Dental topography and dietary specialization in Papionini primates

Our understanding of primate adaptive evolution depends on appreciating the way in which dental functional morphology affects food processing. The Papionini tribe of Cercopithecoidea primates shows great dietary versatility and ecological adaptations to resource seasonality across the African and Asian ecosystems, however, there are few studies focusing on the occlusal topography of the bilophodont teeth and the effect of tooth wear in the crown shape. Here, we explore the relationship between wear-related dental functional morphology and dietary ecological constraints within the Papionini. Three-dimensional (3D) polygonal meshes of the upper permanent molar row (M1-3) were obtained in a large papionine sample (838 specimens) of known dietary preferences including species from six genera (Cercocebus, Lophocebus, Macaca, Mandrillus, Papio, and Theropithecus). All the sample was classified in four diet categories and four topographic metrics (orientation patch count rotated, OPCR; Dirichlet normal energy, DNE; occlusal relief, OR; and ambient occlusion, portion de ciel visible, PCV) were measured for each tooth-type according to wear stage (lightly and moderately worn) to determine diet-related interspecific morphological changes with long-term functionality. The results indicate that hard-object feeders (Cercocebus and Lophocebus) and grass eaters (Theropithecus gelada) exhibit a pattern of occlusal complexity (OPCR), surface curvature (DNE), relief (OR), and morphological wear resistance (PCV) that is significantly different from the omnivores and folivore-frugivore species (Mandrillus and Macaca) despite the overall homogeneity of the bilophodont dentition. A multifactorial ANOVA showed that the topographic metrics were sensitive to tooth wear as expected. The results also indicate that the interspecific variability of dental topography of the upper molars reflects dietary specializations rather than phylogenetic proximity. These findings support the hypothesis that evolutionary convergence processes could have affected the Papionini, clustering the hard-object feeders (Lophocebus and Cercocebus) together in the morphospace, and clearly discriminating this group from the graminivorous and frugivores-folivores.Grants PID2020-112963GB-I00 to APP and PID2020-114517GB-I00 to AR, funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the “European Union”. www.paleobaboonproject.science

Electrochemical behaviour of copper in aqueous moderate alkaline media, containing sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, and sodium perchlorate

The voltammetric polarization of Cu specimens in Na2CO3, NaHCO3 and NaClO4 solutions (8-12pH range) has been investigated. Voltammetry data were complemented with SEM and electron microprobe analysis. Results are found to be in agreement with the passivation model developed for Cu in plain NaOH solutions. For the latter the process can be described in terms of two steps, namely, at low potentials the initial formation of a Cu2O thin layer followed by the growth of a massive Cu2O layer, and at higher potentials the appearance of a CuO-Cu(OH)2 layer. These processes are accompanied by the formation of soluble Cu species. Beyond a certain potential which increases with the solution pH, copper pitting takes place. This model can be extended to Cu in carbonate/bicarbonate containing solutions by considering that Cu carbonates precipitate as long as soluble ionic Cu species are produced, without interfering appreciably with the formation of Cu oxides. The appearance of copper carbonate species is enhanced when pitting corrosion sets in. The precipitation of Cu carbonates occurs principally around pits. Cu pitting, although it is observed for all solutions, becomes more noticeable at the lowest pH values. At a constant pH, the density of pits increases in the order NaClO4 > NaHCO3 > Na2CO3. The influence of the electrolyte composition on Cu pitting is closely related to the blockage capability for pit nucleation and growth of the corresponding copper salts. Passivation in the Cu2O-Cu(OH)2 region hinders pitting corrosion.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA)Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Electrochemical behaviour of copper in aqueous moderate alkaline media, containing sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, and sodium perchlorate

The voltammetric polarization of Cu specimens in Na2CO3, NaHCO3 and NaClO4 solutions (8-12pH range) has been investigated. Voltammetry data were complemented with SEM and electron microprobe analysis. Results are found to be in agreement with the passivation model developed for Cu in plain NaOH solutions. For the latter the process can be described in terms of two steps, namely, at low potentials the initial formation of a Cu2O thin layer followed by the growth of a massive Cu2O layer, and at higher potentials the appearance of a CuO-Cu(OH)2 layer. These processes are accompanied by the formation of soluble Cu species. Beyond a certain potential which increases with the solution pH, copper pitting takes place. This model can be extended to Cu in carbonate/bicarbonate containing solutions by considering that Cu carbonates precipitate as long as soluble ionic Cu species are produced, without interfering appreciably with the formation of Cu oxides. The appearance of copper carbonate species is enhanced when pitting corrosion sets in. The precipitation of Cu carbonates occurs principally around pits. Cu pitting, although it is observed for all solutions, becomes more noticeable at the lowest pH values. At a constant pH, the density of pits increases in the order NaClO4 > NaHCO3 > Na2CO3. The influence of the electrolyte composition on Cu pitting is closely related to the blockage capability for pit nucleation and growth of the corresponding copper salts. Passivation in the Cu2O-Cu(OH)2 region hinders pitting corrosion.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA)Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Annual report on Sunspot Counting Program 2018

Este programa de observación nació a finales del año 2012 en la Universidad de Extremadura (Badajoz, 38°53′ N 6°58′ W) con el fin de ampliar aún más nuestra investigación en la reconstrucción de la actividad solar. Desde el 1 de Enero de 2013, nuestros recuentos de manchas solares se han presentado al Real Observatorio de Bélgica (ROB) como contribución a los esfuerzos internacionales de mantener y actualizar el número internacional de Manchas Solares. Para ello, hemos utilizado un pequeño refractor apocromático de 80 mm de diámetro de objetivo y 550 mm de longitud focal, a fin de proyectar una imagen de 150 mm de diámetro en una plantilla. Después se hace un dibujo para obtener el recuento de manchas solares. Además, se realizan observaciones solares desde una estación secundaria en Valencia de las Torres (38°24′ N 6°00′ W) con un refractor –70 mm de diámetro objetivo y 700 mm de distancia focal– cuando algunos días la estación principal (en Badajoz) falla. Este informe proporciona un conjunto completo de los datos obtenidos durante el año 2018, con cuatro tablas que muestran nuestros datos. Por otra parte, el índice de referencia de las manchas solares se compara con nuestros resultados. Esperamos que esta publicación sea de utilidad a la comunidad científica que estudia el número de manchas solares: la mayor serie de índices solares derivadas de la observación directa del Sol.This program was born in late 2012 at the University of Extremadura (Badajoz, 38°53′ N 6°58′ W) in order to further extend our research in the reconstruction of past solar activity (see, for example, Vaquero, 2007). Since 1st January 2013, our sunspot counts have been submitted to the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) as a contribution to the international effort of maintaining and updating the International Sunspot Number. For this purpose, we use a small apochromatic refractor –80 mm of objective diameter and 550 mm of focal length– to project a 150 mm diameter image onto a template. Then, a drawing is done so we obtain our sunspot counts from it. Moreover, solar observations from a secondary station located in Valencia de las Torres (38°24′ N 6°00′ W) with a refractor –70 mm of objective diameter and 700 mm of focal length– are carried out some days when the main station (in Badajoz) fails. In this report, we provide a complete set of data obtained throughout the year 2018, with four tables including our data. Moreover, the reference sunspot index is compared with our results. We hope that this publication is useful to the scientific community studying the sunspot number: the longest solar index series derived from direct observation of the Sun.• Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte: Ayuda FPU / grant FPU. • Fondos FEDER-Junta de Extremadura: Ayuda al Grupo de Investigación GR18097 y Proyecto IB16127 / Research Group Grant GR18097 and project IB16127 • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government proyecto CGL2017-87917-P / project CGL2017-87917-

Annual report on Sunspot Counting Program 2013

Este programa nació a fines del 2012 en la Universidad de Extremadura con el fin de ampliar aún más nuestra investigación en la reconstrucción de la actividad solar. Desde el 1 de Enero de 2013, nuestro recuento de manchas solares se han presentado al Real Observatorio de Bélgica (ROB) como contribución a los esfuerzos internacionales de mantener y actualizar el número internacional de Manchas Solares. Para ello, hemos utilizado un pequeño refractor apocromático de 80 mm de diámetro de objetivo y 550 mm de longitud focal, a fin de proyectar una imagen de 150 mm de diámetro en una plantilla. Este informe proporciona un conjunto completo de los datos obtenidos durante el año 2013, con cuatro tablas que muestran nuestros datos. Por otra parte, el índice de referencia de las manchas solares se compara con nuestros resultados. Esperamos que esta publicación sea de utilidad a la comunidad científica que estudia el número de manchas solares: la mayor serie de índices solares derivadas de la observación directa del Sol.This program was born in late 2012 at the University of Extremadura in order to further extend our research in the reconstruction of past solar activity. Since 1st January 2013, our sunspot counts have been submitted to the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) as a contribution to the international effort of maintaining and updating the International Sunspot Number. For this purpose, we have used a small apochromatic refractor –80mm of objective diameter and 550mm of focal length– to project a 150mm diameter image onto a template. In this report, we provide a complete set of data obtained throughout the year 2013, with four Tables showing our data. Moreover, the reference sunspot index is compared with our results. We hope that this publication be useful to the scientific community studying the sunspot number: the longest solar index series derived from direct observation of the Sun

The diet of the first Europeans from Atapuerca

Hominin dietary specialization is crucial to understanding the evolutionary changes of craniofacial biomechanics and the interaction of food processing methods’ effects on teeth. However, the diet-related dental wear processes of the earliest European hominins remain unknown because most of the academic attention has focused on Neandertals. Non-occlusal dental microwear provides direct evidence of the effect of chewed food particles on tooth enamel surfaces and reflects dietary signals over time. Here, we report for the first time the direct effect of dietary abrasiveness as evidenced by the buccal microwear patterns on the teeth of the Sima del Elefante-TE9 and Gran Dolina-TD6 Atapuerca hominins (1.2–0.8 million years ago − Myr) as compared with other Lower and Middle Pleistocene populations. A unique buccal microwear pattern that is found in Homo antecessor (0.96–0.8 Myr), a well-known cannibal species, indicates dietary practices that are consistent with the consumption of hard and brittle foods. Our findings confirm that the oldest European inhabitants ingested more mechanically-demanding diets than later populations because they were confronted with harsh, fluctuating environmental conditions. Furthermore, the influence of grit-laden food suggests that a high-quality meat diet from butchering processes could have fueled evolutionary changes in brain size.This work was supported by the research grants, from the Dirección General de Investigación of Ministerio Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain), numbers CGL2007-60802/BTE, CGL2011-22999, CGL2012-38434-C03-01/02/03 and CGL2014-52611-C2-1-P, as well as by the grant 2009SGR884 Group of Study on the Evolution of Hominins and other Primates and grant 2014SGR900 Group of Analyses on Socio-Ecological Processes, Cultural Changes and Population Dynamics during Prehistory (GAPS) and CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya

Annual report on Sunspot Counting Program 2013

Este programa nació a fines del 2012 en la Universidad de Extremadura con el fin de ampliar aún más nuestra investigación en la reconstrucción de la actividad solar. Desde el 1 de Enero de 2013, nuestro recuento de manchas solares se han presentado al Real Observatorio de Bélgica (ROB) como contribución a los esfuerzos internacionales de mantener y actualizar el número internacional de Manchas Solares. Para ello, hemos utilizado un pequeño refractor apocromático de 80 mm de diámetro de objetivo y 550 mm de longitud focal, a fin de proyectar una imagen de 150 mm de diámetro en una plantilla. Este informe proporciona un conjunto completo de los datos obtenidos durante el año 2013, con cuatro tablas que muestran nuestros datos. Por otra parte, el índice de referencia de las manchas solares se compara con nuestros resultados. Esperamos que esta publicación sea de utilidad a la comunidad científica que estudia el número de manchas solares: la mayor serie de índices solares derivadas de la observación directa del Sol.This program was born in late 2012 at the University of Extremadura in order to further extend our research in the reconstruction of past solar activity. Since 1st January 2013, our sunspot counts have been submitted to the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) as a contribution to the international effort of maintaining and updating the International Sunspot Number. For this purpose, we have used a small apochromatic refractor –80mm of objective diameter and 550mm of focal length– to project a 150mm diameter image onto a template. In this report, we provide a complete set of data obtained throughout the year 2013, with four Tables showing our data. Moreover, the reference sunspot index is compared with our results. We hope that this publication be useful to the scientific community studying the sunspot number: the longest solar index series derived from direct observation of the Sun

Annual report on Sunspot Counting Program 2016

Este programa observación nació a finales del año 2012 en la Universidad de Extremadura con el fin de ampliar aún más nuestra investigación en la reconstrucción de la actividad solar. Desde el 1 de Enero de 2013, nuestros recuentos de manchas solares se han presentado al Real Observatorio de Bélgica (ROB) como contribución a los esfuerzos internacionales de mantener y actualizar el número internacional de Manchas Solares. Para ello, hemos utilizado un pequeño refractor apocromático de 80 mm de diámetro de objetivo y 550 mm de longitud focal, a fin de proyectar una imagen de 150 mm de diámetro en una plantilla. Este informe proporciona un conjunto completo de los datos obtenidos durante el año 2016, con cuatro tablas que muestran nuestros datos. Por otra parte, el índice de referencia de las manchas solares se compara con nuestros resultados. Esperamos que esta publicación sea de utilidad a la comunidad científica que estudia el número de manchas solares: la mayor serie de índices solares derivadas de la observación directa del Sol.This program was born in late 2012 at the University of Extremadura (Badajoz, 38°53′ N 6°58′ W) in order to further extend our research in the reconstruction of past solar activity (see, for example, Vaquero, 2007). Since 1st January 2013, our sunspot counts have been submitted to the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) as a contribution to the international effort of maintaining and updating the International Sunspot Number. For this purpose, we use a small apochromatic refractor –80 mm of objective diameter and 550 mm of focal length– to project a 150 mm diameter image onto a template. Then, a drawing is done so we obtain our sunspot counts from it. In this report, we provide a complete set of data obtained throughout the year 2016, with four Tables showing our data. Moreover, the reference sunspot index is compared with our results. We hope that this publication is useful to the scientific community studying the sunspot number: the longest solar index series derived from direct observation of the Sun

Annual report on Sunspot Counting Program 2019

Este programa nació a finales de 2012 en la Universidad de Extremadura (Badajoz, 38 ° 53 ′ N 6 ° 58 ′ O) para ampliar aún más nuestra investigación en la reconstrucción de la actividad solar pasada (ver, por ejemplo, Vaquero, 2007) . Desde el 1 de enero de 2013, nuestros recuentos de manchas solares se han enviado al Observatorio Real de Bélgica (ROB) como una contribución al esfuerzo internacional de mantener y actualizar el número internacional de manchas solares. Para este propósito, usamos un pequeño refractor apocromático –80 mm de diámetro objetivo y 550 mm de distancia focal– para proyectar una imagen de 150 mm de diámetro en una plantilla. Luego, se realiza un dibujo para que podamos obtener nuestros recuentos de manchas solares. Además, las observaciones solares de estaciones secundarias se llevan a cabo algunos días cuando falla la estación principal (en Badajoz). Una de estas estaciones también está en Badajoz (en una parte diferente de la ciudad) y está equipada con un refractor –90 mm de diámetro objetivo y 910 mm de distancia focal–, y la otra está en Valencia de las Torres (38 ° 24 ′ N 6 ° 00 ′ W) y está equipado con un refractor más pequeño –70 mm de diámetro objetivo y 700 mm de distancia focal–. En este informe, proporcionamos un conjunto completo de datos obtenidos a lo largo del año 2019, con cuatro tablas que incluyen nuestros datos. Además, el índice de referencia del número de manchas solares se compara con nuestros resultados. Esperamos que esta publicación sea útil para la comunidad científica que estudia el número de manchas solares: la serie de índice solar más larga derivada de la observación directa del Sol.This program was born in late 2012 at the University of Extremadura (Badajoz, 38°53′ N 6°58′ W) in order to further extend our research in the reconstruction of past solar activity (see, for example, Vaquero, 2007). Since 1st January 2013, our sunspot counts have been submitted to the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) as a contribution to the international effort of maintaining and updating the International Sunspot Number. For this purpose, we use a small apochromatic refractor –80 mm of objective diameter and 550 mm of focal length– to project a 150 mm diameter image onto a template. Then, a drawing is done so we obtain our sunspot counts from it. Moreover, solar observations from secondary stations are carried out some days when the main station (in Badajoz) fails. One of these stations is in Badajoz too (in a different part of the city) and is equipped with a refractor –90 mm of objective diameter and 910 mm of focal length–, and the other one is in Valencia de las Torres (38°24′ N 6°00′ W) and is equipped with a smaller refractor –70 mm of objective diameter and 700 mm of focal length–. In this report, we provide a complete set of data obtained throughout the year 2019, with four tables including our data. Moreover, the reference sunspot number index is compared with our results. We hope that this publication is useful to the scientific community studying the sunspot number: the longest solar index series derived from direct observation of the Sun.• Fondos FEDER-Junta de Extremadura: Ayuda al Grupo de Investigación GR18097 y Proyecto IB16127 • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of the Spanish Government proyecto CGL2017-87917-P • Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades) del Gobierno español: beca predoctoral PRE2018-08489

Acoustic Bessel-like beam formation by an axisymmetric grating

We report Bessel-like beam formation of acoustic waves by means of an axisymmetric grating of rigid tori. The results show that the generated beam pattern is similar to that of Bessel beams, characterized by elongated non-diffracting focal spots. A multiple foci structure is observed, due to the finite size of the lens. The dependence of the focal distance on the frequency is also discussed, on the basis of an extended grating theory. Experimental validation of acoustic Bessel-like beam formation is also reported for sound waves. The results can be generalized to wave beams of different nature, as optical or matter waves.The work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Union FEDER through projects FIS2011-29731-C02-01 and -02, also MAT2009-09438, MTM2012-36740-C02-02 and UPV-PAID 2012/253. VR-G acknowledges financial support from the "Pays de la Loire" through the post-doctoral programme.Jimenez, N.; Romero García, V.; Picó Vila, R.; Cebrecos Ruiz, A.; Sánchez Morcillo, VJ.; García-Raffi, LM.; Sánchez Pérez, JV.... (2014). Acoustic Bessel-like beam formation by an axisymmetric grating. EPL. 106(2):240051-240055. doi:10.1209/0295-5075/106/24005240051240055106