks, the consequences of absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as logistics, costs, and ecological impact. Most current national and international guidelines for mask use are based on the level of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Actions are now required to refine future recommendations, such as establishing a list of the most relevant RVI to consider, implement reliable local RVI surveillance, and define thresholds for activating masking strategies. Considering the epidemiological context (measured via sentinel networks or wastewater analysis), and, if not available, considering a time period (winter season) may guide to three gradual levels of masking: (i) standard and transmission-based precautions and respiratory etiquette, (ii) systematic face mask wearing when in direct contact with patients, and (iii) universal masking. Cost-effectiveness analysis of the different strategies is warranted in the coming years. Masking is just one element to be considered along with other preventive measures such as staff and patient immunization, and efficient ventilation.

The brittle stars of the family Ophiocomidae inhabit shallow waters and coral reefs of tropical regions. The species of Ophiocoma are difficult to identify due to high morphological variation, especially when different stages of development are observed. Here, based on morphological analyses, two Brazilian morphotypes of Ophiocoma were studied and characterized, Ophiocoma sp. NB (Northeastern Brazil) and Ophiocoma sp. TMV (Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago), and subsequently thoroughly analysed to confirm whether they were the same species or not. After the morphological studies, including external morphology, morphometry and microstructural characters, and analysis of molecular data, involving the 16S gene, it was concluded that Ophiocoma sp. NB and Ophiocoma sp. TMV do not correspond to the same species, the first being identified as Ophiocoma echinata (Lamarck, 1816) and the latter being a new species. This new species is characterized by two tentacle scales on the first arm segment and then one on all following segments, and the dorsalmost arm spines are robust and rounded, as wide as long or almost as wide as long.

Settlement scaling theory predicts that higher site densities lead to increased social interactions that, in turn, boost productivity. The scaling relationship between population and land area holds for several ancient societies, but as demonstrated by the sample of 48 sites in this study, it does not hold for the Northern Maya Lowlands. Removing smaller sites from the sample brings the results closer to scaling expectations. We argue that applications of scaling theory benefit by considering social interaction as a product not only of proximity but also of daily life and spatial layouts.